Lee Jenkins Reflects On Kazmir [J. Mark English]

Lee Jenkins, New York Times -

Four out of every five days, the Mets are a resurgent franchise, flush with charismatic leaders and bankable stars, hailed for their progressive thinking and bold strategy.

But on the fifth day, when Scott Kazmir takes the mound for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, everything the Mets have accomplished comes temporarily undone. No longer are they the team that leads the National League East. They are only the team that traded Kazmir for damaged goods named Víctor Zambrano.

The trade was bad enough, with Kazmir possibly bound for the All-Star Game and Zambrano out for the season because of elbow surgery. But add to the package all the teasing, tweaking and public flogging the Mets have endured, and maybe it really was their worst deal since they sent Nolan Ryan to the Angels for Jim Fregosi in 1971.

"It's unbelievable they are still talking about it," said Kazmir, who will pitch tomorrow night in Baltimore. "It's still going on."

For the third straight summer, the Mets are being bombarded by the same question, as if played on an endless talk-radio loop. "Where would you be if you had not made that (fill in the blank) trade?"

Theoretically, they would be World Series favorites, with a starting rotation as strong as its batting order and a young ace to complement an old one. But just as easily, they could have continued down the path they were on at the time of the trade, trusting oversized committees to make personnel decisions and a disorganized medical staff to offer approval...