Up until a few weeks ago, Matt Harvey was the hero of Gotham, but now, a lot of people are calling for him to be shipped to Timbuktu as if he became a turncoat a la Benedict Arnold.
Not so surprisingly, it was Harvey’s agent, the pain in the ass himself, Scott Boras, who got the ball rolling in Panic City, as he said that doctors have given Harvey a hard 180-inning limit that complies with health-precautions regarding his Tommy John Surgery recovery. What ensued is where it all went wrong. Harvey, seemingly alone and lost in the woods, didn’t commit to the team, and it looked like the man who was frustrated with the six-man rotation now was hiding in the corner.
It looked like he was siding more with Boras than his current team, who needs him desperately as they push for their first division championship since 2006. Harvey took to the Player’s Tribune to try to repair his damaged image, but that didn’t do much. It read like the script to damage control for dummies, and it was hard to see it as sincere. Now, while the team weighs his long-term future versus the current team’s need, there seems to be no concrete answer as to how to make anyone happy, and that’s the Mets’ fault.
Ultimately, as Mike Francesa said today, the decision is up to the team. The agent could chime in, but his opinion is taken with a grain of salt. The doctors give their recommendations and the team acts accordingly. Last night, Matt Harvey was cruising through five innings, and he was taken out to preserve innings, much against his will. You can’t have it both ways Matt. Hansel Robles entered and the Yankees took the lead, which they continued to add on to until the game was well out of reach.
Ultimately, fans are torn on who to blame on this whole fiasco. I don’t want to play the blame game. I want to focus on winning the National League East and hopefully a special run through October baseball. The best plan, in my estimation, is for both sides to shut the hell up and do what they’re paid to do, win. That makes all problems go away.
