New Season, New Bullpen

I had flashbacks of Scott Blowenweiss and Luis Ayala in the 7th and 8th innings of today's opening game of the 2009 season. My palms were sweating. I had shortness of breath, and I thought Johan Santana was going to miss out on a well deserved win.

But then I looked at the calendar. This is 2009 and we have a new bullpen.

Green, Putz & KRod proved that Omar made the right moves this offseason in just the first game of the year. All 3 relievers kept the 1-run lead the Mets held when Santana left to give them their first win of the season.

Although it did feel a little like 2008 on the offensive side of things as the Mets left the bases loaded twice without scoring a run. Thankfully, Daniel Murphy pulled us through with a solo shot and a productive out as he drove in both of the Mets' 2 runs.

Now what would have happened if Castillo was batting second? Hmmmmm.

Glad they got the first game in and even more pleased to see Santana get the win.

Link: Bugs and Cranks 2.0

One of our favorite baseball blogs, Bugs & Cranks, has gotten a makeover. Ok, maybe it's more like an extreme makeover, but the good kind.  Think Ty Pennington, not Joan Rivers.

Bugs and Cranks has a whole new design and structure to their blog posts, but they haven't lost the witty banter and sarcasm that bleeds from every post which makes it a highly entertaining and well written site.

Check it out when you get the chance at BugsandCranks.com.

2009 Mets: We Know Drama

It's hear folks. Like the season premiere of your favorite TV drama, the Mets are about to start the 2009 season, and like any good drama there are several interesting plotlines and story arcs for you to follow.

The main storyline which will become increasingly annoying as the season goes on is will the Mets collapse in September...again. You'll hear it on every Mets game they play on ESPN and you're bound to hear it on SportCenter and Baseball Tonight at least 83 times during the course of the season.

The bullpen is your second major plotline as the Mets basically cleaned house and just kept Feliciano and Brian Stokes. Will the money spent on Putz & K-Rod be worth the investment? I think so, but time will tell.

Finally, a minor plotline that is still worth noting is that this will be Jerry Manuel's first full season as Mets manager. It feels like it was years ago that Willie "These Are My Guys" Randolph was the helm of the ballclub. Now that Jerry has a full year to manage I think we'll see some changes in the way he manages games right from the start. I fully expect to see more hit and runs put into play, and a willingness to play the player that's on a hot streak.

It's a long season, but it all starts today at 1 p.m. I do love a good drama, and the Mets should have it in spades this season.

Let's go Mets.

ESPN: Sheffield Could Play for Mets Next Week

This is a clip from ESPN with both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel talking about the edition of Gary Sheffield. The interesting thing is if you go over to ESPN.com and read the full article below the video, you'll see that Sheffield credits David Wright with getting him on the Mets.

He talks about how its hard to resist when the "face of a franchise" reaches out to you and wants you on the team. I see Secretary of State in David Wright's future. Click here for the full ESPN article.

Gary Sheffield to Become a Met?

The Mets didn't get Manny Ramirez this offseason, but it looks like another attitude-prone outfielder may be headed their way by the name of Gary Sheffield according to the New York Post.

That's right, Doc Gooden's cousin may be headed to Queens and provide a much needed power bat to the lineup. That is of course if Sheffield can return to his old form which is still up for debate.

I don't think Sheffield would be inserted into the starting lineup, but may fill in as needed while becoming the power bat off the bench that the Mets lack at this point.

If Sheffield can be signed for an affordable amount, I like this move. He's a righty bat with a history of pop, but he's also such a wild card in the locker room. I'm curious to see how long he lasts as a bench player and if that will cause any issues, but if it doesn't he may very well be a contributor and be able to spell Delgado, Church and Murphy on days the need rest.

Waiting for Baseball Season to Start

Spring, unlike any other season, has the ability to get you excited about what's to come. I could dive into a Freudian rant of the effect of season change on the human psyche, but what it really comes down to is the fact that baseball season is about to start.

It begins with spring training and the anticipation that Opening Day is right around the corner, but for Mets Lifers it's different this year. We have a new stadium for the first time in a millenia that is literally one of the best baseball stadiums on the planet. That newness is bound to create even more buzz around the Mets than usual and is sure to spark a new energy in the home game crowds.

But on the negative side of the coin, there's also the anticipation of what's to come this season. The past two years have been as enjoyable as a knife to the gut. Fantastic spring and summer months have led to dismal and depressing fall season that has seen the Mets miss the playoffs by mere inches each of the last two years.

What will September hold for the Mets this year? Will we be able to enjoy a season with the dark cloud that is September baseball waiting for us?

So there you have it. Spring and the start of baseball season are bringing both the positive and negative sides of anticipation to Mets Lifers everywhere. Sports Illustrated has started the season by giving the Mets the ultimate kiss of death by picking the Mets to win the World Series.

Can the Mets break the SI curse? Can they overcome their failures the last two seasons? Will they give us something to cheer about late in the season? Will I have to write another 600 posts on the BLOWpen?

The anticipation of those answers and my love for the game of baseball are what makes the start of baseball season, and spring, such a great time of year.

Let's go Mets.

Jerry Manuel Makes First Smart Move of the Season

We haven't even seen the first pitch of the 2009 season and already Jerry Manuel has made possibly the smartest lineup move. Manuel has confirmed that he plans to bat Daniel Murphy second in the order and move the Luis "The Gimp" Castillo to the 8th spot.

No more drama about batting Castillo leadoff and Reyes third. This is the best place for Murphy. He'll see a bunch of fastballs with Reyes being on base in front of him. He's a contact hitter which is what you want in that second spot, and he'll be sandwiched between Reyes and Wright which is the best protection the Mets lineup can offer.

Also, the eighth spot in the order is the right place for Castillo. He can stay out of the spotlight and hopefully get comfortable enough to get back into the swing of things. He'll get a bunch of walks being in front of the pitcher and we're not asking him to be a serious producer in the lineup batting eighth.

This doesn't automatically guarnatee success for Murphy, Castillo or the Mets lineup, but I think it's the best use of the talent that's available to put the most optimal lineup out there to produce runs.

I truly hope Castillo can get back to his old self this season where he deserves to be a #2 hitter, but I'm not counting on it quite yet.