Brian: I’m not the Messiah!
Arthur: I say you are, Lord, and I should know. I’ve followed a few.
Bill Pulsipher. Jason Isringhausen. Paul Wilson. Octavio Dotel. Billy Traber. Pat Strange. Tyler Yates. Yusmiero Petit. Scott Kazmir. Brian Bannister. Philip Humber. Kevin Mulvey. John Maine. Mike Pelfrey. Alay Soler. Jenrry Mejia. The list goes on and on.
Let’s please remember that Matt Harvey is 23 years old and has never thrown a pitch in anger to a major-league hitter. He’s never walked in from the bullpen and seen that there are 30,000 more people watching than he’s pitched in front before. He’s never seen how big-league hitters ignore that yet-to-be-refined curveball, or watched them coil their bats for that fastball — and not miss it.
He had nothing to do with losing the last 12 of 13. Even if he begins his career with one of its best stretches, he is incapable of making us win the next 12 of 13. He’s a young pitcher. He’s probably going to get beat around and exposed, with the best baseball players in the world providing a pitiless assessment of exactly where he is as a young pitcher. Or if it doesn’t happen the first couple of times through the league, video and word of mouth will do the job soon enough.
He’s here, and that’s good. He’s worked hard enough to get this shot and see where he stands, and that’s deserved. But he can’t save us. And his hard work is just beginning.
I’ll be watching tonight. I gotta root for something, after the last two weeks.
Jason, so well said, as always. I’ll be watching tonight and hoping for success. We need to turn this train around. Lets go Mets!!!
Good words, Jason.
And we should not let ourselves in for a letdown if Matt happens to be too overanxious this evening.
He should feel more relaxed having his Triple-A catcher behind the plate but who knows how relaxed his Triple-A/sometime major leaguer catcher will be?
yes, in these days when even a dickey start ain’t what it used to be, something interesting tonite…even if these mets continue circling the drain.
i’d recommend young matt pitch high and inside and even plunk someone if need be but i don’t think there’s more than a couple of guys in the mets dugout who’d rush out onto the field to protect get their pitcher’s back.
maybe just valdespin and his upturned index finger, and turner with shaving cream pie in hand.
sadass :-/
…get their pitcher’s back.
The problem is, Jason, your average Met fan will look at young Mr. Harvey and not think of any of the unfortunate names you mentioned. As when those guys came up, two names will flash in the fans’ minds: Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden. Which is manifestly unfair to Matt Harvey.
Me, I’m just hoping he’s not the next Eric Hillman. Or Aaron Heilman.
Love your writing…. humor will save us yet. I will be praying for all my Mets tonight just as I used to pray for my Dodgers back in 1947-1956…… Thanks for your very entertaining column.
Or we could always get Batista back here if a few expectations make you jittery.
Two words…Tim Leary.
A few more words…first thing I look at is the pitcher’s mechanics. Let’s just say I was not too happy with Harvey’s. Hope I’m wrong.
Thankfully its not a 30 degree April day at Wrigley. I have a aquaintance thats a MLB scout. I brought up the point that Harvey seems to short arm his delivery. The scout has told me his delivery is similar to Clemens.
I don’t think of Clemens…Clemens had a full drop and drive stride…Harvey is very upright…what I also don’t like is how his arm points down during his take back…unlike this guy.
Harvey is a great pitcher with a bright future and a ton of potential. But he should still be in the minors. He just isn’t quite MLB ready, and the Mets called him up to stop the skid in a move of desperation. Harvey is still not nearly as good against righties as he is against lefties, and would benefit from more time in Buffalo.
http://www.sportsfanhood.com/2012/07/matt-harvey-to-make-mlb-debut-for-mets.html
what could go possibly go wrong??
…there was lot’s of talk about mejia not being MLB-ready either, and that his promotion was a desperation move by a hot-seated jerry manuel.
oh.
No, it’s definitely not fair to compare Harvey to Seaver or Gooden. He’s not at that level of talent. A righthanded Niese, maybe a little better, is more like his ceiling. But we wouldn’t want him to flame out as quickly as Doc did, either, so taking his lumps at first might actually be good for him. Having guys like Dickey and Santana around, who also didn’t get off to blazing starts in their careers but then did all right, can only help him. And same with having Rob Johnson catch him.
Go Matt!
Obviously I wish Harvey and my Mets the best, always do. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the kid. Given the current situation, you gotta be.
Love the Life of Brian reference – an inspired choice!
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The Mets season is still going on?
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