New York Mets: It’s time to change the clubhouse culture

The New York Mets need a serious attitude heading into the All-Star break. Our Joe Noa breaks down the current team culture.

Today continues to be the defining moment of when the New York Mets may no longer be relevant, but a passing thought as they continue to fade faster than a pair of Levis. There is an atmosphere where camp counselor, Mickey Callaway, gathers the masses in front of a campfire, and with his guitar wants everyone to sing kumbaya.

Time after time the Mets find a unique and one-of-a-kind way to lose a game to teams that were below .500. You can tell that the moment the starting pitcher reaches 100 pitches and his time on the mound is over, a massive groan from the Amazin’s faithful as the door in the outfield swings open and out comes running a relief pitcher.

Who? It doesn’t matter, as the chances are the fate of the game is very much predicted and what started as a clear victory turns into another humiliating defeat.

But Callaway is good at strumming the guitar. He tells New York Mets Nation all it will get better. Come on and put your marshmallow at the end of your stick and put it over the fire. Get it nice and toasty because he passes out the graham crackers and chocolate. He doesn’t know how to win games, but he sure knows how to make smores.

Eventually, someone is going to step in, grab his guitar and smash it two. The singing will come to an end, and Callaway will have to turn in his whistle. Summer camp is over even before summer began.

I can imagine the Braves, Cubs, and Phillies are salivating at the thought that the New York Mets are coming to town. After all, if you are in a slump, if you aren’t pitching well, if your defense stinks, don’t you worry about a thing. The Mets are in town, and they will do everything in their power to lift your spirits, feed you batting practice pitches, play horrible defense, and hand the game over to you.

“Well, if we’re ever going to get things turned around, this is the time to do it,” says Mickey, kumbaya. He adds, “We put ourselves in position to win, and we didn’t win as many games as we’d like,” Kumbaya.

Counselor Callaway can no longer use these lines. It is time to pour a bucket of water over the campfire. Instead of Kumbaya Callaway and his eternal optimism, the New York Mets need to get a drill sergeant and kick some tail.

Enough with players getting days off if they are scheduled to sit! Since when do you give a 27-year-old player hitting in the mid .300s a day off when he should be in the lineup every day. Yes, every day!

It seems that as long as management keeps this manager and frustrates the fan base that supports the team, they are conceding the season and have deceived the fan again. Once again calls for the Wilpons to sell the team grow louder.

One more thought. In this age of creative innovation, the Mets should consider creating a school for relief pitching. Create a psychological test and evaluate the pitchers that potentially have the mindset to come into a game like a mercenary and shut down the hitters like the Mad Hungarian, Al Hrabosky.

Trash these ridiculous methods of babying players and bring out players that will do anything to get a victory. We aren’t here for detente, and we are here to win.