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Wallace Matthews
Lo Duca is least of problems
August 10, 2006
For the second time in four years, a Mets catcher is in the position of having to defend matters that need no defending, to people who have no right to question them.
In 2002, it was Mike Piazza having to defend himself against a scurrilous New York Post gossip item that insinuated he was gay.
This week, it is Paul Lo Duca, having to defend himself against reports that his marriage to a former Playboy playmate broke up over his infidelity with a 19-year-old woman.
The justification for both of these journalistic endeavors was that such behaviors could constitute a "distraction" to their teammates, as if the airheads who play games for a living were capable of being distracted by anyone's problems other than their own.
And oh yeah, there is that other matter of Lo Duca's rumored "gambling problem," because he owns thoroughbreds and enjoys an occasional day at the racetrack, both of which, it may be necessary to point out, are legal amusements.
I am only going to say this once, so pay attention: Minus any evidence that Lo Duca bets on anything other than the ponies, this, too, is, to borrow the phrase Lo Duca used politely on me the other day in the Mets clubhouse, "none of your business."
Nor is the identity of his girlfriend, her age -- assuming she is of legal consent -- nor the circumstances under which his marriage fell apart.
These are not distractions, they are titillations of the type that give athletes an excuse to distrust the media and the public the excuse to hate us, even as they lap up every drop of gossip they can get.
The truth is, professional athletes are not distracted by the off-the-field exploits of their teammates any more than you or I are distracted by the private lives of our co-workers. They, like us, have jobs to do, and they do them.
If you are a Mets fan and you worry that the twin dramas playing out in the life of their All-Star catcher may turn out to be the things that will spoil this otherwise perfect season, then it is you who are being distracted.
Because the Mets have plenty to worry about besides whom Lo Duca is dating or whether he is still alive in the Pick Six.
They have a commanding lead in the NL East, so everything they do from here on must be judged by how it will play in October. And so far, the answer is not well.
The worries begin with the foolish and impulsive trade of Xavier Nady, a competent professional rightfielder, for a 41-year-old middle reliever and a young pitcher with a bum arm.
That trade flew under the radar in light of the Yankees' acquisition of Bobby Abreu, and seemed justified to some .because of the loss of Duaner Sanchez in a taxi accident.
But the impact of that deal won't be felt until October, when the games become real and the Mets, and their fans, realize Lastings Milledge is a fake.
The fans already know it, judging by their reaction to his outfield and plate misadventures Tuesday night against the Padres. It has become clear to the people in the stands that Milledge can't hit anything that is not a straight fastball and that his route to most fly balls is, to put it kindly, circuitous.
The other day, I asked Omar Minaya if he would feel comfortable with Milledge in the outfield at Fenway during the World Series. He looked at me for a moment and then laughed. "Not if he's in leftfield," he said.
He doesn't do much better in right, either.
Endy Chavez is an improvement but still not an everyday player, nor is Ricky Ledee. So right now the Mets, the class of the National League, are planning to head into the playoffs with an outfield cobbled out of part-time players.
Then there is the pitching. How many more games is Steve Trachsel going to win while allowing more than five earned runs? Not too many in pitching-dominated October baseball.
And how will Willie .Ran.dolph fare when his in-game decisions, which mean little now, mean everything in the playoffs?
What about Aaron Heilman, a once-promising pitcher who now seems shaken by his manager's and GM's apparent lack of faith in him? Early in the season, when John Maine and Brian Bannister went down, we were told Heilman was too valuable in the bullpen to return to the starting rotation. In the ultimate show of disrespect, Jose Lima got a couple of starts before the Mets would even consider Heilman. Now, he rarely gets into a game at all, and when he does, he looks lost.
Compared to those very real problems, the questions about whom Paul Lo Duca is dating or what he is betting on seem rather silly, don't they?
Lo Duca is least of problems
August 10, 2006
For the second time in four years, a Mets catcher is in the position of having to defend matters that need no defending, to people who have no right to question them.
In 2002, it was Mike Piazza having to defend himself against a scurrilous New York Post gossip item that insinuated he was gay.
This week, it is Paul Lo Duca, having to defend himself against reports that his marriage to a former Playboy playmate broke up over his infidelity with a 19-year-old woman.
The justification for both of these journalistic endeavors was that such behaviors could constitute a "distraction" to their teammates, as if the airheads who play games for a living were capable of being distracted by anyone's problems other than their own.
And oh yeah, there is that other matter of Lo Duca's rumored "gambling problem," because he owns thoroughbreds and enjoys an occasional day at the racetrack, both of which, it may be necessary to point out, are legal amusements.
I am only going to say this once, so pay attention: Minus any evidence that Lo Duca bets on anything other than the ponies, this, too, is, to borrow the phrase Lo Duca used politely on me the other day in the Mets clubhouse, "none of your business."
Nor is the identity of his girlfriend, her age -- assuming she is of legal consent -- nor the circumstances under which his marriage fell apart.
These are not distractions, they are titillations of the type that give athletes an excuse to distrust the media and the public the excuse to hate us, even as they lap up every drop of gossip they can get.
The truth is, professional athletes are not distracted by the off-the-field exploits of their teammates any more than you or I are distracted by the private lives of our co-workers. They, like us, have jobs to do, and they do them.
If you are a Mets fan and you worry that the twin dramas playing out in the life of their All-Star catcher may turn out to be the things that will spoil this otherwise perfect season, then it is you who are being distracted.
Because the Mets have plenty to worry about besides whom Lo Duca is dating or whether he is still alive in the Pick Six.
They have a commanding lead in the NL East, so everything they do from here on must be judged by how it will play in October. And so far, the answer is not well.
The worries begin with the foolish and impulsive trade of Xavier Nady, a competent professional rightfielder, for a 41-year-old middle reliever and a young pitcher with a bum arm.
That trade flew under the radar in light of the Yankees' acquisition of Bobby Abreu, and seemed justified to some .because of the loss of Duaner Sanchez in a taxi accident.
But the impact of that deal won't be felt until October, when the games become real and the Mets, and their fans, realize Lastings Milledge is a fake.
The fans already know it, judging by their reaction to his outfield and plate misadventures Tuesday night against the Padres. It has become clear to the people in the stands that Milledge can't hit anything that is not a straight fastball and that his route to most fly balls is, to put it kindly, circuitous.
The other day, I asked Omar Minaya if he would feel comfortable with Milledge in the outfield at Fenway during the World Series. He looked at me for a moment and then laughed. "Not if he's in leftfield," he said.
He doesn't do much better in right, either.
Endy Chavez is an improvement but still not an everyday player, nor is Ricky Ledee. So right now the Mets, the class of the National League, are planning to head into the playoffs with an outfield cobbled out of part-time players.
Then there is the pitching. How many more games is Steve Trachsel going to win while allowing more than five earned runs? Not too many in pitching-dominated October baseball.
And how will Willie .Ran.dolph fare when his in-game decisions, which mean little now, mean everything in the playoffs?
What about Aaron Heilman, a once-promising pitcher who now seems shaken by his manager's and GM's apparent lack of faith in him? Early in the season, when John Maine and Brian Bannister went down, we were told Heilman was too valuable in the bullpen to return to the starting rotation. In the ultimate show of disrespect, Jose Lima got a couple of starts before the Mets would even consider Heilman. Now, he rarely gets into a game at all, and when he does, he looks lost.
Compared to those very real problems, the questions about whom Paul Lo Duca is dating or what he is betting on seem rather silly, don't they?
