It worked so well for Jason Giambi, why not try it?
That must have been what Paul Lo Duca was thinking this week when he decided to try the age-old tactic of agologizing without acknowledging what he’s apologizing for.
He released a vague statement Saturday, acknowledging a mistake in connection with the Mitchell Report. He then met with the media, but didn’t exactly expand upon his errors.
Here’s how the Associated Press reported the exchange between reporters and Lo Duca.
“Asked whether the Mitchell Report was accurate about him, Lo Duca said: ‘I’m not going to comment on that.’
When another reporter asked what he was apologizing for, Lo Duca replied, ‘Come on, bro. Next question.’ “
That’s pretty weak. Unless Lo Duca was magically not near a television set on Wednesday, he should know he’s not being singled out here. A lot of mistakes were made. If you expect the public to forgive and forget, you have to actually acknowledge what you did wrong. Lo Duca was a fan favorite during his time with the Mets, partially because he doesn’t mind speaking his mind when he thinks he’s in the right. Unfortunately, when he slips up — whether it be calling out his Latino teammates or having marital problems or showing up in the Mitchell Report — he seems to think no one should talk to him about it. That’s just not the way it works. Not even in a smaller market like D.C.
*****
While Lo Duca wasn’t saying much with his new team, Carlos Beltran was saying an awful lot for his old team.
The usually soft-spoken Beltran was anything but this week, telling reporters that the Johan Santana acquisition puts the Mets over the top in the National League East, echoing Jimmy Rollins’ claim a year ago.
“Let me tell you this: Without Santana, we felt as a team that we have a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we’re going to win in our division. So this year, to Jimmy Rollins — we are the team to beat!”
Now, as I wrote when the Mets acquired Santana, he’s not the cure for all that ails the Mets. There are injury concerns in the rotation, bullpen, infield and outfield. Santana can’t solve those problems. And the Phillies didn’t exactly get weaker in the offseason. He doesn’t single-handedly negate that either. But he does solve the Amazin’s largest issue, which was the lack of a frontline starter, so it’s certainly fair to raise expectations for the Mets.
Do I think that makes them “the team to beat”? Who knows? But it’s good to see Beltran take a step forward as a leader. I’ll take a little bit of swagger out of one of the Mets’ cornerstones, even if it means ignoring some of the other roadblocks that might come before the Mets this season.
And besides, last year it worked for Rollins.
