The Mets Need a Chase Budinger Moment

I'm a huge University of Arizona basketball fan, and this season I witnessed one of the most despicable moments in college basketball in a game between UofA and University of Houston. But it actually turned out to be a season changing moment for the team, and it may very well be what the Mets need.

I'll pick up my commentary after you watch the video:



You see Chase Budinger had gotten a reputation for being soft and too laid back (hmm related to Carlos Beltran?) even though he's an exceptionally talented basketball player. The fact that Budinger got up off the floor and started to go after Aubrey Coleman was a shock in and of itself and showed his teammates that he's not the doormat everyone said he was.

All of a sudden Budinger started playing with fire and intensity, and his teammates responded. In fact this game UofA was down 10 points with 52 seconds left and came back to tie it and win it in OT. That game, that moment, that fire saved the season. Eventually UofA made the NCAA tournament and progressed to the Sweet 16 before being eliminated.

This is the type of thing that needs to happen to the New York Mets. It's horrible to say that, but that's what it has come to. The Mets need a season changing moment. Is it a fight? Is it a brawl? Is it a screaming match in the clubhouse? Is it Wright or Manuel or Reyes getting tossed out of the game?

I don't know, but they need some outside act to force them to respond. Like Chase Budinger, they need an opportunity to publicly shake off the soft stigma and respond to adversity before our very eyes.