Harvey had better get this out of
As reported in multiple media precincts, Matt Harvey’s bladder is fine. T he same ca nnot be said for his sense of humor. For reasons known only to him, Harvey thought it was a great idea to blow off boss scribes after pitching against the Nationals Wednesday in an exhibition tilt in Port St. Lucie.
Apparently he decided to punish the notebooks and cameras because he is upset over the media’s reaction to his medical diagnosis, which was triggered by Harvey’s own urinalysis, when he said: “I guess the main issue is I hold my urine in for too long instead of peeing regularly ... ”
Dark Knight, meet your alter ego, The Whiz Kid. Add to this trip downstream the Daily News back page, which featured a urinal and the headline: “Ya Gotta Relieve!” Instead of going chuckling on his way, laughing at all this, Harvey is pissed off.
Seriously though, with his noshow, Harvey comes off small, rather petty too. Now, going into Sunday’s opener in Kansas City, where he is scheduled to start, Harvey has manufactured the kind of drama the Mets don’t really need.
Once again, the star of this particular show is Harvey. Instead of answering a few questions, the Dark Diva wanted to be alone, a baseball Garbo who doesn’t want to feed the media seals — the same creatures who, for the most part, have been good to him.
Like on the occasions when he found himself in the center of controversy. Remember last September when he waffled during a dugout press conference in Miami, protecting his agent, Scott Boras, during the innings-limit controversy? The media gave him the benefit of the doubt. It continued portraying Harvey as a teamfirst guy.
In the aftermath of World Series Game 5, it was Terry Collins who took the fall for allowing Harvey to go out and pitch the ninth inning. Instead of criticizing or questioning Harvey’s decision to verbally pressure Collins on national television, the media basically canonized Harvey, describing him as “too valiant” and “too tough” for his own good.
But how long can Harvey keep yo-yoing the media? Now Harvey, as the 2016 season approaches, is playing the one game he cannot win. Over the years, there have been too many examples of players — especially stars — who turned their back on the media only to wind up getting kicked in the ass.
The media has always celebrated Harvey for his swagger. On a floundering franchise, with ownership portrayed as not being interested in winning, Harvey arrived as a one-man attitude adjustment. He was nothing short of a revelation. This was not just about the way he pitched or carried himself on the mound.
Harvey was larger than life, a man about town, living his life to the fullest in more ways than one. The Mets had the total package, a crossover cat whose name could easily fit as a boldface item in a gossip column or in a box score.
This is now the same Harvey who decides it’s a great idea to blow off the media for playing “Tinkle Tinkle Little Star”? It’s important for the scribes to have access to Harvey, but how long will they continue to bend over
Did he say too much about going to the bathroom? Yeah maybe.
TERRY COLLINS