Very interesting news coming from the Mets yesterday and today. First the team seems to be on the verge of locking up Jon Niese for the next 5 years, that will reward the lefty pitcher during his arbitration eligible years and buy back a year of his free agency eligibility.  This quite a progressive and proactive move by the Mets front office, something not seen in these parts in many ,many years.

Some reports have the deal at 5 years and $28mil, the 5 years is a big commitment to a pitcher who has suffered from fatigue and injury issues in his brief major league career but it speaks to the high esteem the front office holds Neise in.

During the winter there were rumbles that the Mets put Niese’ name out on the trade market (at the same time Billy Beane made it known that Gio Gonzalez was available in trade and of course the deal was made with the Nationals) that wasn’t an indication that the Mets were looking to rid themselves of the young lefty as some Mets fans jumped to that conclusion, it was more to see what was out there in trade for his valuable services as the Mets front office is trying very hard to add depth to the farm system.

Tying up Niese seems like a smart move by Sandy Alderson. As we see in this column by Mark Simon of ESPN, Niese put up some very impressive numbers involving K/9IP, BB/9IP and HR/9IP, add to that he is 25 years old and left-handed,  it’s hard for even the most jaded Mets fan to go against the front office in this move.   

Seems like the verbal kick in the ass that Mike Peflrey received last week when it was reported the club discussed however informally about giving Big Pelf his release,  has now made its way to Jason Bay as Mike Puma reports there has been some talk about Bay becoming a platoon player if he continues to struggle at the plate.  This should show Mets fans that last year’s getting to know segment of Sandy Alderson’ reign as Mets baseball boss is over and now we are entering the “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” phase of rebuilding the Mets.

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Of all the things that have happened to me since I started blogging about my beloved NY Mets, the club reaching out to myself and fellow bloggers, granting us access to the team and front office folks has to be the best and most rewarding part of covering the team. If you’ve read my posts from the times I’ve been out to Citi or to any other baseball event where I’ve had the honor of speaking to R.A. Dickey, you know my respect and awe for the man, well if the excerpts of his new book “Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball are any indication how the rest of the book will read, my admiration for Dickey will be off the charts.

It takes a certain kind of courage to come out and bare your soul to the masses as Dickey has done in the excerpts he read yesterday.  If a positive comes out of Dickey’s revelation of sexual abuse as a child and thoughts of suicide as an adult, is the Mets follow through with the promise they made last year of coming out with a PSA on bullying and teen aged suicides. No team in sports has a better spokesperson than R.A. Dickey, the organization shouldn’t pass up this great opportunity to educate the masses.

The blogger-ratzi was invited to Citi Field this past Monday night for a noshing on the newest food offerings at the ball park this season ( I was invited but had to decline the invite since this nasty head cold I have has now made its way to my chest making me more miserable than a normal day, a trip to the doctor is on tap for this afternoon) you can read the reviews from Faith and Fear in Flushing, Mets Police, On The Black, Optimistic Mets Fan  and top Mets foodie Ted Berg .

Great news by the Mets that the family of Gary Carter will be throwing out the first pitch next Thursday at opening day. Shannon of Mets Police has an interesting thought on a surprise that could happen on Thursday.

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David Brooks has an op-ed piece in today’s NY Times trying to explain to those not of our Blue and Orange persuasion, that once you hitch your fan wagon to the New York Mets, you’re hooked for life.  This paragraph really does sum up what we as Mets fans believe:

So I’ll die a Mets fan, exaggerating their potential, excusing their deficiencies. This week, in Florida, I even detected new virtues in the team. In the early days, the Mets were lovable losers, then miraculous winners, then, in the 2000s, big-spending disappointments. Now they are young and frisky, enthusiastic and charming. I’ll enjoy following this team and exaggerating its promise. I have no choice but to love the Mets. Just as I have no choice but to hate the Phillies.

Brooks is totally on target about this edition of the Mets, they’re an easy bunch to root for.

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Yes, that is Marlins President Davis Sampson checking out his new office at Marlins Park

Why would anyone be surprised to hear stupid shit whenever  Marlins President David Samson  opens his mouth?  In the Land of the Asshat, Samson is its Ten Gallon King. If I were a taxpayer/Marlins fans I’d be totally pissed off by Samson’s gloating over fleecing local bureaucrats to build his team a new ballpark to the point of laughing in their faces about re-locating the Marlins to San Antonio or Las Vegas like an extortionist.

Of all the stupid shit that Samson has said, his remarks about Jose Reyes were quite tame. Why Mets fans would be pissed that Reyes wanted as much money as he could get is puzzling. There was no way the Mets were going to match or better the Marlins offer, nor in my opinion should they have. I loved having Reyes on the Mets and enjoyed watching him play shortstop but he’s gone and I wish him well except when he plays the Mets. Our Mets fan lives go on.

Greg Prince reports that new Mets radio voice Josh Lewin sounds PRE-TTTTTTT-YYYYYY, PRE-TTTTTTT-YYYYYYY good and seems like he and Howie Rose will be a good mix like U-Bets Chocolate Syrup, a dash of milk and seltzer. I will take Greg to task on one thing, his omission of the straw that stirs the radio drink the Immortal Chris Majkowski  (MetsWFAN on your Twitter dial) in his post, gotta give Maj his props.

