Do You Remember...

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about Johan Santana and his first visit to Shea Stadium:

You may recall Santana's start against the Mets at Shea Stadium on June 19. It came after he had lost two successive starts, and it was the first of victories in five successive starts. And it was something to behold. He pitched the Twins to a 9-0 win on four hits, walking no one and -- oddly -- striking out merely one. Paul Lo Duca struck out after Jose Reyes had led off the ninth inning with the Mets' fourth single. Santana himself hit a double, drew a walk and scored a run.

The Mets Year In Review

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about the Mets year in 2007 and all the ups and downs:

Perhaps hindsight isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not 20-20 certainly, maybe it's 27-27. When the Mets looked back at the All-Star break, that's what they saw. They had played 87 games, produced a 21-12 record in the first 33 and split the subsequent 54. For the equivalent of one-third of a big league season, the Mets had played .500 ball. And when they paused at the traditional midpoint of the season, they didn't recognize that 27-27 run for what it was -- a warning.

The Mets looked back and saw their first 33 games and sensed 2007 was merely an extension of the 2006 regular season, a set of 162 they had dominated. Their vision must have been impaired when they glimpsed the 54 games that directly preceded the break; that or they thought 54 games of mediocrity were the aberration and 33 games were the true indication.

To view the entire month by month review, visit Mets.com.

Green Can't Get Over The Way It Ended

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about Shawn Green and how the Mets collapse still sits with him:

His professional pride wounded, Green is most uncomfortable with a more personal aspect. He finds the collateral damage particularly troubling. The people peripherally involved with the Mets, those who had expected to be occupied -- that is, employed -- this month when the team pushed toward the World Series, are on his thoughts.

"A lot of people were counting on us," Green says. "Some of them might have been counting on making some extra money. They feel bad about what happened to us, and we feel bad about what happened to them because we didn't get in."

"It wasn't easy to look people in the eye," he said. "We let everyone down -- the fans, the staff, people who would have profited from our being in it. ... You feel so good as a player when you make people happy. We thought we were going to, we were going to bring people so much joy. We made people happy last year, just getting in for the first time in a long time. They expected more this year, so did we."

The Most hated Team In Baseball?

David Lennon at On The Mets Beat writes about the Met sand how the media is postering them as the most hated team in baseball. This is truly a great read and if you have the time, you should check out the whole post:

Can we stop with saying the Mets are the most hated team in baseball because they like to dance after home runs? It's complete nonsense.I've covered the sport for the past 12 years and I've never seen a team joke, laugh and chit-chat with opposing players more than these Mets. During batting practice, whether it's at Shea or on the road, guys like Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou and Carlos Beltran are always talking with other players -- and many of them are close friends.

If the Mets had won two more games -- that's right, two -- we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Sure the Cardinals mocked the Jose-Jose-Jose chants after they won Game 7 of the NLCS last October. But the Mets don't sing during games. The fans do. Reyes doesn't hold up a cue card with lyrics as he's standing on first base.

Were the Mets hated last year when they won the NL East and came within a base hit of the World Series? No. Were they hated when they led the division by seven games with 17 left? No. But as soon as they miss the playoffs, because of Tom Glavine's worst game in a Mets uniform, Reyes and Milledge are suddenly MLB's version of Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson.

The 1986 Mets were despised because they not only beat teams, they fought most of them, throwing as many punches as pitches. The 2007 Mets ultimately were failures, and nobody hates a loser. What's the point.

Mets Sill Have A Chance To Make Season Memorable

Jef Pulver at The Jeff Pulver Blog writes about the Mets and how they still have a chance to make 2007 memorable:

After feeling the pain of the Mets being swept by the Phillies, it was great to see the Mets bounce back and beat the Braves in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday at a time the Mets 2007 season was on the line. Hopefully the recent blown saves by the Mets bullpen are now behind them and the Mets are on their way to once again building some distance between themselves and both the Phillies and the Braves.

