It's a sad state of affairs when the ranking of the top Mets moments of 2009 goes something like this:
1. Omir Santos's 9th inning home run off Jonathan Papelbon to beat the Red Sox
2. David Wright's 9th inning home run off Ryan Madson to beat the Phillies
3. Jose Reyes's WFAN interview
4. That time Jeremy Reed hit a single
I'll take any victories with this Mets organization, no matter how small, and the Reyes interview was one of them. Something about the interview made me giddy, a rare feeling. Maybe it was the confidence Reyes projected in answering Mike Francesa's questions. Maybe it was the baseball intelligence he demonstrated by discussing the importance of drawing walks (you listening, new face of the franchise?) and how his numbers stack up vs. other shortstops. Maybe it was just nice to be distracted from work for an hour in my cubicle. It was pleasing to see so many other fans share these sentiments and support the longest tenured Met who is still just 26(!) years old. It's a really cheesy thing to say, but life as a Mets fan is better when Jose Reyes is around.
Jose is not my favorite Met - that title belongs to Carlos Beltran. But there is no Met I root harder for than Jose, if that makes sense. There's something satisfying about watching a born and bred Met play like a superstar, as he did from 2006-2008. Jose hinted that he is very aware of how the fans view him and I almost wish he wasn't. It's this foolishly negative perception that may have driven him too hard to try to come back this season from injury. Hopefully on Opening Day 2010 he will be regaled with a standing ovation to kick off what is ideally another All-Star caliber season. If there's any reason to buy tickets next season, it's Jose Reyes.