Most Red Sox fans have relatively fond memories of Jason Bay‘s year-and-a-half in Boston. Mets fans will not share those sentiments by the time the leftfielder’s time is up in Queens.

Bay is currently riding an 0-for-23 streak at the plate that has dropped his average to .207 this season. Combine that with a power outage (two home runs and 10 RBI in 39 games) and those statistics led Bay to tell the New York Post that he is prepared to move from the starting lineup to the bench.

“That’s the reality of the situation we’re in,” Bay said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that is not an option. I’m pretty aware of what’s going on.”

The Mets don’t have much depth at the left field spot so that has led manager Terry Collins to be patient with Bay.

“One of the personality changes I think I’ve made is to have some patience,” Collins said. “I’m trying to relay that to Jason, certainly — don’t press, you don’t have to press the issue. It’s going to be there, it’s going to come.”

Welcome to Monday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY MONDAY:
NHL Playoffs: Canucks at Bruins, 8 p.m. (Versus)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Struggling outfielder Jason Bay, whose average is down to .216 (with two home runs and 10 RBIs) after going hitless in his last 17 at-bats, was benched Sunday by Mets manager Terry Collins. “Judging by my results lately, I couldn’t say no,” the former Red Sox slugger said. “Obviously, I want to play. I like playing. But … I don’t think it could hurt.”

Bay has looked impressive in batting practice but has been unable to carry it over into games. “In batting practice, I’m still that guy,” he said of his success with the Red Sox and Pirates. “I need to find a way to get that translated to the game.”

Since leaving the Sox to sign a big free agent contract with the Mets before the 2010 season, Bay has batted .247 with eight home runs and 57 RBIs in and had stints on the disabled list with concussion and rib cage issues.

♦ Mercurial Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who on Tuesday attempted to break a bat over his knee in frustration, ripped his teammates Sunday after a 10-inning loss to the Cardinals. Zambrano called out closer Carlos Marmol for allowing a game-tying double to Ryan Theriot with two outs in the ninth inning and said of the struggling Cubs: “We are playing like a Triple-A team. This is embarrassing. … We stink.” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry told the Chicago Tribune he’s not OK with Zambrano’s latest tirade.

♦ At a press conference Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan, journalists displeased with the performance of the Azerbaijan soccer team threw a roll of toilet paper at coach Berti Vogts and presented him with a jug of water of the type used in Muslim countries to wash after using the toilet. The 64-year-old German coach responded by going to the police to complain about the attack, according to a Russian newspaper.

♦ Soccer legend Diego Maradona joined the chorus of criticism of FIFA, saying of the governing body: “FIFA is a big museum. They are dinosaurs who do not want to relinquish power. It’s always going to be the same.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On June 6, 1996, which Red Sox player hit for the cycle in leading his team to a 7-4 victory over the White Sox?

Read the rest of this entry »

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, free agent outfielder Jayson Werth rejected a contract offer from the Phillies this summer along the lines of the four-year, $66 million deal that Jason Bay signed with the Mets as a free agent last offseason. Heyman suggested that Bay will be seeking a deal more in line with the seven-year, $120 million contract inked by Matt Holliday with the Cardinals last winter.

The Red Sox are expected to be interested in Werth and outfielder Carl Crawford, considered the top prizes of this winter’s free agent class. Heyman suggested that the Sox might prefer Werth to Crawford, a reflection of Werth’s superior on-base and power numbers.

Of the possibility that the Padres might trade superstar first baseman Adrian Gonzalez this offseason, Heyman wrote, “In a word, no.”

Agent Scott Boras, who recently became the agent for Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth after the 31-year-old left the Beverly Hills Sports Council, suggested to FoxSports.com that his new client will likely seeking a deal in excess of the four-year, $66 million guarantee that Jason Bay received from the Mets last winter.

Boras suggested that Werth’s defensive abilities along with his health would create a greater market for his services than Bay encountered last year. Werth, who plays left for the Phillies, was described by Boras as being capable of playing center, and was characterized as a Gold Glove caliber player in the field. Moreover, Boras claimed, concerns about Bay’s shoulder and knees that were raised by the Sox limited his market, whereas Werth does not face such health claims.

So, instead of pointing towards Bay as a comparable deal for his new client, Boras compared Werth to Matt Holliday, who received a seven-year, $120 million deal to re-sign with the Cardinals.

“Jason Bay suffered in the marketplace because of a predisposition about his medical condition,” Boras told FoxSports.com. “The Red Sox rejected him, creating questions.

“That (predisposition) did not exist with Holliday. It certainly does not exist with Werth. And (with Bay) you were talking about a left fielder who was definitely not in the class of a Gold Glove outfielder.

“Werth is a totally different type of player. He’s an athlete who can play center field, run, steal bases, be a Gold Glove type outfielder.”

