Troubling Things Mets' Authorities are Saying about Santana Injury

The Mets got relatively good news on Santana. But good news has a way of going bad around here, so I don't know what to make of promises he'll return for 2010.

Ted Berg relates this nugget, via Sherman:

Joel Sherman of the NY Post asked Minaya why he continued to let Santana start if he’s been hurting since the All-Star Break and skipping his side sessions.

Minaya responded that that’s why they’re shutting him down now. “Up until his last start, it was something that he was able to pitch with. After his last start, he said this to us, and we are, as you say, wisely shutting him down.”

From the Mlb.com report (I've highlighted the parts that make me go batshit):

"He never really complained until that last game," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "It was manageable, and he managed it very well until he mentioned it. And then he said, 'Well, let's make sure, let's take a look.'"

The Mets, however, admitted Tuesday that they had known about the bone chips in Santana's elbow as far back as the All-Star break, when Santana underwent a similar examination. Because Santana felt no pain at that time, and because the chips were not in a "dangerous area," the team opted to let Santana pitch -- despite the fact that both his velocity and control were suffering.

Even Manuel said he was unaware of the scope of the situation until Santana began complaining after his most recent start.

"It really didn't bother him," pitching coach Dan Warthen said. "He was able to pitch a couple of different times. The last few, you could see the velocity going down and you're starting to concern yourself. Johan never ever says anything about his own physical pain, but he finally came clean and said, 'This thing is kind of bugging me.'"

The pain, Warthen said, was unrelated to the elbow discomfort Santana felt in Spring Training, when the Mets scheduled an MRI but never followed through with it. When asked about the relation between that issue -- which threatened Santana's Opening Day start -- and the left-hander's current woes, Minaya said he could not recall Santana's Spring Training health problems. Minaya also did not know what Santana's All-Star break examination had revealed.

WTFX2!

Remember, Omar Minaya had his contract re-upped by the Wontpons in the middle of a collapse last year. The Mets themselves are not being contracted. He is not desperate to protect his GM job (as he should be). Somebody explain to me why he'd risk Johan Santana's health in the beginning of the ace's contract??!!??

Who are these idiots? You couldn't better destroy a team with bad decisions if you tried. There really is no imaginable reason why Omar Minaya should continue to run this franchise.