Baseball is a game of redemption. It is never too late to restart and give someone another chance. Mike Pelfrey getting a win yesterday after the way he performed all season was just enlightening. Maybe the Mike Pelfrey we saw pitch before yesterday was just a different person. Can Glavin finally beat Smoltz? Glavin has what it takes (he always did) and hopefully today the Mets offense will stay alive and provide Tom with enough run support.

Temporary Parking For Home Opener

Over at NY 1, they write about and give us information on the Mets home opener parking problem:

The Department of Transportation has set up temporary parking locations along the Northern Boulevard Viaduct. Spaces will be open at the Marina East dock and Marina West dock. There will also be shuttles buses from the Hall of Science and Flushing Meadows Park.

But if possible, officials say it's best if fans leave their cars at home.

"The best way to get to Shea is to take the train to the game,” says Paul Fleuranges, vice president of corporate communications, New York City Transit. “There's no doubt that it's the most efficient, most reliable and the safest way for fans to come and enjoy the game and be able to get home without having to worrying about driving, fighting through traffic here in Queens and leaving Shea Stadium, which is a major undertaking."

Tonight's Lineups

John Delcos at Lo Hud, provide he lineups for tonight's game. By the way the Mets go for the SWEEP tonight:

METS (2-0)
SS Jose Reyes
C Paul Lo Duca
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Carlos Delgado
3B David Wright
LF Moises Alou
RF Shawn Green
2B Jose Valentin
P John Maine

St. Louis (0-2)
SS David Eckstein
LF Chris Duncan
1B Albert Pujols
3B Scott Rolen
CF Jim Edmonds
RF Preston Wilson
C Yadier Molina
2B Aaron Miles
P Braden Looper

Minaya's Reply To Phillips

John Harper over at the NY Daily News, writes about Steve Phillips, his picks for the NL East and Omar Minaya's comments:

The slights keep coming for the Mets. It was one thing for Jimmy Rollins to declare his Phillies, those perennial underachievers, as the team to beat in the National League East this season. Now Steve Phillips, the former Mets GM, is all over ESPN in his gig as baseball analyst picking the Mets to finish third in their division.

Noting that he is friendly with Phillips, the GM the Mets fired four years ago, Wilpon said he didn't take Phillips' prediction of doom for the Mets personally.

"Let Steve have his opinion," Wilpon said. "Let everybody have their opinion, but we feel good about what we have here. The talk doesn't bother me. We definitely have something to prove. We need to get back to the playoffs, but beyond that, my whole goal for the organization is, I want us to be the team everybody looks at and says, 'I want to be like the New York Mets.'

"Right now people say that about the Atlanta Braves, the Minnesota Twins. Those are the teams that have been built on long runs. We're building from within around pitching and defense. Everybody questions our pitching, but we've got young guys with great arms who are going to step up at some point."

Projecting The lineup

Michael Salfino at SNY, takes a stab at predicting the Mets 2007 lineup:

Leading off, PECOTA has Jose Reyes at .290/.335/.445 (batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage) with 14 homers and 61 steals. James has him pegged at .289/.333/.448 with 13 homers and 58 steals.

There's a big split on Paul Lo Duca in terms of at bats. Most catchers at Lo Duca's age and with his prior mileage start to fade physically, so PECOTA clocks him in with just 403 ABs. James looks only at the player and expects 516 at bats. I'd go with James here and agree that Lo Duca's slugging percentage will be within 100 points of his batting average. So, he better hit around .300 again or he's a problem.

Carlos Delgado is given just 439 at bats by PECOTA. James gives him 582. PECOTA gives him 27 homers, James 37. Delgado was the 10th best hitter in the NL on sliders (.845 OPS) last year. I don't know if those splits on various pitches correlate from year-to-year (probably not very well), but I love 'em.

David Wright is given 29 homers by both projections systems. That is viewed as miserly by many fantasy players. But I think it may well be too generous unless his second-half power outage and homer rate of 12.9 percent of flyballs were flukes. Both projection systems also forecast a plus-.300 average and slugging percentage in the mid-.500s.