Werth is hitting .292/.381/.521/.902 with 24 homers and an NL-leading 44 doubles this year.

Mets outfielder Jason Bay was diagnosed with a mild concussion, and the former Red Sox slugger might make a trip to the disabled list if symptoms do not clear in the next few days.

Bay was injured Friday when he slammed into an outfield wall at Dodger Stadium while making a catch. Asked how long he might be out, Bay told the New York Daily News: “I have no idea. Right now, we’re hoping. I saw the doc and he said as long as, when the headaches go away, I can ramp up activity and could be back fairly soon. We’re going to take the next couple of days and just see if it gets better.”

Added Bay: “Hopefully, I can be back inside a week. Obviously, after a couple of days and you still have a headache, you’re that much further away and [the team] is shorthanded that much longer.”

Bay is batting just .259 with six home runs and 47 RBI since signing a $66 million free agent contract with New York.

Welcome to Friday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
MLB: Red Sox at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. (NESN, WEEI)

SATURDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. (NESN, WEEI)

SUNDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at Mariners, 4:10 p.m. (NESN, WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ With the Mets reeling, Jason Bay‘s struggles once again are in the spotlight. The former Red Sox left fielder was benched Thursday night as the Mets lost to the Dodgers in Los Angeles. “One day off will only clear your head a little bit,” Bay said before New York’s 2-0 loss. “Then you have to go out there after that. It’s straight battle mode all the time. It’s just not comfortable.” Mets manager Jerry Manuel expected Bay would put up better numbers on this current road road trip, but Bay went 0-for-6 in a 14-inning loss to Arizona Wednesday night and is batting .169 in July. He has six home runs on the season. “I am somewhat surprised [by Bay],” said Manuel, whose team has not scored in 17 innings and is 1-7 on its 11-game road trip. “I really thought this was kind of a good opportunity to get away from the pressures, the anxiety he has when he’s in New York. I thought he would get out here on the West Coast and take off.”

♦ With Lou Piniella having announced plans to retire, the speculation has begun about his replacement. Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the team should make a play for Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who grew up and went to college in Illinois and played for the Cubs. HE also breaks down the other leading candidates.

♦ With Alex Rodriguez now one home run away from 600, Tim Smith in the New York Daily News writes that Yankees fans slowly are coming around to embrace the controversial slugger.

♦ In the New York Times, Howard Beck writes that Chris Paul, who reportedly has asked to be traded from the Hornets, is unlikely to be headed to the Knicks anytime soon.

♦ Dana O’Neil at ESPN.com has a piece in which she gets input from 20 high-profile college basketball coaches, without naming any of them, about a variety of hot-button topics, including the problem of agents and runners.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On July 23, 2002, which Red Sox player celebrated his birthday by hitting three home runs in two innings during a 22-4 rout of the Devil Rays?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Definitely one of the weirdest no-decisions I’ve ever had, how about that?” — John Lackey, after Thursday’s night’s near no-hitter turned into a 13-inning, 8-6 victory for the Red Sox

STAT OF THE DAY: 599 — Career home runs for Alex Rodriguez, following his solo shot Thursday in New York

‘NET RESULTS: Cleveland Gladiators lineman Adam Tadisch drags five players to the end zone in an impressive Arena League touchdown.

Things get heated between soccer players and reporters at a Brazilian soccer match.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Nomar Garciaparra, who tied a major league record with five home runs in two days

SOOTHING SOUNDS: John Hall, co-founder the 1970s band Orleans and now a New York congressman, is 62 today.

As the Fourth of July fast approaches, Americans are heating up their barbeques, donning their star spangled banners, and heading down to the Cape. But this year, there will be at least one more celebrating the great American holiday: Red Sox slugger Jason Bay.

The 30-year-old leftfielder officially became a U.S. citizen Thursday in a naturalization ceremony at Faneuil Hall. Originally from Trail, British Columbia, Bay said he’s still proud of his Canadian heritage, according to ESPN.com.

Taking the oath of allegiance just before being sworn in as new citizens.

“I don’t denounce being Canadian at any point, but I’m definitely proud to be an American,” he told reporters.

The Red Sox are certainly no foreigners when it comes to athlete citizenship. In 2004, Bay’s predecessor, the Dominican-born Manny Ramirez, missed a game against the Indians to become a U.S. citizen in Miami. The following day, he returned to Fenway waving a mini American flag as he ran out to leftfield.

Four years later, fellow Dominican and teammate David Ortiz swore his allegiance to the US of A, sporting a pin-stripe suit, dark shades, and his standard bling bling.

Still, others in the wide world of sports have never been too clear when it comes to their nationality – or, in the case of Alex Rodriguez, nationalities. Though he was born in the U.S., Rodriguez is also a citizen of the Dominican Republic and has constantly struggled with an identification complex. In 2005, while discussing which team he would play for in the World Baseball Classic, Rodriguez channeled his inner James Brown and declared, “I want to say it out loud: I am Dominican…and I am going to make the Dominicans feel proud.”

