NOTE: Terry Collins told Jenrry Mejia to tone it down several hours after this post.-JD
Count me among those not enamored with the post-game celebration of New York Mets closer Jenrry Mejia, who went over the top with his reel-him-in gesture after striking out Ian Desmond to end last night’s game.
Watching Mejia was watching any NBA player thump his chest and mug for the camera’s after dunking on a defender. It was watching almost any receiver or cornerback in the NFL.
It was a reminder of how class is a fleeting thing in sports. We see self-congratulatory celebrations everywhere, and we see them because that’s what the networks like to direct their cameras. And, don’t think for a moment the athlete doesn’t know where the camera is directed.
And, it’s tiresome.
Also tiring are the weak defenses by managers and coaches.
“You’ve got to have some emotion in the game,’’ Terry Collins said last night. “We see it everywhere. I see other teams doing it. They can get mad, if it gives them more adrenaline. I want these guys to have some fun. I don’t want to corral them and worry about every move they make.’’
I’d like to hear Collins take that view when somebody gestures toward his team.
Fact is, Collins must stick up for his players in large part because of his lame duck status. If the Mets and Collins both knew he’d be back, perhaps he’d be more apt to kick butt.
I confess to being old school, maybe too old, but that’s what I believe. There’s a difference between having fun and mocking your opponent.
Trouble is not too many players see the difference and the line is continually blurred for the fans, also.