Another Injury for Kazuo Matsui?

- It seems that Kaz has a scrathced cornea, and the Mets fans feel it's his own doing by crying all the time.

This is what I mean, Mets fans think Kaz Matsui has a scratched cornea because he cries all the time. Please. I find this statement an ingorant one by Mets fans. This is what I mean by Mets fans slamming Kaz Matsui, (I know not all Mets fans slam him, but a big majority do, and a lot of times like this, which is a very distasteful comment).

I just heard on WFAN Radio that Matsui has to learn to dive for balls. They said he falls rather than dives for balls. The Met reporter, Ed Coleman, said that players do not dive for balls in Japan? Some of the comments they make are so outrageous.

If I was Kaz I would request a release or demand to be traded. He shouldn't be put throught all this because New York fans are impatient and want to win every single ball game they have. I say Kaz should go to Seatle or some small market ball club. Look where Iguchi and Nakamura are right now. If they went to the Mets or Yankees, they would've been abused by the media long time ago.

- Look where Iguchi and Nakamura are right now

It's OK for Iguchi (Chicago is a big market but the Sox aren't the Cubs), but Nakamura is playing in a big market, on a ballclub that wants to win, and in a place that won't take a back seat to the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim - who cares?).

His agent won't let him do what you want. The fans are the payers. They can demand, make comments, and boo and curse. The media reports what's going on, reporting errors, manager press meetings, and fan reactions. By the way, the other Matsui (NYY) has extreme respect of the fans and media. When you play baseball in New York, you've got to live with the good and bad. Kaz has been on full page coverage of the New York Post four times already.

The late, great Babe Ruth once said, "They can boo me all they want, as long as they keep buying tickets."

You got that right!

Say what you will about "they," but to call Kaz's play as a Met as average is being charitable. His play on the field is regrettably less than adequate.

New York fans may be impatient, but they do know baseball. Randolph was being candid on Kaz's skills. He is learning a new position. He is still showing him exceptional loyalty and respect with his public statements that he is the Mets' second baseman. If Kaz were a true rookie, he would have been benched or cut. Did he say only second baseman, though?

Frankly, Kaz is better off playing NPB. He will still be average at best in Seattle or LA. For the money he is paid, he has to perform at a higher level.

I haven't seen much in the way of the Kaz crying causing the scratched cornea comments in the Mets Boards, so settle down. In fact, his public attitude has been highly professional and his team mates are supportive.

I have read that this sight correction method he is using is unconventional. He resists contacts or glasses.

Bottom line, Kaz is having consistent problems playing the infield. He brings the blunt comments on himself. This is an unfortunate situation and distasteful for all around, including Mets fans.

Kaz gets no credit from the media. I watched the game in which he drove in the game winning RBI in the 9th. The commentators were praising Reyes for the whole comeback! Reyes almost grounded into a double play and just out ran the throw. They gave him all the credit for the rally even though Kaz had to do the hard part.

Go to the ESPN message boards to hear more cr**. "Be patient with Reyes," "Wright is just starting off slow," "Bustsui sucks!"

If you compare his stats from last year he was pretty much equal to Furcal of the Braves. I think Furcal had just as many errors and strike outs, too.

I think most of the reason why Matsui is struggling is because he is forced to change his approach to hitting. The Mets would rather him be a slap/singles hitter which doesn't suit his style. I saw the same thing happen to Shinjo. When he first came to the Mets he was a very aggressive pull hitter. After playing for the San Francisco Giants he came back as an opposite field slap hitter. He couldn't get most of his hits out of the infield.

I kinda hope he goes back to Japan. It would suck if the cr*ppy New York fans and media screw up his career.

The difference between Kaz and Reyes/Wright is that the latter are kids, with barely a full season under their belts. They make about $300k per year. They are learning and mistakes are part of the process.

Kaz is learning, but he has many years of professional ball under his belt. He was a star in Japan. He was hyped, but he had a track record in NPB to back up the hype. In MLB, he has shown to be deficient on defense. He is not playing the caliber of ball that was expected, so it is natural for fans to be disappointed. Some crude ones will make disparaging comments.

Kaz's hitting is very good - that's not the problem.