But come the 2006 WBC, the waffling Rodriguez was wearing a U.S. uniform and playing alongside fellow countrymen Derek Jeter and Jason Varitek.

In 2009, Rodriguez once again caused much confusion as he switched alliances and decided that it would be a “dream come true” to play for the Dominican team. But the Yankees third baseman was hampered by injuries and, tragically, his dream never came true. I guess no one told the advertising department.

All A-Rod bashing aside, there are some athletes who truly dream of making a better life for themselves and their families in the United States. They flee from the persecution of oppressive regimes in their respective countries, risking their lives to ultimately share in the democratic ideals our country values so much.

Take the Royals’ Brayan Pena, for example. On a tour with the Cuban Junior National team, the then 17-year-old catcher was forced to sneak out of bathroom window in Venezuela and go into hiding for several months in an attempt to defect to the U.S. He left behind his family, friends, teammates, and the life he had known for 17 years.

Today, Pena is not only the starting catcher for Kansas City – he is, most notably, a U.S. citizen. In an interview with MLB.com, Pena said: “I feel like the happiest man on earth now.

“I’m proud to be a Cuban, too, but I’m proud to be an American citizen because this is the country I live in, this is the country I respect, the country that really gave me everything I’ve got. It’s amazing. There are things that money can’t buy, and American citizenship is one of them.”

Bobby Orr’s guest appearance in the Green Monster was a great moment for Sox fans, but it meant more to Jason Bay.

Think the Sox gave the fellow Canadian and lifelong hockey fan this surprise (which was ruined by J.D. Drew, as Mike Petraglia documents) because they were in a sentimental mood? Or might it just have had something to do with the fact that the left fielder is having a career year in what could be his last in Boston? Given past negotiation tactics, I’m betting everything I’ve got on the latter.

Orr has brought more than Stanley Cups to Boston

After all, this wouldn’t be the first time the Sox used Orr to get a player to put the pen to the paper. Think back to the winter of 2003, when the Theo Epstein was pulling out all the stops to sign reigning AL Fireman of the Year and puckhead Keith Foulke. What was the selling point for No. 29? A telephone call from No. 4 (and $20.25 million, but what’s money got to do with it?).

 The Boston sports scene has seen how deals can be made or broken by just one person. Here are a few more examples.

KG to Celtics

Power of one: Ray Allen

Remember that whole “Kevin Garnett probably won’t get traded because the Lakers aren’t offering enough and KG doesn’t want to go to Boston” thing? That all changed on June 28, 2007. As everyone knows, the Celtics got hosed in the lottery and elected to flip the fifth pick, along with Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West, for Ray Allen and a second-round pick on draft night. At the time it was a confusing move– nobody quite knew if a team based around Pierce, Allen, and Al Jefferson was good enough to win the East. But the deal proved to pave the way for Kevin Garnett, who embraced the trade to Boston and promptly signed an extension.

(For what it’s worth, the second-rounder the Green acquired in the deal was used to take some tub out of LSU named Glen Davis. Tommy point.)

Schilling to Red Sox

Power of one: Theo Epstein

The Phillies or Yankees, huh? Schilling was singing a different tune when the second-year GM did the unthinkable by spending Thanksgiving with the ace in an effort to get him to come to Boston. One day later, the hurler was loading up on Dunkins and learning a knew dialect.

Pavano to Yankees

Power of one: Curt Schilling

This one goes to Schilling on a technicality. Theo was behind the ploy to act like the Sox were all over Carl Pavano in an attempt to get the Bombers to overpay for him, but it was a meeting with Schilling that ultimately led to the $39.95 million deal from New York. There’s no way the Red Sox could have expected him to be as catastrophic (and unhealthy) as he was in his four years as a Yankee (9-8, 5.00 ERA in just 26 starts, missed entire 2006 season), but the bottom line is that the Red Sox never offered him a contract despite making every effort to be seen with the guy.

Randy Johnson not to Boston

Power of one: Curt Schilling

Yeah, No. 38 is a popular one on this list. Apparently he wasn’t so popular with former teammate Randy Johnson when the Red Sox were vying for his services at the All-Star break in 2004. Rumors began circulating that Johnson was annoyed by Schilling when the lefty made a comment about changing his phone number after Schilling’s trade to Boston. In the end it wasn’t a huge get for the Yankees and no, John Kruk, Johnson didn’t have a 30-win season in the Bronx.

Boston isn’t the only town that  sees a player’s decision being affected by just one person [see: Roger Clemens (Andy Pettitte), Paul Kariya (Teemu Selanne)]. In an age where ”bromance” is an even more commonly used made-up word than “staycation,” it only makes sense for these guys to be so easily-impacted by one dude. Red Sox fans can only hope that Orr will come up big once again.