The Curious Case of Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran stands frozen at home plate, his knees buckled by a nasty curveball that ends Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.

Ask most Mets fans what they remember most about that terrible night, and chances are that image will come to mind first. Even though Oliver Perez escaped that same fate by the skin of Endy Chavez's glove, and Aaron Heilman gave up the game winning home run, Beltran was the guy who choked in the biggest of spots.

It's really a shame, because Carlos Beltran should be remembered as one of the greatest players to put on a Mets uniform. After a rough first season Carlos rebounded with a three year stretch that was among the best in baseball, averaging 33 homers and 113 RBI while playing a superb center field. Following two more injury plagued seasons, he shocked everyone this season by regaining his All Star status AND emerging as a team leader. Perhaps only Darrell Strawberry can prevent Beltran from laying claim to the title of best Mets all around outfielder of all time.

Yet despite his stellar performance, Beltran is still thought of by many Mets fans as a disappointment. We know Game 7 stands out, but there must be other contributing factors. Maybe it's the fact that Beltran wanted to play for the Yankees, or the huge contract the huge contract the Mets gave him to convince him otherwise. Maybe it's the injuries, or the seemingly apathetic way he played the game. Perhaps it's the fact that he never led the Mets to the World Series.

Whatever it is, Beltran deserves a better Mets legacy. He helped bring the Mets back to relevance in 2005, a status that was destroyed from above by bad management. Now that he is gone, fans will likely finally realize just how great a Met he was.

Here's to hoping that Carlos helps San Francisco beat the Phillies in October and goes on to win his first ring. He certainly deserves it.

An Alternate Mets Universe

With Carlos Beltran in his final days as a New York Met, there's been a lot of talk about the last five years and the end of an era. In 2006, one year after Beltran signed, the Mets seemed destined for greatness. Beltran, Reyes, Wright, and eventually Santana in or entering their prime and poised to lead the Mets to contention for years to come. Accomplished veterans like Pedro Martinez, Glavine and Delgado would round out this potential dynasty and end their careers on top of the world. These were "the New Mets".

What we didn't realize is that the only thing "new" about these Mets would be the ways that they tormented us fans. Instead of penants and rings, we got a heartbreaking Game 7 loss, two unbelievable collapses and a couple of seasons destroyed by injuries and marked by mediocrity.

But let's go back to that fateful October night in 2006, right before Beltran stood frozen at the plate on a called strike 3 and the Cardinals rushed the field, to see what could have been...

2006: In Game 7 of the NLCS, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, the bases loaded and the Mets trailing 3-1, Beltran hits a nasty two-strike curveball from Cardinals closer Adam Wainwright for a series winning homer. Beltran is mobbed by his teammates before can reach 2nd base. The Mets go on to sweep the Tigers in the World Series. Robin Ventura cries knowing that his own "grand slam single" will be immediately forgotten and he will only be known for getting pummeled by Nolan Ryan.

2007: The Mets, about to fall victim to the biggest collapse in baseball history, are saved when Tom Glavine shuts down the Marlins in game 162. Oliver Perez then beats the Phillies in the one game playoff, further establishing himself as a fan favorite of Mets fans. Pedro Martinez says the Yankees may be his daddy but the Red Sox are his little brother who he helps raise and then beats up.

2008: The Mets win the Wild Card and beat the 1st place Phillies in the NLCS. During the offseason, Aaron Heilman calls the Phillies "choke artists" because they've blown it the last two seasons, and they prove him right by falling into a downward cycle for the next several years thanks to horrible starting pitching. The Mets are so impressed with Oliver Perez that they sign him to a 3 year, $36 million contract.

2009: Citi Field opens with 8 foot high blue walls, enabling David Wright to hit a career high 42 home runs. The Mets capture the Subway Series when Luis Castillo drops a pop up but then throws out Derek Jeter, who wasn't hustling on the play. The loss is a major psychological blow to the Yankees, who miss the playoffs and deal the lackadaisical Jeter to the Royals in the offseason. Meanwhile, the Mets medical staff is lauded for keeping their players so healthy all year.

2010: With the core of the Mets healthy and playing great the past few years, the Mets pass on Jason Bay and instead pick up a few cheaper alternatives. The starting lineup is so good that insurance pickups Gary Matthews, Mike Jacobs and Alex Cora languish in AAA and don't see the majors all season.

Oh, what could have been.

