MLB Week in Review (May 5-11)
This past week there was no question that the focus in the MLB was straight on the biggest city in the USA.
New York has always been a place where the tabloids have taken hold and the sports world is usually a big part of those tabloids.
With two teams in every major sport, New York tabloids have a lot to work with and it doesn’t make it any easier for players that they can get anything they want in the City that never sleeps.
Any player from any sport that a New York team is considering adding to their roster must be the right fit.
It is one thing for a player to move cities but it is entirely something else for a team to move to the Big Apple.
There are countless issues with players who find their way to New York that find the city to be too much.
They get caught up in the nightlife and the ability to anything in only a few blocks and before they know it they are suffering in the game.
That is the danger of playing in a city like New York but not all players suffer when they go there with a few excelling in the big city.
Players like Derek Jeter continue to play great on the field and still have time to go out and enjoy the social scene.
When they can figure out that balance players in New York can become the biggest names in any sport and can gain a cult following for the rest of their lives.
New Yorkers take their sports seriously and when players embrace the city and continue to play well they become legends.
It is hard to do but every now and then a player does break through and becomes that great player who the city loves.
More often than not though, players fall victim to the call of the city and this week the latest was exposed.
Although the New York Mets are still considered the blue-collar baseball team in the city they have seen the rise of some massive stars.
Their rise to a playoff contender they have relied on young stars that have started to get that cult following.
One of the first was Matt Harvey who came out of nowhere to be one of the best pitchers in the league.
He earned the nickname of the Dark Knight and games at Citi Field began to regularly sell out on nights he pitched.
It was quickly becoming a place to be as everyone wanted to see the nights that Harvey was pitching.
In 2014 he underwent Tommy John surgery and since that surgery, he has never been the same pitcher that he once was.
His ERA continued to climb and his status as the ace of the pitching staff has disappeared while more injuries have continued to sideline him.
This week things only got worse for Harvey as he was suspended earlier in the week for violating team rules.
It was revealed that he had been suspended because he never showed up to the ballpark for the Mets’ game on May 6.
Then even later the New York tabloids had begun to investigate and realised that the reason he hadn’t shown up for the game that day was that he had been out drinking the night before.
It continued to spiral out of control and Harvey saw himself swallowed up by the nightlife of the big city.
The man that was once a hero to a group of long-suffering fans had fallen to the bottom of the heap in New York.
He was once the reason for the fans to come to the ballpark and now he was a player that some think may not be on the team very much longer.
Fans had already moved on to Noah Syndergaard as their favourite on the team and as Harvey struggled he became less essential to the success of the Mets.
This won’t be the final straw but it is a warning sign that the Mets will be careful to watch
Harvey won’t be able to get away with anything in a city that will now be on the lookout to expose him on his next night out.
He also won’t get many chances from the fans especially if he continues to struggle on the mound.
Harvey could recover and continue to be a great pitcher but is close to becoming another pitcher that has been eaten up by the big city.
Extra Innings
Taillon’s Scary Week
Jameson Taillon is a rising star in the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation as the 25-year-old was a solid member of a good group. Yet this week everything stopped for the young pitcher as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer early in the week. He underwent surgery on Monday and is recovering hoping to return to the mound this year and continue his young career.
Familia Hits the DL
It was a week full of injury news that included a number of scary issues like Taillon’s cancer and Jeurys Familia’s blood clot. The star closer for the Mets was diagnosed with a blood clot in his shoulder and now will need to undergo more tests to determine next steps. It is possible that he will need surgery which could take him out for months as a number of teams have seen good players fall to the DL.
The Rise of Judge
The MLB is embracing a new star and he is helping the New York Yankees rise through the standings. Aaron Judge is the newest Bronx Bomber and he is lighting up the scoreboards with massive home runs. What makes him even more unique is the fact that he is 6’7” and 282 lbs as one of the biggest players is living up to his size at the plate.
The Sport Addiction 