New York Mets: Matt Harvey alienating fans with his behavior

By refusing to talk to the media and cursing at them too, New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey is alienating his fans.

There’s a perfect quote from the film the Dark Knight which perfectly sums up the situation with New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey.

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain.”

This is a quote said by the most famous Harvey in the Batman Universe, Harvey Dent. It’s all too fitting for what’s going on with the Mets pitcher of the same name.

Though Harvey hasn’t lost his life, his time as a starting pitcher with the Mets may be over. The worst part of it is that he’s alienating his fans.

Harvey’s reluctance to speak with the media since his demotion to the bullpen is a hard pill for many fans to swallow. Somewhat understandable, it’s a bad look for the former ace.

Since the move to a relief role, Harvey has made mistake after mistake. He’s either saying the wrong things or refusing to say anything at all. Recently, he even cursed at reporters. It’s coming off as incredibly selfish and it’s going to hurt him more than anyone else.

Apparently, Harvey’s life as a starting pitcher lasted too long and now he’s becoming a villain because of it.

If he began the season in the bullpen, the story would be much different. Manager Mickey Callaway believed in his abilities and unfortunately he was wrong to do so.

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We’re beginning to see that the Batman character Harvey most resembles is not the Dark Knight. Instead, it’s Harvey Dent he’s portraying. Specifically, it’s Dent’s villainous Two-Face character.

When things are going well for Harvey, he has the swagger and arrogance you don’t mind seeing from a star pitcher. When they’re going bad, he shuts down and a different side of him comes out. It’s not too much of a surprise. Harvey was never considered a humble guy.

Now, more than ever, it’s time Harvey summons his inner Batman and shows a little more humility. There’s nothing wrong with voicing your frustration with the media or even asking for privacy. It’s the way in which Harvey has gone about the situation that many questioning his integrity and desire to see his teammates succeed.

This is really the first time in Harvey’s career where he has been this bad and the team around him has not. Last year’s struggles were easier to mask. The whole team played poorly and Harvey was able to hide his wounds.

It’s not so easy when you’re the worst pitcher in a first-place starting rotation. You stand out. People ask questions and want to know what’s wrong.

With any luck, Harvey can turn things around this season and at least have a good year in some capacity.

Next: How the Mets can acquire J.T. Realmuto

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Worst case scenario, he ends up faking his death and is spotted by Scott Boras at a cafe far away from Gotham City, sitting across from Catwoman. I can dream superheroes are real, right?