Looking at Matt Cerrone's injury update this morning, it's just amazing how shorthanded we have suddenly become in the last three days, and at the worst of all times, going into a day-after-night rubber match against the Braves.

Let's get one thing straight. It would be great to beat the Braves right now. I can't be sure that losing this series would be a big dent to the team's emotional state, but I can be sure that losing today would be salt on the wounds of mets fans. And this team is feeding off of the enthusiasm and confidence of the flushing faithful, so even if it's not direct, I fear the hidden damage of a loss today.

If we expect this to be our year, or at least our best year in a while, we need to compete with the Braves. And this is as good a shot as we'll get at them. They starting pitchers are cold and erratic. Chipper and Edgar are on the DL. We're playing them at Shea and we're playing with confidence.

Now who do we have available to put on the field today? Most of our bats. But the outfield is suddenly looking like a bunch of spare parts. Why is Victor Diaz in Norfolk? Why can't he come up? Aren't there ways around this? I know we don't want to put Beltran on the DL... but how about a strange wrist problem befalling Jose Valentin? Do we need him that bad? Woody can play second and Woody deserves some AB's.

And that brings me to one question that has really been nagging at me: just why are we seeing so much of Jose Valentin? Is there something we don't know that the scouts do? Did Valentin beat Minaya at poker or win some bet? Can't he just get hurt so we can get some VD in left?

If not, I say throw Lo Duca out there in left and start Castro. Castro's bat hasn't been too shabby since he's worn the blue and orange, and the Reyes/Lo Duca combo is becoming more Dykstra/Backman every day. Well, ok, Jose AIN'T Dykstra, but you get my drift.

In the spirit of Passover, a few shoutouts today  (I will not employ the literary device of emulating a Haggadah)

To SNY for giving us the Ron, Keith, Gary threeway tonight. Keith, with an awkward nod of the head, silently acknowledged to most of us that rumors of his demise are unfounded, and in fact he spent the Brewers homestand in the Diamond Club. Let's keep Keith liquored up, keep the homoerotic appraisals of players and the conversational use of the word "fanny" coming, I'm just waiting for him to order a double in the 7th inning stretch and just let it slip, "hey Ron remember that blonde we nailed in San Diego in '85?"

If you missed it, it was hilarious, all the more reason that I can't watch most of the games in a Sports bar...

Now, Gary Cohen was just breaking in '86, think he's in heaven right now?

To Jose Valentin - I remarked to my brother how much your resemble the bad guy in Romancing the Stone. I didn't know how right I was. Here's to an alligator chomping off your right arm at the next series in Florida so your AFLAC kicks in and the Mets Latin Player Social Security ends.




To Xavier Nady, welcome to New York, I don't know if you're married but I hope you've been getting laid like a firefighter after 9/11. You deserve every single bimbo that will throw yourself at you this season. Keep it up!

To the ladies of New York City, we'll need you putting fuel in the X-factor's tank until the post-season. Thank you!

To Anderson's Hernandez's glove, because your bat is worthless. Can we just give him a cricket bat from now on?

To Pedro Martinez for reminding us that baseball is a GAME. Your smile is worth, how many million dollars is it?



To David Wright, don't worry you weren't about to keep up a .440 average all season long...

To Filthy Sanchez, your fastball motion and goggles make the ladies go gaga. Make sure Xavier is getting you sloppy seconds! I'm in love with your strikeout pitch motion, somehow you are already running towards first when making a strikeout pitch. It's really, really fun watching this guy.

To Country Time, just go ahead and puke on the mound and get it over with. We wanna see fastballs!!

To Roger Mcdowell, when we win the pennant, may you triumphantly rip that Braves crap off your body and join the pile @ Shea. How about you come on in for the big win! I'm sure SNY would keep you on salary to give Keith Hernandez hotfoots up in the booth.

To Todd Pratt - come on man, if you say something like "they say that every year" you know we're gonna strike you out on junk. How could you not hit the pitcher you used to catch?

Let's win this series. And the next one. And the next one. I don't know what Fatcessa has said but many Mets-haters are talking about how all this early momentum is meaningless. Hogwash, this is how we rolled in '86, starting out 10-3, which we've just bested. We know the Marlins is an AAA team, and the Gnats have their own problems, but if we take the series from the Braves, that's the proof we need...

When you are driving on a sunny sunday, you've got the FAN on, panned left and front, your wife is napping, and your mind wanders during a quiet seventh inning, you think, damn, can you imagine Ralph Kiner calling a game between Chad Bradford and Brad Radke?

In other news, the Mets have had their Best Start in Frachise History. This despite Brian Bannister inheriting Braden Looper's locker and his addiction to baserunners.

While everyone starts praising Omar Minaya for finally not blowing the Wilpon's money on guys like Jeff D'amico, I have to give a quiet nod to Willie Randolph, who has so far not collapsed under the heavy expectations of this pre-season. I give him a nod for ignoring the loud chorus or mets fans who wanted Beltran to hit in the two hole... listening to the game yestereday, I couldn't help get excited by the blue-collar, dare I say Backmanesque work that Paul Lo Duca is doing batting second. I don't think Beltran has quite earned his spot in the three hole, but if he does, credit Randolph for asking Beltran to rise to his pay grade.

