This is what the New York Mets’ clubhouse has come to: Future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine walks by unnoticed before disappearing through a side door.
If not rocked by scandal – former clubhouse assistant Kirk Radomski pleaded guilty to steroids distribution and money laundering Friday, though his client list remains a secret – maybe the Mets will keep the Yankees off the back page for the first time since 1986.
This is your typically bloated New York team. It was as if general manager Omar Minaya stocked his roster at Sam’s Club, buying everything in bulk.
He employs two potential closers (Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman); three ageless wonders (Glavine, Orlando Hernandez and carbon-dated Julio Franco); four MVP candidates (Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and David Wright) and, in Rockies manager Clint Hurdle’s estimation, “seven players who could hit 20 home runs.”
That the Mets entered the weekend with the National League’s best record was not remarkable. That they have done it with one combined home run from Wright and Delgado speaks to their depth and talent. This is a team, if Beltran’s pulse on the club is correct, that is consumed with winning the World Series after being stunned by the St. Louis Cardinals last season in the playoffs.
“Our job is to get in and move on to the World Series. We were one game shy a year ago, but I believe we have a better ballclub now,” Beltran said from his locker at Shea Stadium. “If we get to the playoffs, I believe we can go to the World Series and win. That’s how I feel.”
His confidence isn’t universally shared because of a rotation that’s equal parts old and unproven. Glavine and Hernandez were left to anchor the staff until Pedro Martinez returns from shoulder surgery. That could be as soon as the all-star break, leaving the Mets with an acquisition better than any available at the trading deadline.
Ordinarily, Glavine and Hernandez would raise suspicion. But Glavine has reinvented himself the past two seasons, working inside out to batters rather than the other way around. Hernandez has more pitches than a telemarketer, ranging from a near-90 mph fastball to a 58-mph curveball.
“He can really pitch,” Rockies first baseman Todd Helton said.
Neither Hernandez nor Glavine, however, is the Mets’ best arm. John Maine has been Tom Seaver incarnate this month, ranking near the top in ERA (1.71) and batting average against (.169). In a league where most pitchers throw sinkers and cutters, Maine lives on a late-life, rising four-seam fastball. With each outing, the Orioles regret trading him for injury-riddled Kris Benson.
And the reality is the Mets don’t need a staff circa Baltimore 1970. They just need good pitching, given the blows rained on opponents by New York’s lineup. Seven of the starters are former or current all-stars. And the exception, second baseman Jose Valentin, hit more home runs (18) last season than Jeff Kent (14).
“I wasn’t ready to retire, and when I had a chance to play for this team, I jumped at it,” left fielder Moises Alou said. “Look at all these guys.”
Martinez’s absence will expose the Mets’ vulnerability at times. They will absorb their share of punches. But no team is better equipped to slug it out, other than, well, the Yankees, who could be looking up from the canvas at the Mets come October.
“We aren’t depending on one or two guys because anyone can be the hero,” Beltran said. “It’s a good feeling when you don’t feel the pressure because you know that we are all capable of coming through when it’s needed most.”
Z: Ends in trouble
Joel Zumaya and Carlos Zambrano – first in talent, last in the alphabet – are trudging through difficult starts. Zumaya, the Tigers’ young phenom, went from carpe diem to mea culpa recently, taking full blame for going WWE on an umpire during a recent late-inning meltdown. It’s easy to forget that “Zoom-Zoom” is just 22, which explains why a 104-mph fastball and fan adoration has admittedly swelled his head.
His apology signals a significant step, Zumaya admitting he’s not ready to be a closer just yet. He called his actions embarrassing and said it was time to start pitching and stop bathing in his own adoration.
For the Cubs’ Zambrano, his problems are more mechanical than mental. Zambrano has dropped his arm slot, which is robbing his sinker of its late dive. There’s worry Zambrano has also been distracted by on-again, off-again contract talks. The reality is this: If Zambrano doesn’t contend for the Cy Young Award, the Cubs won’t sniff the playoffs.
THE RISE AND FALL: GIANTS STARTING TO MAKE THEIR MOVE
THREE UP
1. Giants: Bullpen nails, allowed one run in past 19 1/3 innings.
2. Angels: Bartolo Colon better than he’s ever been, according to Mike Scioscia.
3. Indians: Travis Hafner will be in the MVP discussion again.
THREE DOWN
1. Yankees: Not even phenom Phil Hughes can rescue ravaged rotation.
2. Orioles: Closer Chris Ray struggling; Red Sox treat them like homecoming opponent.
3. Dodgers: Pierre, Furcal running in place.
AT ISSUE : SCHILLING TO MEDIA – PUT A SOX IN IT
What: Broadcaster Gary Thorne alleged that the blood on Schilling’s socks during the pitcher’s memorable 2004 playoff run was actually paint.
Background: No one will forget the most famous red sock worn by a Red Sox.
Schilling, his ankle sutured from surgery, pitched remarkably in the American League Championship Series and World Series with blood oozing above his cleat. Throw in the medical malady and he became a modern-day Roy Hobbs, starring while losing plasma. Thorne said catcher Doug Mirabelli told him a couple of years ago that it wasn’t blood and Thorne repeated the story on the air. Fallout was swift: Mirabelli denied telling Thorne it was a hoax, Thorne apologized and Schilling ripped the announcer on his “38pitches” blog saying, “Thorne overhead something and then misreported what he overheard. Not only did he misreport it, he misinterpreted what he misreported.” Schilling dared anyone to test the sock, now in the baseball Hall of Fame. If not blood, he donates $1 million to charity.
Renck’s take: All the elements are in place for the perfect media storm: CSI Cooperstown. Breaking news. Schilling blogs. It’s only because Schilling is known as a self-promoter that the sock story has created any doubt. Covered him in the 2001 World Series and watched him throw his manager under the bus; this, after creating ill-will with Diamondbacks teammates a few weeks earlier when he penned his “Letter to America” following the 9/11 attacks. In the Arizona clubhouse, it came off as incredibly presumptuous. The bloody sock made great theater, overshadowing the one thing Schilling does better than talking and writing: pitching. He’s clutch. As his former Phillies GM Ed Wade once said of the ace, “He’s a horse every fifth day and a horse’s (behind) the other four.”
EYE ON … ADRIAN GONZALEZ, 1B, PADRES
Background: He’s too good to have moved this much. The Florida Marlins made Gonzalez the first overall pick in the 2000 draft out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif., a city on the outskirts of San Diego. They traded him to the Texas Rangers for now-jailed closer Ugueth Urbina, who helped the Marlins win the 2003 World Series. The Rangers, with Mark Teixeira manning first base, coupled Gonzalez and pitcher Chris Young in a forgettable trade for oft-injured Adam Eaton and closer Akinori Otsuka. In San Diego, Gonzalez, just 24, has blossomed into a star.
What’s up: Gonzalez leads the Padres with seven home runs and his 23 RBIs are 10 more than anyone else on the team entering Friday’s game against the Dodgers. He’s becoming one of baseball’s best buys after signing a four-year, $9.5 million contract April 1. “He had his most success with us, and the Padres are the team he followed growing up,” said GM Kevin Towers on the amicable talks. “I think his comfort level and security has helped his performance.”
What’s next: A year ago, Gonzalez evolved from a part-time player into the team’s most dangerous force, finishing with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs. He benefits from his ability to drive the ball to the opposite field. “I don’t know if he will hit 30 home runs because of Petco (Park), but he’s definitely a 100-RBI guy,” Towers said.
Renck’s take: Vinny Castilla, not one for hyperbole, raves about Gonzalez, his one-time teammate. He sees superstardom in his future. One thing is certain: Gonzalez is quickly becoming the face of the Padres. He’s a hard worker, polite and articulate in English and Spanish, something that can’t be overlooked for a team that draws thousands of fans from nearby Mexico.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
