Matt Harvey Cut Off Some "B------" Questions from Reporters

Fact No. 1: Matt Harvey threw seven scoreless innings vs. the Blue Jays Tuesday night.

Fact No. 2: Harvey went into the game with an ERA over seven in his previous four starts.

Fact No. 3: Harvey’s poor performance last week vs. the Giants prompted all sorts of “sky is falling” headlines from the massive New York media.

Add those three together and you get this lede from the New York Post today:

"If Matt Harvey considered his season at a critical juncture Tuesday, he was keeping that information private. “I’m not answering that bulls—,” Harvey growled as he cut off his postgame interview session after he was asked if he considered his recent slump a crisis point in his season."

Forget that Harvey is coming back from Tommy John surgery and when he’s on his best — such as last night — he is among the best starters in the game. The word “crisis” must be employed after a couple poor outings. The Post added this exchange:

"So Harvey didn’t consider his season at a crisis point? “We’re done,” Harvey said, ending the questioning."

There are a couple quick points worth hitting on here. Firstly, when people talk about what a pain in the ass it is to play in the New York media market this is part of the reason why. There are many more beat reporters and other media covering each game — especially for baseball — like it’s the most important thing that’s ever happened on planet Earth. In other markets, I’d guess a couple bad starts like Harvey put up with would be considered “struggles” or a “slump.” Not in New York when there are back page headlines to write, hence the word “crisis” — often used when a powerhouse soccer team like Arsenal or Barcelona lose (gasp) a single match — is bandied about.

At the same time, Harvey, since joining the Mets full time in 2013, has displayed a fairly massive ego and unwavering self-confidence, so questions like this come with the territory. Instead of the “bullshit” route he could have laughed off the questions and let their own absurdity do the talking. Perhaps, as an editor at the Players Tribune, he can write an in-depth think piece about what a “crisis” feels like from the other side of the equation.

All that’s certain is that every single start from Harvey for the rest of the season — if not his career — will remain thoroughly under the Gotham media microscope.

H/T HBT]