The Johan Santana Drama

To pitch opening day or not? That is the question. Whether it is nobler in the minds of Mets fans to tough it out and be the name on the marquee for opening day or to rehab the elbow until it heals.

Like a Shakespearean drama, the media and Mets fandom are adding excessive oratory to the case of Johan Santana's elbow. Right now it looks like Santana will not be able to pitch on opening day.

Wait a second....this just in. Now Santana is aiming for opening day.

Whether or not Santana pitches on opening day is irrelevant. The important things is that Santana is healthy and injury free this season. If that means Santana has to sit out the entire month of April, I'm ok with that. I just want Santana to be healthy when he starts pitching.

Santana is possibly more valuable to the Mets than any other pitcher is to their team. He is our workhorse. He is our go-to guy. He is the ultimate gamer. In the words of Jerry Manuel, he's "gangsta."

I don't want Santana to pitch opening day and then have 3 more starts before he has to sit out another month because he rushed back to quickly. Let's make sure he's 100%, especially when September comes.

Everybody Loves Jerry

After the shortest and most inexplicable holdout we've seen, Jerry Manuel (a.k.a American Gangsta) agreed to a 2-year deal with the Mets on Friday.

I'm glad to see Jerry Manuel be given the chance to manage the team for a full year, and to have the ability to make his own player decision from the get-go. I also like the fact that the Mets did this right away. No waiting around letting the rumor mill churn with thoughts of Bobby Valentine or letting idiots scream for Buck Schowalter. They completed their first order of business and can now focus on fixing their bullpen.

Manuel has the respect of the current players and many of them have spoken out about how much they enjoy playing for him. I think he's the one guy who can handle the constant questions and comparisons to the collapse as the Mets look forward to 2009. He's got the temperment and the intelligence to handle it.

Glad to have you back Jerry. Now let's hope Omar can make some other deals happen to improve this club like signing K-Rod. Now that'd be gangsta.