Look, it was a bonehead play. Fortunately it didn’t hurt, so lets not dwell too much on it. The important thing is that the Mets won this game with as Billy Wagner was quoted as saying, “we’re picking each other up.” This was a big win and a huge series. The Mets have something they can build upon now with the confidence gained in Philadelphia.

Having said all of this, lets deal with Carlos Beltran’s ninth inning and most importantly his face time with the media afterwards. Joe Janish of Mets Today does a good disection this morning. Hat tip to Metsblog

Beltran has to know he screwed up and that he didn’t make a good throw at all to Wright. The interview revealed why Beltran does not speak to the media. Aside from being uncomfortable speaking English in a formal setting, its clear he’s insecure being interviewed. His coping mechanism was to go into denial and make it about the person who asked the question. Don’t expect to hear anything from Beltran again.

Dealing with the media – especially if there is a language barrier – is a problem for many players. I’m sure Beltran knows this about himself. The Mets and his teammates know, too. Some aren’t sensitive to his plight like Billy Wagner. Paul LoDuca wasn’t either. Members of the media realize it, too, and often will protect a player in the way they quote him in the newspaper.

A bit of a vaccum exists in the Mets clubhouse in that not nearly enough of the star players are accessible to the media. Much of it has to be the language barrier. A team can probably be constructed this way in a small market like Kansas City or Cincinnati where you don’t need all the fingers on your hand to count the members of the media in the clubhouse. But not in New York.

Is this a fractured clubhouse? Do cultural and language differences contribute? According to many sources the answer is yes. I cannot say for certain. Nor will I offer an opinion. But if this shift in momentum is not sustained, it will be the result of questionable clubhouse chemistry.

Posted under Uncategorized