Furcal isn't so hot either and he's not making $7M per year.

Shinjo couldn't cut it in MLB, end of story. Again, not the fans' fault or whoever you care to blame.

The only guy who can screw up Kaz's career is Kaz.

Denial is not a river in Egypt.

- His agent won't let him do what you want.

It's not his agent, it's the 27 team no-trade clause Matsui has that prevents him from moving on to another team.

- The media reports what's going on, reporting errors, manager press meetings, and fan reactions.

Part of the way the New York media reports Kaz Matsui is part of the problem, too many of their articles have bias in them.

Also, if Mets fans expect Miguel Cairo to be better than Kaz Matsui they couldn't be any more wrong.

- Frankly, Kaz is better off playing NPB.

Kaz Matsui is better off playing in another MLB market except New York (flushing) where fans and media alike won't attack him non-stop. Though Kaz Matsui's 27 team no-trade clause makes this situation difficult.

- Denial is not a river in Egypt.

True, there are things Matsui needs to work on, but I can't stand how the NY media and the Mets fans attack him. Also, the bias of the media doesn't help Matsui either.

Wait a minute! Kaz crying was the reason for his eye problem? Is this a fact?

- Kaz crying was the reason for his eye problem? Is this a fact?

Of course it isn't, the bias of the NY media and a lot of their fans report this. Also, the problem is with a lot of these fans, they will believe anything the media says.

As pointed out earlier, a lot of Mets fans are just plain out ingorant about Matsui, as seen on the ESPN boards, they're calling to trade Matsui because of a mullet and that Matsui doesn't steal bases. Both of these statements are distasteful. One Matsui doesn't even have a mullet and Matsui does steal bases.

No. This is how rumors start. Scroll up and please read my earlier post on the scratched cornea from contact lens treatment while sleeping.

I feel your pain, but there are a few realities we must consider.

Kaz chose to play in New York. He wanted the spotlight. With that spotlight, strengths and weaknesses are illuminated for all to see - and comment on. Every New Yorker has a strong and blunt opinion of many things.

MLB teams weren't tripping over themselves to sign Kaz over a year ago. The Mets went after him more aggressively than anyone else. With his play now, how many teams do you think are going to find him attractive at $7M per year?

Cairo isn't that much of an improvement over Kaz, I agree, but he is less erratic and makes more than $6M per year less than Kazuo.

The New York press jump on any angle to make a story and sell papers. Sports radio is much the same. If there is no justification for the stories, the fans won't buy it. Kaz's play has been erratic, and with the high expectations, his tribulations are a story. The NY media is no different from the Tokyo media in that regard. They are not biased. What reason would they have to be biased? If they were biased, they would be slamming Big Matsui. They don't because he delivers. Ill-founded perjorative reporting doesn't sell more papers or garner more listeners. NY fans are smarter than that. Kaz's play currently is flawed and the spotlight is on him. It's a hot light. They say if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

My take is that this seems to bother some of you fans more than Kaz. The fact is he is not playing like a $7M per year star from NPB. He needs to ratchet up his game. He's a gamer. He can take the heat. He is in the crucible. If he doesn't melt down, he'll come out a stronger player - and the fans will love him.

Oh, oh. Another Kaz Matsui problem. A scouting report find by Baseball America from an unknown National League team says, "Kaz does not apply hand tag low and cover base with glove." Suggests a hook slide on outfield side of second base, also to keep foot slide low.

This team has only one attempted steal so far this year against the mets when Kazuo was covering second base. The result was that Mike Piazza threw wide of second base and Kazuo did not streach out to get it, the runner advanced to third base.

Willie R. gave both Reyes and Kaz non-starts (Saturday). However, Kaz did pinch hit. Woodward, filling in for Reyes, made an error plus failed to back up second base on a steal attempt. Cairo, filling in for Kazuo, looked like he was baffled by Nationals' pitchers. If Willie R. has a plan up his sleeve, it looks like it's to make Cairo the third baseman and second baseman fill in.

Oh, Kazuo failed to show up for the pre-game medical check at his given time. He was 1 1/2 hours late.

