Pedr-Ohhhh Noooo!!!!!

Most sane Mets fans knew this would eventually happen. But second game of the season?

After tossing a curveball to Marlins catcher Matt Treanor, Pedro Martinez immediately grabbed his left hamstring and began pacing around the mound.

Preliminary reports have it as a strained hamstring and he is listed as day-to-day. I suspect, however, that after the MRI his status will be changed and not for the better. Even Pedro himself said he heard a pop. Not good.

Well Mets fans, nothing is perfect. We knew going into the season that avoiding injuries would be an important factor in the overall success of the club. Unfortunately, the Mets are the 2nd oldest team in the majors and right now, it really shows.

Second game of the season and I already need 2 aspirin and a shot of whiskey. Sheesh. Holla back.

What A Debut!

Mets fans, this is why we got Johan Santana. The guy is straight up nasty!

In case you've been hiding under a rock the last few days, the Mets won their opening game for the 30th time in team history. In fact, the Mets have the best opening day record in the history of baseball, posting a 30-17 record in these games.

Click here to watch the SNY postgame wrapup of the game

Here's another interesting fact - Johan Santana is the first pitcher that the Mets acquired who made their first start in a Mets uniform on opening day and then went on to win that start. Hope I didn't confuse you with that one.

And what a debut it was! 7 innings pitched, 8 strikeouts, 2 runs (on a homerun by Josh Willingham after a horrible non strike call), about 50 silly-looking swings... I mean what more could you ask for?

Who else had a good debut? Well kudos to Ryan Church and Angel Pagan who both made major contributions yesterday. Church provided a clutch RBI hit off left-handed starter Mark Hendrickson, which is a welcomed sign for Mets fans. If Church is going to be the everyday right-fielder he HAS to hit left-handed pitching. So far so good.

Luis Castillo played the table-setter role to a tee yesterday with a hit and a couple of walks. D. Wright was well... D. Wright. 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, yada yada yada. So all in all, it was a promising evening for Mets fans and hopefully a sign of what's to come.

I heart Johan Santana. Holla back.

Mets vs. Braves - Who Has Better Pitching?

Ok so I've been listening to all of the "analysts" do their best Ms. Cleo impersonations over the past few days and something struck me as odd. It seems like everyone over at ESPN has a crush for Larry and the Braves and most are citing their lineup and "deep" pitching staff. Ummmmmm unless I'm on a different planet, I just don't see this pitching depth that they all speak about. Let's examine the Mets pitching staff vs. the Braves pitchers:



Starters:

Mets - Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey/El Duque

Braves - Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Mike Hampton, Jair Jurrjens/Jeff Bennett

Johan vs. Tim Hudson? Ok we all know that Johan is the best pitcher on the planet. So a check goes to the Mets immediately.

Pedro vs. Smoltz? Smoltz is good when healthy... as is Pedro. And if Pedro pitches like he did in spring training then watch out. They're both aging future hall of famers who know how to pitch and still have the stuff to back it up. I'll call this a wash.

John Maine vs. Tom Glavine? Tommy is a savvy vet but Mets fans got a chance to watch both of these guys pitch all of the time last year and right now, Maine is the better pitcher no question. Check goes to the Mets.

Ollie P. vs. Mike Hampton? You're kidding right? I know Ollie P. can be erratic but even so, he still won 15 games, was 9th in the NL in ERA with a 3.56 mark and struck out a batter an inning. Plus he totally pwns the Braves. Another check to the Mets.

Mike Pelfrey/El Duque vs. Jair Jurrjens/Jeff Bennett? I'm going to give this one to the Braves by default. Jurrjens has shown a lot of promise. And admit it Mets fans, Pelfrey has been a bit of a disappointment and El Duque will probably be injured for half of the season. That alone gives the Braves an edge.

Let's tally the score:

Mets 3, Braves 1. So the only thing the Braves has on the Mets when it comes to starting pitcher is that their 5th guy may be a little better than the Mets' 5th guy. Ooooooooh I'm scared lol.

