Only The Toe Knows...

In his recent article in the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch writes what some of us have long suspected- that Pedro's toe is probably not nearly as bad as reported, and the "injury" would be a convenient excuse to keep the Mets ace out of the World Classic.

Here's a link to his article: http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxMTMmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRU
V5eTY4NTIxMDQmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2

Injuries, as we all know, are a part of the game that no one can plan for. However, to truly understand how deeply Omar Minaya has turned around this organization, think back to two years ago- it's Spring Training, and Grant Roberts appears to be a leading contender for the Mets rotation. Jonathan and I watched him pitch in Spring Training, and his fastball was literally sizzling when it hit the catcher's mitt. We were excited to see this good guy (who signed the bill of my hat) seemingly steer his career on path. In fact, Vance Wilson (another good guy) told me that he was very impressed by Roberts' stuff. Then, in the wink of an eye, Roberts' was hurt and no one believed him. It seemed like J.R. Richard all over again (for those who don't remember, Richard was thought to be a malingerer with the Astros, faking injuries until he had a stroke and people realized something was actually wrong with him). This was indemic of a huge problem the Mets faced, which was a seeming dishonesty as it related to team injuries. We never knew if a player was truly hurt or not, and the Mets med staff never seemed to be ahead of the curve in the treatment of team injuries. It's hard, as a fan, to feel good about an organization when you can't believe something as simple as the team's injury reports! The genius of Omar is that he gets it, and he hired some of the best medical staff and trainers in the sport. THIS might have been the most important move that the Mets have made in the past 2 years, as it's one thing to invest millions in players, but another thing to protect that investment with the right medical team.

Now, when reading about Pedro's toe, instead of panicing or doubting the medical staff, we can simply look at it as a smart public relations move, and look forward to seeing Pedro on opening day!

(By the way- the title of this post comes from my favorite actor, Kevin Spacey, as gangster Mel Profit from the late, lamented TV show Wiseguy! If you have a few bucks left after the holidays, I suggest you pick up the box set containing this story arc, and sit back and watch episodic TV at its best!)