As many of you faithful readers that follow this blog know, I was very disenfranchised with the perceived lack of significant off season moves. But as pitchers and catchers reported to Port St. Lucie during the frigid month of February my anger started to ebb and a wave of positivity came rushing forth ( thanks for the pep talk Kong ). So far I see the positives outweighing the negatives . I see a team that for the most part that has taken the perils of last year to heart and are vowing to avenge their reputations for blip in the road for what was the ‘09 season. I see smarter defense being played ( especially Daniel Murphy). I see that hitters are being patient at the plate. Our bullpen might be one of our biggest strengths this coming season. And how can a smile not crack your face when you think of the strides that Mejia, Davis, Martinez and Neise are making ! But then you either listen to the radio whether it is WFAN or 1050, or you watch SNY and Espn and you sense the utter lack of respect that is being heaped on this team , not just by the hosts and the talking heads - but by our fellow fan base as well !!! I was listening to Evan Roberts on WFAN yesterday, and he has been a bit more positive about the Mets of late . But some caller with the brain of a typical Yankee fan ( lobotomized) went on to kill the Mets about their off season , he kept to the usual script about how we have a poor farm system with no prospects and went on to pontificate how the Mets signed a bunch of AAAA ringers to play in Buffalo ! Both mine and Evan had the same reaction which was WHAT!!!! This alleged Mets fan ( I suspect he was really a Skankee fan) was in my opinion way out of line and although my views have clashed with Roberts of late , we were on the same page that it seems fashionably to knock our team at every possible moment. I swear sometimes I feel like our team is the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball. But remember Rodney always did get the last laugh - and so shall the Mets !

                                                                              ” Our Patron Saint !”

And with that said …. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!

Happy Birthday to one time catching prospect and understudy to Mike Piazza from ‘01-04 , Vance Wilson . (1973)

New York Mets signed free agent outfielder Jerry Martin of the Kansas City Royals on March 17, 1984. Does anyone here have any recollection of him playing in ‘84 ? Because I sure as hell don’t !

New York Mets traded pitchers Pete Walker and Luis Arroyo to the San Diego Padres for outfielders Roberto Petagine and Scott Adair on March 17, 1996.

New York Mets signed free agent Timo Perez on March 17, 2000. Timo in my opinion was the first incarnation of Angel Pagan. Both were fourth string outfielders who were thrusted into playing everyday , could hit, and made great defensive plays. But both suffered brain farts when running the bases - see the ‘00 World Series game one for a prime example.

New York Mets released ” Super” Joe McEwing on March 17, 2005. There was no position that Joe didn’t attempt to play to keep himself in the line up. He was a average player at best, but man did he ever own Randy Johnson !! He is currently a manager in the Chicago White Sox organization.

And don’t forget - There are just 19 Tim Foli days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.- ( Yes I know that Bobby Ojeda also wore the number 19 - but this is my countdown so deal  with it !!!)

It’s not just Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya that have to worry about fast starts to the season or their jobs being in jeopardy.  The same case could be made for Jeff Francoeur, Daniel Murphy, and Rod Barajas.  The way Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, and Josh Thole have been playing in a way this spring that makes you suspect they’ll be knocking at the door to Citi Field sooner rather than later.

With Reyes possibly being out some, or all, of April the pressure on the starting pitching has just doubled.  The most recent report on April suggests that he may be back closer to mid April, but that’s still a rough estimate.

We’ve known for a while that the season was going to hinge on the starting pitching.  The offense was projected to be one of the top in the league, and surely would’ve won some games on it’s own even when the pitching struggled.  With Reyes and Beltran out, they may not have that cushion for a while, but this doesn’t mean the Mets are doomed to a 9-13 type record to start the season.

The fast start is more important than ever, and if Maine, Perez, and Pelfrey can have a good month of April the Mets will still win games.  We all know they’re each capable of pitching good games.  It was expected before the season that they could definitely pitch competitively and keep us in games, but now they may be pressured to actually win the games.  Instead of quality start performances and limiting the opponents to three runs over six innings, stepping up and going seven innings and occasionally limiting the other teams to merely one or two runs becomes important to the Mets early success.

