Harbinger?

If we learned anything from last year, it's that you can't really take anything away from the first few games of the season.

But it's nice to see encouraging signs.

Wednesday morning, I got a call from my somewhat-legendary co-worker. I had thought he was calling regarding something work related. Instead, he was calling with a 10-minute diatribe on how Carlos Delgado is done, and we need to bring in someone immediately to replace him. His suggestions ranged from somewhat logical to completely ridiculous, and involved Shawn Green, Tony Clark and Doug Mientkiewicz.

I'm not at all convinced that Delgado will have a bounce back year this year, and I don't find the early results as encouraging as others might. But let's give it a month, perhaps, rather than two games before we throw him under the bus.

My co-worker basically said what I'd felt about Tuesday's game: It was like watching a Mets Classic of a 2007 game. I didn't like the results then and I don't like them now. After their comeback, the Mets went in the tank against a Marlins team that they went out and thoroughly pummeled last night.

Go figure.

Clearly, the Mets are going to play somewhere in between as well as they looked on Monday and Wednesday, and as bad as they looked on Tuesday. I can only hope, for sanity's sake, that they at least try to do so with some consistency. One of the more frustrating things that happened last season was a lack of consistency, be it good or bad. It prevented the glaring problems with the Mets (situational hitting, bullpen, Delgado) from being noticed or addressed because, hey, the Mets were still winning games, still in 1st place, until they weren't.

Point is, yes, I'll always take a 13-run output, 6 shutout innings from Ollie, a dominant Santana, etc, etc. But if you can do it, please do try to keep doing it over and over, rather than coming back and vomiting up a 6-walk outing, or a 3-2 loss.

Encouraging signs, yes, before we finish.

Brian Schneider seems to have been in complete control with this pitching staff so far. I love the way he's been calling games and every pitcher I've seen appears to be comfortable throwing to him. In particular, Perez last night really got into a good groove, spotting his pitches well and putting them where they needed to be. He's also been contributing at the plate, which is a nice bonus.

Ryan Church continues to hit well against the Marlins lefties. After coming up with a key assist in the 1st inning last night, Church followed with his, and the Mets 1st Home Run of the season, a laser beam into the RF corner. He did this on Monday and on Tuesday as well. Perhaps he is worthy of playing on an every day basis. So far, that's certainly been the case.

Angel Pagan - Who knew?!

Beltran and Wright are simply destroying the ball right now, straight out of the gate. Last season, it took Wright until May 1 before he hit his 1st HR, and he was struggling and even being booed at home. And he made a concerted effort to get himself in better shape and better playing condition so that it wouldn't happen again this year. Whatever he's done, it's worked, since he's bolted from the gate like a house afire, hitting what should have been his 1st HR off the top of the Teal Tower, and then two innings later dispelling the drama of what might have been by simply rocketing the ball over it for his elusive 1st HR at Dolphins Stadium and of 2008.

Friday, John Maine and a start that seems to be getting an awful lot of attention.

Two-Faced Team

I know it's only April 2nd, and I shouldn't be going crazy, but...

After showing us how great they can look on Monday, the Mets went right out on Tuesday and showed us just how bad they can look. And it concerns me because the inconsistency is starting already.

Never mind Pedro's hamstring injury, which we all knew was coming. I wonder just how many of us watch these Pedro starts with baited breath, waiting for something bad to happen, and breathing a sigh of relief when it doesn't. Pedro wasn't exactly his sharpest over the first few innings, but the Mets appeared poised to bail him out against Hørken VandenHurk before he came up lame on that last curve to Matt Treanor (and I don't want to upset the Matt Treanor supporters of the world by referring to him as Matt Freakin' Treanor anymore, so I'll just call him Matt Treanor from here on out). But, of course, he goes down with the hammie, throwing the rotation and our fragile psyches into all sorts of disarray. Who makes the starts now? Who starts the home opener? Jorge Sosa? Nelson Figueroa? Tony Armas? Jeremi Gonzalez? Jose Lima?

Well, we shall see. Meanwhile, on the other side, there were some encouraging signs from the Mets offense early in the game, but then they basically went into Derek Bell mode against the Marlins Bullpen (better than you think). Encouraging that Ryan Church and Brian Schneider both stung the ball pretty good against lefty Renyel Pinto. Encouraging that Angel Pagan continues to come up with RBIs, even when he's making outs.

Not encouraging that the same lineup managed one hit after the 5th inning, despite being handed 6 walks and numerous opportunities to break the tie.

Not encouraging, but not altogether unexpected.

Maybe I shouldn't be going so crazy. The Mets weren't going 162-0, and they're not going to put up 6-run innings every game. Worry more about Pedro and when, exactly, he will pitch again.

It is, after all, only April 2nd.

Ollie tonight.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place

It took exactly 5 pitches into the bottom of the 1st inning for me to realize that I didn't have to be quite so tense while listening to the game on the radio in my office yesterday afternoon.

