Beltran Misses Third Straight, Mets Deal With Flu Scare

A SNY producer has been isolated because of possible contamination

There's more bad medical news surrounding the Mets on Tuesday evening. Unlike previous injuries to players, the afflicted party is a SNY producer who travels with the team. That person has been sent home with the flu, and the Mets briefed their players about their exposure.

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post is reporting that there are fears that the producer has contracted swine flu. The Mets haven't made any comment about the particular strain beyond assistant G.M. John Ricco telling Adam Rubin of the Daily News that the producer has a fever, joint aches and fatigue.  SNY issued a statement Tuesday evening:

 

 “Personal matters about our employees are confidential. However, we have always been committed to taking every medical precaution and making sure our employees get the proper care.”


While this would always be something to take seriously, it is magnified by the fact that Carlos Beltran has missed three straight games because of what the Mets have called a gastrointestinal virus. It doesn't take much to connect the dots from one to the other, but Ricco was careful in telling Rubin that no Mets are experiencing any of the same symptoms.

Beltran, in particular, hasn't run a fever at all which would seem to indicate that he doesn't have any kind of flu. Doctors still believe it is a stomach bug, but Rubin reports they are also testing him for an ulcer.

The way the Mets have handled injuries over the last two seasons may not inspire much confidence in their honesty on the health front, but you have to hope they wouldn't play it loose with something as serious as this. A flu outbreak would be disastrous and it appears that the team is doing everything in its power to assure their players of a clean working environment.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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