This isn’t to say the Mets lineup is useless, and that they won’t occasionally put up a crooked number, but Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are two of the most irreplaceable players in the game today.  The season is never won and lost in April, but if the pitching can step up and win more games than they lose, not only will it minimize the damage caused by losing Reyes and Beltran, it will set them up nicely once they return.

This post brought to you by the self-proclaimed Optimistic Mets Fan.

Here is another Tale Of The Tape and again, yes I understand Murphy will most likely be the opening day 1st baseman and yes Ike Davis has a slim to none shot of making the club. So the following is for entertainment purposes for the what if contingent out there.

Sortable Player Stats MLB.com

While I was perusing the Internet moments ago I came across one of my favorite logs - Mike Silva’s N.Y. Base Ball Digest. He had email a host of professional scouts and here is what they had to say about first baseman of the future - The ” Phenom ” Ike Davis .

                                       ” We finally have a prospect that the scouts love - YAYYY !!!”

I love his poise on the field. He needs more seasoning in the minors, but I think the kid is a real keeper. Let Daniel Murphy or Mike Jacobs start at 1st this year while Davis develops. (Cubs Scout)

I’ve been in baseball for over 40 years and remember when his dad Ronnie first came up with the Yanks in 1979. Unlike his dad, who was this skinny kid with glasses, Ike looks like a ball player. He’s pretty polished for his age, and just needs a little more time in the minors to work on some things. I think once he works out the kinks he’ll be fine. He has a chance to be a really good major leaguer. (Yankees Scout)

The Mets are going about this the right way. Let the kid start the year in the minors to work on his skills set. Fans have to be patient with him and need to remember that it’s a huge jump from the minors to the majors. Because he was born into a baseball family, I think he totally understands what it takes to get to the big leagues. He’s a hard worker who has a lot of toughness to him. I really like his makeup. (Milwaukee Scout)

When I look at Ike Davis, I see a young kid with a world of talent, who if things break right for him, could possibly be the starting first baseman for the next ten years He needs to work on some things both defensively and offensively, and I’d also like to see him develop a little more power but I think he’s a lock to be with the club at some point in the future.. (Braves Scout)

I’ll tell you it is awesome to finally  see a Mets prospect live up to the hype in the eyes of the scouts. I know that Fernando Martinez has had some glowing endorsements, and he should be with the team soon. I just don’t remember a prospect since Darryl or Doc ( other than Greg Jefferies or Mike Pelfrey) to blaze through the minors this quickly.

To read Mikes piece , click here http://nybaseballdigest.com/

One Month to go.
One month until baseball comes back to Citi Field.
Thirty days until ” meaningful games”.
One month before Jose steals his first base.
Thirty Days until Johan wins his first game.
One month until David, Jason, Frenchy and the Murph hit their first home runs.
Thirty Days until we see amazing fielding plays being made.
One month until Frankie notches his first save.
Thirty days until the demons from ‘09 are exorcised.
And sixty days until Carlos Beltran comes back to the line up ! (knock wood !)
One month the BELIEVE !!

                                                                      ” I think this says it all!!!”

And with that said … HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to the Mets third base coach from ‘97 - ‘00 , Cookie Rojas (1939)

Los Angeles Dodgers signed backup catcher Rick Wilkins of the New York Mets as a free agent on March 6, 1999.

New York Mets signed free agent Tony ” Bong Hit” Tarasco on March 6, 2001. It appeared that he hit the bong more than he hit the baseball and was not resigned by the Mets after the ‘01 season had ended.

New York Mets signed free agent relief pitcher, Orber Moreno on March 6, 2003.
And don’t forget - There are just thirty Mike Scott ( he wore the number 30 when he was a Met) days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

Before you even ask, yes Murphy will most likely be the opening day 1st baseman and yes Ike Davis has a slim to none shot of making the club. So the following is for entertainment purposes for the what if contingent out there. Every so often I’ll try and post an updated one.

Sortable Player Stats  MLB.com