Grit

All this talk about how gritty the Phillies are and how ungritty the Mets are has got me thinking. 
 
a) The Phillies weren’t so gritty – minus Chase Utley – until they got hot at the right time, and wound up winning the World Series. Six months ago, they were a team that pretty consistently underachieved in the Pat Burrell Era. Of course one has to give them credit for getting hot, and winning the World Series, but doesn’t it seem like all of the gritty talk is going a little overboard? Victorino is a fun, scrappy, clutch player. Utley is an incredible player and gritty to boot – a rare combination. But are Ryan Howard, Pedro Feliz, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson and Jayson Werth so gritty and selfless? It seems to me that they’re just good. 
 
b) Part of the reason the media has bestowed the Phillies with this lunch pail persona is that they are being compared with the Mets. Eric Karros said something on yesterday’s telecast that really made sense to me. About the Mets elaborate handshakes Karros said something like, “If they’re spending time working on that stuff, that’s time they’re not working on things that will actually help them be better baseball players.” 
 
I love youthful enthusiasm if you’re good. I love the showmanship of K-Rod. He’s as entertaining a pitcher as I can remember watching (just had flashes of Turk Wendell go through my mind). The 1986 Mets are so near and dear to my heart partly because they were a little ridiculous. However, I don’t want to see two outfielders jump into the air and knock sides in the fashion that has become so popular if we win a game that makes us 11 up and 13 down. If someone wins a game with a hit or a great play and there is actual excitement that’s one thing. But I don’t want to see any choreography unless we’re playing significantly better than we are. It makes us look like a bunch of clowns.