As many of you are probably aware, Matt Harvey's recent demotion to the bullpen did not go over particularly well with the former "Dark Night". So much so that he openly admitted he was "pissed off" and that he didn't want to elaborate at the time.
Fair enough.....I would expect nothing less from a competitive athlete, especially one with a "Type A" personality of has not had to deal with an abundance of failure in his sports career up until recently.
A few days have passed and Matt actually made his first appearance out of the bullpen for the Mets in a 6-5 win over the Cardinals. Oddly enough, he came on in relief of another "troubled" Mets' starter, Zack Wheeler. I would like to say that Matt was "lights out" in his appearance, but that would be giving him more credit then his relief appearance deserves.
His basic line for two innings pitched included two hits, one walk, one earned run and a couple of strikeouts while throwing thirty-five pitches. Small sample size notwithstanding, that is a WHIP of 1.50, an ERA of 4.50 and 2:1 K/BB ratio. Plus, throwing 17.5 pitches per inning is a bit on the high side, in my opinion. All of that said, it wasn't a total train wreck, but he was far from "dominant" so you would expect a few questions after the game ended, right?
Keep in mind that the team rallied to win the ball game, so you would think that the players (to include Matt) would be generally happy, since it is a TEAM SPORT.
Well, Matt was apparently not feeling the love and refused to answer any questions from the media. On first blush, his refusal to answer questions comes off as aloof in a best case scenario, or more likely, as disrespectful and self-centered. Maybe he just needs a bit more time to adjust to his new role?
Fast forward to today and the media attempted to interview him again, regarding his new responsibilities and how he thought his first appearance went. I am not the most media savvy person, but those are fair questions and the topic is more then relevant. The "quiet" Matt Harvey traded places with the "outright confrontational" version, as he proceeded to curse at the assembled reporters and while dodging a series of questions on his current issues.
Really, Matt?
You are a grown adult and you are getting paid quite well to play a game. The team you play for has fans that want to know the answers to the aforementioned questions and the media acts as our conduit for that information.
Furthermore, Matt couldn't get enough of the media attention when he was playing well! The Dark Knight persona was created by the media and he ate it up and asked for seconds. In other words, when things are going Matt's way, he will answer questions and when things are not going his way, look out!
He has the right to refuse interview requests, I get that. But, what occurred earlier today is NOT the way to go about that, AT ALL. What this signifies to me is that he is unprepared or unwilling to deal with adversity. His run of injuries is unfortunate and he may never be the pitcher he once was, but get a grip, man! Take some personal responsibility and use this move to the bullpen as a chance to fix your issues and move forward.
His antics are growing old and they will not be viewed by the media OR the fan base in the same light as they were before his pitching ability diminished. He reminds me of a spoiled child who is acting out because he is not getting his way. Make no mistake, this is 100% about his impending free agency and all of the money he watching go up in smoke due to HIS ineffectiveness.
I can't imagine that Mickey Callaway is overly impressed with what is going on, either. Would you trust Matt in a high leverage situation right now?
After his most recent outburst, I am done with him as a fan. If he never throws another pitch for the orange and blue, it will be too soon.
7 comments:
I said this yesterday...
I do not see him long for a Mets uniform if he keeps his sulking (and cursing) at the gaggle.
They are not choir boys, and you are welcome to ignore them, but cursing is a no-no.
He needs to grow up quickly if he wants to be part of this new management team.
He could have taken a lesson from Marshawn Lynch. If you don't want to talk to the media, simply don't talk to the media.
Classy tux...less classy talk.
Dominant performance covers a multitude of sins...Albert Belle comes to mind. Matt's performance is not dominant.
Ty Cobb got the Hall of Fame yet wasn't someone you'd necessarily want to invite to dinner. Tom has a point.
Reese -
I knew Ty Cobb.
Ty Cobb was a friend of mine.
Matt Harvey is no Ty Cobb.
Apparently he's no Alex Cobb either.
As a licensed psychologist with an expertise in recidivism, I listened to spring training's Matt Harvey very obliquely blame Terry Collins, rather than accept responsibility, for aspects of his failure, and instantly knew there would likely be no significant change in his performance-governing behavior and, therefore, his pitching metrics for this year. Strangely, when I "predicted" utter failure for Matt Harvey back in spring training on this blog, I was greeted with oddball hostility. Well, Tex, told ya so. I wish Harvey wellness because the dark cloud that hangs above this erstwhile dark knight will not help any ballclub or Harvey's subsequent life endeavors.
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