Jerry Manuel

Earlier today, I wrote a post in defense of New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel.

To summarize the article, I said that I thought he made the right move by bringing in his closer in a save situation this weekend. I also defended him against claims made by another writer on this site about him being the "stupidest man in baseball." You can read my original post by clicking here.

The New York Mets are now crossing their fingers. It was announced late Friday night that their dynamic leadoff man, Jose Reyes, will undergo an MRI for his injured right oblique. This story was first reported by ESPN's Adam Rubin .

During his pre-game interview on Tuesday, Dusty Baker made the statement that the Reds and Mets are very similar ball clubs.

He elaborated by saying both clubs have the ability to score a lot of runs in a hurry.

They also play "all 27 outs." This took me a second to realize he was actually speaking about an entire series, which I felt was a nice compliment.

I can't believe I am actually going to write this, but Dusty actually made me stop and think for a second.

Jerry Manuel finally loosened his grip on the development of top pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia, following the Mets 4-0 loss in the Subway Series finale on Sunday, allowing the 20-year-old to return to AA Binghamton to become a starting pitcher again.

Since John Maine left the rotation for the DL, the Mets have led the league in wins, going 19-5. Why? The rotation leads the league during the same stretch of time with the lowest earned run average.

With John Maine coming back from the DL soon, everyone is wondering whether Jerry Manuel will leave Takahashi in the rotation and ask Maine to go into the bullpen, or the reverse.

Carlos Beltran was able to play five innings in an extended spring training game today. This is another big step in his rehab. He got six plate appearances and played center field.

It appears Beltran is getting closer to starting a minor league rehab assignment. Once he is cleared by doctors, he can be in the minors for up to 20 days before he needs to be called up.

Jerry Manuel wanted to have Beltran back to DH against the Yankees this weekend, but that does not appear to be a possibility.

The New York Mets have been perhaps the most volatile team so far this season.

They have shown flashes of World Series quality baseball, by winning eight games in a row in April, and have struggled miserably at other times, losing nine of 11 games in mid-may.

As much as the Mets season has been a roller coaster ride, the hype surrounding Jerry Manuel has been just as crazy.

When the team has been playing badly, Manuel has received a lot of criticism and a lot of Mets fans have been calling for his firing.

When looking at the Mets this year, fans can see there is one thing they truly lack: charisma.

Jerry Manuel is known for his laid back attitude and approach to the game. So far this has been terribly unsuccessful. He has a 147-152 record since taking over as Mets manager midway through the 2008 season. Mediocrity is not acceptable in New York.

The Mets need a charismatic manager who brings fire and passion to the game. The team needs to be energized. The perfect manager for the job is Bobby Valentine.

Former Mets first baseman and current television analyst, Keith Hernandez has said a few times during the course of the season that a team is never as good as they look during a hot streak, and is never as bad as they seem to be during a cold streak.

Well, the Mets have seen both sides of the coin early in this young season, which leads me to believe that they'll end up, eventually, some place in the middle.

Right now, that middle seems to be the .500 mark, where the Mets are now hovering close to at 18-20, following a dismal four-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins down in Miami.