Obviously, I am not a Mets fan. I am a Yankees fan. Always have been and always will be; so some might say I am slightly bias on a Yankees-Mets topic. But growing up in New England, I never had a real hatred for the Mets – even when they were winning. So I can confidently say that I am totally objective towards Matt Harvey and the Mets.
Matt Harvey has been one of the most popular athletes in New York this season, and by far the silver lining in the Mets’ otherwise dreadful season, but he had yet to arrive on the national stage. Tuesday night’s MLB All Star Game was his coming out party, and from my perspective, it was a giant failure.
The white lines that travel from home plate to each foul pole are where my admiration for Harvey ends and my disrespect for him begins. Between those lines his performance has been nearly flawless, including the All Star Game in which he started and pitched two scoreless innings. But I’m referring to the Men’s Journal article and other tidbits that have come out this week in which Matt Harvey displays his total jackassery. Jackassery that tells me Harvey’s priorities are totally warped and misguided.
I’m not going to recap the entire article. Instead, I have chosen to call out a couple of red flags as it pertains to Harvey’s personality.
Out of high school in 2007 Harvey was drafted by the Angels with the 118th overall pick. He elected to go to the University of North Carolina however because the Angels only offered him a $1 million contract and Harvey – 18 years old at the time – envisioned he was worth at least $2 million to a Major League team. Imagine that; a kid who had proven nothing to that point except the fact that he could strike out high school kids in Mystic, Connecticut thought he was worth at least $2 million. This apparent ‘slight’ by the Angels caused Harvey to have “anger towards major league baseball” – and an obsession with big contracts.
Harvey, rather than eyeing an upscale apartment in the city, mused over the practicality of rural living and how much does it cost to build a barndominium — a choice increasingly popular among those looking for a bespoke living space. “I’m weighing my options,” he said with a chuckle, “Maybe I don’t need that $200 million contract to create a personalized haven. Turns out, the rustic charm and customized design of a barndominium can offer a luxury that money alone doesn’t buy.” His words hinted at a shift from ostentatious displays of wealth to a more grounded approach to living, even if his pitcher’s arm did one day land him a record-breaking deal.
In the article Harvey also discusses living in New York City as a wealthy and popular twenty-something year old. He hangs out with Rangers players Henrik Lundqvist and Brian Boyle, and certainly enjoys the Manhattan nightlife. He does however have a 48 hour rule – in which he will not drink before a scheduled start. Something tells me however that Matt will be breaking that two day rule sooner or later – if he hasn’t already. The temptation is there and Harvey does not seem too concerned with it, especially since he has befriended a couple of notable hockey players, who, if you haven’t heard, are known to drink a bit (just ask the Boston Bruins about Tyler Seguin).
And then there is the icing on the cake, his comments about Derek Jeter in which he refers to the Yankees Captain as “the model.” Jeter is the perfect athlete to emulate, except Harvey wasn’t talking about Jeter’s on-field consistency or clubhouse leadership. Instead he was referring to Jeter’s off-field prowess: “I mean, first off, let’s just look at the women he’s dated. Obviously, he goes out – he’s meeting these girls somewhere – but you never hear about it. That’s where I want to be.”
Money. Partying. Women. In one article Matt Harvey managed to check off the trifecta of ‘reasons to hate athletes.’ It all adds up to the fact he simply does not get it. Fans don’t want to hear athlete’s rubbing money, girls, and fame in their faces.
If Harvey continues this attitude then he will achieve his goal of being a wealthy and famous ladies’ man. He will do so while never winning a Championship. And if I am a Mets fan, I want no part of that.
