Billy Wagner is having difficulty keeping his mouth shut. During his weekly interview on 1050 ESPN radio, Wagner publicly criticized Oliver Perez.

"You have to be able to look at yourself and say, 'Is that the best I can do?'" Wagner stated in reference to Oliver Perez's recent 1 2/3 inning outing on Wednesday April 30.

Wagner was stressing length. Starting pitching can help the Mets bullpen by limiting their innings and increasing their effectiveness. Perez's mental game has been questioned on multiple occasions, but has not seen much attention in the media. With this current outburst from Billy Wagner however, Mets fans everywhere could see more attention being paid to Oliver's dedication.

The bigger problem is that the Mets are beating up their team-mates. There is no benefit of publibly badgering your team-mate, and that kind of behavior can only complicate things in the clubhouse. Multiple occasions have arisen that prove the Mets don't have a clubhouse leader, and this is a perfect example of the lack of connection the players have with each other.

I do admit however, that Perez needs to step up. The collapse of 2007 can be largely attributed to an ineffective bullpen down the back stretch of the season. With starting pitchers throwing 200+ innings this year, our bullpen will be strong, well rested, and effective late into the year and into the post-season.

Kudos Billy!