Mets manager blames New York for struggles: 'This isn't Cleveland'
New York Mets fans may not like manager Mickey Callaway’s theory on why the team has struggled lately. The first-year skipper believes the Mets are putting too much pressure on themselves because they play in New York. He even managed to work in a dig at his old workplace, saying, “This isn’t Cleveland.”
What happened?
Things haven’t been particularly great for the Mets lately. The team lost Sunday’s game against the Chicago Cubs 2-0. It was New York’s fourth loss in a row. Following the game, Callaway was asked about the team’s recent struggles. That’s when he blamed the city and took a shot at Cleveland.
Callaway feels like #Mets are putting a lot of pressure on themselves because “this is a tough place to play.”
“This isn’t Cleveland,” he said.#Mets
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) June 3, 2018
How bad has it been?
It’s hard to remember now, but the Mets got off to a tremendous start in April. The club kicked off the season by going 12-2. They finished April with a 17-9 record.
May wasn’t kind to them. The team went 10-18 during the month. They are winless during their two June games as well.
The club’s recent struggles have dropped them to 27-30 on the season. They are currently sitting in fourth place in a surprisingly tough NL East.
Was this a good idea?
Probably not. New Yorkers don’t seem like the type of people who are just going to but this excuse. The players on the team knew what they were getting themselves into by playing in New York. Callaway should have known the same. Blaming the city comes off as pretty weak.
Why mention Cleveland?
Prior to joining the Mets, Callaway was the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians. It’s likely Callaway didn’t mean to take a shot at his former team and city, though his comments will be read that way. He was probably trying to speak to the differences in media coverage in both cities. Still, that’s not going to play well in either place.
Doesn’t Cleveland rock?
Drew Carey would tell you that Cleveland absolutely rocks. And, hey, we aren’t going to argue with Drew Carey. The city has a deep sports history, good beer, Midwestern charm and a couple Michael Symon restaurants. Cleveland doesn’t sound all that bad.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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