Angel Pagan's Off-Field Activities Becoming A Concern For Mets

The bright side of the injury to Carlos Beltran is that it has allowed Angel Pagan to blossom in center field for the Mets.  Once thought of as little more than a utility player, Pagan is showing that he has what it takes to be an everyday player at the Major League level. 

With this new found success, Pagan has become a darling of the fans and has taken a bigger role in the clubhouse, most recently putting himself in charge of post-game pie celebrations.  His teammates mostly seem happy for him, but Mets management is taking a more cautious approach.

While he is happy to see Pagan succeed, Jerry Manuel understands the pitfalls of that success.  "I think what you have here is a guy who is going to have a lot of doors opening for him and it's very easy for the guy to make bad decisions if you're not careful.", Manuel told the Apple.  "We're gonna watch him closely but I'm not overly worried.  He's a special talent."

Team VP Dave Howard is a little more concerned.  "The cookbook worries me.  We have a long season to play and we need his concentration on the game.", says Howard.  "Some of the rumors are starting to worry me.  I can see it becoming a distraction down the road."

The book in question is Pagan's soon to be released cookbook "The Pie Man", co-produced by Rachael Ray.  Ray has taken an interest in the Mets center fielder and plans to base an entire series on Food Network around his various pie recipes.  More recently however, rumors have begun to surface that the two are romantically involved though the publicist for the married talk show host was quick to deny it when The Apple brought up the issue.

For the Mets, who are already involved in a legal dispute over the use of cream pies, it will be a situation they will continue to monitor closely.  

"The Pie Man" arrives on bookstore shelves on June 22 with the accompanying TV show on schedule for a September debut.

All articles featured on The Apple are fictitious. No Mets were harmed in the writing of this story.

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