Bay Makes Great First Impression
By Mike Silva ~ January 5th, 2010. Filed under: Mike Silva, New York Mets.
Jason Bay made no phony “I love New York” statements, canned quotes, or challenges to “wipe the smile off his face.” He simply stood at the podium and was open and honest with the New York media. He may yet to have a run, hit, or RBI in New York, but Jason Bay already may have passed his first big test.
You heard about his bum shoulder, creaky knees, and his passion for Beirut during negotiations with the Mets. It amazed me how a player that replaced Manny Ramirez in Boston all of a sudden was rumored to be on the verge of breaking down. Sure, there were rumblings, even we heard it here, that his family preferred the west coast, but Bay took the high road when asked what other teams were in play. He answered all the questions on the rumors, his health, and Citi Field. He even seemed guilty the media was giving him all the attention, while is new GM was largely ignored. I never remember a player prompting the media to acknowledge someone else at the podium. It’s also important to note that he said the Mets were “one of the teams” on his short list, not his “first choice” from day one. If that bothers you, remember that Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Johan Santana never had Flushing at the top of their list either. This hasn’t stopped the fans from establishing a connection with any of them. Players have to treat free agency like a business, and Bay was no exception. Applaud the honesty even if you don’t like the process.
In the end a press conference will not make a career, but it sure can set the tone. Bobby Bonilla never lived down the “wipe the smile off my face” quote in probably the phoniest intros in Mets history. The key is to manage expectations about who Bay is as a player and what he means to this team. He is here to complement Wright and Beltran in the middle of the order, not carry the team on his back. This isn’t Mike Piazza riding into town to save the day circa 1998, but more like Robin Ventura rounding out the lineup.
I am a big proponent of “under promising” and “over delivering” in sports. Some of the greatest teams in this town’s history played hard, shut their mouths, and produced. It’s a formula that players, like the aforementioned Piazza, used throughout their New York tenure. Often, the player sets the tone for what type of experience he will have in this city. It seems Bay understood the importance of this as well.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Jason Bay couldn’t have done any better with his opportunity.
Sox & Boston Media Exposed.
Glad to hear the media question Bay about Peter Gammons now infamous Beirut statement. I was critical of the Boston media in a column last week, and it now appears some in the mainstream media are catching on as well. Take this quote from ESPN’s Rich Coutinho on Twitter:
Bay shot down Gammons story he’d rather play in Beirut than at Citi…Wonder if the Bosox leaked that to discredit another former employee. Seems Red Sox always need to discredit players they lose…Pedro, Damon, Bay, even Teixiera a bit. Beckett might be treated like that in ’10
I said last week that the Red Sox, with the help of the media, appear to work “hand in hand” to steer players their way. When someone, like Bay, disrespects “the family”, they turn their back on him. I believe when Bay succeeds, and Mike Cameron is exposed for the bad hitter he is, they will wish they made a better effort to retain him. I still am not buying this new “run created/run saved” formula because, quite simply, I don’t trust any of the defensive metrics out there. There is no way you can evaluate a player in a vacuum and say he is worth plus or minus “X” runs- at least not yet. This is real baseball, not fantasy baseball, and something tells me that Theo Epstein might learn that the hard way in 2010. For me, watching the Red Sox and Boston media eat crow on Bay will be enjoyable.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Mike, please explain why the Boston media will “eat crow” if the Red Sox lose. Is one penny of their salary tied to the team’s record? If anything, many media people in that city have benefited financially by the team losing, particularly those who propagated the “Curse of Babe Ruth.”
Meanwhile, how did a question about Gammons “expose” the whole Boston media as you suggest? Roughly 25 people cover that team, they were all exposed in some way because Gammons wrote something you didn’t like?
Finally, please present any evidence you have of the media working “hand in hand” with the Red Sox to run Jason Bay down. In fact, the media up there reacted quite the other way, running down the idea of building around pitching and defense and calling for the return for Bay.
And what player did the media steer Boston’s way? Please name one. Just one.
As a writer, you make a good fan. You sound like some knucklehead on a barstool.
January 5th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Mike,
Excellent thoughts on the Red Sox front office/press industrial complex that disingenuously slams every former player the second it is clear that the player is moving on. The Sox will make a legitimate offer to a player — like the 3 year offer to Pedro or the 4/60 offer to Bay and then, when it is rejected, these stories will start popping up that make it sound like Bay is in the last stages of zombification and his arms will fall off at the shoulders in April and so the brilliant Sox are just too smart to bid on the undead like that — except, of course, that they were willing to give him a firm commitment for four years that would have tied up a nice portion of their payroll and a key roster spot. So, obviously they had to think he wasn’t going to be quite the armless stiff that their planted post-bay-rejection-of-theri-offer make it sound.
It’s odd that a generally efficient (though overrated) front office is so obsessed with Gossip Girl-esque retaliation against any rogue agents. I imagine Theo just really gives his heart when he puts out a multiyear offer, and when a player says no, he’s just going to vut off all his hair, burn the Bay jerseys in the fenway clubhouse and pass notes in the back of the classroom, errr, I mean plant items to the formerly-respected and now just fraudulent and complicit Peter Shammons
Good stuff Silva, way to stay ahead of the curve.
January 6th, 2010 at 6:53 am
Fernando
There is way too much pom poms and negativity around players that leave (see the list produced by Rich C of ESPN). As I outlined last week
http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=19778
there is a very provincial side to the Boston media that seems to be pervasive. Of course, this doesn’t mean all have an issue, but many of the big names, and some new ones, are jumping on board.
You are also the same guy that said that mocked our rumors and, so far, Demayo and Frank Russo have proven to have painted a great picture of the Mets and Yanks offseason.
You should put the hate away for the New Year!!
January 6th, 2010 at 6:55 am
JP
You said it perfectly, thanks for reading. I hope Fernando reads this and learns something.
As for Kelly – thanks for giving us the 411 on Carter. I am excited to see him play this spring, and if he could be a good bench bat.
January 6th, 2010 at 9:32 am
Great move, hope he works out. Now we need to fill all the other holes before we can even think about being considered an elite team. As usual though, we get the familiar party line from Omar yesterday:
“When we started [last] season, a lot of guys picked us to potentially go to the World Series with pretty much the same pitchers we have now,” Minaya said.
Great, this is why the Mets will never win the WS with this leadership and attitude. As long as they (and Met fans) keep pretending everything will be all right, and things will just magically work out, we will always be second class.
January 6th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
More of the same from the NY camp. “Yawn” …get another hobby.