After yesterday’s 5-2 victory over the Washington Nationals Mets Shortstop Jose Reyes spoke with reporters in the clubhouse and told them that Carlos Beltran along with Carlos Delgado approached him on Tuesday and encouraged him to go back to being “the old Reyes” here is some of what Reyes told the reporters. Listen here.

“Beltran came to me and Carlos Delgado and said you have to go back to the way you were before. Do the handshakes, we like the way you were before. Don’t change, because when you change you are fake. It’s not the real Jose Reyes. So I said I’m gonna enjoy the game, give the handshakes with everybody, keep everybody with a smile here in the dugout.”

“That’s the way I am. First I tried to be more quiet, more relaxed. I didn’t know it would affect me like that. But now I’m gonna be the way I was before because that’s better for me. It’s what got me to the big leagues. They came to me and said, the way you were before makes everyone happy, so go back to that don’t change.”

“It’s hard for me not to be that way, like I said it’s what got me to the big leagues. Jumping into Delgado, smiling a lot, you know a lot of different stuff. I’m not gonna care what people say. I’m just gonna enjoy my game, be the way I am. I can’t think about what other people think, other teams, they do it too. So, I don’t care about that I just care about this team. It’s tough for me not to smile and be me in the dugout. It’s the way I am.”

Reyes was asked does that mean the handshakes are back?

“Yes (laughing) everything is back. That’s what Beltran told me to do, and Delgado too.”

“It’s great to hear it from Carlos Beltran, he’s the guy who’s kind of quiet in the dugout. Delgado too, he missed that, the kinds of things I do in the dugout. That’s why they came to me.”

Reyes was asked about how he acted when Beltran hit his home run last night.

“I was waiting for him and I was very happy to do the handshake from last year.”

Then Reyes was asked if he remembered the handshake from last year?

Reyes responded “Believe It.” All the reporters burst into laughter.

Note: Reyes added that his hamstring is feeling good “Real good, it’s nothing to worry about anymore.”

This was nothing but good news for Mets fans. Go do yourself a favor and listen to this. It was a pleasure listening to Reyes, he sounded so confident and genuinely happy. Also, don’t lose sight of the Beltran, Delgado leadership roles here. If you couple the spring training comments, even if said in jest, with approaching Reyes about how he should “be himself” Beltran is definitively becoming a leader on this club and that is something no one would have predicted.

Oh, and Anthony I want the copyright on the “Believe it” Hot Foot T-Shirts.