After the strong showing on Opening Day, optimism had to be abound, but the Mets fell into what was pretty much a hopeless hole early when John Maine, one of those giant question marks, didn't pitch well. He did minimize his damage somewhat, but nonetheless, a deficit is a deficit. But the Mets came back, which is definitely the kind of thing you like to see. They clearly know how to take pitches, work counts, and make pitchers sweat, all things they did over the course of the late innings last night. And in coming back to tie the game in the 8th, they did something that they wouldn't have even sniffed doing last year. Once the Mets got out of a game last season, you could pretty much fold up your tents and go home, because they weren't coming back, and they weren't even going to make a run at it.
One can only hope that this is a sign of the way the Mets are going to go about things this season. It will be much more enjoyable to watch the team if they're constantly trying and making things interesting as opposed to just laying down like dogs. Still, there's only so many silver linings you can take from a loss, even if it's only the 2nd game of the year. It's frustrating, because they dragged us all back into it, but in the end still managed to find a way to lose the game. The pessimist's way of looking at this game is that while they showed fight, they still lost the game, and you can probably expect many more games like this as the season goes on.
I'd say it's taken me exactly one game to warm to the Jason Bay era in New York. I don't need to see any more out of him, he can stay.
I hope he forgives me for the many years I spent considering him overrated, and that he reminded me of little more than an overglorified Gabe Kapler when he first came up with the Pirates late in 2003. He's certainly proven himself more than that, and now after one game with the Mets, I'm pretty glad he's on our side now. All it took was seeing him drill a ball in the gap in left-center, turn on his jets about halfway to 2nd base, and slide into 3rd base without any trouble. That was his "WELCOME TO NEW YORK!!!" moment.
It was easy to be skeptical about Bay when he signed here, particularly since he gave the impression that he'd be glad to sign anyplace but the Mets. Given the way the front office here likes to operate, can you blame him? But nonetheless, he signed here when no other offers materialized, and it seems like he's been an almost perfect fit on this team. How long he'll have to suffer hitting behind Mike Jacobs is beyond me, but as I mentioned yesterday, his presence here just seems to give the Mets a more professional look to them. The guy just looks like a ballplayer. He appears to be rather understated, but it seems he's become fast friends with Jeff Francoeur and the two have been organizing team events together.
It seems like, more than anything, this team needed an adjustment in attitude and outward appearance, more than just raw talent. The Mets have, in the past, done quite a bit without an abundance of talent. It's still not likely that they'll do the same with this group, but having someone like Jason Bay going to war for us every day if nothing else will ensure that the Mets aren't going to be as embarrassingly bad as they were last season. Or at least I hope he'll ensure that. It's still tough to get too optimistic around here.
I admit it. I wasn't very fired up at all for Opening Day yesterday. It took me until I got to 111th Street on the 7 train, and saw Citi Field rise up in the distance before I felt anything resembling the excitement and anticipation that comes with Opening Day. But once I got there, got off the train into the new Apple Garden, met El Guapo and made my way inside Citi Field, I was glad to be there, and glad to be back.
It didn't necessarily appear that way at the outset, when all the new that seemed to be promised appeared to me to be a whole lot of status quo. I wanted to see the new Hall of Fame, however that was thwarted by a lengthy line that neither the Guap or I wanted to navigate. So, upstairs we went, to be greeted by this:
A new lineup board, with a pretty paltry looking lineup. El Guapo didn't even realize that there were lineup boards last season, primarily because they were completely hidden from view. We walked around to the Outfield, where we saw a little more new:
This was the kind of new I could get behind. However, some things, like the lineup at Shake Shack, hadn't changed. Eager for a bite, I opted for my favorite post from last season, the Taqueria, where, to my dismay, I encountered problems that harkened back to the days of Shea. First, I stood around at a register for a few minutes while the cashier was unable to get the register to work. Then, after waiting a few minutes more, I was given a box of tacos that I would later discover did not include any sauce. I thought the support staff at Citi Field would be better prepared for a large crowd, but I see I was mistaken. Nonetheless, the tacos are still pretty damn good, sauce or no sauce. Thank you once again, Danny Meyer.
Upstairs we went, for some more new here:
The reconfigured bullpens, and, much to my delight here: ...where I noticed that Blue Smoke, another gem, was now available in the Promenade, conveniently close to my seats.
where, to my displeasure, I saw that the Mets had skimped on the Opening Day bunting, putting up the paltry 3-ring bunting as opposed to the much more exciting and traditional 5-ring bunting.
