Wally Matthews - Class A A-Hole - Part 2

I want to thank Jessica at Chick's Dig the Pitchers Duel, for mentioning Wally Matthews story from yesterday on her blog (apologies to Jessica for mistakenly crediting someone else earlier for bringing the story up). I normally read Newsday on my way home, which is why this post was not up yesterday. Rest assured, had I read this in the AM, I would have written this then.

So Wally has done it again. A month or so after basically saying David Wright cold be using performance enhancers, yesterday, Wally decided it was time to take on Pedro Martinez, in an effort to boost Steve Trachsel. Now, I do not have an issue with trying to boost Trax. Frankly, if he gets a start in the first round, no problem from where I sit. I wouldn't mind Maine getting the start instead, but I am not going to get all twisted about Trax starting, he has done a good job this year, and, who knows, he could be Bobby Jones II.

No, my issue was with the way Wally wrote about Pedro. Here is an example

Martinez, on the other hand, is a temperamental diva who trains at his own pace and pitches when he feels like it. Last year, he shut it down early when the Mets were eliminated from the race. This year, he vacationed for much of August and now, despite two subpar comeback outings, finds his position at the head of the rotation waiting for him.

Well, this sounds suspiciously like the crap we used to hear about before Pedro came to NY. Now, lets examine the claims here a little more closely. Wally starts by saying last year Pedro "shut it down early". That is true, but the fact is that he had been pitching hurt, and the Mets had signed him to a 4 year contract. Should the organization have let him pitch, risking further injury, and destroying their investment? I think not.

Then we get to "This year he vacationed in August". Now, Wally apparently has not been reading his own paper. All year long Pedro has been fighting myriad of injuries. First, it was the toe. Then, he hurt his hip in Florida. Now, he hurt his calf. Now, maybe Wally doesn't realize this, but a pitcher needs his legs to be strong in order to be able to do his job. When you cannot push off, you cannot be effective. Perhaps Wally should see Pedro's start in Philly when he was knocked around the day the calf first started hurting. Everyone in NY, with the exception of Wally, realizes that the Mets post-season hopes rest on the entire rotation, including Pedro being healthy. Does he really think teams are quivering at the sight of Trax on the mound?

Wally took exception to the following quote from Pedro, given on Sunday "You guys are 50 vultures and I'm one dead, skinny raccoon." Given the story that Wally wrote, can you blame Pedro? I certainly can't. Every day he gets asked the same question. Every day, he gives the same answer. The media continues to pry and try to get the hot quote from him. Just shut the hell up, and let the guy rehab. If he is ready, he will be ready. If he is not, then he is not. This injury is not something that is going to magically heal overnight.

I'm not sure if Wally is just a closet Yankee fan trying to piss Pedro off or if he is trying to make the case that Steve Trachsel deserves a postseason start more than Pedro. LIke I wrote above, Steve can start, that is fine. But to try to say he is more deserving than Pedro because he has 15 wins is nuts. You want to know the reason why Pedro has a slot Wally? It's because any time out there he has the chance to dominate. You want to know why Trax is not guaranteed a spot? Because any time out there he can be dominated.

I'm getting a little sick and tired of the anti-Met slant of some members of the media. The Post ran with the PLD divorce/girlfriend story. Wally has taken shots at the Mets. His Pompousness and the Hyena take at least a day a week to slam the team. Tell me Fat Boy, where was the questioning of the Yankees celebrating after they clinched, after a loss no less? It was OK to bash the Mets, but not the Yanks guys? We got 1 day of stories out of the whole A-Rod thing, but a week over PLD, with a lot of unsubstantiated claims thrown in for good measure.

You know, considering the Mets won the division for the first time in 18 years, the continued maturing of Jose Reyes and David Wright, the comeback season of Carlos Beltran, and the surprises that are Endy Chavez and Jose Valentin, I should be a lot happier right now. Too bad the media can't let me enjoy it more. Am I being a little sensitive on this? Maybe. But the last thing I want is a Pedro pissed off at the media, because if he mouths off about it, every single paper will have a negative story about him.