To read the entire projection sheet, use the link in the header.

Myers Fires Next Shot

Over at the Courier post Online, they write about Brett Myers and his remarks towards the Mets in 2007:

"I hate the Mets," said Brett Myers, who made it clear it was more about the uniform than individual players. "I want to beat them more than anyone else. What we need to do is make sure none of their fans get in our building. We shouldn't sell tickets to Mets fans."

Just take this down Myers. You're not going to beat the Mets like you beat your wife in Boston. So just deal with the fact that you're team will always be second best to the Mets.

New Slogan for Mets

Mike V. at Tales f a Transplanted Mets Fan, writes about the Mets new slogan:

Have you visited Mets.com lately? The new banner reveals the new marketing slogan: Your Season Has Come. Last season it was "Our team, Our time," with us all celebrating together, but it seems the new slogan indicates that now it's "my" season. So there! Now I can feel better about saying things like "we" when I talk about Mets accomplishments. This also makes up for the intense guilt I felt for years when I learned that Only I Could Prevent Forest Fires. Only Me.

The Underdogs

So the Phillies are now the team to beat in the NL East. That's fine with me. I prefer being the underdog. I personally wouldn’t have it any other way. If I wanted to feel like coming in first place every season was my birth right, I would go over to the dark side. So with the Philies proclaiming that they're the team to beat and some sports analysts agreeing with them, I have a couple of points to make.

Although the Phillies do have 6 starters ready to go this season, they're headed up by Freddy Garcia. Not the best kind of pitcher, but solid none the less. Unless you have Tom Glavine and after the All-Star Break, a healthy Pedro Martinez. Garcia had an ERA of 4.53 last season. Not exactly something to be proud of if you’re considered the ace of the staff.

In order for the Phillies to even think of contending with the Mets, they first have to get behind the Altar and pray that Cole Hamels will remain healthy all season. The kid isn’t well built. He stands at 6 foot 4 inches and weighs 195 pounds. He had problems last season staying healthy. The Phillies had better hope he doesn’t turn into a Mark Prior.

The Phillies don’t have the fire power to match the Mets. Let's compare the number of phillies that hit around 20 or more home runs to the number of Mets that did the same (Phillies: Howard – 58, Utley – 32, Burrell – 29; Rollins – 25) (Mets: Delgado – 38, Wright – 26, Alou – 22, Carlos Beltran – 41; Reyes – 19). How about speed? No question. Well then clutch? All the Phillies have in the clutch is Howard and Utley. You could put any one of the Mets up in a clutch position and I would and I would gladly take them over Burrell (one of your home run threats).

The Bullpen. Simply put, they Mets had the best pen in the NL last year and it's only gotten better. The Phillies are resting on an aging converted closer in one Ben Gorden, who melted down as the season pressed on.

I don't think I need to go on. You get the point. So before you go and put the Mets out on the curb, think aboutwhat you’re assessing a team on. There's just a little bit more to a team than it's starting rotation.

Rollins Talking Again

Todd Zolecki at The Mercury News, writes about Jimmy Rollins spouting off at the mouth again. Let's see if he'll be talking the big game when they're looking up at us from second place:

So Jimmy Rollins repeated his proclamation, saying Tuesday that the Phillies - a team that hasn't made the postseason since 1993 - is the team to beat in the National League East.

Not the New York Mets.

Not the Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies.

"We're the team to beat. I can't put it any other way," Rollins said at Bright House Networks Field after the team's first full-squad workout. "Look at our team and what we're bringing. Look at the improvements we've made. You look at the rest of the division."

Time to go to wok boys.

The Rotation and Can Anyone Challange The Mets?