Nonetheless, Howie Rose came across the PA system and the Opening Day ceremonies were underway... ...beginning with the presentation of the Good Luck wreath to Jerry Manuel, prompting a slew of under-the-breath "you'll need all the luck you can get" remarks.
Then came the introductions. The Marlins, who everyone knows I'm no fan of, were roundly booed, the loudest jeers reserved for Hanley Ramirez, who became the first player I've ever seen start styling during the Opening Day handshakes. This MFer tipped his cap and then took about 5 minutes going down the line of teammates.
Then again, he wasn't as roundly booed as the Mets training staff was. Or Oliver Perez. Or, for that matter, Jerry Manuel and Luis Castillo. A few people were a little off-put by this, but even I joined in the booing, particularly of Perez and Manuel. There's a few ways to look at this. I choose to see it this way: The fans aren't booing and saying "We don't like you, go away." By booing, the fans are saying to these guys, "It's not acceptable that you have continued to perform as you have the past couple of seasons, and if you don't shape up, this is going to continue. So get your acts together." I even tried to start a "LEARN TO PITCH!!" chant for Perez, but it didn't materialize. But I digress.
Some video, as a bonus:
Unfortunately, my camera cuts off video after 3 minutes, which happened to coincide with the introduction of Johan Santana.
The flyover, which is almost akin to the blowing of the Shofar as far as Opening Day is concerned...
And, really, I don't think the game could have gone much better for the Mets. Santana's pitching is enough to warm anyone's heart, but David Wright came up and smoked a HR in his first at bat, and that really set the tone for the game. It was as though Wright, by hitting that HR, basically said to everyone, "Look, chill out. We got this one." And they did.
Jason Bay, whose mere presence just appears to make this team look more professional, chipped in with a key triple, the Mets took advantage of the Marlins basically abandoning all aspects of fundamental baseball, and by the end, the outcome was never in much doubt. That was like 2009 as well. The only difference was that last year, the outcome never went in the Mets favor. But yesterday, it did. And on a picture perfect day, you couldn't have drawn up a better result for the Mets.
Other notes: Bay's At Bat music was the same every time he came to the plate. I surmised that it might be Pearl Jam, and I was correct. However, Bay was not the winner of the Cool At-Bat Music award. Gary Matthews, Jr. was a strong contender with this choice, but the clear winner of the day was Frank Catalanotto, who appeared once as a pinch-hitter and his choice of entrance music was so popular, it had everyone singing along with it. So, by a landslide, Frank Catalanotto wins the Cool AB Music award for the season.
The award for Lamest AB music, by the way, did not go to Jeff Francoeur and his mishmash of country music, but to David Wright, for this particular atrocity.
161 to go. I know they're not all going to go like yesterday, but, man, it sure would be nice, wouldn't it?
The last two offseasonswere long for Mets fans, and sometimes they seemed to border on making us all just a little bit insane. This past offseason, there just wasn't anything to talk about.
We've gone from starting over to starting anew, but now this season, I'm sort of at a loss to figure out what the hell we're starting. There's not much to be optimistic about when it comes to the Mets, we all know that. But for one day, we're all on an even plane, with equal records, ready to embark on yet another 6-month journey.
Where that journey will take us remains to be seen.
As per usual, I'll be at Citi Field, having finished my relocation and hung up my shingle at what is now the Park Slope bureau of The Ballclub, it's a new path that will be taken for my first sojourn of the year to Flushing. I passed on the preseason workout yesterday. Today's the first trip of the year, as it should be. But the attitude isn't necessarily one of excitement or anticipation that something great is going to happen. I've never approached Opening Day with quite so much ambivalence before. We'll be there and it'll be fun. But after today, the anticipation isn't there so much.
If that wasn't bad enough, I feel now as though there's nobody in particular who can get in their way. Yankee fans seem to have this "woe is me" attitude, as though they're the diva who just wants to whine and get attention. I'm sick of them. I'm sure everyone who's a Mets fan, or a fan of any other team is sick of them. Unfortunately, we can't get away from them.
AL EAST 1) New York Yankees (111-53) I called a lot of factors about the team into question last year, like the strength of their pitching staff and the durability of some of their players, and I was proven wrong on all fronts. So I give up. I can't bother fighting it anymore. There's always some issues, whether it's over Joba and Phil Hughes, or the fact that everyone still hates A-Rod, or whether guys like Teixeira, Swisher and Sabathia can repeat their strong showings, but does it really matter? People are up in arms over getting rid of Johnny Damon but nobody seems to realize that the guy they brought in to replace him is 10 times better. Believe me. Yankee fans just want more attention. Just shut up and enjoy watching your damn team run away with it again.
