are the mets rattled already?

[bxbomb]

Mets Getting Their Heads Together

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By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Published: May 9, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO, May 8 — As his teammates shuffled into the clubhouse bathroom, Shawn Green sat in front of his locker running his fingers through his hair for the final time. After much prodding and teasing, Green surrendered to the peer pressure and let Carlos Beltrán, the Mets’ center fielder/resident barber, pare his brown locks into a crew cut.

Topics: The Mets “Look at Greenie — he’s distraught,†said David Wright as Beltrán’s razor went down the middle of Green’s head.

The decision was made with little warning or reason. Wright did it Monday night, and by the time Tuesday’s game started, 21 of the 25 players were either bald or had lost enough hair that they had to check their hat sizes.

“I have a peanut head as it is,†Billy Wagner said.

The trainers, Mike Herbst and Ray Ramirez, did it. So did Jay Horwitz, the Mets’ vice president for media relations, and the hitting coach Rick Down. Of the players, the holdouts were Tom Glavine, Aaron Sele, Aaron Heilman and José Reyes.

“No dice,†Sele said. “I have family pictures on Thursday.â€

Heilman sat playing chess. Reyes dashed around the clubhouse, avoiding being pinned down. Glavine merely laughed when he arrived and saw his teammates. David Newhan curled up in his locker, hoping that no one would spot him.

It did not last long.

[fkornre]

why is it every year the only thing you hear about the fucking mets is the haircuts in the dugout or in the locker room??? they play baseball dont they???

[bxbomb]

why is it every year the only thing you hear about the fucking mets is the haircuts in the dugout or in the locker room??? they play baseball dont they???

they watch galdiator movies together as well

[mikdondadon22]

last time i checked baseball is still a game and can still be fun...guess neither of you two ever actually played the sport. being part of a team and having a few laughs. i think what is funny is how every year there is some sought of drama surrounding the yankees and lets not forget the annual fire Joe Torre stories. Yeah the yanks are all about playing baseball

[Felix_Leiter]

last time i checked baseball is still a game and can still be fun...guess neither of you two ever actually played the sport. being part of a team and having a few laughs. i think what is funny is how every year there is some sought of drama surrounding the yankees and lets not forget the annual fire Joe Torre stories. Yeah the yanks are all about playing baseball

good point. I think the Mets understand the team aspect of the game much more so that the Yankees. The Mets are definitely a much closer-knit group of players.

[mikdondadon22]

EXACTLY! If anything they are all about baseball on the field and are able to balance having a good time with winning ball games. Two things yankee players are not familiar with this year...winning games and having fun!

[Felix_Leiter]

EXACTLY! If anything they are all about baseball on the field and are able to balance having a good time with winning ball games. Two things yankee players are not familiar with this year...winning games and having fun!

Kudos! I have to agree with that. Also, the Yankees are full of too many egos. In addition, it seems that they are always under the pressure to perform. I guess it's expected of them. It gets in the way of having fun though.

[hehateme]

Right, Nothing says "team" like your best hitter refusing to cut his hair with the rest of the team

[Felix_Leiter]

Right, Nothing says "team" like your best hitter refusing to cut his hair with the rest of the team

I understand your point hehateme. But in a funny way, it does. The head shaving wasn't done in an organized, strict manner. It happened naturally. But to show how supportive the Mets are to each other, they accepted Reyes' choice and didn't criticize him in any way.

I could only imagine if the Yankees started shaving their heads and Giambi refused to. Other players on the team would DEFINITELY comment on it or give him hell for it.

This reminds me of the time Donny Baseball refused to shave his sideburns.

[bxbomb]

i take back the thread title

it should be ...are met fans rattled already??

[mikdondadon22]

Of course we are

it's real easy to get rattled when you are 9 games over .500 and haven't even played your best baseball yet...you are just making yourself look stupid by thinking you can get under any Met fan's skin. Talk to me when the Yankees are at .500 ok chief

[bxbomb]

Of course we are

it's real easy to get rattled when you are 9 games over .500 and haven't even played your best baseball yet...you are just making yourself look stupid by thinking you can get under any Met fan's skin. Talk to me when the Yankees are at .500 ok chief

making myself look stupid?.....riggght

i post an amusing article on the mets shaving their heads for unity etc.

which is pretty much a joke being that they are 9 games over and its only may .

and i title it they must be rattled (obviosly a joke ..no?) , no need to get defensive

have fun its going to be a long season

[mikdondadon22]

i understand it must be hard to take the back seat to the Mets. Yanks are the 2nd best team in NY now. us met fans have had to deal with it for quite some time. you will get use to it. hang in there.

