Thursday, December 09, 2004

A Few Kind Words About a Republican

I'm sorry to see that Al Leiter (rumored to have future aspirations involving Republican politics) is departing the Mets in a spirit of bitterness. New Mets G.M. Omar Minaya is probably doing the right thing to cut some of the old guys loose (including Leiter and John Franco), but I would have preferred a warm-and-fuzzy farewell scene.

On the other hand, our perceptions of what happens in pro sports are distorted by the fact that all the transactions are conducted in the glare of publicity. God knows some of the machinations I witnessed behind the scenes during my days in the corporate world were a lot more ruthless than Leiter's departure from the Mets. The business world works that way.

Anyway, I always enjoyed watching Al pitch--he was animated, twitchy, dogged, and overtly emotional. He was also a funny, articulate public spokesman for the Mets, even during the team's down years (of which there are always plenty).

Good luck with the Marlins, Al. Except when you're playing the Mets.
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