Let The Santana Era Begin

Honestly, I have been waiting forever for this day to come. Ever since "C-Day" (collapse day) occured last September 30th, I have been trying to put the 2007 season behind me. And while the acquisition of Johan Santan left a smile on my face, the stench from the biggest collapse in regular season baseball history still had me holding my nose.

But now all of that is officially in the past. The Mets kick off the season today at 4:00 in Miami against the $18-million dollar payroll Florida Marlins. Think about it - Johan Santana's salary for the season ($19 million) is greater than the entire payroll for the Marlins. That's sick and I blame the Marlins more than I blame any of the other big market teams. Simply put, if you can't afford to field a team with a payroll over $18 million, you shouldn't be in the big leagues competing with the big boys. Sell the team, move or something.

Okay back to the Mets. El Duque will start the season on the DL with Moses, I mean Moises Alou. Sorry but I mistake him for Moses as both are probably the same age by now. And seriously Mets fans, did you not see this coming? Makes the Milledge trade look even more suspect now.

With Duque on the mend, Mike Pelfrey, who had a roller coaster spring training (and that's being generous), will get the nod as the 5th starter. Good luck young fella you're going to need it.

Ruben Gotay will be the backup sec.... wait a minute... ok WTF Omar!! You let Gotay go for NOTHING? To make room for Brady Clark? Gotay may not have been the best fielder in the world but in 98 games he still hit .298 and provided pop as a switch hitter off the bench. AND to make matters worst, the Braves (who every "analyst" on ESPN seems to have a crush on this year) picked the guy up off of waivers. So you just KNOW letting Gotay go will eventually come back to haunt them. Fernando Tatis? Brady Clark? Yuck.

So here's the complete roster for Opening Day. Also, make sure to check out Notre Rican's breakdown of the roster:

Pitchers

Pedro Feliciano
Aaron Heilman
John Maine
Pedro Martinez
Mike Pelfrey
Oliver Perez
Johan Santana
Scott Schoeneweis
Joe Smith
Jorge Sosa
Billy Wagner
Matt Wise

Catchers

Raul Casanova
Brian Schneider

Infielders

Luis Castillo
Carlos Delgado
Damion Easley
Jose Reyes
David Wright

Outfielders

Marlon Anderson
Carlos Beltran
Endy Chavez
Ryan Church
Brady Clark
Angel Pagan

Today we get our first glimpse of the season and what Johan Santana can provide. All I can say is... LET'S GO METS!