Some thoughts about the first play of his Mets managerial Debut:
Former Sox manager Jerry Manuel gets another managerial job. Should be interesting to see if the Mets put on a second half charge.
I wonder if Jerry Manuel lost control of the team on the FIRST PLAY of his first game Wednesday night against the Angels. Did you guys see it?
First batter of the game. Jose Reyes beat out an infield hit, but pulled a muscle (had a cramp, something) while running to first. He limped around for a while, but wanted to stay in the game. Manuel pulled him, and he had a spectacular, equipment throwing tantrum on the way into the dugout. Manuel took it “like Ghandi.” I thought it was a direct challenge to Manuel’s authority.
So did the guys I was watching the game with. One of them asked me, “If that happened to you when you were managing, what would you do?”
I said, “It did. And Tara got her butt chewed so bad after the game that I made her cry. And she didn’t play for several games after that. She came back a chastened 16-year-old. And never did that again. Not to me, anyway.”
In 2005, Mike Scioscia threw Jose Guillen (a 100-RBI guy that year) completely off the team forever for a similar display of showing up his manager. With a week to go and the Angels one game behind the first place A’s in the standings. It would have been easy for Mike to let it go. Or deal with it later. Or fine him. Or something. If the Angels hadn’t caught the A’s and finished first that year, Mike would have had some serious explaining to do to Upper Management.
In the Mets’ case, Jose Reyes played the next night. I like Jose Reyes, but we shall see.
DonS