Mets Get Smart with K-Rod Trade

Francisco Rodriguez and a boatload of cash for two players to be named later may go down as the best trade of 2011. And I don't mean for the Brewers.

Believe it or not, the Mets made a great move by dumping their star closer for basically nothing in return. With that $17 million option looming, it was a move they had to make.

Look, I liked having K-Rod on the Mets. He was a pretty stable force in the Mets bullpen, especially when he wasn't punching out his elders. But there was absolutely no reason to keep him around. If he K-Rod remained the closer, he would have easily finished the 21 more games needed to kick in that daunting option. If he became the set-up man, he would not be nearly as effective (see his performances in non-save situation) and probably would have become an angry distraction (again, the punching thing).

Unless the two players to be named later turn out to be Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, I don't see how this trade can go wrong for the Mets. The extra $17 million can go towards paying Jose Reyes and other free agents. Heck, they could use some of the money to build another Shake Shack and I'd be happy.

And while many view this move as the Mets throwing in the towel, I disagree. Most closers are fairly interchangeable these days, and now we get to see what the younger and cheaper Bobby Parnell is made of. Unless (or until) they trade Beltran, the Mets can remain on the fringes of Wild Card contention, which is exactly where they were with Rodriguez on the team.

So the AARP members in the Mets clubhouse shoulnd't be the only people thrilled with this trade. All Mets fans should rejoice knowing that we finally have a GM willing to make the smart and necessary moves, even if they may not be totally popular.

And an extra $17 mil doesn't hurt either.

The $140 Million Mets: A Feel Good Story

They may not be the '69 Mets, but this current crop of Amazins have pulled off their own minor miracle. Somehow, the team linked to the evil Bernie Madoff and with a recent history of countless blunders and even more overpaid underachievers on its payroll has actually become a likable and compelling underdog.

Yes, the Mets only have a .500 record, but for a team in complete disarray .500 looks pretty good. After all, they have had seemingly everything possible go wrong this year. They had a horrific start to the season (5-13), saw two of their best hitters (Wright, Davis) join their best pitcher (Santana) on the DL, and have received disappointing seasons from several key players (Bay, Pagan, Pelfrey). And that doesn't even include the off-the-field issues. Yet somehow the Mets are still treading water and keeping us fans interested, something that seemed highly unlikely just a couple months ago.

If it's possible for a mediocre New York team with a $140 payroll to be a feel good story, the 2011 Mets are it so far. The troubling complacent attitude of the last few years is long gone, thanks in large part to a group of likable no-names who have everything to prove. Career minor leaguer Justin Turner has been a huge contributor. Light hitting Daniel Murphy has held his own while batting in the cleanup spot. Unheralded rookie Dillon Gee has been the most consistent starting pitcher. A lineup full of guys who would be backups on most other teams, a rotation stocked with 4th and 5th starters, and a bullpen full of have somehow helped keep the Mets relevant.

Throw in an affable superstar like Reyes, a smooth and steady All-Star like Beltran, and resilient veterans like Dickey and Capuano, and the Mets are suddenly a compelling, appealing team. They have amazingly silenced the critics and changed their association from "Ponzi-schemers" to to "potential Wild Card contenders", even if just a little bit.

They won't be throwing any ticker tape parades for .500 teams, especially in June. But with all that's gone on this and past seasons, mediocrity is not a horrible place to be.

Confused by Wilpon's comments? Watch Major League

I really hope that Fred Wilpon is a big fan of the classic movie Major League.

In that movie, the Cleveland Indians new owner attempts to put together the worst team she can find and then constantly mistreats and disses her players. Her goal is to lose as many games as possible and minimize fan attendance, which in turn will allow her to move the team to her ideal destination. But the plan backfires when the Indian's players find out that their owner hates them and rally to win the pennant.

The only explanation I can think of for Wilpon's strange decision to belittle his own team is that he recently watched Major League and thinks the plot can happen in real life.

Think about it: Wilpon, by his own admission, puts together a "sh*tty team" with the likes of Jason Bay, Willie Harris, Chin-lung Hu, Scott Hairston, and several other outcasts. This results in a losing baseball team and a major drop in attendance at Citi Field. Then Wilpon publicly disses his three best players despite the fact that two of them (Reyes and Beltran) are carrying the team and the other (Wright) has been it's most consistently good player. And although Wilpon has not threatened to move the Mets, he does seem intent on turning them into the Dodgers.

So now Wilpon has his team right where he wants them. His players hate their employer, the fans their favorite team's owner, and the team stinks in general. And if Major League is accurate (and Fred must think it is), this is the perfect recipe for success.