Brian Bannister says what every other successful rookie pitcher is too cocky, naive or embarassed to say:

"I think a new guy always has an advantage. Once they adjust to me, it will be my adjustment back to this league that will determine my future success."

Wow. Is he a rookie pitcher or a seasoned sportswriter? I like this kid. I don't mind at all that Angry Heilman is our lefty specialist because of him. Not yet.

What more can I say about our ace Pedro Martinez that the stats Gary Cohen has relayed don't already say for themselves. Pedro told us quite exactly how he was going go pitch and did not stray from it, besides an uncharacteristic number of beans, plunks and walks. But Pedro, a man not known for his pitching, when he can't give us shutout innings, he made up for it with his bat.

However, the story of the night for me was the meat of our order, Beltran and Floyd, finally waking up and catching up with the offensive production of what will be the engine of our team for many years, Wright and Reyes, 2 players who were welcomed at relatively young ages to our crappy old historical stadium and demented fandom and who at this point, we hope never, ever leave. While starting out the season with the 1-2 tap (not a punch) of the Nationals and Marlins may seem like BP compared to what we will face in our more worthy adversaries, the intangibles are what will make the difference this year, and the gel that is keeping this team together is making the succeed.

OK - everyone take a deep breath. The head on the beer has fizzled. The hot dogs are not fresh off the truck. The infield shows some wear. We're official past the heady Opening Day and IN the baseball season.

Let me tell you what I saw today.
I saw Jose Reyes fight off pitch after pitch for an 10-pitch at bat, only to get on base with a solid opposite field base hit followed by an effortless stolen base.
I saw Paul Lo Duca continue to work a walk, hit well, and perfectly throw out a very fast runner who never would have been thrown out by Mike.
I saw Carlos Beltran, still "warming up", fight off boos to work a walk, only for me to see
Carlos Delgado hit a TOWERING, no-doubt, right field home-run to the back of the Mezzanine to score the Carlos behind him.
I saw David Wright get another 0-2 opposite field seeing-eye base hit, and then steal.
I saw Xavier Nady end his 5-5 season by powering out a solo home-run to right-center
I saw Anderson Hernandez show some absolutely ridiculous defense.

Then, my DVR glitched and I missed the rest of the game. What'd I miss?

So just why is Met's nation so hot on Anderson Hernandez and so not on Kaz-Mat?  Well I mean aside from Matsui's expensive contract and disappointing performance thusfar...

Let me go on record with a prediction: Anderson Hernandez will be a serviceable defensive second baseman with very little offensive production, a fact that will go largely unnoticed as we are dazzled by our new toys Wagner, Nady, Lo Duca and Delgado. Yet I predict that as the dog days of summer start and the team looks for a spark-plug to overtake the Braves, it will be the much maligned Matsui who will start popping up in the two hole, bringing everything that was originally promised, everything we no longer expect.

The Wright jerseys look new. The hot dogs taste fresh. The stadium isn't trashed. The concession people are training on the job (or at least mine was... I missed half an inning waiting for change). The expectations are high. I'm freezing my ass off. Must be opening day!

The game was entertaining enough. We had a couple ex-yanks to boo, and of course Carlos Beltran, who seems to have the unfortunate duty of pinch hitting for Kaz-Mat in this year's first inning of fan ire. I actually like the Nationals. They're kind of like the new guy who's hired at your company that would never be competent enough to take your job. They're non-threatening. And their stadium is uglier than ours (and incredibly bright at night due to the NFL lights!). Frank Robinson is likeable. Livan Hernandez is in the dictionary under "workmanlike."

I'm happy we got the win. And I'm happy it wasn't a blowout so I could be part of the 54,000 strong welcome party for "Country Time" Wagner (don't blame me-- I read that nickname on metstradamus). I'm happy that Xavier Nady is doing his part to make the Cameron deal look ok. I'm happy that Paul Lo Duca has made this a new team, and that wistful Piazza vibe is done. I mean I loved Piazza. But the last couple seasons had that whole declining numbers, "maybe he should play first" ambivalence to it. Know what I mean?

My only complaint for my $33 ticket price is that aside from Wright's dinger, the meat of the order was silent. I sure hope Delgado, Floyd and Beltran will kick in some long-overdue run support for Tommy Glavine. I guess yesterday he decided he might as well do it himself.

Here's to a great year. And I would like to formally introduce the nickname "Angry Heilman" to our little circle of fans. Cuz he really does look pissed. Go on, Josh, tell me how two years ago we would have traded him for a bag of balls. I think he heard you.
 
 

Out with the old, in with the new... media
Howard's gone from FM to Satellite.
Apple's fighting with the Beatle's heirs in courts after breaking their promise to never do anything music-related.
Gary Cohen is play-by-play, broadcasting Mets games at 1920x1080 High-Definition alongside Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez.
And yes, Mike Piazza is catching in sunny San Diego.

It's time we focus all of our Mets fandom, the grief, the horror, the despair, the pure dementia, and with any luck, the magic that happens about every 20-or-so years, into a new media ourselves. No more burning hours on chat, minutes on our cell phone bills, pulling out our precious hair, or yelling at transistor radios. Time to allow the neurons to bunch up, the beers to wear off, and discuss it like gentlemen.

I promise inasmuch as I plop myself in front of the tube or listen in to every game, to be a consistent light of content here, writing, photos and otherwise - this is our year after all!

Congratulations - wrightandwrong.metsblog.com is now online!

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