In spring training and the early part of the 2008 season, Reyes vocalized a plan to focus a little more on baseball, and a little less on the theatrics — such as his dugout dances after home runs — that drew criticism during the late part of 2007 when the Mets were struggling. One of the casualties of this change of focus was the Professor Reyes segment played between innings at Shea where he taught the fans Spanish words and phrases. This was replaced by 'Maine Street USA' with John Maine, and 'Do The Wright Thing' with David Wright, which failed to match the popularity of Reyes' spots. However, with some prodding by his teammates, Reyes was encouraged to continue playing with the same energy as he had previously.