Let’s talk about Juan Soto for a second, because if you’ve listened to New York sports radio lately, you’d think the guy is personally responsible for every pothole in Queens and every cloudy day in August.
The Fastest Judgments in Baseball
The heat started early. Soto hadn’t even unpacked his bags in Queens before WFAN’s Sal Licata was shouting that the guy “stinks.” Not “might need time to adjust.” Not “is still shaking off the rust.” Nope. Just straight to DEFCON 1. Fast-forward a few months, and now it’s Boomer Esiason’s turn to rip Soto for — get this — smiling too much and not sprinting to first base on a home run ball. Yep. The horror.
He went full old-school. Invoked Gary Carter. Ray Knight. Talked about grit and hustle and looking like a leader. And to be fair, Mets fans have been fed a steady diet of overpriced rosters and underwhelming results for years — so there’s some real trauma here. When Boomer says he’s “sick of it,” he’s not just talking about Soto jogging to first. He’s talking about the whole saga of hopes rising and crashing, again and again, under the weight of billionaire payrolls.
Soto Smiles Don’t Sell in Slumps
Now, here’s the thing: the Mets are losing a lot. Eight of their last nine, to be exact. So naturally, frustration needs a target. And when you’re the $760 million man, even your facial expressions are going under the microscope. And yeah, Soto was the only guy to notch a hit the other night — a ninth-inning hit to break up a no-hitter, no less — but for some folks, that doesn’t seem to matter.
Leadership, that’s the buzzword of the moment. And in New York, leadership looks a certain way. Or at least it’s supposed to. It’s fire and fury, it’s scowling, it’s helmet-throwing. Smiling after a loss is unlikely to win over any crowd.
Still Time to Flip the Script
But here’s what we have to remember: this is a long season. A grueling season. And chemistry, culture, and team momentum don’t happen overnight. Mets fans were promised a World Series contender — and with Soto, they still might have one. But for now, patience is thin, and the boos are loud. If the Mets start winning? That smile everyone hates today might just be the rallying symbol everyone loves tomorrow.
Better keep that chin tucked and those cleats moving — because in this town, even a home run won’t save you from the hot takes.
