Cheers for Beltran, Jeers for Fans

Was that Lenny Dykstra? No, but had the Mets current centerfielder been wearing No. 4 last night you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

Carlos Beltran single-handedly produced a run by exercising the grit and toughness that became the beloved Dykstra’s trademark.

With the Mets trailing 5-0 and looking absolutely hapless against dominant right Felix Hernandez in an eventual 5-2 loss to Seattle, Beltran smoked a double off the left-center field wall. With one out and Trot Nixon batting, Beltran caught the defense napping and flew to third.

Then, after Nixon struck out, Beltran completed his trip around the bases with some of the most inspiring, gutsy, heads-up baseball I haven’t seen at Shea since Bobby Valentine was managing the club.

As Hernandez’s pitch hit the dirt and scooted about 10 feet to the left of the Mariners’ catcher, Beltran shot towards home and slid in hard and safely. Hernandez, an absolute pleasure to watch, incurred a game-ending injury on the play, but it was simply an unfortunate by-product of Beltran’s hustle.

I have not always been kind to the stoic Beltran whose numbers have yet to justify his seven-year, $119 million deal, but the man plays centerfield arguably better than anyone in Mets history (Nails included) and has had a knack for the clutch home run.

At times, Beltran’s lackluster numbers, although above average amongst MLB centerfielders, looked even less impressive because of Beltran’s lack of emotional display. To a fan base that wears its heart on its sleeve, Beltran appeared overly quiet and somewhat disinterested at times.

The thing that had been absent from the first 410 regular season games of Beltran’s New York tenure was on full display last night.

Hopefully, the appearance of this missing link was not an aberration.

Something tells me that if gritty, heads-up play becomes commonplace for Beltran, then he will quickly become the special performer we all were excited about when the Mets signed him.

Beltran couldn't have picked a better time to practice this sort of play. With the Mets still attempting to break through the malaise that lingers from "The Collapse," this is just what the doctor ordered. But as last night's final result showed, they need it in much higher and more frequent doses.

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Surprisingly it wasn’t the booing that was inappropriate at Shea Stadium on Monday night.

In a disappointing move, a number of the fools on hand cheered when they discovered that Felix Hernandez had become a casualty of Beltran’s hustle and was writhing in pain on the third base line.

Then, it got worse. Trying to shake off the pain and remain in the game, Hernandez hobbled to the mound with his manager and trainer looking on. When Hernandez’s wind-up ended with the young right-hander bent over in extreme discomfort, a number of downright classless individuals began gleefully cheering.

Yes, anyone witnessing Hernandez’s dominance would have realized that the likelihood of a Mets’ comeback bid increase, but to take joy in this young man’s suffering was downright despicable.

I have lost my voice at games in the past from both cheering and booing. I will always defend a fan’s right to express one’s self, and I don’t think that right should ever be taken away from a paying customer. With that said, it may be helpful to abide by a small rule of thumb, only do it if it’s justified.

A lackadaisical, overpaid ball player who chose not to hustle deserves the loudest of boos, while Beltran’s play last night deserved the greatest of cheers.

But what had Hernandez done to deserve this ill treatment? He didn’t throw at Mike Piazza’s head. He has never been on record saying anything demeaning about the Mets and their fan base. He simply brought his “A” game to the ballpark and put on a show for those in attendance.

It is disenchanting to think that for an inglorious moment a contingent of the Shea Faithful stooped lower than their rivals down the Turnpike. For a moment we were on the same level as the people who booed Santa Claus.