The Fixer

I'd say it's taken me exactly one game to warm to the Jason Bay era in New York. I don't need to see any more out of him, he can stay.

I hope he forgives me for the many years I spent considering him overrated, and that he reminded me of little more than an overglorified Gabe Kapler when he first came up with the Pirates late in 2003. He's certainly proven himself more than that, and now after one game with the Mets, I'm pretty glad he's on our side now. All it took was seeing him drill a ball in the gap in left-center, turn on his jets about halfway to 2nd base, and slide into 3rd base without any trouble. That was his "WELCOME TO NEW YORK!!!" moment.

It was easy to be skeptical about Bay when he signed here, particularly since he gave the impression that he'd be glad to sign anyplace but the Mets. Given the way the front office here likes to operate, can you blame him? But nonetheless, he signed here when no other offers materialized, and it seems like he's been an almost perfect fit on this team. How long he'll have to suffer hitting behind Mike Jacobs is beyond me, but as I mentioned yesterday, his presence here just seems to give the Mets a more professional look to them. The guy just looks like a ballplayer. He appears to be rather understated, but it seems he's become fast friends with Jeff Francoeur and the two have been organizing team events together.

It seems like, more than anything, this team needed an adjustment in attitude and outward appearance, more than just raw talent. The Mets have, in the past, done quite a bit without an abundance of talent. It's still not likely that they'll do the same with this group, but having someone like Jason Bay going to war for us every day if nothing else will ensure that the Mets aren't going to be as embarrassingly bad as they were last season. Or at least I hope he'll ensure that. It's still tough to get too optimistic around here.