Ok so the Mets win with starters hands-down. But what about the relieving core? Let's take a look:

Relievers:

Braves: Peter Moylan (R), Manny Acosta (R), Will Ohman (L), Chris Resop (R), Blaine Boyer (R),

Closer: Rafael Soriano (R)

Mets: Aaron Heilman (R), Pedro Feliciano (L), Scott Schoeneweis (L), Jorge Sosa (R), Joe Smith (R)

Closer: Billy Wagner (L)

I know the Mets relief pitching was horrible last year, especially during the infamous collapse. But for a good portion of the season, Pedro Feliciano was one of the better middle relievers in all of baseball. Aaron Heilman is certainly serviceable and if Schoeneweis getrs on the HGH again he may be able to regain his form. And say what you will about Wagner, he's still one of the better closers in baseball. As for the Braves, their closer Soriano is good but he doesn't have a track record yet as a bonafide closer. So Wagner gets the edge there. Point to the Mets.

Now i admit, I don't know much about the Braves middle relievers, but from what I have seen so far, they should be at least on par with the Mets middle relievers. And since the Mets middle staff performed so horribly during the end of last season (I'm still traumatized), I'm inclined to give the Braves the edge. Check to the Braves.

So that makes it Mets 4, Braves 2. The only places where the Braves outperform the Mets are at the 5th starter position and with their middle relievers. Oooooh I'm scared lol.

As you can see, the "analysts" rationale that the Braves have "deeper" pitching is really off-track. But it's ok, we'll see in September who has the better staff when Glavine is on the mound for the Braves with a playoff position on the line and Johan is on the hill for the Mets wrapping it up. We all know how well Glavine performed in the same spot for the Mets last year. Lol. Holla back.

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!

Opening Day is Here

The opening day roster has been been set. The Mets came into spring training with very few open spots. So there aren't many surprises. The good thing is that for an old team, they have come out of camp pretty healthy.

The Good

• Santana, the best pitcher on the planet, is our opening day starter. The September collapse does not happen with a true ace on the roster.
• Pedro is healthy and better than he has been in a couple of years. While his pitching is important to the team, its his personality that matters most. The Mets sorely needed a killer instinct last year, which Pedro provides.
  
• Beltran looks to be healthy after off season surgery.
• Maine has had a great spring and looks like he may be able to be the pitcher he was in the first half for the entire season.
• It looks like the Mets farm system is not as bare as people claim it to be. While they are short on talent at the high levels, their lower level prospects look pretty good. Lets see how they develop over the course of the year.
• Joe Smith making the team. I think he has the potential to be a good set up man and he gives the team a different look out of the bullpen.
  

The Bad

• Depth in the starting rotation. The trade for Santana has left the Mets with very little depth in the rotation. If Pelfrey does not step up and El Duque stays injured for the majority of the year, there is no one else to turn to.
• Injuries. Alou, Sanchez, Castro and El Duque all start the year on the DL. Delgado and Martinez will probably spend some time on the DL over the course of the year.
• No depth at first. With Delgado's age the Mets needed to get someone who can log at bats at 1st.
  
• Pagan as your starting left fielder. I don't understand how Endy has not earned a shot at being a regular when there is an injury. While I think he is a better player coming off the bench, he would be a better short term answer to Alou's injury with his speed and defense.
• The loss of Gotay to the rival Braves. This is one of those moves that come back to haunt us. Lets hope the Mets know something that the Braves don't.

All this being said. If Reyes returns to pre-Septmeber form and the front four in the rotation stay healthy, the Mets are the team the beat in the NL East and are a solid contender to make the World Series.

Billy, Billy, Billy...

Usually, I like athletes on my favorite teams to be intense, to be smart, and to have an authentic joy for the game. For example, Michael Jordan was the ultimate embodyment of all three of these concepts. Brett Favre and Shaq are two more that come to mind.

Billy Wagner, unfortunately, is not. Simply put, Wagner is an idiot. How in the world can you get upset at a college kid who went to lay a bunt down in a spring training scrimmage.

From Newsday:

Forget the Phillies. Billy Wagner nearly started a beanball war with the University of Michigan after one overzealous Wolverine tried to bunt on him in the fourth inning. With a runner on second and one out, centerfielder Kevin Cislo pushed his bunt foul.

Wagner, clearly annoyed, shook his head a number of times, and Cislo wisely swung away, grounding out. Wagner said he couldn't believe that Cislo, a junior, bunted.

"If he got that bunt down, I would have drilled the next guy," Wagner said. "Play to win against Villanova."

