PORT ST. LUCIE – As a native of greater Philadelphia, Joe McEwing follows the 76ers carefully. He watched with pride last summer when Allen Iverson’s bunch gave Shaq and Kobe everything they could handle, then watched with dismay when the Sixers struggled this fall.
“They lost some of their key role players,” McEwing said. “They lost the glue of their team. It wasn’t the superstars.”
Nobody would mistake McEwing for a superstar, but the utilityman is part of the glue that holds the Mets together. He wakes up at 6:45 every morning in order to arrive early at the clubhouse and ease his way into a frenetic spring day.
He carries catcher’s equipment in his oversized bag from field to field as he handles grounders, shags flies and takes BP. He uses two hands on fly balls five weeks before Opening Day. He even warmed up his own BP pitcher yesterday.
“Joe is obviously one of the hardest workers not only on our team, but in baseball,” GM Steve Phillips said. “He understands that he’s not the fastest, he’s not the strongest. He’s not the best in any one position, but he made himself very good at many positions.
“Through hard work and effort, he has been able to get himself to the major leagues and keep himself in the major leagues.”
With the many stories of late reportees and players who complain about the length of spring training, McEwing is a breath of fresh air.
He arrived on Feb. 9 to escape the cold Northeast weather and take advantage of the seven manicured fields and coaches who are on the ready like a Four Seasons concierge.
“It’s things you can control. It’s going out there and doing your work,” he said. “The rest will take care of itself.”
The 29-year-old started 66 games at six different positions last season, seeing time in 105 games and hitting .283 with eight HRs and 30 RBIs. Yet McEwing still viewed the season as a failure.
“We didn’t win a World Series,” he said. “That’s why we all play this game, to get a ring and win a World Series.”
McEwing is a favorite in New York for his hustle and a favorite of Bobby Valentine’s for his versatility. He credits his success to being “seen and not heard” and “keeping my eyes open and my mouth shut.” He’s already been tagged as a possible future coach or manager, which would be a superb way to stay in the game.
“Hopefully it’s later than sooner,” McEwing said with a laugh. “I try to continue to learn every single day.”
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Bcause of a rain forecast, the Mets rushed through their contingency plan and were done by 1 p.m. yesterday. The skies didn’t open up until later.
Sandy Koufax made his trademark low-key arrival and spoke with Al Leiter, John Franco and Shawn Estes.
Pedro Astacio continues to look great on the hill – unless he’s trying to field. He badly misplayed two balls during fielding drills.
Jay Payton and John Valentin are receiving raves from the Met brass . . . Timo Perez’s late arrival has been pushed back until today.