The Virtues of Patience

We monkeys are not known for our patience. When we get a piece of fruit, we don't store it away for a later time. We get peeling right away. So it may seem funny that watching tonight's game made us think a lot about being patient.

Johan Santana gave another outstanding effort tonight. It reminded us what a great job Omar Minaya did by being patient. While fans were panicking that the Mets didn't have enough pitching and who was possibly going to replace the 200 innings Glavine provided, Minaya waited. While Arizona gave up 6 prospects for Dan Haren, Minaya waited. When the Twins said adding Fernando Martinez would seal the deal, Omar waited. And when all was said and done, Omar got his man at a very reasonable price.

Watching Lastings Milledge who we think will turn into a solid major league player if not a star reminded us that the Mets may still eventually regret this move. Not every 21 year old comes up and is as media savvy and mature as david Wright. Sometimes you need to be patient with youth.

Another strong outing by Duaner Sanchez proved you need to be patient coming back from injuries. Sanchez looks much stronger than he did in spring training when he couldn't hit 90 MPH with his fastball. Despite the bold proclamations to the Dominican papers, Pedro would be wise to take Duaner's path and be patient with his return.

Luis Castillo may be too patient at the plate taking 3-1 fastball after 3-1 fastball, but he had two hits and a stolen base tonight. He's hit between .290-.315 for 7 straight years so he'll hit better as the year progresses.

And though it was only baby steps, Delgado went 1-5 with an RBI tonight. He's been brutal so far, but even in his best years, Delgado was a streaky hitter. Remember last year, he finished with an OPS over 100 points higher than he had in the first half.

20 games in and we're 11-9. Not gangbusters yet, but be patient. Now let's honor Santana's effort and dance.