Welcome Back Mike's, now lose

Well, the two Mike's made there return last night, Cameron and Piazza. Cameron did get a nice ovation prior to his first at-bat, proving that Met fans are the classiest fans in NY. The reception for Piazza was of course much larger, longer and heartfelt.

There was some discussion in other places as to what the proper reaction to Piazza should be. Some called for him to have a game winning hit. Now, I can understand how fans feel, the team has a large lead, and Mike was a beloved person, but for me, the team triumphs over the man. I am pleased that the organization showed a video for him, and am pleased that the fans in attendance (and probably more than a few at home) cheered him when he stepped to the plate in the top of the second to the sounds of "Voodoo Child". However, calling for your team to lose is not the way a fan should act. The Padres are a potential post-season opponent. They should be given no quarter. Thankfully, that result was not what happened, Mike had a single in 4 plate appearances, and Trax made him look awful in his first at-bat.

On the other hand, there were some who felt that there should be little cheering, as he was not a true Met, and he only signed as a FA at the end of the 1998 season because the team offered him the most money. This opinion could not be more wrong in my opinion. Other teams would have swooped in to sign him, he was the elite catcher of that time, and one of the most feared hitters. Not only that, he had been booed towards the end of the season. He could have easily decided to leave. He did not, he signed, and led the team to the playoffs in 1999 and 2000.

Now Mike was not a rah-rah guy. He led by example, playing hard, and trying to do his best for the team. How many big hits did he have in Orange & Blue? Tons. There were times he was the only feared bat in the lineup, yet he still continued to produce. Art Howe treated him like crap, and yet he did little complaining. Did he answer questions posed to him, sure, but he did not seek out the press to bitch, and kept his comments measured. When Clemens threw the bat at him, he could have charged the mound, but he knew he would be costing his team, so he did not. Smart move, yet he was vilified for it by some fans. Part of me wished he would have beaten the daylights out of Clemens, but at the same time, I understood why he reacted the way he did.

The applause was rightfully given last night, the chants of "Mike Pi-A-Za" were great (though the Islander fan in me hated the Ranger tinged cadence). In a way, I compare Mike's return to that of Mark Messier. Messier left on bad terms, taking more money from Vancouver as opposed to staying with the Rangers. The fans however overlooked that, and gave him a hero's welcome upon his return. Now, I know, Messier won a Cup (the first in over 50 years), and Piazza did not win a WS, but Mike brought the team back to the playoffs after an 11 year absence. The cheers were deserved.

Now, the return is over, the applause can return to polite acknowledgement, and fans should save their voices for their own team starting tonight.

Recap Time

Steve Trachsel (interestingly, spell check gives "tragically" as a replacement for his last name)pitched his normal 5 2/3 innings, giving up 2 runs. The pen held from there, though Billy Wagner made things interesting in the 9th, allowing a walk and a single, but fanned Dave Roberts to end the game.

Carlos Beltran apparently brought his swing home with him from the roadtrip, getting 3 doubles his first 3 times at the plate. David Wright had 3 hits, 2 RBI, 1 run and 1 SB. Jose Reyes had a single and stole 2 bases. Paul Lo Duca had a single. While the lineup did not explode, it was nice to see Beltran hit at home, Wright continue to warm up, and Lo Duca continue to hit, despite all the BS in the press.

Tonight we have Pedro going against Clay Hensley. Hensley is 7-8 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Should be interesting to see Mike vs. Pedro.

Finally, as far as Lo Duca is concerned, I support him. To quote Forrest Gump "That's all I have to say about that." While I am clearly not a member of the media, I will abide by Paul's wish to keep the discussion to baseball. Let the muckrakers have their day. One of these days, the players in NY are going to get fed up with the BS and stop talking to the print media.