Anger in the Clubhouse

Reading "The Bad Guys Won" taught me something: no matter what you think you know about your team, you have no real idea. The book was great for satisfying that voyeuristic curiosity I have as an obsessed fan. The clubhouse jokes, pranks, tensions... these are all things I want to know. The '86 Mets were quite the rambunctious group, but who knew that Teufel was mercilessly teased by Strawberry until he finally got the courage to stand up for himself (and got Straw's respect by doing it)? Who knew about the "cool" back section of the plane--where the troublemakers and pranksters sat during road trips?

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about the Mets missing "edge" and "passion."  I strongly disagree with these statements. Of course they have passion for the game. If nothing else, I could just point to the fact that without grit, without edge, without passion, there's no way you're making it to The Show. The Mets are missing something, but it's not passion. What I think might be missing from this team isn't edge or a hunger to win.  I think it's anger. Straight, no-muss, no-fuss, "pissed at the world and what're you gonna do about it" anger. 

I'll the first to admit that I love the chemistry and laid-back friendliness of our team.  That Pelf and "Mainer" are best buds thrills me.  That DWright is such a goodie-two-shoes, and Delgado is the strong, quiet type assures me that the team is under solid leadership.  Even Beltran and his head-down-and-work approach was great.  Even Jerry  Manuel and his laidback approach, his easy smiles and his low chuckles, seemed a good fit.  As far as I can tell, there seems to be a Golden Rule in the Mets Clubhouse:  "We stick together."  It sounds wonderful, and I was its biggest fan... but now I wonder if it might be just the thing getting in the way. 

When I read a report that no one on the team had approached Beltran to ask him about not sliding, my first thought was, "Pshh...Of course not! That's not the Mets' style." Who on this team is going to be the first to break the serene atmosphere, the congenial spirit of brotherhood by starting to point fingers?  That's not how these Mets operate.

But the troubling thing is... maybe that would've helped.  If Beltran had heard some criticism from his own teammates, I'm sure it would've struck him harder than anything the media or talk radio could say.  What if there was a Darryl Strawberry in there, wreaking havoc and stirring the pot?  Could you imagine what sort of tension that could create?  Tension and competition within and against each other, as teammates.  The kind of tension that forced Teufel to break his silence and shed his "shy rookie" skin and stand up to the big bad Strawberry.

If Jose Reyes were--dare I say it--cockier, let's say, and went around talking sh*t to Beltran for not sliding, would Beltran have let that other opportunity to slide--and shut Reyes up--slip by?

When Johan Santana made that comment about Daniel Murphy costing them the game, the media and fans took notice.  But don't you think Daniel Murphy took even more notice?  The team's ace essentially just put the game on your shoulders.  Sure, Danny boy had already taken full responsibility for that game on his own, but let's all be honest--self-discipline rarely achieves the same results as peer pressure, am I right?  Look at the first chapter of Ron Darling's "The Complete Game" (free preview from Barnes&Noble) and you'll see what I mean by anger.

"But on game day, I was someone else, someone I didn't recognize--someone I didn't even necessarily like. Understand, I didn't will myself into a sour, angry mood; it just happened, and it happened for a reason. I was on a knife edge. ... I imagined I was a boxer, getting ready to step into the ring. A matador preparing to face down a charging bull." -- The Complete Game, p. 7

Anger. It can be strong motivation. Maybe what we need is a team that likes each other a little less.  Well, let's not get carried away.  I have to be cautious saying this because I'm probably the number #1 fan of the Feel-Good-Mets.  Maybe the team should relax their Golden Rule, but I'm not talking about just a quiet and respectful sit-down by someone's locker.  Maybe it'd be helpful if they got under each others' skins a little bit.  Anger at yourself doesn't do much more than cause disappointment and eventually depression.  Anger at each other?  In athletes as fiercely competitive as pro-baseball players, I'm sure it'd spark a whole new level of achievement.  Not all stress is bad, after all.  I'm not talking about a dysfunctional Clubhouse full of enraged ballplayers who hate each other.  What I'm talking about is the "good" stress.  The competition between and amongst themselves.  If they can't pull each other toward the goal, then wouldn't a healthy kick in the butt be just as effective?  I asked my Twitter (@mets_geekette) followers what they thought ("Do you guys believe that anger in the Clubhouse could be a good thing? A sort of 'good' stress?") and here are some replies:

@darknova306: Anger can be a healthy motivator if it's not overdone. I'd like to see these guys start to enjoy themselves, though.

@cutiepie0319k: i think it's good. hopefully it will light a fire under their a**es to fight more to win games.

@djeffreys: Maybe if they take their anger out on the other team, then yes.

@mostlymets: A certain amount of anger is a good thing. Too much or too little is self destructive.

@metgirl4ever: i always prefer positive energy vs anger, but in this case, I'll take anger over indifference

I even think they'd enjoy themselves more if they stopped taking everything so seriously and acted... a little less like professionals. And it's an interesting point, that too little anger is self-destructive too. 

And the Globe reporting that the Mets have removed NY newspapers from the Clubhouse because of the negative vibe just further illustrates the point.  The Mets don't seem to know how to separate "good" stress from "bad" stress, let alone how to respond to those different things.  Good stress = Burned hand from touching hot stove. Ouch. Remove.  Bad stress = Hearing boos from crowds and doing nothing but internalizing it. 

I don't know how this entry is meant to conclude.  I love what I perceive as the brotherhood spirit of the current team.  I just know that when people talk about "edge" and "fire" and "passion," what they're really doing is using a euphemism for "Get P*ssed Off."  And as the ever-optimistic cheerleader, if even *I* think they could stand to be a little angrier... then it's cause for wonder. But notice how often I began my sentences with "maybe"?  After reading "The Bad Guys Won," really... the best I can do is guess.