Tag: Jerry Manuel

NY Post Tiring Of Mets Manager Jerry Manuel

Jerry ManuelI knew it wouldn’t be too long before a newspaper wrote a column about Jerry Manuel using them. As a matter of fact, I wrote about it last week. Manuel’s been working the media with his comments to his own ends.

But now the NY Post has had enough of it. Mike Battaglino wrote this post for their blog today. And I think it’s a self-serving indictment by a company that’s been used by Manuel since last June. The Post isn’t the only company that Manuel is using to motivate players, inspire confidence in others, and inform the fans and players of his methodology to manage the New York Mets.

Bart Hubbach of the NY Post even wrote a nasty post defending himself against everyone that said he misinterpreted last June’s “fetilizer” comment by Manuel. Adam Rubin of the Daily News and Keith Olbermann were named in the post by Hubbach.

Clearly, the NY Post as an organization has an axe to grind with Manuel’s style of speaking that can lead to sensational headlines by a paper like the post. Generally, I like the work that Hubbach does covering the Mets and it very well may be the editors that create the sensational headlines that we see. But in this case you have to be careful to understand the motivation that the Post would have to put this story on the back page.

I don’t think that Manuel has made communication gaffes. I think he’s a calculating speaker that uses the media to help generate the results from players and fans that he wants to see.

Mets And Marlins With Ollie Batting Second

The Florida Marlins are at Tradition Field today for the first Mets home game of the spring. All of the beat reporters are writing about Jerry Manuel’s batting order for the game with Oliver Perez batting second. Manuel’s trying to keep it light between 80-pitch batting cage barrages. Here’s the lineup for today’s game:

Luis Castillo ……… 2B
Oliver Perez ……… LHP
Jose Reyes ………. SS
Carlos Delgado ….. 1B
David Wright ……… 3B
Carlos Beltran ……. CF
Ryan Church ……… RF
Daniel Murphy ……..LF
Brian Schneider ….. C

Manuel Works Mets, Media With Mind Games

Jerry ManuelJerry Manuel has been busy working the local beat writers to his own ends this spring. And as such, he’s been working us in the blogsphere that write and talk with friends and fellow fans about the Mets.

Is he really going to hit Luis Castillo leadoff? Is he really going to platoon Ryan Church and Fernando Tatis in right field? Does he really think Daniel Murphy is a better hitter than Ryan Church? Is he really going to play Brian Schneider more frequently than last season? Why is he discussing these issues with the media before telling the players that are impacted?

Manuel is proving himself to be a master manipulator, using the media and us for his own purposes. He’s verbalized the fact that he’s going to challenge his players this year. We just didn’t know he was going to do it through the media.

Although Manuel took over the Mets last June, we were used to three plus years of Willie Randolph’s stoic personality. Randolph didn’t give us much except a quiet, occasionally bewildered, discussion of the day’s events.

Manuel is using all of us to push, pull, and prod the players. He’s poking at them with his comments, giving confidence to some while putting others on notice. He clearly knows what he wants from the players and is busy preparing them mentally as well as physically for the season.

I like what he’s doing this spring. Each player needs to be treated differently, in the way that will draw the most out of them during the season. Castillo and Murphy are getting confidence building comments. Church, Jose Reyes, and Ramon Castro are being challenged to improve.

While I applaud Manuel’s ability to read his players, I take his comments with a grain of salt. I anticipate that Reyes will get the vast majority of games batting leadoff, and Fernando Tatis will get most of his playing time in left field. I’d like to see Manuel take advantage of Ramon Castro’s big bat at least twice a week. But Manuel is sure showing that he’s a manipulator… He’s gone gangsta on the media.

Daily Mets Links: Church, Tatis, Manuel, And More

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Johan Santana #57 of...
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There are plenty of stories to report about the Mets this morning from Port St. Lucie. They played their first intra-squad game yesterday with Jerry Manuel watching carefully from behind the shortstop position.

Onto the Mets in the news:

  • Ryan Church talked to  the media about Manuel telling the media that Fernando Tatis will see time in right field. Manuel said he didn’t care about the players reaction to his comments. He’s trying to put the team in the best position to win.
  • The Mets are likely to announce a player development agreement with the Mexico City Red Devils of the Mexican League. That’s the team that Ricardo Rincon played for last season.
  • Joel Sherman of the Post writes about Johan Santana mentoring Oliver Perez and Ryan Church downplaying talk of a right field platoon. This is a good, short read.
  • David Lennon of Newsday writes about Fernando Tatis’ aching palm and Ryan Church receiving an “I (heart) New York” t-shirt.
  • Ben Shipgel of the NY Times does a tremendous profile of new third base coach Razor Shines.
  • Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News does his 2009 Mets preview. He predicts a wild card berth for the Mets.
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Mets Hitting Drills And Propoganda

Jerry ManuelThere’s been a lot of talk this spring about a new hitting drill manager Jerry Manuel has installed for the team. Each player takes 80 pitches from a machine and has to swing at every one during a lightning-fast six minute session. The goal is to get the players into the mindset of having to put a pitch in play, even if it’s a bad pitch. This is all part of Manuel’s team-first philosophy.

Ben Shipgel of the NY Times does the best column on the drill that I’ve read. There’s been plenty written about the drill but this is the best one.

The next part of the hitting program for the Mets will be for the players to spot their favorite hitting zone and can’t swing at a pitch unless it’s in that zone. The goal is to improve discipline at the plate.

These are some of the drills that Manuels has identified as being successful during his career as a player and coach. There has been some concern about the players getting blisters on their hands from the grueling drills. But Manuel has been quick to point out that this will toughen them up and make them prepared to fight through fatigue throughout the season.

The other thing that Manuel has done is install TV’s throughout the Mets locker room this year. The TV’s play an endless loop of the Mets best opposite field hits from last season. The TV’s, even in Charlie Samuels’ office, all play the same video. The players are getting the propoganda treatment to show them how important the hits were that went the other way.

The coaches keep telling the exhausted players after hitting that it’s the price they’ll have to pay for a championship. I know that managers are hired to be fired, and I’m sure that Manuel will run his course eventually with the Mets. But I think he’s been a great fit so far for this team. His personality and dealings with the media have been excellent. And he seems to have built a good rapport with the players as well. Now all he needs to do is win.

Click below to watch the Mets players talking about the drills.

Mets swing into spring training
Mets swing into spring training

Links: The Mets Patch, Citi Field Food, And More

Citi Field PatchThere’s a new patch in town and it isn’t miserable like the ridiculous uniform patch that Citi Group designed for the team. This one will be on the caps for the 2009 season, which you can see on the left side of the post.

Check out the post and close-up picture that Andrew Vazzano posted at The ‘Ropolitans.

Also in the news, Adam Rubin at the Daily News gives a nice rundown of the new foods that will be available at Citi Field. The lineup of restaurants looks fantastic. What a difference from the fare at Shea!

Bart Hubbach of the Post writes about Mets manager Jerry Manuel’s inspiring speech to the team prior to yesterday’s full squad workout. The player comments after the speech sound like it was a really impressive and motivational talk. Good job Jerry.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports writes about the Mets-Phillies trash talking rivalry. Basically, his take is that the Mets should shut up after the way the last two seasons ended.