Remember back in 2013 when Matt Harvey burst on the scene?

He took the ball every fifth day, and he was dominant. He was just awesome, so awesome in fact, that he was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All Star Game played at Citi Field.

His off the field behavior was covered, but it was put in a positive light.  His attending Rangers and Knicks games was seen as being “pretty cool.” The coverage for his appearance in the famed ESPN Magazine’s The Body Issue was about how good he looked.  His man about town appearance on Jimmy Fallon was seen as hilarious:

Then he got hurt and needed Tommy John surgery. After that, the coverage of him changed. The breaking point was his attendance at Derek Jeter’s last game at Yankee Stadium.  From that point forward, the coverage of Harvey changed from positive to negative. It’s gotten to the point where the media feels comfortable outright mocking him for a serious medical issue.

It’s important to keep Harvey’s story in mind when analyzing how Noah Syndergaard has been covered since he debuted with the Mets.

Syndergaard captivated New York with his 100 MPH fastballs. He was celebrated for not only knocking Alcides Escobar down in the World Series, but also for being the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series.

He spent the offseason doing a tour of all of New York’s stadiums. Syndergaard’s getting his picture taken at home court, center ice, and the end zones was seen as a young player having fun in the offseason.  Syndergaard’s hair garnered its own coverage with news articles about his prank about getting his haircut. During what has been a dominant season thus far, he appeared in Times Square dressed as Thor, and it was seen as being funny:

Just to recap:

1. Syndergaard burst on the scene with dominating stuff;
2. He pitched in a big game at Citi Field;
3. He attended sporting events;
4. He got attention for his appearance; and
5. He did the man about the town routine.

Following the Harvey timeline, the only thing that remains is the media backlash. With Syndergaard’s day trip to the the Bahamas to play a round of golf, on an off day, the media found their opening. Here’s John Healey of the New York Daily News take on Syndergaard playing a round of golf:

It’s worth pointing out that Syndergaard is slated as the starting pitcher for Friday’s opener.

Last year in the postseason, Yoenis Cespedes drew criticism for golfing prior to a playoff game and later revealed he was battling a shoulder injury.

Should Syndergaard struggle on Friday or worse, sustain an injury, then he may regret sharing the fact he was golfing in the Bahamas the day before a start.

As seen here, the tone of the media’s coverage is changing. With a good start tonight, Syndetgaard will quiet the critics waiting to use this golf narrative to tear him down. However, sooner or later, Syndergaard will have an off night; all the great ones do. At that point, the media will pounce.

This article was the first warning shot. It fits the pattern of the Harvey coverage. It’s a shame because the criticism is unnecessary and unwarranted.