Jose Reyes and the amateur medical community

One of the first things that flashed through my mind when I heard Jose Reyes would be out 2-8 weeks because of his thyroid condition was the final scene in Pulp Fiction where Jules tells Pumpkin about the Bible verse (Ezekiel 25:17) he has memorized, the one about the "path of the righteous man," the one he recites to his victim before he pops a cap in his ass.

Jules questions the meaning of the verse, finally determining that Pumpkin is the weak, and that he is the tyranny of evil men. "But I'm tryin,' Ringo," he says. "I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd."

That's how I felt with the Reyes news. It's yet another in a string of unfortunate events for this Mets team that I have been rooting for the past 35 years, and while it would certainly be understandable for a Mets fan to just give into the gloom and doom and write off the season in friggin' MARCH -- I'm tryin' real hard to stay positive.

Honestly, the diagnosis was extremely positive for Reyes personally. Too bad he's an athlete. For us desk jockeys, being told to rest and relax for a couple of weeks would have little impact on our lives. For a pro baseball player in the middle of spring training -- even though the condition appears that it will go away on its own and is not chronic -- the timing just sucks.

And for a team like the Mets, who endured an epic avalanche of injuries last season, and is already starting the season without Carlos Beltran... well, I don't have to explain how bad it is.

What gets me -- but no longer surprises me -- is how so many fans and media types are falling over themselves playing doctor. Why doesn't he just take medication and get back out there? This can't possibly be because of diet or a virus! Something's fishy here!

Thankfully, there have been plenty of reports in various places quoting actual medical professionals, who say thyroid issues like this are not uncommon and completely treatable.

Joe and Evan -- after talking about thyroids for two hours on WFAN -- finally had an endocrinologist on their show Friday. It went something lke this:

FAN: Can it really be 2-8 weeks? They can't narrow that down?

DOC: Yes, that range is right. It depends on the person. Average is 3-4 weeks.

FAN: He can't play at all?

DOC: No, a 'fast' thyroid elevates the heart rate even at rest. Physical activity makes it worse, and can cause real problems with your heart.

FAN: Why doesn't he take medication?

DOC: In this case, it wouldn't do anything.

Well... OK, then.

The real trick will be to see if this knowledge changes the tone of guys like Benigno, who couldn't even pronounce endocrinologist when the doctor came on the air.

So what can you do? Like Mets fans do every year, hope for the best and that Reyes only misses the first 2 or 3 weeks of the season.

Is Reyes just really unlucky? I'm not sure. Let's just say I wouldn't share a cab with him or stand anywhere near him during a rainstorm anytime soon.

Why do we hate the Yankees? Let us count the ways

My grandfather on my mother's side was a big Yankees fan. I recall many times watching games at his house back in the 70s when they were winning and when the whole Steinbrenner-Billy Martin-Bronx Zoo thing was in full swing.

At the time, I can honestly say I didn't hate the Yankees. They were a good team, I enjoyed talking about them with my grandpa, and I liked Billy Martin. I even had a collection of famous Bill Gallo sketches of Martin that the Daily News sold as a set, with several of them hanging in my room (and later, in my first job after college, above my desk at work). And because I was a Strat-O-Matic Fanatic -- and got into the Oldtimers Series -- I had an appreciation for the great Yankees teams of years gone by.

I even had a Yankees T-shirt. (Shudder)

Things changed in the 90s with the Yankees revival. And while there were certain Yankees whom I hated (Paul O'Neill, Jorge Posada, Roger Clemens), and while I refused to give any credit to Joe Torre for "managing" this team of stars, the real reason for the hatred was because of the Yankees fans.

The sense of entitlement, the arrogance, the blindness to the team's significant economic advantages (I know, it's the league's fault, not the team's) -- those were the things that made Yankees fans, particularly the spoiled, younger ones, so annoying, which jacked up the hate level a million fold.

So why do I bring this up now? Because fantasy guru Matthew Berry has an outstanding post on why he hates the Yankees. Classic stuff. A personal story that cuts to the true essence of the obnoxious Yankees fans.

Are all fans of the Bronx Bombers like this? Of course not. But there are waaayyyyy too many of them.

And if you're into fantasy baseball, stick around for Berry's Love/Hate list. Berry isn't always right -- in fact, he's wrong a lot -- but he's entertaining enough and I always make a point of reading his stuff. Two American Roid Rage Federation NL baseball championships in three seasons can't be wrong!

Joe Benigno is an ass

I usually eat lunch at my desk. Maybe once a week or so, I'll go get a sandwich and a copy of the News or the Post and drive to the local marina for a nice, relaxing lunch, reading tabloid journalism and listening to the radio.

Since I am a creature of habit and always eat lunch at noon, the program on WFAN at that time is Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. Among the FAN personalities, I find the pair only slightly more tolerable than Mike Francesa.

Evan, however, is on vacation, which means Joe was "flying solo" today. Of course, it was on his show that I learned about Jose Reyes' thyroid imbalance.

I will admit that yesterday's news of Reyes needing more bloodwork gave me pause. I mean, what more can happen to this guy? Today we learned exactly what the problem is, and that he'd be flying back to New York for more tests.