Dayn Perry at Fox Sports, writes about the Mets rotation and the burning question, can anyone hang with the Mets this season:

1. Will the Mets' rotation be good enough?

The Mets, of course, wisely passed on Barry Zito at the going rates, but that leaves them with a rotation of Tom Glavine and ... lots of unknown quantities. They'll cobble together the middle and back end from a group that comprises Orlando Hernandez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Jorge Sosa, Philip Humber, Mike Pelfrey, Jason Vargas and Chan Ho Park. There's not a certainty in the lot, but at least they have options. The extent of the Mets' success in 2007 depends upon how well this slapdash rotation can fare. Pitching coach Rick Peterson certainly has his work cut out for him. In specific terms, Perez, Humber and Pelfrey have much promise, so expect them to play vital roles before the calendar flips to September.

2. Then again, can anyone hang with the Mets?

Of course, the Mets in 2006 had a fairly middling rotation (their starters' ERA of 4.67 ranked 8th in the NL), and they still managed to win the division by a full 12 games. So can the Phillies, Braves or upstart Marlins (sorry, Nats, you're not in the discussion just yet) manage to challenge the Amazin's? Probably not. However, the suspect nature of the New York rotation means things could get interesting. Right now, however, the Mets are far and away the most talented team in the division.

To view the rest of the 10 questions, use the link in the header.

Wright On Winning It All

Ken Kernan at the NY Post writes about David Wright and what he feels the goal for the 2007 season will be:

When I asked David Wright yesterday what is the Mets' goal for 2007, he didn't blink. "Right now," Wright said, "it's got to be to win a World Series."

There it is in black and white. Good for Wright and the Mets. There is no more dancing around the subject. This spring the Mets don't have to make any of those silly statements that their goal is to play, "meaningful games in September."

And forget the excuse of not having playoff experience, that's out the window, too. The only goal is to win the World Series, plain and simple.

"Last year was a lot of firsts for a lot of guys, veterans and young guys," Wright, 24, explained at the team's spring training complex. "This year we have that playoff experience under our belt.

We know what it takes to win. We've been there, done that. I think we are a lot more confident in knowing what we are capable of doing going into this year. We have a little more swagger.

"We have the core group of guys coming back from last year, we have made some key off-season acquisitions. I think our bullpen is second to none in the National League."

Mets Are Covering All The Bases

Tim Marchman at the New York Sun writes about the Mets and how all the concerns are completely overblown:

The first is that the Mets did not have a good rotation last year; the starters' ERA was 4.67, eighth in the league and an especially unimpressive figure for a team playing so many games in the pitcher's parks of the National League East. The second is that the Mets actually have plenty of good starters on hand.

If your standard is the 1986 Mets, this doesn't pass muster. If your standard is, as it should be, "good enough to win 95 games," this crew is fine. Glavine is an acceptable rotation anchor; Maine and Pelfrey look right now like league-average starters with decent chances to be a bit better than that; Perez looks like he could win a Cy Young, fall out of organized baseball, or putter along as a submediocrity, and Hernandez will probably pitch 120 or so decent innings before hurting something. With the likes of Humber and Park around, the club will have tolerable, woundstanching options should anyone not pitch well.

The rotation is at least as good as, and probably better than, what the Mets had last year, when they were the best team in the league. Perez doesn't have to win a Cy Young Award; he has to replace Martinez, who threw 132.2 innings with a 4.48 ERA last year. Pelfrey doesn't have to be Kevin Brown; if he can manage a 4.90 ERA in 164.2 innings, he'll be an improvement on Steve Trachsel.

What's impressive, though, is that this group, while perhaps not representing a sure improvement on last year's in terms of quality, represents a great improvement in terms of potential. If Maine, Perez, and Pelfrey all harness their stuff and master the intricacies of the game to their best abilities, the Mets will have a trio of cheap young starters to match any in the league, and a potent young core. That's likely not going to happen, but giving the ball to pitchers who won't pitch any worse than a Trachsel-type, but might pitch much better, is a very good idea. Is the potential for disaster there? Of course, it always is. In the Mets' case, they have the right pitchers showing up to camp tomorrow, they're not asking too much of them, and they have some backup plans. You can't ask for much more.

Is The NL Overpowering The AL?

