Mets fans may finally be over their love affair with Jose Reyes. Aside from doing absolutely nothing for months, Reyes has stopped hustling. This afternoon ,with the Mets season on the brink, Jose Reyes chopped a ball into the ground that barely went past home plate. Reyes took three steps out of the box, turned around and stopped to watch if it was going to go foul. The catcher caught the ball in fair territory and threw him out. Reyes may have been able to beat it out, had he run. Instead, he never made it more than 10 feet out of the box. He was deservedly booed by the Mets fans. In his next at bat, he was greeted with a smattering of boos as well.
As I was writing this, both benches cleared as it appears Marlins' pitcher Jairo Garcia threw at, and missed, Luis Castillo on consecutive pitches. Although nothing happened, both benches emptied. Unbeknownst to Mets fans, Jose Reyes and Marlins pitcher Matt Lindstrom took this opportunity to crack jokes with one another and giggle like a couple of school girls. Mets broadcasters expressed their disgust; One of them saying "Why don't you take him out to dinner?"
A few minutes later, with the dust all settled, the Marlins manager pulls Garcia from the game. As he is walking off the mound, Jose Reyes takes the opportunity to pop off at either Garcia or Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo. Olivo sprints from the mound to attack Jose Reyes. Reyes allows himself to be held back by 103 year old Sandy Alomar Sr., so the old man takes a glancing blow from Olivo. Benches empty. Reyes immediately makes sure he is 50 feet from the epicenter of the scrum. He wanted no part of the violence he had started. Later, when he is safely surrounded by a few teammates, he shoots his mouth off again, knowing full well he will be held back. The crowd foolishly begins to do their "Jose Jose Jose Jose" chant. After they clear the field a second time, Reyes is once again all smiles, standing on third base, shooting the shit with Miguel Cabrera. I'll give the fans a pass. Had they seen the events on television, they wouldn't be cheering the man. They'd be embarrassed by their punk bitch shortstop.
P.S. Mets announcers speculated that perhaps the Mets were getting thrown at, because of the over-the-top celebration Milledge and Reyes performed following a Milledge home run. The homer gave the Mets a 8-0 lead, in a must-win game, because they have choked away their lead in the division. A good time to display a little humility? Not the Metsies. Given the circumstances, Chad Johnson would have been more restrained than Reyes and Milledge.
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