Phillie Starters On Cover Of Sports Illustrated

Anyone familiar with the S.I. jinx should know that this is an excellent sign for non-Philly fans.

Terry Collins Screws Up Roster

I'm a huge proponent of the idea that every man counts on the roster. Rare is a team that can go all the way without a productive bench, reliable middle relievers and in general, guys up and down the roster who know and understand their role on the team. That said, call me dumbfounded over some of the picks the Mets made the last few days in finalizing their 25-man roster.

First, Daniel Murphy should be the starting 2nd baseman, not Brad Emaus, who seems to have been given the job moreso because the Mets were afraid they'd have to send him back to Toronto than his actual ability to play. Then there's Jason Isringhausen getting passed over for some schmuck named Blaine Boyer (9-12 with a lifetime 4.63 ERA) and last but not least there's Lucas Duda (who was God-awful last year in a late season callup) being chosen over Nick Evans--a longtime Met whose only done everything the team's asked of him over the years and who just had an excellent spring. Word has it too that Terry Collins desperately wanted Luis Hernandez to be his Opening Day starting 2nd baseman, but thank goodness Sandy Alderson had the common sense to say no.

I know the season hasn't yet, but already the new manager is raking my nerves. Let's hope Wally Backman is paying close attention.

Jason Bay Is Hurt Again

Listen, when a team is as bad and as poorly managed as the 2010 Mets were I don't think even having a healthy Jason Bay would've mattered much. But what with everything going on with the owners, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana out for a few months, the last thing the Mets need right now is Jason Bay starting the season on the DL. While he deserves a mulligan for last year (consider too how much he had to adjust his swing to the planet that is Citi Park) Bay needs to prove himself in 2011, much less start justifying the Wilpon's giving him that huge contract. Injuries are injuries, but in this case it's so what we don't need right now.

The Night the Mets Lost Duaner Sanchez

Funny how an injury to a middle reliever can change the future of a franchise for years to come, but in this case it certainly did:

It was four and a half years ago when Duaner Sanchez’s ill-fated cab ride in Miami prompted the Mets to look for a new reliever. The team’s setup man for the first 4 months of the season had severely injured his pitching shoulder in a fluke car accident, as it was announced on the day of Major League Baseball’s trading deadline that Sanchez would miss the remainder of the season. Mets’ GM Omar Minaya knew he needed to act swiftly in finding someone to fill that 8th inning role. By the end of the day, the Mets had found themselves two new pitchers – veteran reliever Roberto Hernandez and enigmatic starter Oliver Perez.

Perez, who to that point had a lost season (lost his job in Pittsburgh’s rotation with an ERA over 6.00), would eventually find his way into the Met starting rotation that season following a short stint in AAA. Injuries helped clear the path for Perez in ’06, as the southpaw would find himself becoming the Mets’ starter in games 4 and 7 of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals.

OK, Oliver Perez Is Gone, But Why Hasn't Sandy Alderson Looked Into David Eckstein?

OK, it's official, we now have a GM who cares about what the fans think and that's great. And what with Oliver Perez finally gone, we can now move on from the stench that Omar Minaya and his horrible signings left here. Still, with all the Mets second baseman problems and their seeming distrust of giving Daniel Murphy the gig, why hasn't Sandy Alderson called David Eckstein? The guy is only 36, was the starting shortstop for two World Series champions, gutsy, hardly strikes out and judging from his stats last year, can still play. To me, this is an obvious move--indeed, it's still mind-boggling to me that Omar never looked into signing Eckstein when he was available. Unless Eckstein is somehow also responsible for Fred Wilpon's current financial woes, why the Mets continue to ignore him just makes no sense.

Mets Finally Cut Luis Castillo

About freaking time. To think yesterday Castillo was wondering why Met fans hate him so much, well look no further than this Luis:

Mets Need To Do Everything Possible To Keep Jose Reyes

Really, why is this even a debate? I don't care what Jose Reyes does this year, the left side of the infield on the Mets should be never be replaced. Forget the fact that a healthy Reyes is a perennial all-star, the guy that gets the Mets going, it's more about what he and David Wright mean to the franchise. They're both homegrown products, fans love them and it's neither one's fault that the Mets haven't won lately. Sandy Alderson needs to stop dilly-dallying with whether or not he'll resign Jose Reyes after the season because if you think things are bad now, the Mets would be doomed without him.

