Thoughts on Mike Pelfrey's Thoughtless Comments

If you had asked any "realistic" Mets fan going into the 2011 season, they would have told you there was a slim chance of the Mets making a run at the postseason, let alone making it. After all, the Braves were coming off a strong season last year and the Phillies stocked up on arms in the form of Halladay, Oswalt, Lee, and Hamels. On top of that, the Mets were expected to miss Santana for at least half the season (which has since turned to almost all of 2011) and Mets owner Fred Wilpon was ensnarled in deep financial troubles that many believed would hinder future club transactions. To expect the Mets to finish anything higher than third would have required divine intervention.

But it's alright for a fan to predict failure. After all, one of the top characteristics of a Mets fan is cautious optimism that is really covering up negativity and low expectations. Year in and year out most Mets fans would never admit to thinking this team has much of a shot, and in fact many fans who believe so are labeled "kool-aid drinkers", which is to say any Mets fan who thinks they have a shot is delusional and blindly following believing in the team despite "common sense".

All that aside, it is never ok for a player to admit to not believing in the team's performance. That is what makes Mike Pelfrey's latest comments to Mike Puma of the New York Post so damning. If you missed them...

“It’s unrealistic for anybody at the end of last year to come in and say, ‘The Mets, this is a one-year thing, next year we’re going to win it all…It’s unrealistic.”

One anonymous Mets player angrily responded with...

“He’s cutting his own throat…What’s his record, six and nine? He’s supposed to be the ace of the [bleeping] staff. Why don’t you go and win 12 or 13 games?”

With Pelfrey going through a rough year (6-9, 4.53 ERA) in his first test as the Mets ace in the absence of Johan Santana, this quote will not win him any support from his teammates and may result to him being ostracized by the veteran presences of the club. The comments were on the minds of every fan going into the season, but at no point should have ever been on the mind of any players. It's as if you said you said you thought you were fat, and then someone else said they thought you were fat. Even though you agree with their comments (as you just said so), chances are you would be furious with that person.

Mets fans, who have been given all the reason to be furious with Pelfrey on account of his inconsistency, now have a reason to hate the youngster. He stuck his foot too deep in his mouth to pull it out any time soon. Time will tell if these comments are the final nail in Pelfrey's Met coffin.

For Big Pelf to win back the fans, he'll have to start performing far more consistently that he has at any point in his Met career. He also needs to keep his mouth closed to avoid letting comments like this slip out and understand that statements like these are unacceptable. As the anonymous Met stated, his performance this season has been a direct contributor to why the Mets have not been winning. The best thing for Pelf to do would be to shut his mouth and win some ball games. That's your job.