The plan for Cairo and Woodward has actually been on the table since spring training broke. Cairo backs up Wright and Kaz at third and second, and Woodward backs up Reyes. Woodward plays a bit of outfield as well. Marlon Anderson can also play both infield and outfield positions.

Kaz will end up fine. The scrutiny is dying down. If the Mets keep winning, this will be a non-issue, even if his play is only average.

Interesting about the med check. I didn't read about this. Was it random drug/steroid testing?

As for playing in New York, Kaz picked his poison. eom.

For perspective, Kaz is not the only player off to a slow start this year, so I think it's too early to get down on him.

For example, Kaz's line of .264/.328/.340 looks OK compared to the .243/.284/.314 performance so far of Adrian Beltre, last years home run champ and MVP runner-up. Beltre also makes more money than Kaz.

Of course we all know how patient the NY fans and media are, so this can't be completely unexpected. I had thought myself, when he signed with the Mets, that it might not be such a great place for him, with bumping Reyes over to second and all, and the inevitable comparisons.

Iguchi is in a better situation all around though, although he makes less money. Of course both Iguchi and the White Sox are off to a good start, so there's no reason for criticism anyway. Iguchi's hitting over .300 despite having just switched leagues, which is pretty impressive to me.

New York is a tough place to play because the fans are way too into their team. I feel Kaz would be better suited if he goes elsewhere where he doesn't have to face pressure of being someone who's hitting .300 with 20 HR and have 10 errors or less a year.

Fans were mad when Kazuo bunted in the second inning, especially with the pitcher as the lead runner on second base. They blamed Willie R. for the bone head play and felt it killed the Mets' chance of getting back into the game.

However, Willie R. did not give the bunt sign. Kaz did it himself, as was later learned by the WFAN radio host. By 8:45pm Sunday night, the Mets fans were all over Kaz on Baseball America Talk Radio. Also, they noted that the Nationals stole four bases. Was it because of (a) the pitcher? (b) the catcher? or (c) the way Kazuo applies the tag?

- I feel Kaz would be better suited if he goes elsewhere where he doesn't have to face pressure of being someone who's hitting .300 with 20 HR and have 10 errors or less a year.

Uhmmm, does that mean not having the pressure to be a very good second baseman then?

Yes, just when I thought Kaz was safe, someone raises another kvetch. Some fans have also been down on Zambrano, Piazza, Cameron (who hasn't played at all due to injury), Glavine, Wright (2 errors), Heilman, Ishii, Floyd (batting .350), Benson, Looper, and most of the pullpen. Well, that's about 2/3 of the team.

Have you ever wondered what kind of person has time on their hands to call into radio shows, anonymously post constantly on message boards, and in general, come off as an ignorant boor? (Hold back Westbay-san.) While Kaz is still a bit in the doghouse, if all these posters said was true and balanced, then Kaz and the others would be benched or demoted. They are not, so try to take what they say with a grain of salt. In the grand sceme of things, Kaz is a perfectly adequate second baseman learning his position. He has upside and is not killing the team.

Piazza's notoriously poor arm and his recent power outage has more of an impact than Kaz's occasional error or miscue. Piazza is a future HOF'er, but he is on the downside of his career and not immune from criticism (which may be justified, but is more distasteful for what he's done over his career than criticism of Kaz in New York).

When Kaz wins a few games with his bat and settles down in the field, the barking dogs will find another tree.

New York, New York. You've got to love those Mets baseball fans. One day they give thumbs down to Kazuo, now, after a 5-4 win over the Braves, they say Willie R. almost gave another one away. Plus, they were up in arms for Willie giving Kaz a bunt play. There were 16,000 boos.

Plus, the base stealing of the Braves. They feel Reyes and Kaz are putting their lives on the line for Mike P.

Finally, the pre-game show on WGTY had Trump saying that Kaz is better and he wishes him and the team the best. Remember last year Trump said "Fire Kaz."

No offense to The Donald, but he knows Mets baseball as well as he knows proper hair care.

As far as the consensus of Mets fans, I'd say the verdict on Kaz has been overwhelmingly negative for a long time now. Quite simply, he plays because of his contract. He was a hyped signing with huge expectations. Teams notoriously stay too long with such players. I guess trying at all costs to recoup the embarrassment and lost money outweighs the damage the player is causing on the field.

