Apparently Mets owner Fred Wilpon isn't too upset with prized pitcher Matt Harvey for posting a picture on Twitter of himself flipping the bird right before he underwent elbow surgery last October.
Harvey caused a stir by posting the picture on Tuesday to celebrate the six-month anniversary of his Tommy John surgery. But the Mets didn't appreciate the gesture and reportedly asked him to take the picture down, prompting Harvey to delete his Twitter account.
But just when you thought the organization might be on the outs with Harvey there was Wilpon on Wednesday having a friendly chat with Harvey outside the Mets locker room at Citi Field.
The two crossed paths as Wilpon entered the clubhouse just as Harvey was coming off the field where the rest of the Mets were about to start batting practice before their game against the Cardinals.
They exchanged handshakes. They smiled. They chatted for about two minutes. Harvey certainly didn't look like someone being admonished by his boss for his middle-finger salute. It was more likely Wilpon was concerned about the progress of Harvey's rehabilitation from elbow surgery, which is really all the Mets should be caring about.
Matt Harvey tweeted this photo from the time of his Tommy John surgery last October.Photo: Twitter/Matt Harvey
"I'm not going to talk about any of that stuff," Wilpon said Wednesday when specifically asked by The Post if he was concerned about Harvey's latest tweet.
But speaking earlier in general terms, Wilpon pointed out how quickly pictures, texts and tweets can become news.
"We all can remember when we didn't have these things," he said, pointing to his cell phone. "This is my computer. Everything is instant."
I'm not sure exactly why the Mets and Harvey continually knock heads over things the 25-year-old pitcher does. But it seems to be a fruitless attempt to corral a free spirit who doesn't mind being in the New York spotlight.
First let's give Harvey some credit. He's not dumb. He had to know tweeting a picture of his middle finger extended was going to cause a reaction from his Twitter followers and probably would make its way into the news. It wasn't something he did by mistake which is why he didn't apologize.
"It was me showing a little bit of my personality," he said.
Most injured athletes who are out for an entire season are seldom seen or heard. You didn't hear from Darrelle Revis the season he tore up his knee with the Jets. You never heard from Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira last season when he was sidelined with his hand injury. Derek Jeter disappears when he is on the disabled list. Gone and forgotten is usually the norm for an injured athlete.
But Harvey has kept himself relevant and has managed to make sporadic appearances in the headlines whether it's a courtside picture at a Knicks game, publicly debating with the Mets on where his rehab would take place or tweeting when he would return to the majors. He's a product of a world where even bad publicity is good publicity.
The old heads will scream about flipping the finger not being good for the brand or baseball and how Harvey hasn't done enough in the majors to warrant the attention he is getting. There is truth in that. But this isn't 1986 anymore.
Just because Harvey has deleted his Twitter account doesn't mean he's going to be gone and forgotten. Even in rehab, he's still the Mets biggest star and the fact he stirs controversy on occasion is not necessarily a bad thing for him or a ball club starving for attention.
Let's face it. Harvey has this thing figured out. You not only become a star in New York by what you do on the field, but also what you do off of it. Controversy sells. Harvey has been a hot topic for two days and won't throw a competitive pitch this season.
Perhaps that's why Wilpon didn't offer a tongue-lashing on Wednesday. Instead it was all smiles and support from the owner.
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