Sunday, August 16, 2009

A No-Brainer In More Ways Than One

It's probably only true in my head. But hearing Gary Cohen discuss the David Wright beaning at the top of Sunday's telecast made me think that he took on the role of patriarchal figure ... one who regretted being away from legions of Mets followers only for a day, but for a day that was event filled for all the wrong reasons. There was Cohen calming us, reassuring us, that our old friends were returning to put what we saw on Saturday in proper perspective. Saturday's FOX team, Thom Brennaman and Mark Grace, were a much welcome pair in contrast to many of the other alternate announcing teams we've been treated to during nationally televised affairs. But the Wright beaning needed perspective from the familiar. Sunday was better late than never.

Gary and Keith Hernandez were needed, if for no other reason, to wade through the latest nonsense out of Snoop Manuel's mouth. This time, it's about how tough people don't get concussions.
"David would know well enough whether he can move forward," Manuel said. "He's a bright young man and he understands a lot of different things, what's going on, and I think he has enough wisdom to put it in its right place"

"I would think him being who he is... because of what he means, I think I would give him the benefit of the doubt. And that’s just coming from the manager. I got hit in the head, and I’m still a little off here or there. I don’t have anything to do with how the medical people proceed. But for me as a manager, for what he has done for me, I want to give him every benefit of the doubt. What that is, I don’t know."
Because as you know, players who mean more to a team have a thin coating of alloy covering their brain designed to protect them from beanballs, home plate collisions, and walk-off dogpiles. It's in the journal of medicine.

Paging Eric Lindros ... Eric Lindros, please find a white courtesy phone.

Thankfully, Omar Minaya listened to Lindros, the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the tooth fairy. Because Minaya has just announced that the team has put Wright on the 15-day DL with the concussion. At no time did Minaya hint that Cain hit Wright because he had lobbied the team for a player development position.

So not only did the Mets prevail via the Daniel Murphy walk-off, but common sense has also prevailed. (What's more shocking, the Mets using common sense, or Luis Castillo reaching the second deck with a home run?)

The bad news is that Wright can come off the DL on September 1st where he'll have to meet the club in Denver ... of all places. The good news is that 15 days will give Wright enough time to take a train there.

3 comments:

Hazeleyes said...

Poor David. At least they are attempting to handle this one correctly.

Who is managing next year? Because I gotta tell ya I cannot take much more of Manuel's yapping. He's gotta go. What the hell is he even talking about in that quote. Reading his quote almost gave ME a concussion.

He must have had a few beanballs hit his head in his day.

Hopefully David makes a swift and complete recovery.

Unknown said...

OH MY GOD. I cannot believe he offered that bullshit comparing Church and Wright, as though concussions are a matter of willpower. Poor Churchie. He must be so happy to be out of this hell.

Though, the fact that Snoop's been hit in the head does help explain things.

James Allen said...

I'm glad more and more people are coming to the realization that this manager is an idiot. The smiling, the laughing after losses, the incomprehensible gibberish peppered with nonsense words like "gangsta" that comes out of this man's mouth. Oh, and the bad game management, too.

And Tim Cain can go fuck himself. I am tired and tired of pitchers being let of the hook in these things. Look, these are well paid professional athletes, they know where they are throwing the ball, and what's more they are responsible for where the ball goes regardless of what they claim their "intentions" were. That's why great pitchers can effectively pitch inside maybe occasionally hitting guys on the arms (and typically when said batters are leaning over the plate), and assholes like Matt Cain throw at people's heads. The hat tip was the giveaway. Ha ha, you've just been had, Mets, I took out your best player, na na na-na na. Jesus, I so wanted an entire bank of lights to fall on his head at that moment.

These team needs to get new management, get healthy, and grow a pair.