That particular 5th pitch, Johan Santana zipped a fastball past Hanley Ramirez, and Howie Rose put the exclamation point on it, "And it's IN THERE FOR A CALLED STRIKE THREE!"

Mets fans, welcome to Johan Santana.

In what was no doubt a vintage Santana performance, 7 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 8 Ks over 100 pitches, the only thing left to chance was how the Mets offense would respond. Over the first three innings, Mark Hendrickson got the best of them. Carlos Delgado gave me a horrible flashback, popping out with 2 on and 2 out in the top of the 1st.

Then came the 4th. Then came the flood. It started and ended with a pair of players who look like they're treating every game like it's the 7th game of the World Series. In between, a pair of key hits from a pair of newcomers looking to solidify their spots on the roster.

You can figure, for the most part, that Beltran and Wright will find themselves at the crux of most of the major rallies the Mets will have over the course of this season. The production we see from them is expected. But it's those other pieces that fill out the rest of the lineup that we weren't too sure about. Angel Pagan, for one. Considering that Pagan basically was brought in as an afterthought, but he earned his spot by hitting like a demon during Spring Training and earned a starting job based on Moises Alou's injury. But was this a Huskey-esque mirage? Well, only time will tell. But Pagan certainly helped his cause by solidly stinging a double to left in the 4th inning, driving home Beltran with the first of 6 Mets runs for that inning. Ryan Church followed that up with a hit just as crucial for his cause, the lefty off the lefty Hendrickson. Another run. And when Wright capped off the inning with a ringing 3-run double, I felt comfortable enough shutting the radio off and leaving for home, arriving just in time to see Heilman cap off the game.

A pair of assumed "spare parts" coming up with some momentum-building hits. The little things that a successful team needs in order to be successful.

A trio of newcomers, missing pieces in the puzzle, aiding the Mets to a rousing victory on Opening Day, kicking the season off on the right foot.

Starting Over

For a ballplayer, the year doesn't end on December 31, but in October. It doesn't begin on January 1, but in April. Next April. Whether we like it or not, the season defines our lives.

-Keith Hernandez
from "If At First..."

I guess some of you might look at the header today and think of the classic 1979 movie with Burt Reynolds and Candice Bergen. In the movie, Reynolds is embroiled in some degree of internal conflict. He'd rather love his new girlfriend (Jill Clayburgh), but can't seem to get his mind past his ex-wife (Bergen), and her attempts to somehow win him back (resulting in Bergen caterwauling for a few minutes in a wholly scarring scene). The movie handles Reynolds' plight with light humor, despite it being a situation that isn't so funny if you happen to go through it yourself.

It seemed to be a similar conflict to one I had at the end of the 2007 Baseball season.

I had, throughout much of the 2007 season, been romantically involved with a woman. The relationship had actually developed during the latter part of the 2006 season, but that's neither here nor there at this point. She wasn't a Mets fan; in fact she wasn't much of a baseball fan, though she did profess an allegiance to the Red Sox since she was from Boston (although she did say she would root for the Mets unless they played the Red Sox in the World Series, which was a definite possibility through much of the season). It seemed that, despite some differences we might have had, we were heading in a positive direction. At least, that was certainly how I felt, and she never had indicated anything to the contrary.

Then, for no particular reason, she suddenly stopped speaking to me. She only e-mailed me after I left a message on her voice mail wondering if she was still alive. This was on August 23rd, after sitting through a rather miserable Mets loss to San Diego. Her message was terse and empty; no real explanation was offered, only repeated apologies. I wrote back, said my peace, and that was that. We haven't spoken since.

In September, the Mets collapsed, rather suddenly. Too many empty explanations were offered. The day after that miserable final afternoon, I received an e-mail that read simply, "Message from the Mets." I'm sure we all received it.

Dear Mets Fan:

All of us at the Mets are bitterly disappointed in failing to achieve our collective goal of building upon last year's success. We did not meet our organization's expectations -- or yours. Everyone at Shea feels the same range of emotions as you -- our loyal fans -- and we know we have let you down. We wanted to thank you for your record-breaking support of our team this year.

Equally important, Ownership will continue its commitment in providing the resources necessary to field a championship team. Omar will be meeting with Ownership shortly to present his plan on addressing our shortcomings so that we can achieve our goal of winning championships in 2008 and beyond.

You deserve better results.

Many thanks again for your record-breaking support.

The first, last and only thing that went through my mind when I read the e-mail was that it was basically the same damn thing my ex-girlfriend had written to me a month earlier. As if this was going to somehow make me, us, feel better after everything that had happened.

When Keith says that the season defines our lives, it's not just for the players. Sometimes, it's for the fans as well. Yes, many of us go on with our regular, day-to-day lives. We carry on as if nothing has happened. But we carry the season with us. And for the past 6 months, we've had to carry the outcome of those final 17 games on our shoulders. The calendar says 2007 ended on December 31. I was still carrying around the bad feelings, from the Mets, and from my Ex. In New York, Baseball season never really ends. There's just an interim period between games. In that interim, we waited for something to happen. Some sort of sign that this team was actually trying to give us the results they told us we deserved. For most of the winter, it seemed like this promise that Omar and the "Ownership" was nothing but empty words. It wasn't until January 29th that hope finally re-emerged.

