Last week, it was reported that Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran (as well as teammate David Wright) was awarded both the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award.

What hasn’t been covered much is that New Yorkers congratulated the All-Star by booing him out of the building at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. Beltran had court-side seats to see the New York Knicks fall to the Orlando Magic 112-102, and at one point during a stoppage of play, the Garden put Carlos’ smiling face up on the arena’s jumbotron as the PA system blared “Meet the Mets”, presumably to elicit some cheers. Instead, there was a swell of boos that only grew louder before the camera mercifully turned away.

Witnessing this first-hand, I asked my friend, “Now were they booing him for the Mets choke job, or were they booing him because they don’t like the guy?” My friend initially thought that the boos must have been from Yankee fans, however I don’t think this was the case at all. A) Everyone in the building that night was not a Yankee fan, B) Yankee fans rarely exhibit the same sort of venom toward a guy like Carlos Beltran that Mets fans might show toward Derek Jeter, and C) I could clearly see fans wearing Mets hats, standing and booing.

Needless to say, fans are peeved about the team’s epic collapse. However if David Wright’s face had been broadcast in the Garden that night, I don’t think he would have received the same reception. Beltran has rubbed Mets fans the wrong way since the day he arrived, and it seems that 2007 has erased the goodwill that the slugger’s 41 home runs and 116 RBIs bought him in 2006. Nevermind that the 33 homers and 112 RBIs he compiled last season exceeded the 30-year-old’s offensive output in any season prior to ‘06. For whatever reason, fans see Beltran, and perhaps partner-in-crime Carlos Delgado, as the faces of what ails the Mets.

Personally, I have never been a Beltran fan. I don’t hate the guy, he just irks me at times. I’d probably feel differently were I a Royals fan watching him come up through the system, however viewing him as a high-priced free agent, there’s simply too much not to like. I’m not sure which bothers me more – his zombie-like lack of personality or the fact that a guy can get $119 million for hitting .275. Regardless, I can’t blame him for what happened to this team in September.

Friday night at the Garden, I greeted his face with irritated silence – how dare they remind me of my crappy baseball team while I’m trying to watch my crappy basketball team! I was stunned by the boos however. And it was comical to watch poor Carlos try to maintain his plastic grin as the noise grew louder and louder. It’s tough to feel optimistic about the Mets in 2008 with so much bitterness still lingering in the air. Does anyone doubt that at least half the roster is going to hear boos on Opening Day at Shea? With no Julio Franco in sight, I wonder if the Gold gloved, Silver slugging center fielder can handle that. At this point, it seems like management needs to make a big splash for no other reason than to distract the fanbase. They have little else to cheer for.