2) Tampa Bay Rays (94-68) (Wildcard) Love this team and their young underdog spirit. And guys like Longoria, BJ Upton and Carlos Pena are just eminently likable and starting to enter their primes. And they definitely have the pitching behind James Shields and Matt Garza, and David Price is probably ready to emerge after a solid 2nd half. They came back to earth a bit last year after shocking everyone in 2008, but they'll be back, and they'll be tough to beat.
3) Boston Red Sox (92-70) This team has pitching galore, but I have this odd feeling that they will scuffle a bit on offense. They're built around speed and guys who get on base alot in Ellsbury, Pedroia and Youkilis, but I'm dubious as to whether or not Ortiz will ever return to his 2004-07 form. Mike Cameron is a nice addition, but he won't provide the production lost in the Jason Bay deal. They'll certainly contend, but I think they'll come up a little bit short.
4) Toronto Blue Jays (80-82) Too many bad contracts makes this team a bit of a sinking ship. They got some nice chips in the Halladay trade, but it's not going to make a difference playing in this division, where they seem to constantly be doomed from the start.
5) Baltimore Orioles (74-88) Talented pieces are actually in place here, but they're still at least two years away from being taken seriously. Nonetheless, optimism, a word that hasn't existed in Orioles vernacular for several seasons, is actually creeping back into the fold.
AL CENTRAL 1) Minnesota Twins (90-72) In giving long term contracts to Morneau and Mauer, the Twins have shown that they are indeed willing to do whatever it takes to keep the nucleus of this team together. Many players get traded away, but it seems like their system, clearly one of the best-run in the Major Leagues, can keep churning out talented prospects wherever they are needed. They're going to have a big problem closing games with Nathan out, but this is a team that does not quit and I think that's going to be enough to give them another division title.
2) Chicago White Sox (88-74) A full season with a healthy Jake Peavy ought to help out quite a bit, but the bats of Magglio Ordonez and Paul Konerko are starting to get up there in years. Based on where these two guys, perennially among the league leaders in power production, landed in my Fantasy league draft, it seems that most people have soured on them.
3) Detroit Tigers (87-75) Also contenders but lack in depth in their pitching rotation behind Verlander and Porcello. Austin Jackson looks to be an interesting prospect to watch in Center Field taking over for Granderson, but the rest of the lineup seems to be a bit boom or bust.
4) Kansas City Royals (75-87) The constant theme of two steps forward, two steps back will repeat itself in KC. Zack Greinke is all world, but there's just not enough talent behind him, pitching-wise, to think they're going to surprise anyone. If Greinke could go 7 innings and bridge right to Joakim Soria for 2 every day, they'd be golden, but Baseball doesn't seem to work that way.
5) Cleveland Indians (68-94) I saw a game at Jacobs Field last season, and while it's a beautiful ballpark, it's emblematic of the City of Cleveland itself. On a beautiful, sun-soaked Sunday afternoon, the ballpark was at best 1/3 full, even in the best seats in the house. It's a failing, depressing team based in a depressing city, and Grady Sizemore is basically a one-man island surrounded by the dreck that is Luis Valbuena and Asdrubal Cabrera.
AL WEST 1) Anaheim Angels (93-69) I keep picking the Mariners to knock them off and to this point it hasn't happened. They lost John Lackey and I'm not convinced Joel Pineiro is the answer to replace him, but this team is tough to beat no matter who goes to the mound for them.
2) Seattle Mariners (91-71) This race will come right down to the wire but the Mariners will fade down the stretch. Cliff Lee makes their pitching rotation even more respectable after Felix Hernandez, but I don't think it's going to be enough.
3) Texas Rangers (85-77) Another chic pick to win this division, they boast a boatload of offensive firepower (as usual) in guys like Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis, but now they finally have some solid pitching to back them up. Give them another year. If they continue to improve and add a couple more pieces, I'll give them serious consideration in 2011.
4) Oakland Athletics (73-89) Yawn city.
AWARDS AL MVP: Evan Longoria, TB AL CY YOUNG: Felix Hernandez, SEA AL ROY: Austin Jackson, DET
PLAYOFFS ALDS: New York over Minnesota, Tampa Bay over Anaheim ALCS: New York over Tampa Bay
I'm ready and waiting for another season of clenched teeth and ear-covering. Bring it on.
Games such as last night's are usually long forgotten by time the season ends, but it's interesting to note what happened.
