Peterson On Young Staff

Don Burke over at the Star Ledger, writes about the Mets pitching staff and what Rick Peterson thinks of his young squad:

"I'm probably as excited as I've been in a long time," Peterson said. "I liken it to my first couple of years in Oakland because there is just so much untapped potential. ... (Zito, Mulder and Hudson) were just young, talented guys who were ready to evolve."

Peterson said he likes the "gap of untapped potential" he sees with the Mets three youngsters.

"If they bridge that gap -- and they're very capable -- we'll have a special staff here," he said.

"If they even come close, it'll be real exciting. And they're all
edging toward it."

"It's like the key moment in the movie 'Hoosiers,' when they get to the state tournament and the coach shows his team that everything is still the same. The rim is still 10 feet high and that it's still 15 feet (from the foul line to the basket).

"Here the 60 feet, 6 inches (between the mound and home plate) in the bullpen is the same as it is in the game. When they start to translate these bullpen performances into game performances, stay tuned because it's going to be really special."

"This is a whole different deal here. To see these kids come in and do this -- and they're ready for it, they really are -- is just great."