For now, utilityman Miguel Cairo is a better player. He is the rightful starter. But again, this is like the Roger Cedeno situation again, where the team will play an expensive bust for far too long until the pain is unbearable. For next season, Jeff Keppinger at AAA will be ready to come up. Actually, he's probably ready now. He's tearing up the International League.

Just have to figure out what to do with Kaz.

There is no way you can compare Kaz to Roger Cedeno. Kaz may be a disappointment based on the hype, but he is a perfectly competant ballplayer. Cedeno in blue and orange was not.

We have not seen enough of Cairo to know if he is better long term than Kazuo. It is not a night and day situation like last year's shortstop debacle. Cairo's play is not that much better to displace a high paid veteran. No one has a "right" to play. You simply expressed your opinion. It's up to the manager, and in this case ownership. You can't sit a guy making $7 million unless he "Cedeno-stinks," which Kaz does not. Same reason why Diaz is going down when Cameron comes back. That's the way it is.

Last night, poor Kazuo was taken out by a hard sliding Brian Jordan in a successful effort to break up a double play. Jordan is a former football linebacker. Two innings later, a charging Jordan caused Kaz to flinch, leading to two Atlanta runs.

Kaz has a year left on his contract. He can't be traded at his salary without much of it being eaten by the Mets. Management is also being very careful and considerate to protects Kaz's face. Aside from being decent about it (the Wilpons are decent people and were heavily involved in bringing Kaz over), they don't want another Nakamura problem. They want Japanese market revenues and they want serious consideration from future NPB players who can move.

I do not think Kaz will be re-signed. I think he should play ball in NPB. Cairo and Kepp can battle it out for second base. Pitchers and outfielders seem to have an easier time making the transition. Like his skills or not, Kaz was a star in NPB. The infield game is too nuanced.

When you say that Cedeno was not a competent ballplayer with the Mets, I know that you're talking about Roger Cedeno in his second stint with the team, and I agree, although he was solid in his first stint with them. Things went bad for him in Detroit after he had a falling out with Phil Garner, and then things got worse after he signed that huge free-agent contract with the Mets.

I have to correct you about Brian Jordan - he was a hard-hitting safety with the Falcons, not a linebacker. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1990 or '91 season.

It seems like everyone has an opinion about Kaz Matsui, so I hate to add my two cents here, but I think he'd be much better off playing in a smaller market. I bet if he played with the Kansas City Royals he'd be hands down the best position player on that team.

I stand corrected on Jordan's position. Professional football player honing in on Kaz - ouch!

Yes, I was talking about Cedeno redux.

Kaz might feel less pressure in a small market team, but fans are fans and will judge a player on what he does in the field. If he makes the same plays in Kansas City that he does in New York, the analysis of his defense will be the same. Frankly, if Kazuo were the best position player on KC, that's not saying too much for the other guys, because they'd have to be mediocre at best.

Actually, Kaz is on a bit of a tear, hitting .350+ over the last 7 games. Kaz made his bed - take the good with the bad, but give the guy much credit for taking a risk. I will always admire him for that. I think he will turn it around.

I totally agree with you about Kazuo - he made his bed and now he just has to roll with the punches. I admire him as well for going to New York when he probably could've taken a safer route to the Major Leagues.

You are right about the Royals also. They have a bunch of players who are AAA players at best. Most of the players on the Royals wouldn't even be in the big leagues had it not been for expansion in MLB in the 1990s. If Kaz was on that team, the only player who might be better is first baseman Mike Sweeney (who is married to former NPBer Jim Nettles' daughter), but even Sweeney is on the decline and doesn't produce like he once did. Former Dragon (1993) Matt Stairs in hitting cleanup for the team, and he's like 47-years old! Kaz would definitely be a stud if he played on a team like, that I think.

Kaz might be a stud on the KC team, but if they are as bad as you say, the opposing pitchers would give him nothing good to hit. Now, the pitcher have to say, do I give Kaz something to hit and take my chances, or do I want to face Beltran?

That alone should be gone for another 20 batting average points.