Luis Hernandez Cannot Be The Opening Day 2nd Baseman

Frankly, I can't believe that only a week after Terry Collins told the entire world that he needs offense at second base, that he'd change his mind and pick Luis Hernandez for the job. Nothing against Hernandez but from all reports...he sucks. And basing such as an important decision on what happens during spring training?!? I mean it's spring training for a reason. Bottom line I'd much rather see the incumbent Castillo play over Hernandez esp. if you're not going to go with my pick Daniel Murphy. What with Castillo in the last year of a contract at least there's some incentive to have a good year and prove he can still play. Picking Luis Hernandez to be in the starting lineup is just ass-backwards thinking on Collins part..

Mets Screw Up Again With Handling Carlos Beltran

Why does this organization consistently display total ineptitude when it comes to handling player injuries? It's a spring training game for chrissakes and you got a guy we need this year on a less than 100% knee busting his butt around 3rd to score a meaningless run during a meaningless game in March?!? How stupid are these guys? Can't help but wonder too if Wally Backman were manager if this would've happened because it's a huge blip for Terry Collins:

The Mets shut down Carlos Beltran for four to five days today after he was diagnosed with tendinitis in his left knee, two days after his Grapefruit League debut.


In January 2010, Beltran's right knee underwent microfracture surgery. He has been rehabbing from that surgery ever since. He shifted to right field earlier this spring to protect the troublesome joint.


Beltran missed the first eight games of the spring. He took three at-bats as a pinch-hitter and scored from second on a single.


Despite the setback, Mets manager Terry Collins remains outwardly optimistic. He said the team will remain vigilant in its plan to give Beltran a steady stream of at-bats after he returns to action. His work in the field will be minimal, but Collins believes he can adjust to right without much practice.


"I think you can get a player ready in 15 days," Collins said.


More later, when general manager Sandy Alderson arrives here.

Why Is MSG Doing A Show On The '86 Mets?

I saw some of it the other day and to say it was tacky would be an understatement, but then too I couldn't help but wonder why anything about the Mets was on James Dolan's network in the first place (Bob Raissman breaks that down better than I could). And by the way as much as I loved and still love that team, being reminded that our last championship took place almost 25 years ago just makes me a little sad.

Report: Doc Gooden Headed To ‘Celebrity Rehab’

Here we are some 25 years after he missed the '86 championship parade and it's come to this:

Dwight Gooden has famously battled his addiction to drugs and alcohol for decades. Dr. K is hoping Dr. Drew Pinsky’s “Celebrity Rehab” will finally get him on the right path.


According to TMZ, Gooden will highlight Season 5 of Dr. Drew’s sober house cast, which includes Michael Lohan, the White House party crashers, among others.


Gooden’s dominant pitching helped lead the Mets to a World Series title in 1986 and another National League East crown in ’88, and he also was a member of the championship Yankees teams of 1996 and 2000.


After making his major league debut in 1984 at the age of 19, he went on to win the Rookie of the Year award that season and eventually won 194 games over his 17-year career, which included a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1996.

Bobby Valentine Expresses Interest In Owning Mets

Bobby Valentine?!? Really???

A number of names with strong ties to Wall Street have emerged as candidates to purchase part of the cash-strapped New York Mets.


The team has given Major League Baseball more than a dozen names to begin the vetting process, the New York Post reported on Wednesday. Faced with a $1 billion lawsuit by the trustee of victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, Mets ownership has said it will sell 20 to 25 percent of the team, but that number could go higher.


Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine has expressed interest in buying into the team. His group is headed by Anthony Scaramucci, the general manager of asset manager Sky Bridge Capital, the Post reported.


Another group expressing interest, according to the newspaper, includes David Heller, co-head of the Goldman Sach securities unit.


A third investment group includes Steve Starker, co-founder of trading firm BTIG, and Ken Dichter, co-founder of Marquis Jet.


The Mets have said that they are looking at multiple avenues to raise money for the team. They have already borrowed more than $20 million from MLB, according to media reports. The league has told the Mets that it will not loan them any additional money, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.