That's all Joe needed. He had a couple of callers who explained that thyroid conditions are not uncommon, and very treatable -- either hyperthyroidism (too active, likely Reyes' case), or hypothyroidism (not active enough). Then another caller, claiming to be a Mets fan, piped up that "where there's smoke there's fire," then said he was ready to let his 10-year-old son become a Yankees fan.

Joe jumped right on board, not on the switching of allegiances, but on how this could mean that maybe Reyes was involved with something beyond plasma therapy with Dr. Galea, that maybe it has something to do with HGH, that maybe the hamstring tendon injury and these new developments were all tied together.

"You start connecting the dots," he said, adding, "and then it makes sense" that maybe these things are connected.

That statement is beyond idiotic. But not surprising coming from Joe B.

I wonder if Benigno knew that hyperthyroidism is often caused by Graves' disease. So instead of being concerned for Reyes' health, Joe would rather postulate that this was caused by Reyes illegally taking HGH. Nice.

Joe, of course, went on to say that he hopes this wasn't serious, but quickly added that "as a Mets fan" you had to wonder.

No, Joe, you don't have to. Joe may want to jump to conclusions, and something tells me that there is a big part of him that secretly hopes HGH is involved, so he can continue to whine about the Mets, and about Reyes, which fits right in with his "Oh, the pain" mantra.

That this guy views himself as the voice of the Mets and Jets fan sickens me. And he has a book coming out about rules for New York sports fans.

Oh, the gall. This guy has as much business writing a book as I do performing a heart transplant.

Here's hoping that Reyes' issues are minor and have no effect on his health or his play this season, and that Joe B. has one less thing to complain about.

Hot start, big finish? MLB schedule maker helps out

A popular sentiment this spring has been that Mets manager Jerry Manuel needs his team to start strong if he wants to keep his job.

I don't necessarily agree -- I think as long as the Mets are competitive and stay in the mix, Jerry will be fine -- but it looks as if fate (or whoever makes the MLB schedule) has, for once, decided to shine upon the Metropolitans.

Want that quick start? Well, the Mets play 23 games in April and 16 of them are at Citi Field. From April 13-28, the Mets play 16 games in as many days, and the final 10 are at home.

Buster Olney notes that the Mets play 19 straight games against 2009 contenders in late April/early May, so there are some tough games up front.

Looking for a strong finish? The schedule is doing everything in its power to prevent another collapse. (Either that, or make that collapse as painful as possible.) The Mets play 17 of 30 games in September and October at home, including 17 of their last 22. The final seven games of the season are at Citi Field, against the Brewers and the Nationals.

The five road games in that final stretch? Two at Florida and three at Philly. Call them "meaningful games in September" if you want.

In between, obviously, are mostly road games, but there's no road trip that looks too daunting.

Of course, with so many home games early on, if the Mets do stumble out of the gate, in front of their increasingly-edgy fans, it would ratchet up the pressure on Jerry and his crew. Here's hoping the home fans use those games to get the team going, rather than looking for an early excuse to boo.

Nothing but rainbows and lollipops in Port St. Lucie

Kelvim Escobar's throwing timetable aside, the news out of the Mets spring training facility has been almost unrelentingly positive. Maybe it's just hope springing eternal, but there have been so many feel-good stories out of Port St. Lonesome that it would surpise no one if, during a fielding drill, a High School Musical-like dance routine spontaneously broke out.

Examples?

Henry Blanco and Rod Barajas: Two defensive-minded backstops (Blanco caught Johan Santana in his Cy Young season in Minnesota) have been getting all kinds of love for their reputations as guys who can really help a pitching staff and whip into shape those who may need some whipping (we're looking at you, Ollie and Big Pelf). That, and they couldn't have been had any cheaper. Nice work, Omar.

Jose Reyes: Holy cow, is it great seeing him on the field again. And now that he finally has custom-made shoes from UnderArmour, we can all breathe easy. As for Reyes batting third, if he's cool with it, why not? As Eric Karabell notes on ESPN, batting third won't necessarily mean a big drop in stolen bases. Even if it did, if the offense performed better as a whole, that's what really matters. And it would deepen the lineup. Hmmmmm.

Keith Hernandez working with Daniel Murphy and others at first base: I'm really looking forward to seeing what Murphy can do this year. Getting 15 HR, 40 2B, 70-80 RBI and a .270 average is certainly in the realm of possibility, and would be great considering where he'd be hitting in a lineup after Reyes, Wright, Bay, Beltran (eventually) and probably Francouer. And you know his defense will be better. Why? Because his teacher is Keith Hernandez, that's why.

Beltran's right on target: At least that's what he's saying, but hearing that he was pain-free the day after all the junk was taken out of his knee was heartening.

Pelfrey and Perez came in to camp in shape: Big Pelf is actually Not-Quite-as-Big Pelf, having lost 20 pounds or so, and though there were some differing tweets, by all accounts Ollie looks good. Here's hoping his off-season training regimen included regular visits with someone like Dr. Melfi. Luis Castillo also reported to camp in great shape, saying he was undaunted by the constant trade rumors.


