Yesterday, reaction to all but three Mets visiting the Walter Reed Medical Center to meet with wounded military personnel was abundant.
Many communicated their disappointment towards Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran, and Luis Castillo—some rather vehemently.
My initial reaction was one very similar to my colleague, friend, and fellow editor, Frank Gray. After the initial reaction passed, my thoughts on the matter started down a different path.
I couldn't help but think how relevant their absence was in reality.
Personally, if I was on the team, you wouldn't have had to ask me twice to go—that's the point. It was a personal decision.
When a team makes an event optional, why do some feel it necessary to judge players that decide not to go?
How do we know what they already had planned? Let's not pretend we understand what it is like to participate in the 162-game grind that is the MLB season. My guess is the grind is the main reason for the visit being optional in the first place.
I am the first to admit that Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo are not my favorite players; their answers to why they did not attend didn't exactly help their cause. However, I am not surprised, nor do I feel it is relevant to the team's performance.
I particularly have an issue with the venom spat towards Carlos Beltran.
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