Recently I was told a former Mets player believed the club “didn’t take losing personally” and that was one of the problems with the team. He didn’t say they don’t care, but rather the “let’s get them tomorrow” mentality isn’t going to get them where they want to be. That statement is probably an indictment on the manager and the type of personalities on the ballclub. Bob Klapisch wrote last week how the “millennium athlete” might look at things a bit differently. I argue that management has bred this type of mentality because of their inability to demand greatness from the team.

It wasn’t that long ago that Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel were talking about “competing” in St. Louis. What an abhorrent statement for a team with one of the top payrolls in baseball. Furthermore, the long leash that players such as John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Gary Matthews Jr. have received sends an equally troubling message. Right now the best thing the Mets can do is make Perez the example and show the club what happens when you don’t take your career seriously.

Earlier today Mike Puma of the NY Post relays quotes from members of the team who believe the Mets should send that exact message with Perez by cutting him. It’s clear that Oliver needs time in Buffalo to figure out where his velocity, command, and mound composure have gone. A career that looked to be turned around appears to be headed to the abyss. Instead, Perez has let his ego control his destiny and exercised his contractual right to remain in the big leagues. Since he is owed $24 million it puts the Mets in a difficult position.

Jerry Manuel, doing his best impression of a politician, danced around the question of Perez saying “it would be hard to find spots for him” and that he would save him “for extra inning games.” This prompted a teammate to joke that Perez is being kept around for the next 20 inning marathon.

Mets management, as I said on the show last night, is a mess. Jeff Wilpon is playing the GM role with John Ricco, Omar Minaya is scouting, and replacements for Manuel have already been lined up. The players aren’t stupid and know what’s going on. Would you take “losing personally” if you saw someone like Perez allowed to stick around? How about watching Gary Matthews Jr. produce absolutely nothing while a kid that could do the same thing is hitting .400 in the minors? Does that make you believe the organization is committed to winning?

Surprisingly the team is a game over .500 and in the race despite all the poor decisions that have been made. Pulling John Maine out of the ballgame in Washington was a great start, but there needs to a few others expelled from the clubhouse. Oliver Perez is the symbol of what is wrong with this organization the last few years. Time to bite the bullet and send him packing. Yes, it will be an expensive lesson, but one that might give this club reason to believe in 2010.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Gary Matthews Jr., Jerry Manuel, John Maine, John Ricco, New York Mets, Oliver Perez, Omar Minaya