Is Jose Reyes Being Babied? Other Players Think So.

Today is April fool's day. If anyone out there isn't familiar with that unofficial and ridiculous holiday, let me explain. It is a day to play practical jokes on the gullible people you encounter throughout your day. This is a day that will undoubtedly release so many off the wall stories.

I would revert back to an old saying: 'Believe half of what you read and none of what you see". I, however, would take it to the extreme today and not believe 90 percent of either of them. In fact, I swore to myself that I may not even write today. So much for that. It is with that concept in mind, that I swore I wouldn't write today unless I felt that it was believable and from accurate sources. This is both of those.

According to Yahoo sports, an unknown player on the New York Mets Mets-have-babied-Jo?urn=fantasy,231357">commented to Mike Puma of the NY Post, that the team is 'babying Jose Reyes'. If this story is true, it to me, is revealing of the Mets locker room. It tells me two things.

First, some players are not accepting of his condition. This in and of itself can be a horrible thing, but it tells me something else also. Second, the players are not on the same page with the owners. That may be just as bad. Both of those lead to division, my friends. That division causes jealousy, hatred and resentment toward one another. It is something that would rip a team apart. It would force them to play as individuals and not as a team.

Any group of players, playing as individuals is doomed to fail. If the players, or at least some of them are not understanding or patient with his condition it may cause Reyes, himself to respond by pushing harder and overexerting himself for the sake of the few compassionless ones. This would most surely hurt him in the long run.

It would lead to all types of injuries and poor play just because his ego allows him to try to prove something. Never mind his playing career, it may jeopardize his health and eventually his life all because of ego. That speaks volumes to me of where particular players stand on matters of truly caring about a human being. Whether intentional or not, this is most definitely a technological Freudian slip.

The second point, may be a little deeper. I believe it was said in an interview with Jeff Francoeur, that the Mets wanted classy guys for the organization. That is why they chased after Jason Bay. That is the page that the owners and rest of the brass are on. It would appear that it is not the page the players are on. That team division or disunity wins last place in any league where I come from.

If they wanted stand up guys, they need to penalize the player who stood up and didn't allow his identity to be revealed. Maybe then, the players would understand that they have to be held accountable for not only their words, but their image as well. They are a reflection of the team and therefore, a representative of it. They can't afford to spout off at the mouth like verbal diarrhea. They are ambassadors not only to the Mets in general, but to the sport of baseball as a whole.

That is the deeper issue to this point. It stems from some current players not completely understanding or caring about that. The health of the sport. It is an important issue that goes far beyond the reaches of one comment or one story that breaks as a result of such a comment. It is telling. The sheer thoughtlessness is telling of the mindset of the average player. That is what is so very disheartening to me about this.

It is a revealing statement that the player didn't even have the character to be revealed over because he probably knew the outcome. Then why say it to begin with? Why say something that you may realize while you're saying it could cause irreparable damage to your peer and your employer? Isn't it bad enough this team can look foolish on their own? Does this player really need to make them look even more so? On April fool's day, no less?

I hope it's a joke. In fact, I'd rather it be a joke so I can still believe that the players in that locker room are decent and thoughtful. If not, then it will be a very long season. Especially if they begin to struggle, then I'll be more interested in what the 'baby' is doing, than the one who thinks he's being treated that way.