Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Jerry Manuel's first play as manager of the Mets.

This is downright surreal:

"Angels starter John Lackey looked over to first, and soon everyone else was, too: Reyes was rubbing his leg. Then he rubbed it some more. He asked for time, walked off the base, kept rubbing the leg, feeling it out. Now the Mets' training staff was out there, and so was Manuel. Earlier, asked about his philosophy of baseball, Manuel had said it was important for baseball teams to know their manager cared 'just as much about the player as about the result.'

He would hold true to that credo now, less than five minutes into his tenure. Manuel told Reyes he was taking him out of the game. Only Reyes didn't want to go. He shook his head. He bent his knees. Manuel tried to put an arm around Reyes but Reyes started walking toward second. The crowd started to stir uneasily, the way a crowd at a mall stirs uneasily watching a petulant child at Toys 'R' Us.

Finally, Reyes gave in, but not before throwing his helmet, not before tearing his jersey out from his pants and storming into the clubhouse, the fury etched deep into his face. Manuel would soon follow him there. Reyes later apologized."

No comments: