The Reyes Factor
This is my theory on Jose Reyes and the New York Mets. Remember, you saw this here first, because I think it has some merit. Take Jose Reyes' batting average for a stretch of five games or more. Whatever his average is during that stretch of games...double it, and you'll get the Mets winning percentage for that span. It seems to work out almost to a tee. If Reyes averages .300 for a stretch of games, the Mets play .600 ball during that stretch. If he hits .250, which he has for much of this season, the Mets play about .500 ball.

The Mets current winning percentage this season is .537 (22-19). Reyes is batting .267 this season. Double his average, and using my theory, the Mets should be at a .534 winning percentage. I'd say that's pretty close. Last season, Reyes hit .280. The Mets winning percentage was a .543. Not quite a .560 winning percentage, but close enough. In 2006, Reyes hit .300, and the Mets winning percentage was .599. Need I say more?

However, this does not apply to just the entire season. This theory works out for an extended period of games (5 games or more) as well. If the Mets play .500 ball for a ten game stretch, you can almost bet that Jose Reyes is batting .250 during that stretch. If the Mets are playing at a .400 clip during a stretch, you can almost bet that Reyes is in a slump and batting about .200 during that span of games. If Reyes hits at a .350 clip for a stretch of games, the Mets are playing .700 ball for that same stretch of games.

It's not an exact science, and it may not be 100% accurate, but it's damn near close. So the often-heard comment is true: As Jose Reyes goes...so go the Mets.

Maine Event
Met fans were thrilled to see Johan Santana come to Queens. They had vision of Doc Gooden starting, and fans could count the number of strikeouts amassed by Santana. Shea was to be electric when Santana pitched. So far, Johan has been good, but far from spectacular. When Pedro Martinez arrived, Met fans were delirious during his starts. Shea Stadium definitely had a playoff atmosphere whenever Pedro pitched, but it was short-lived, as Pedro has been hurt more often than not. Met fans could watch a 300-game winner in Glavine performing, the much-hyped Mike Pelfrey was going to be a star, and fans were entertained with the Dr Jeykl, Mr. Hyde performances of Oliver Perez.

But the one pitcher who pitches without much fanfare is John Maine. Met fans need to realize that Maine is the guy you want to watch on the mound while seeing a game at Shea. Maine is the Mets best pitcher, and has been for some time. Maine, not Santana, is the guy who should be garnering the excitement at Shea. Maine is the guy fans should want on the mound for a big game. Remember, it was Maine who kept the Mets alive with one of the best ever pitching performances in Met history during the final week of 2007.

Maine is 5-2 with a 2.81 ERA. Maine was 15-10 last season. Santana was 15-13 last season with the Twins. Santana will have more strikeouts, but Maine will be more consistent and still strikes out close to a hitter per inning. I'm not trying to make the argument for which pitcher is better. What I am arguing for is that the ace of this team is John Maine. Santana will be proclaimed the staff ace because of his contract and past success. Without question, Santana is an ace. But Maine is THE ace of this staff. And he will be for the entire season.

So, go ahead and sell out Shea to watch Johan Santana pitch. But it is John Maine's starts that you want to be present for. John Maine is the ace of the Mets.

Booing a Boo-Boo?
Imagine making a mistake at work, and having all your co-workers boo at you as a result of making a mistake. Would that help you perform better? If your son makes an error playing shortstop for his Little League team, would he play better if the other parents joined in a chorus of boos? Would you yell at him for making an error in hopes that he'd play better? I'm sure the answer is (should be) no.

But never under-estimate Met fans. They may very well boo their own kid if he/she made an error. That's because New Yorkers are passionate and want a winner...at all costs. Now...take that New York passion, double it, and you've got a Met fan desperate for a Championship. In their haste, passion, and desire for a championship, they often lose focus and start booing the team they love. It's a case of them putting their broken hearts above their heads. And you know the old saying...always make decisions with your head and not your heart. It's bad enough to make a decision with your heart, but when it's a broken heart, it could lead to disaster, and that's what's happening at Shea with the Mets this season.

Broken hearted Met fans are booing the Mets without mercy. If Delgado strikes out, they boo. If Beltran pops up, they boo. If Oliver Perez walks a hitter, they boo. If Aaron Heilman shows his face, they boo. And so it goes. Even the once popular Jose Reyes hears the boos for a baserunning blunder or an error committed. When the Mets are playing well, the boos subside, but when the Mets are simply mediocre, the boos are loud and often.

Don't get me wrong...I'm a former New Yorker who attended ten games or more each year, and still travel 600 miles to attend occasional games. And in my younger days, I booed as loudly as anyone else. In fact, during one game in the 70's, on seat cushion night, me and my friends had devised this lavish plan to throw our seat cushions at Joe Torre when he went out to make a pitching change. Luckily, a pitching change never occurred on that day, or I'd be writing this from a jail cell. So, I understand being passionate. But I also understand being a misguided fan, as I was back then as a younger fan. And I can say without reservation, and simply put: booing does not help your team play better.

Can you imagine beeing booed at your job 90 days a year? No one could possibly perform better by hearing the boos day in and day out. It just won't work. Ask guys like Ed Whitson, George Foster, Victor Zambrano, Kaz Matsui, and even A-Rod if booing helped them perform better while playing in New York. The answer would be no. Booing does not help your team play better. What happened to encouraging your team to perform better? If you go to a Mets game today, the fans boo the home team, and never boo the opponent (Chipper Jones aside). What the hell is that? Now, I totally understand Met fans disgust with Aaron Heilman of late, but how would you perform jogging in from the bullpen and hearing 50,000 fans booing you...before throwing a single pitch? Would you perform better? I doubt that. So...why boo?

If you're as disgusted with their play as I am, complain in a blog, create a website and rip them on line like I do. But for gods sake, don't boo them so much that they prefer playing away from Shea instead of home. How did that booing work out for Knick fans this year? Did it inspire the team to play better? In a word: no.

Met fans, you have every right to be unhappy with the Mets. But boo Carlos Lee, not Carlos Delgado. Feel free to boo John Smoltz, not Aaron Heilman. Boo Rickie Weeks, not Jose Reyes. And of course, boo the umpires, but not the pitchers. It doesn't help. The Mets will never have home field advantage with the boos reigning down on the hometown players. The fans are the "tenth player" for every team. And as the tenth player, I boo you Met fans.



Court Adjourned!