Jason Bay's one hell of a guy (and ballplayer): Signing autographs immediately upon his arrival in St. Lucie, Bay only solidified his reputation as a solid clubhouse presence, which will go nicely alongside his offensive numbers.

There was much talk in the winter about "changing the culture" of the team, and think about who's gone. Carlos Delgado, who may have had too much presence and aloofness, and Gary Sheffield, replaced by Bay, Blanco and Barajas.

Sounds like an upgrade in character, too. Then again, that may just be the Kool-Aid talking.

Put out the hot stove, please! Spring training is here

Our long national nightmare is over. Spring training has finally begun!

Maybe nightmare is a little harsh, but this was a brutal off-season. Not because of what the Mets did or didn't do, but because it just seemed to go on and on and on. Mostly because there was so little activity overall, and so few exciting players to be had.

Now, if you listen to the media and the Mets fans who've lost all hope, the Mets performed horribly in the Hot Stove League. Awful. So many holes. Well, maybe it wasn't so bad.

There were three marquee free agents. The Mets landed one of them, Jason Bay, and that move filled a gaping hole in left field.

The rest of the free agents, particularly the pitchers? Meh. You really had to work yourself up to get excited about Joel Piniero, or Ben Sheets, or Doug Davis, or Randy Wolf. Decent? Sure. Worth the money? Not really.

I admit that I thought the biggest need the Mets had this winter was a No. 2 starter, but the pickins were slim. Especially after John Lackey signed with Boston, and even then, he got a ton of money given his injury history, and it didn't seem that he was willing to shop the Red Sox' offer after he got it. He just took it, and good for him.

I agree with Ted Berg's point that the Mets' primary goal this winter was to "first, do no harm." They kept all of their top minor league prospects and young players with a shot at making the big club in 2010, and didn't overpay for marginal talent (although they sure looked like they were willing to do just that with Bengie Molina).

But oh, the holes! And all those question marks! Really? I read somewhere that the Mets had question marks "at every position." I don't think so.

Ace? Johan. Closer? K-Rod. Outfield? Pretty set with Bay, Francouer and Beltran, and Pagan played great last season when Beltran was out. (Yes, Beltran's health is a concern, but there's every chance he comes back from surgery just fine).

Left side of the infield? Locked in with Wright (is anyone betting against him producing more this season?) and what looks to be a 100-percent Reyes. And say what you want about Castillo, his salary or his defensive range, but he hit .300 last season and he gets on base.

First base? OK, I admit I love me some Murphy. The guy knows how to hit, works hard and showed plenty of signs that he could be better than average defensively. Last season was his first full season above AA. He deserves a shot to play, and let Tatis play once a week against lefties.

I never thought catcher was such a huge need, given the pickup of the defensively solid Henry Blanco, who could have platooned with Omir Santos while Josh Thole continued to develop in AAA. And if it's true that Rod Barajas -- known for his glove and some pop -- signs a minor league deal for a measly million, wouldn't you say Omar Minaya played that situation as well as he could?

That's the thing that bothers me most about the criticism -- it was like the season was starting tomorrow. Spring training was a month away and the Mets were getting slammed for inactivity. But there's every chance that they continue to add players in the next 6 weeks. Maybe they sign Mike Sweeney to platoon at first base (please, let Mike Jacobs go). Maybe John Smoltz, or Braden Looper or Noah Lowry get picked up to compete for a spot in the rotation. There's still time.

(By the way, I know Chien-Ming Wang is going to go 4-0 against the Mets this season. You can feel it. He could have been a very big addition here).

To me, the biggest questions are the middle of the rotation, a backup shortstop who's better than Alex Cora, and the bridge to K-Rod (there is none). But at this point, I'm not going to slam the Mets for not adding players who weren't any better than who they already had.

The next off-season is going to be a much more fertile free agent field to plow. Better to save those dollars and choose instead to pick through the bargain bins as free agents get more and more desperate to sign somewhere, anywhere (Felipe Lopez, anyone?)

Then there's the issue of depth, or the Mets' lack of same. Adding Gary Matthews Jr., Frank Catalanotto, Shawn Riggans, Josh Fogg, Tatis, Jacobs and Jason Pridie give them a decent and experienced bench.

But the team's health is a huge question! They didn't have the depth last season to cover their losses!

Let's face it -- no amount of depth would have kept them in the race with all the injuries they had in 2009. Just for fun, let's say the Yankees lost their shortstop, center fielder, first baseman and two of their top four starters, like the Mets did. That's Jeter, Texeira, Cabrera, Pettite and Burnett. Then let's say they lost Sabathia at the end for good measure. How would they have done?

But what about this season? Isn't health a question? Guess what? It's no different than any other team. Anyone can get hit with injuries, and all teams go through it. The Mets had a particularly horrific rash of them last season, almost historically bad. Can it happen again? Maybe. Is it likely? No. We hope.

In any case, I'm glad the idle talk is over and there's actual baseball to pay attention to. And I'm happy if the media or the general public think the Mets are just another also-ran. I prefer to be the underdog, anyway.

At least as far as that's concerned, there are no questions.