[bxbomb]

i understand it must be hard to take the back seat to the Mets. Yanks are the 2nd best team in NY now. us met fans have had to deal with it for quite some time. you will get use to it. hang in there.

i hear ya 10 yrs of putting up with bandwagon yankfanz would drive anyone insane, as much as the met bandwagoneers have showed up on the scene starting last yr..

[JonStephen]

last time i checked baseball is still a game and can still be fun...guess neither of you two ever actually played the sport. being part of a team and having a few laughs. i think what is funny is how every year there is some sought of drama surrounding the yankees and lets not forget the annual fire Joe Torre stories. Yeah the yanks are all about playing baseball

even though i dont care for you at all i have to agree

back in 03 the red sox went through the same ordeal on their way to the playoffs. i personally thought they were playing way past their talent level en route to a seven game series with the yankees and a good reason for that was their concept of being a team

of course you had assholes like johnny damon who refused to shave his head and ended up on the yankees a few years later....with a fresh new haircut

[fkornre]

last time i checked baseball is still a game and can still be fun...guess neither of you two ever actually played the sport. being part of a team and having a few laughs. i think what is funny is how every year there is some sought of drama surrounding the yankees and lets not forget the annual fire Joe Torre stories. Yeah the yanks are all about playing baseball

listen...you and your girls can go play with your hair then...let the men play baseball...ok?

[kfitz73]

[mikdondadon22]

Reyes shaved his head also

Pelfrey 0-5

[bxbomb]

Reyes shaved his head also

Pelfrey 0-5

pelfrey potenial is high

think ya gotta send him down for a start or two get some confidence before it anthony young time for this kid

[bxbomb]

i guess im on the same page with omar

i just checked out yahoo sports and lo and behold

Mets option RHP Pelfrey to Class AAA

May 13, 2007

FLUSHING, NEW YORK (TICKER) -- The top pitching prospect in the New York Mets organization is heading back to the minor leagues.

The Mets on Sunday optioned Mike Pelfrey to Class AAA New Orleans, perhaps in anticipation of starter Orlando Hernandez's return from the disabled list later in the week.

The 23-year-old righthander struggled with the Mets, compiling an 0-5 record with a 6.53 ERA in six starts this season. His most recent loss came Saturday as he allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings in a 12-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, Pelfrey went 2-1 with a 5.48 ERA in four starts for the Mets last season.

The Mets recalled outfielder Carlos Gomez to fill the roster spot. The 21-year-old is batting .286 with two home runs, 13 RBI and 17 stolen bases for New Orleans. He went 2-for-9 in 10 spring training games with the Mets this year.

[mikdondadon22]

you my friend are a genius

good weekend taking 2 of 3 from the Brewers. give them a taste of what it's like to play a REAL team. Perez looked nasty again. Besides that one blow up game in Philly he looks like the Perez of old. Omar looks like a genius getting him and Maine back in the Nady/Benson trades as supposed "throw ins".

[bxbomb]

you my friend are a genius

good weekend taking 2 of 3 from the Brewers. give them a taste of what it's like to play a REAL team. Perez looked nasty again. Besides that one blow up game in Philly he looks like the Perez of old. Omar looks like a genius getting him and Maine back in the Nady/Benson trades as supposed "throw ins".

hey its a burden i must bear

yeh oliver showin some of that stuff he had few yrs ago

How Long Moises out?

[mikdondadon22]

Not sure...this kid Gomez is a highly regarded prospect. had a good game yesterday. looking forward to watching him play.

[bxbomb]

Not sure...this kid Gomez is a highly regarded prospect. had a good game yesterday. looking forward to watching him play.

they say faster then Jose reyes:woah2:

i posted this one few months ago

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Imagine a 6-foot-4 outfielder who is faster than Jose Reyes.

The Mets have him.