Buster Olney writes about how the NL might be more powerful than the AL with this past off season spending:

American League teams have been significantly outspent by their NL counterparts this offseason. If you take into account all contract agreements of $3 million or more concluded this offseason -- call them big-money deals, for the sake of argument -- the AL has been outspent by 58 percent: National League teams have doled out a total of $971,000,000 with 47 big-money contracts, while the AL teams have spent $613,095,000 on 38 deals.

Thanks to Hotfoot for the link.

Mets Preview

Over at Sports Illistrated, they give a preview of the 2007 Mets:

Management

The Mets' empire is at a high point. Image-conscious owner Fred Wilpon, often beset with bland losing teams or renegade winners, has a club that represents the Mets brand well both on and off the field. Wilpon has taken a background role while his son, Jeff, oversees the daily operations of the club. Minaya and his lengthy list of advisors have built on the foundation of Reyes and Wright, spending heavily on premium talent while avoiding regrettable contracts for mediocre players. Willie Randolph has proven to be a wise choice as manager, giving the Mets the kind of top-down stability they have lacked for years.

Final Analysis

With rising cable revenue, a new stadium coming and an exciting mix of young and veteran stars, the Mets should give their fans plenty to cheer about for years. But make no mistake -- after falling just short of the World Series 2006, the pressure is on this team to bring a pennant back to Shea. It's a reasonable goal, and anything less must be considered a failure, just the way it is with the Yankees across town.

To view the whole report, use the link in the header.

A Look At 2007

Rob Blackstien at Rotoworld takes a look at the 2007 Metsand asks the question if the offense can carry the team:

The Mets not only improved by 14 games last year, they were able to accomplish something no other team has done since 1990 in a non-strike season, namely wrestle a division title away from the Braves. Only a 3-1 setback to the eventual champion Cardinals in Game 7 of the NLCS kept the Mets from advancing to the World Series for the first time since 2000. The club is paced by a quartet of MVP candidates (offensive sparkplug Jose Reyes, multi-talented Carlos Beltran, slugger Carlos Delgado and young stud David Wright, who will look to bounce back from a weak second half and poor playoff performance) and features a pitching staff that boasts both veterans and young arms alike. The rotation may be one steady starter shy (thanks to an injury that will knock Pedro Martinez out for half the year) unless there are some surprise heroics. Of course, rumors persist that the team will use prospect Lastings Milledge to strengthen the rotation. The bullpen was superb in the postseason, but took a hit with the suspension of Guillermo Mota. However, the return of a healthy Duaner Sanchez will offset that loss.

Strengths: Team speed, bullpen and power. Thanks in large part to leadoff hitter extraordinaire Reyes, the Mets paced the NL in stolen bases. Billy Wagner, after finishing second in the NL last season with 40 saves, is back to finish out games for a pen that had the best ERA in the league. But make no mistake, despite the steals, this is no small-ball team. Not with power threats like the Carloses, Wright, Reyes, Jose Valentin, Shawn Green and newcomer Moises Alou all in the fold. The Mets led the NL in extra-base hits in 2006 and figure to do plenty of bashing again this season.

Weaknesses: The Mets were extremely vulnerable to lefties last season, batting just .254 against southpaws, second-lowest in the Senior Circuit. It's a figure that helped drag their overall team BA down to .264. Also, with a composite .187 BA from their pinch hitters, the Mets' bench wasn't exactly a dependable source of offense in 2006.

To read the full article use the link in the header.

Ranking The NL Outfield

At the Sporting News they list the NL outfield from 1-5:

2) Mets:

LF Moises Alou, CF Carlos Beltran, RF Shawn Green. Reserves: Endy Chavez, David Newhan.

If Alou gets 350 to 400 at-bats and Beltran plays 150 games, the offensive production will be fine. The defense in the corners will be so-so. Chavez is a complete fourth outfielder.

The Braves check in at number1, Phillies at number 5, Marlins at number 15 and the Nationals at number 16.