Mets To Focus On "Undermentals" In 2012

When Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins took over the reins of the Mets they boldly stated that their version of the team would play hard and play smart.

Well, one out of two is batting .500 you could say.  The team plays hard, dies hard, and loses most of the time.

As for smart, that’s another story entirely.  Missing cutoff men, getting picked off, constant strikeouts looking, diving into first base, and the team’s specialty – NOT sliding into home, are all integral parts of the 2011 Metropolitans.

Keith Hernandez talks about a team having good Fundies (short for Fundamentals).  What the Mets have I suppose we could call Undies (short for Undermentals).

Recognizing this as an immutable fact of life the braintrust has decided to go with the flow.  They have hired Jeremy Giambi as a spring training coach who will make sure that every player goes in standing at home plate whether a play is happening there or not.  You remember this Giambi, right, from the famous FLIP in the 2001 AL Divisional series.  It’s the classic undermental that secured the legend of Derek Jeter.

Every position player but one is expected to receive personalized attention by Giambi.  The only player granted an exception will be Angel Pagan whose Undermentals have been on display virtually the entire season.  His undies are unquestioned.  He can take those meetings off.

All articles featured on The Apple are fictitious. No Mets were harmed in the writing of this story. Story by Larry Smith. Follow Larry on Twitter @dr4sight

Pin It