Join FOX Fantasy Baseball!

Now imagine an 18-year-old outfielder whose pure hitting ability is reminiscent of a young Manny Ramirez.

The Mets have him, too.

Mets officials like to debate which Dominican native will become a better player — Carlos Gomez, 21, or Fernando Martinez, 18.

Gomez is taller and faster, Martinez the more advanced hitter. Both could be with the Mets by the time they open their new ballpark in 2009, flanking center fielder Carlos Beltran.

Of course, prospects are just prospects until they prove themselves at the major-league level. But the buzz over Gomez and Martinez only figures to increase.

Whatever their timetables — Gomez will start the season at Triple-A New Orleans, while Martinez could open at Double-A Binghamton the Mets will not need to rely upon past-their-prime corner outfielders such as Moises Alou and Shawn Green much longer.

The Mets might even be comfortable trading outfielder Lastings Milledge when their need for a starting pitcher becomes more urgent — even though Milledge remains a tantalizing talent and is only eight months older than Gomez.

In an intra-squad game Monday, Milledge threw out runners at both third and home from right field and also flashed his trademark bat speed, ripping a double down the left-field line.

Milledge has added 10 pounds of bulk after an off-season of lifting and healthy eating, and Mets hitting coach Rick Down said his throw to third reflected his increased arm strength.

Yet, Milledge might be the organization's third-best outfield prospect.

None other than Beltran says of Gomez, "He doesn't know how good he is."

"He's more talented than I was at his age," Beltran says. "He weighs about 200 pounds. When I was that age, I maybe weighed 175. He's a very strong kid."

Reyes, Gomez's winter-workout partner and one of the fastest players in the game, freely admits that Gomez "is faster than me."

His arm?

"A cannon," Mets outfielder Endy Chavez says.

Right-hander Philip Humber, Gomez's teammate in Double-A last season, is even more effusive.

Current Mets speedster Jose Reyes freely admits that prospect Carlos Gomez is faster than him. (John Hall / Associated Press)

"He can do things in the game that will make your jaw drop," Humber says. "You don't see a whole lot of that in baseball. And when you do, it's usually from a smaller guy."

Martinez, at 6 feet, 185 pounds, is smaller than Gomez but less athletic. No matter: His plate discipline and ability to hit to all fields are extraordinary for a player so young.

After Martinez ripped a home run in batting practice on Monday, a Mets official was quick to note, "He should be a senior in high school."

The Mets signed Martinez for $1.4 million in 2005, when he was just 16. He finished last season at high Class A, then became the youngest player in the Arizona Fall League. After a 1-for-18 start, he batted .304 the rest of the way.

"I saw him when they brought him over for a workout even before they signed him," Mets minor-league first baseman Mike Carp said. "They said he was 16 years old. I'm looking at him like, ‘No way (he can play).' But then he got on the field, and you could see that he could flat-out hit."

Tales of Martinez's hitting prowess already are becoming legend. He worked out with the Mets immediately after signing his contract and hit an opposite-field homer at Shea Stadium. He hit another homer two-thirds up the batter's eye in center early in spring training, prompting owner Fred Wilpon to exclaim, "Wow."

Words such as "polished" and "selective" are not normally associated with 18-year-old hitters, but that's how the Mets talk about Martinez.

"He hits the pitches he wants to hit, and when he gets 'em, he doesn't miss 'em," says Mets minor-league catcher Drew Butera, a teammates of Martinez's last season at Class A.

You never know how these things will turn out; Mets general manager Omar Minaya operates under the premise that no player is untouchable. Still, it's probably just a matter of time before Gomez and Martinez reach the majors, most likely with the Mets.

The team certainly has not been reluctant to challenge the two youngsters. Gomez, a right-handed hitter, skipped high Class A last season and batted .281 in Double A. Martinez, a left-handed hitter, skipped rookie ball and went right to low Class A.

Both are center fielders, but Beltran doesn't turn 30 until April 24 and is signed through 2011. Gomez would fit well in right. Martinez could end up in left.

"We go out there and take flyballs," Beltran says. "They've got great talent. They're fun to watch."

Make you feel old, Carlos?

Beltran smiles.

"A little bit," he says.

Ken Rosenthal is FOXSports.com's senior baseball writer.