Hope coming in the form of this afternoon's starting pitcher.

See, unlike my Ex, the Mets always get back to me. Unlike Burt Reynolds, we always take them back. It's a relationship that is always cathartic, abusive and sometimes beautifully tragic. More often then not, they usually drive me to drink or do things like yell at nuns. But I can't ever turn them away. So for me, Opening Day is about wiping the slate clean on all fronts. Don't forget about last year, but don't continue to be ruled by it.

Today is New Year's Day for Keith Hernandez and the rest of us. Ready to wipe the slate clean and move forward, with a keen eye to the past, and how it can't ever happen again. There's a new attitude, a team that understands its responsibility and knows what it needs to do. They're not going to forget about last year, either.

METS TO THE MOON IN 2008!!!

Final Preparations

There's no one particular thing to write about today, but I do have a few odd items that bear being addressed before the season begins on Monday. Consider this the final brush-up before the storm begins.

Thanks to Dan from Mets Refugees for answering my question about the ramp from the 7 train. As it turns out, there's not going to be a ramp at all. Instead, there's a staircase being built rather hastily in preparation for the impending Home Opener. These Photos are courtesy of Chris S. (aka Islandxtreme26), taken from inside the future home of the Mets. Here's a wide angle shot of the new steps, and a pair of close-ups showing the construction work being done. I still think a major renovation of the station is in order, and I don't know whether or not this is a temporary staircase simply for the '08 season, but it's a staircase nonetheless and it would appear that it might actually make life easier for all of us going to Shea this season.

(The full photo gallery can be seen here, and contains a number of nice shots inside Citi Field, shots of Shea from Citi Field, and a panoramic video of the future ballfield itself)

Tuesday evening, I was listening to Steve Somers on WFAN as I usually do, and sometime around Midnight I heard with half an ear him saying something about Endy Chavez being put on waivers. This nearly gave me a heart attack, given the favor Endy has drawn upon himself during his time with the Mets, and given his standing as the late-inning defensive replacement/4th Outfielder supreme. What could Omar be thinking?

What Omar was thinking was that Steve wouldn't confuse Ruben Gotay with Endy Chavez. Somers corrected himself shortly after Midnight, and all was right with the world. There are a number of people who don't seem to like the move, I don't particularly care, even if it does leave the Mets without a true backup SS. The fact is that although Gotay did show some flashes of brilliance with the bat in a few spots last season, he, like Endy, would be inevitably exposed over a larger sample. This has already been proven during his time with Kansas City. He exhibited an inability to hit lefties, and his defense was also less than desirable. And with the Mets ready to carry 12 pitchers, plus Anderson, Endy, Castro, Pagan and apparently Fernando Tatis or Brady Clark, Gotay became expendable. Neither Randolph or Minaya seem to be fans of his, either. Perhaps, as Gotay feels, this is undeserved. But clearly he didn't fit this team. I'm not going to go nuts over this one. You shouldn't either.

Speaking of Tatis, it appears that he and his ears are going to be making the trip north with the Mets (and put out an alert, MBTN, he's wearing #17!). It's an interesting move, to say the least, and I suspect he'd only last as long as Alou is on the shelf, and the Mets need the extra righty bat. However, he hasn't played in the Majors since 2006, and outside of the 28 games he appeared in that season hasn't played regularly since 2003. He was also named in the Mitchell Report. I'm not sure what he'll bring to the club, but apparently he impressed enough people despite being in camp for 5 days after Visa trouble. Like many other aspects of this version of the Mets, I'm skeptical. Then again, if Tatis hits 5 HRs in April as a fill-in, I take it back. Radar ears and all.

Thanks to Rays Index for giving my AL Preview a shoutout the other day. When I said that my AL Preview wasn't very well informed, I wasn't kidding. As I mentioned, I am very NL-centric, so much so that I wasn't even aware that my pick for the AL Cy Young Award is going to miss just about all of April with a triceps injury. Lackey even talks about it in his own blog. Shows how much attention I've been paying. Nobody even mentioned that at my Fantasy League auction. If I can have a do-over, perhaps I'll say Erik Bedard for AL Cy Young.

Speaking of the Rays, I haven't heard any information on the status of my doppleganger over the past few days. The last I heard was this nugget on Rotoworld.com stating that Eric Hinske was the leading candidate for a roster spot. I'm still pulling for him, though. I'd rather be associated with him than with this guy.

Finally, just to keep everyone aware, votes are still being counted for your favorite Lost Classics. Although nobody seems particularly interested in a 2004 Lost Classic, the turnout has been very solid for 1997 and 1998, and in each case, the leading game does not hold more than a 2-vote lead. So it's too close to name a winner for any season at this point. Keep those votes coming!

It's the longest weekend of the offseason, so enjoy it, folks. Come Monday, time begins anew!