Mets respond to HoJo's criticism

PITTSBURGH - After living in the crosshairs all season and hearing manager Jerry Manuel describe his pupils as "pathetic," batting coach Howard Johnson rounded up players Friday for a "hitters-only" meeting and called them out for the Mets' woeful offensive production.

Johnson held the gathering at the indoor batting cages adjacent to the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park. After some initial comments to the group, Johnson went down the line and singled out each player individually, asking questions, bringing up statistics and telling them what they needed to do to get better in the final six weeks.

"He was blunt and extremely honest about our production," Chris Carter said. "He knew something needed to be done and he did it."

So far, the Mets have responded. David Wright hit his 19th homer, a three-run shot, and Jonathon Niese allowed one run in five innings in a rain-shortened 5-1 victory over the Pirates last night. That's 12 runs in 14 innings since Johnson's meeting, and the pair of wins sealed the Mets' first road series victory over a National League team - and their first overall since sweeping the Indians in Cleveland on June 15-17.

"Other than that, we've been miserable trying to win on the road," Wright said. "That's why we're in the position that we're in."

Johnson said he has no plans to talk with Manuel about the "pathetic" comment. But a few players were not happy with the label, and when Wright was asked about Manuel's statement, he directed it back at him.

"Well, Jerry's part of the team," Wright said. "Whenever he refers to the team, he's the manager of that team, so he's got to take that into account."

One Met described Johnson's meeting as "uncomfortable" but "necessary," and the players were surprised at the detailed breakdown of their performances. No one labeled the gathering as contentious - Johnson generally is liked in the clubhouse - but he didn't pull punches. "He told us that if you're hitting .230 at this point in the season, then guess what, you're a .230 hitter, even if you hit .275 over your career,'' one Met said.

According to another player, Johnson said it won't change by "coming into the clubhouse and playing cards every day."

When approached after batting practice, Johnson denied that he criticized anyone for playing cards, but two Mets said it was used as an example of how they could use that time to work on their hitting instead.

"He really wants us to do well," Wright said. "Not so much for his own sake or his own job or career. It's always because he truly cares about us and wants to see us succeed. Forget about the X's and O's; I think a guy that loses sleep and gets that frustrated over his players, that says a lot about his character and personality."

Johnson said the stricter tone of the meeting was unusual. "It was a little bit out of character for me," he said. "But you know what, it was OK because I think guys respond to it. I felt like it was necessary."

Part of that was due to the criticism levied at Johnson, albeit indirectly, when Manuel ripped the Mets' offense as "pathetic" after Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Astros. Johnson said he didn't hear or read the comments, but plenty of people called to tell him about them the next day.

"They were surprised that it would go to that level," he said. "I definitely take it personally, and I think that as a group, we have to take it personally . . . We're not going to be pathetic. That's unacceptable. We have the bat in our hands and we have the opportunity to do damage up there. We have to make the other teams fear us . . . If you're not winning, then you have to change things. We can't make excuses for losing. I think guys just need to be reminded of that periodically."