Now the Mets players have a cause to rally around. They will do everything they can to win baseball games, simply to prove their non-believing owner wrong. They will band together a segregated clubhouse. They will shock the world and make the playoffs. They may even construct a cardboard cutout of Fred and remove an article of clothing after each win.

Yes, it all makes sense now. Fred watched Major League and a light bulb went off in his head. Such a great movie can't have it wrong, can it?

A Yankee Hater's Dream

Watching the Yankees lose almost as much as the Mets this year has been great. Watching the Yankees go through even more in-season drama than the Mets this week has been even better.

As everyone knows by now, Jorge Posada refused to play against the Red Sox after being dropped to the ninth spot of the batting order. I enjoy any bad Yankees press, so I was giddy watching the whole drama unfold. Posada wasn't cut, or even benched - he was simply moved a couple spots downi n the lineup, making his little league style freak-out hilarious. Throw in the fact that he is making making $52 million and hitting .179, and it's downright ridiculous.

While the Posada story was great in itself, even better was the fact that it showed us just how fun the next few years could be for Yankee haters.

Posada is already at the edge of the cliff, but his teammate, the icon Derek Jeter, is not too far behind. Just imagine the fallout when Jeter, already in the second year of his downfall, is demoted in the lineup and/or removed from his position. And with the Yankees "stuck" with Jeter for 3 more years, there is plenty of time for tensions to stew between Yankee management and their beloved captain.

Then there's Alex Rodriguez, who is 35 years old and signed for 7 more years. Arod may still be a great hitter, but in a couple years will be an old man (in baseball years) in a post-steroids era where old baseball players rarely succeed. Just imagine how the potential all time home run leader will react when he is batting 8th and is a full-time DH.

I know, I know, the Yankees will undoubtedly end up with a whole new batch of new stars to make the decline of their former greats a moot point. And Yankee fans will of course point to their 27 banners and remind us that the Mets only have 2. But with the Mets possibly in the midst of a few more down seasons, it's fun to think of the likes of Jeter and Arod pulling a Posada down the road and smashing another hole into the Yankees sinking ship.

I personally can't wait.

Keep Reyes, Trade Wright

With talk of a potential Jose Reyes trade trending just below Osama and the royal wedding these days, it seems like a good time for Mets Kool-Aid to address the trade issue.

Let me first say this: the Mets should NOT trade Jose Reyes if they think they can re-sign him.

Then, let me say this: if the Mets think they can re-sign Reyes, they SHOULD trade David Wright this season.

In an ideal world, Reyes and Wright, both in their primes, would obviously remain together and lead the Mets' resurgence. But the Mets world is miles away from ideal. In their world massive debt and a billion dollar lawsuit rule the day, which is why trading one of their homegrown stars seems inevitable. Reyes is the name that comes up most often, but if either of them has to go it should be Wright.

Look, I like David Wright. He is the favorite of most Mets fans, from older die-hards to teenage girls. He is a very good baseball player who is rarely injured and always does and says the right thing. He will probably be an all-star and gold glove candidate for many years ahead, and will be even better if he has a great hitter behind him to take some of the pressure off him.

Finding another David Wright will be very tough, but finding another Jose Reyes might be downright impossible. Reyes can do it all - he has hit for as many as 19 home runs, stolen as many as 78 bases, and plays excellent defense. His speed and pension for hitting the ball in the gaps makes Reyes the perfect player for Citi Field, whereas Wright is a pseudo-power hitter who seems somewhat affected by the cavernous stadium and high fences.

And almost as important as Reyes' immense talent is the excitement and energy he brings. The chance to watch Reyes leg out a triple is right up there with Ike's towering homers as reasons to buy an overpriced ticket. While Wright's stoic personality is to be admired, Reyes' fiery attitude is exactly what the Mets need in these tough times.

Here's something else to consider: with Reyes' free agency looming this offseason and reputation for being injury-prone, he might actually bring in LESS of a prospect haul than Wright, who is under a reasonable contract for another year. Yes, Reyes will likely demand $18M or more per season, but with several huge contracts coming off the books even the cash strapped Mets should be able to afford him, especially if they know they won't have to pay Wright the same going forward.

Again, I would love to see Wright and Reyes play together in Flushing for the next decade if it was possible. But if the choice is between re-building the franchise around Reyes or Wright, then Wright has to be the one to go.