Mets fans crack me up.  They always talk  about how smart Bobby Valentine was.  This brings me back to one of the great fleecings of all-time, Billy Taylor for Jason Isringhausen.
Isringhausen began his career as a starter for the Mets near the end of the season, posting a 9-2 record in 14 starts. But a steady progression of serious injuries- tuberculosis, a broken wrist (sustained while punching a dugout trash can) and three major operations on his pitching arm derailed his progression into a major-league rotation.
Consequently, he was forced to miss most of the 1997 season, as well as the entire 1998 season. When he was finally healthy in1999, he was moved to the bullpen after only five starts. After inconsistent play with the Mets, he was infamously traded to theOakland Athletics at the trading deadline for reliever Billy Taylor. Mets manager Bobby Valentine was reluctant to use Isringhausen in relief, saying that it would be akin to “[using] an Indy car as a taxi.”
Yeah Bobby, 293 major league saves later (75 with Oakland) how is that taxi looking? Â Taylor went 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA for the 1999 Mets.