So Billy let me get this straight... you would have drilled a college kid in spring training simply because he went to lay down a bunt? A bunt from a college kid got you all riled up? Puhhhhlease. Where were you in August and September when the team needed a pitching pick-me-up? Oh I know, you and your ever-decreasing 95 mph fastball were getting rocked left and right by the Marlins and Phillies.

I know he's our closer but Wagner is confirming how much of a jerk he is. Just shut up and pitch Billy

Let The Games Begin...

Well it's finally here. The baseball season for the New York Metroplolitans is under way and things have definitely changed since the debacle that was last season. So what's changed? Let's take a look:

• Lastings Milledge and Paul Lo Duca are now with the Nationals. Anyone familiar with this blog knows how much I went to bat for Lasto. I still think he was blamed for the pettiest things and generally misunderstood by the Wilpons. So maybe a change of scenery was needed for both parties. Paul Lo Duca? Well something tells me Omar had a hunch that Do Luca (as Chris "Mad Dog" Russo called him) may have been a "La Juicer." Ryan Church and Brian Schneider should fill in fine for Milledge and Lo Duca.


• Rafael Santana is now officially the SECOND most popular Santana in Mets history. In comes Johan Santana in what has to be the biggest (and best) move that Omar Minaya has made during his tenure. Out goes speedy Carlos Gomez and a few pitching prospects but in comes the most dominate pitcher of the last 5 years. Johan Santana instantly fortifies the pitching and makes everyone else's lives just that much easier. And if early reports on Pedro Martinez are true, look for the Mets pitching staff to have one hell of a year.


• Carlos Beltran has a (gulp) fire inside him? Sure seems so. Looks like the bad taste from not making the playoffs is still on Beltran's mind. How else do you explain him going all Jimmy Rollins on us and basically guaranteeing that the Mets would win the division this year. You know what? If it takes a season like last year's to light a fire under Beltran's tush i'm all for it. Something positive has to come from the W.C.E. (worst collapse ever).


• Questions still remain. Namely with the bullpen and with a few aging bats in the lineup. Will the bullpen be effective with the return of Duaner Sanchez? Is El Duque headed to the pen? Was Delgado's horrible season last year a fluke? Will Alou play more than a 100 games? (seriously the guy is more frail than a sandcastle in a hurricane). What will Pedro have left in the tank? Can the bottom of the lineup produce? Can Willie effectively manage the high expectations placed on this team with the arrival of Santana? Guess we'll find out soon


• And finally... Roger Clemens is a bold-faced liar. I tried to tell you guys last year that Roger Clemens was a suspect juicer and low-and-behold, we find out that the Rocket was fueled by Winstrol and HGH. Throw in Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch and we see that the Yankees had some serious problems with performance enhancing drugs. But in all fairness, so have most teams... they just weren't caught. But finding out Clemens used 'roids really puts the infamous Piazza bat-throwing incedent into perspective don't ya think?

So Spring Training is here and us Mets fans can finally put the W.C.E. behind us. I'm pumped up, or as Barack Obama would say, "I'm fired up... and ready to go!" Or for you Hillary Clinton fans, I'm ready to cheer the Mets from "Day one!" Let the season begin.

JACKPOT!!!!

METS LAND JOHAN SANTANA

This is truly a great day to be a Mets fan. Not only does Omar Minaya and the Mets land THE premier pitcher in all of baseball, they do so without giving up any starting players OR their top prospect, Fernando Martinez. For Omar to pull this trade off is remarkable when you think about where the Mets were 2 months ago... which was behind the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels in terms of best deals on the table. Omar, all is forgiven after that horrible Milledge trade!

For the Twins, you have to feel a bit sorry for their fanbase. Again, the economics of baseball deprive them of an opportunity to hold on to a future hall of famer... wait what am I saying, screw that WE JUST GOT THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL FOR DIRT CHEAP!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Let's Go Mets!

Getting Close

Under Construction

Hey guys - My first little dip into blogging has been fun and very informative. With the information I learned, I'm coming back full steam next season with a bigger and even better MetsBrotha. Thanks to all who found this blog interesting and all I have to say is just wait. Next year is going to be funnnnn!!! Look for MetsBrotha to make a reappearance sometime in late February/Early March - just in time for Spring Training.