Yasiel Puig Proves New York Mets To Be A Bunch Of Babies
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Here's a list of some things the New York Mets should be concerned about:
--Being nine games under .500
--Sitting 11.5 games out of first place
--Sitting 13.5 games out of a wild-card spot
--Fixing Noah Syndergaard
--Making Matt Harvey useful again
--Ranking 28th in MLB in team ERA at 5.05
--Ranking 12th in the National League in team fielding percentage
--Losing 10 out of 11 games for a stretch in April
--Losing 10 out of 13 games for a stretch in May
--Losing six of their last seven games in June
--Getting outscored 71-34 since last Tuesday
--Being, generally, bad
Here's a list of things that should be far from the thoughts and minds of the New York Mets:
--Anything Yasiel Puig does
And yet, the Mets showed Wednesday night in Los Angeles that their priorities may be out of whack, because they went and stomped their feet and shouted some angry words when Puig had the audacity to take a few seconds to watch his bomb leave the yard at Dodger Stadium.
Just look at these big babies:
As background, the Dodgers had just taken a lead earlier in the inning, thanks in part to a sloppy defensive play by Los Mets (one of their two errors on the night). With a runner on second and one out, the Mets opted to walk Joc Pederson to get to Puig.
If Puig took this tactical decision by an opponent as a sign of disrespect, he would not have been the first baseball player in history to do so. And if he consequently soaked in the glow of his 400-foot dinger for an extra second, then so be it. Who cares? We're all going to die one day; what's it really matter if a man shows that he enjoyed doing something for a moment?
But of course, the Mets being the Mets, they created an issue. Wilmer Flores barked at Puig after he passed first base on his home run trot. (It's important to note that Flores spoke up after the 6-foot-2, 255-pound Puig had safely passed by him. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud also covered his mouth with his glove in giving Puig a little lecture at home plate.
Later, between innings, two Mets players -- Jose Reyes and Yoenis Cespedes -- spoke with Puig about the way things should be done.
Hey, here's a list of things Jose Reyes should be concerned about:
--Not getting arrested for domestic violence
--Paying child support to his former mistress
--Not striking out at a pitch outside of the zone with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the fourth, one half-inning prior to Puig's home run
--Getting his batting average up to .200 (it's currently at .192, which is third-worst in MLB among qualified batters)
And while we're at it, here's what Yoenis Cespedes should be worried about:
--Pimping his own home runs on a regular basis
Instead, we've got these little meetings where some players on a losing ball club lecturing a player on a first-place team how to react to hitting a home run.
From The New York Daily News:
Flores said he told Puig "to run the bases" because "he disrespected us."
Puig's response, according to Flores? "F--- you."
From the AP game recap:
"I just told him to run the bases, that was it," Flores said. "I don't think he knows what having respect for the game is. We're playing horrible right now, we don't need his [expletive]."
...
"He disrespected us," Flores said. "I think there's a way to enjoy a home run. That was too much."
...
"After I talked to Cespedes, he told me, `Try to run a little bit faster,' and tried to give me some advice," Puig said through a translator. "I don't look at it that way, but it is what it is."
Yes, it is what it is. And it is all so stupid.
The Mets are indeed "playing horrible right now," and they do not "need this bleep." Maybe they should just ... get over it then? Raising a stink when you actually stink as a baseball team is in itself a bit "too much."
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
