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Los Mets?

I have defended Omar Minaya time and time again regarding the influx of Hispanic talent to the Mets organization. It is my belief that the man simply wants to win. And he has the resources to do so. I also believe that should any player of any race make the team significantly better, he would pull the trigger on the move. But my argument is not as strong as it once was.

Those that truly believe he has a preference of adding Hispanic talent to the roster have gained ammunition slowly but surely to try and prove me wrong. The statistics don't lie. I can't use those in my defense strategy anymore. All I can do is stick to my belief that no GM would fill a roster with talent with primarily one race. All I can believe is that the man wants to win. But here are a few things to consider.

During the Carlos Delgado fiasco a few off-seasons ago, Delgado openly ripped Minaya for what he believed to be using the language/racial aspects of doing business with the Mets as a plus. Were those comments true, it is a bit disheartening to say the least.

When you break down the 40 man roster - it resembles a roster from the mid 20^th century. When the teams were pro-white and even a hint of minorities was discouraged. Only this time the tables are turned. It's the other way around.

The Mets have 35 players on their 40-man roster. Out of those 35, 22 are Hispanic. The other 13 are a combination of Black and White.

Take, for instance, the Marlins - who play in a low cost environment and play in the vicinity of a flourishing Hispanic community. They have 37 players, 14 of which are Hispanic and the other 23 are the combination I mentioned above.

The percentages effectively flip flop for the 2 teams.

But let's keep in mind that teams like the Braves and Twins are obviously in the other direction of Minaya, with a heavy reliance on white players. And they are no better. There is some serious Latin talent out there. And they are among the best players in baseball (Santana,Pujols,A-Rod,Reyes). But should that take away from the Utleys, Morneaus, Howards, and Rollins of the world?

I'm not blatantly accusing Minaya of anything. As stated above, I think he's simply in it all to win it all. And if that means a 40-man roster that is all-Latin, then fine. It's when it becomes more important then the game that people get worried, or when there is a non-Latin superstar on the market and he passes. It's when the media can't communicate with the team or there is a division in the clubhouse - and not because of likes or dislikes - but because nobody understands a word the other is saying.

What's especially bothersome to me is the dearth of Black talent here. The Mets have Milledge, Easley, and Anderson of course, with Willie managing. But none of those players are prominent players or stars.  In a country where names like Mays, Bonds, Aaron and Robinson were the best in the game - we have teams with not one prominent black player anymore? In 2007? How is that possible?

Again. I'm not much of a racial commentator. And although this sounds cliché, my 2 best friends are not white. I'm simply contributing some thoughts. All I ask is that Minaya does not let his visions of what this team should be cloud the mission of a World Series championship. In effect, that's all I ask.