Ollie should not be pitching in Milwaukee or Texas this season. Unless the Mets are visiting. (Photo by The Associated Press.)
So in "The Wrestler," Randy "The Ram" Robinson ignores the advice of friends who say he could die and steps back in the ring. And in real life, Mickey Rourke ignores the advice of critics who say he could jeopardize his Oscar chance and steps in the ring at WrestleMania. Talk about staying true to your character.
Meanwhile, the Mets continue to ignore the advice of many of their fans and play the waiting game with Oliver Perez. Last week, it was reported they upped their offer somewhat, but talks still have not resulted in a deal for the inconsistent, yet talented lefty.
Today comes word from SI.com's Jon Heyman that talks have stalled yet again, but the Mets remain the presumed leader of the pack of suitors. The other suitors remain as mysterious as Col. Mustard in "Clue," but Heyman suggests Milwaukee and Texas both make sense, as do the Dodgers and D'backs though both of those teams want pitchers on one-year deals.
It's gotten that bad. That teams actually think they can find quality starting pitching for one-year deals. For facing the worst economy of our lifetimes, the owners sure do seem to be enjoying negotiating with all the leverage. At this point, I think Adam Dunn is going to have to settle for minimum wage and a box of Topps baseball cards.
But as dire as the market is right now, I'd caution the Mets against overplaying their hand too much. It didn't exactly work out with Derek Lowe. Now that may have been because Omar Minaya really did prefer Ollie.
But that means he can't miss out on Ollie. And that's advice the Mets can't afford to ignore.