I'd like to say I'm surprised by callers to WFAN screaming that they want the Mets to get rid of Carlos Beltran. Maybe it's just that more people are having Budweiser for breakfast than I would have guessed. Is that what it's come to these days? OK, Beltran hasn't looked much like a 
$119-million player lately. But he did finish fourth in the NL MVP voting last year and do these people truly believe he's done?
GM Omar Minaya was trying to suppress laughter yesterday when asked if maybe sitting Beltran would be the best thing for his strained left quad. And play who? Beltran at 80 percent is still one of the best players on the field and the quad situation hasn't seemed to affect his ability to play center. He was chasing down deep fly balls all weekend in the Bronx and continued to do so in last night's 8-1 win over the Twins.
Minaya also insisted that Beltran, the top vote-getter in the NL, will not be prevented from playing in next month's All-Star Game. At least not yet.
On another topic, anyone else think the Mets went a little nuts last night with the relentless All-Star campaigning for Paul Lo Duca? They obviously got the idea from seeing the Dodgers do the same thing for Russell Martin last week in LA and it worked for him. Let's see what the numbers look like next week.
Comments (12)
The whole idea of the fans picking the all stars is kind of a team promotion anyway. By stats SF's Molina should be the starting catcher, but obviously the Giant's don't have the promotion or the fan base of NY or LA. And Beltran isn't going to look like a fitting All Star with his numbers right now.
LA ain't even the worst I've seen. The lobbying for Jason Bay, Jose Bautista, and Freddy Sanchez in Pittsburgh was ridiculous for last year's All-Star Game. I'm talking billboards, broadcast ad spots, the Mayor of Pittsburgh at the time got involved. But hey - if it works to wake up the fan base to the talent (if any) on the team and baseball in general, more power to them.
Anyone who says Beltran should be traded is an idiot. The guy was one of the best players in the NL last year and was having another solid year until relatively recently. As for the money, with the contracts that were handed out the last few seasons, Beltran's contract is a bargain.
Anyone who waits on hold for an hour just to get hung up on by Mike and the Mad Dog is a moron. Please stop using talk radio callers as the prevailing opnion of NY sports fans.
Mike and the Dog are a historic and monumental part of the history of radio. I grew up with them.
Listened to their first shows a capella ( Mike was with CBS, and Coleman) then together...it was magic from the start.
But understand, Mike Francessa is an unapologetic Yankee fan, and Chris Russo has been sniffing Barry Bond's jock for years as a "Giant" fan.
So I can understand it if they miss the boat about Beltran. And in fact, fail to acknowledge him as an immense star. Because he is.
Dear David, I like the retro baseball card you posted in this article. I haven't seen that exact style since I was a kid. It looks like a card from around 1977-1981 or so. I had a Ron Cey Dodger card that was almost exactly like that one you have of Beltran.
Did you crop Beltran onto an oldie?
Or is this a current one for 2007?
Thanks dude.
Beltran is a lifetime 280 hitter but has not hit at that average since he left KC. He had a great HR & RBI season last year and will probably reach 100 RBIs this season but he is not the top center fielder in the league. He has been a step up from Cameron.
A STEP UP FROM CAMERON!!!!!
ARE YOU A MORON?
WE RAN CAMERON OUT OF TOWN
BECAUSE HE STUNK.
HE BARELY BATTED HIS WEIGHT.
HOW CAN YOU COMPARE CAMERON TO CARLOS BELTRAN.
MY GOD, I THINK THE END OF THE VERY UNIVERSE IS UPON US.....
Anonymous--Shazzz up.
You don't know what you're talking about amigo.
Where's Waldo?
Where's Alou?
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