by Peter J. Pompilio

It was reported Wednesday night that former Met Rickey Henderson, best remembered for playing cards with another player during Game Six of the 1999 NLCS, has been hired as the Mets NEW hitting coach, replacing Rick Down. He began his duties Thursday night when the Mets played the Cincinnati Reds.

To this fan, I find this move atrocious and mind-boggling. Why would you get rid of Rick Down, who has been one of the best hitting coaches in recent memory, and who coached the Yankees back in the early 90's, and hire an out of shape bum like Rickey Henderson? What is Ricky Henderson going to do with the Mets players, play cards with them? Jesus H. Christ, what was Omar Minaya thinking?

I for one HATE this move and I feel that Down got a raw deal. I don't think it was his fault that the bats weren’t on fire. You can’t blame him for Beltran and Delgado not producing the way they did last year. Both guys are in a slump, as Delgado is batting just over .230, and Beltran is hitting around .270. The rest of the lineup though, is still producing. I mean look at what Reyes did in the All Star Game, going 3 for 4 with a run scored. He has really turned it on this season, and in my opinion he is going to steal 70-75 bases (he is at 46 as of today). Others are starting to heat up as well. David Wright seems to be hitting the ball better, Shawn Green is still producing, and hell even Ruben Gotay is getting hits left and right.

In other news…

The Mets do need another bat though. With Milledge coming up he could possibly platoon in left with maybe Easley, or that bum Newhan until Alou comes back (hopefully in early August).

The trade deadline is coming up in 20 days and I see the Mets making some deals. I think they should try to get a deal for White Sox OF Jermaine Dye or another powerful bat (Adam Dunn anyone?). I think both players could be HUGE for this lineup.

They should go after some players in free agency after this season, in particular Eric Byrnes. His defense is spectacular, and he is a decent hitter as well. Omar should invest in him and maybe a new second baseman. Not to say I don’t like Jose Valentin, but I think they should put Easley there next year or try to get a 2B who is a free agent this off-season.

My whole point of this blogpost is this. The Mets need to start hitting the way they were last season or this will be a very LONG summer, and it could prove to be the Mets downfall. I still think Rickey Henderson is not the answer, and Rick Down should still be the hitting coach.

That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.