I would love to be sitting in the courtroom when jury selection gets under way in the Wilpon/Madoff trustees trial, just to see which potential juror goes off the rails when they are asked if they are Mets fans.

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That is the patch the Mets will wear this season in remembrance of Gary Carter. I’d still like to see all uniform personnel wear CARTER 8 uni tops for a game and auction them off for charity

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be a Mets fan who feels Terry Collins is being a hard ass to Ruben Tejada for not getting to camp early and then complain that the team isn’t very good.

Collins is stressing to his team that they have to work harder than anyone else and be  focused better than anyone else if they are to succeed this season. You can see from the early interviews of TC down in St. Lonesome that he wants his team to stick it up all the naysayer’s asses and show that the Mets are a winning baseball team.

The maturation of Matt Harvey continues to be an early training camp story line. As Josh Thole has raved about Harvey’s pitch repertoire, the manager and coaches, especially Wally Backman, have raved about his willingness to get their advice on what he needs to do to reach the big league level. Sandy Alderson is on the record as saying Harvey will not break camp with the Mets but Harvey is determined to make that a difficult decision, it’s hard to get giddy over Matt Harvey.

Same for Jeurys Familia who along with Harvey was profiled in the NY Daily News today as two guys who are competing for a job in the big leagues but have grown close as teammates and hope to join the big league club together at some point this season.

It’s so early in spring training but from reading stories about the mood of the camp and camaraderie  of the players, the Mets are staring to give me a feeling that they could be baseball version of the New York Rangers.

If Jason Bay struggles against right handed pitching as he did last season, the more reason to root for Kirk Nieuwenhuis to make the team as a platoon partner for Bay in LF. No one in the front office will say it but I bet the leash on Bay is short this season especially if he struggles against rhp.

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There was outrage yesterday from Mets fans as clips of the team executives and manger Terry Collins boarded a helicopter to take them to Miami to catch the Knicks-Heat game.  It was the equivalent of seeing your neighbor who you know is collecting SSI disability, drive a brand new Mercedes-Benz into their drvieway.

I’m not so much outraged that the Mets rented the helicopter for their hoops junket; I’m annoyed that they had the vessel land on one of the complex practice fields. Couldn’t they have gone to an air/heliport to do this?   

Our day as Mets fans would not be complete without some more legal mumbo-jumbo on the Skill Sets court case. Am I the only one worn out about all this court talk? Doesn’t it seem that Judge Rakoff is looking for his 15 minutes of fame, or his own court room TV show?

Johan Santana threw another bullpen session and so far so good on his comeback as he has felt fine the day after each of these sessions. I’m still not ready to say I’m optimistic of his being on the mound opening day because I’m a Mets fan, the glass is always half-empty.

Last night Mets stats man Ben Baumer, lost in the championship round of MLB Networks Baseball IQ trivia game show to Shane Demmitt of the LA Angles. Baumer did a great job in this competition as he won $35,000 for the Welcome Back Veterans charity.  I was really looking forward to this show when it was first announced, but after watching a couple of episodes I lost interest. The set was so dark and dreary looking and the contestants had the personality of Wonder Bread. The host was Matt Vasgersian who loved belittling the Mets every time Baumer was a contestant and is one of these doofus’s you run into in life who think their hip, cool and funny when in reality they’re just asshats. 

The Mets and Citi are teaming up to hold tickets pre-sale this Monday and Tuesday February 27 and 28 for Citi credit and debit card holders. In addition newly inducted Mets Hall of Famer John Franco will be appearing at two CitiBank branches in Manhattan and at the Mets Clubhouse store. Here is a release from the Mets with all the info:

As part of a series of events with the Mets Alumni Association Presented by Citi, Mets all-time saves leader John Franco will make several appearances in New York City February 27 to promote the presale and meet with fans.  Franco, who will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame June 3, will be joined by Mr. Met.  They will visit the following locations:

·         10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – Citibank flagship branch in Union Square (52 East 14th Street)

·         12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Citibank branch on 42nd Street and Madison (330 Madison Avenue)

·         2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – New York Mets Clubhouse Shop (11 West 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues)

 Additionally, all Citi customers who use their credit or debit card will receive a special 10% discount on all merchandise, excluding tickets, at the Mets Clubhouse Shop on 11 West 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues only, for the duration of the two-day promotion.

“We congratulate John Franco on his upcoming induction into the Mets Hall of Fame and are excited that he and Mr. Met will be joining us to kick-off this wonderful promotion for Mets fans and Citi customers,” Brown said.

A limited number of tickets for Opening Day (April 5 against the Atlanta Braves) and Subway Series games (June 22–24) will be available in this presale.  Each Citi cardholder is limited to a maximum of eight tickets per game, subject to availability.

Tickets are available online only, but fans with any questions regarding the presale can call the Mets Ticket Services team at (718) 507-TIXX for assistance. Single game tickets go on sale to the general public Monday, March 5 at 10:00 a.m. online at Mets.com and by phone at (718) 507-TIXX. For complete ticketing information, visit Mets.com.

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Really not much Mets stuff to talk about, we’ve already covered Johan Santana and his left arm, the new dimensions of the outfield walls at Citi Field and Daniel Murphy playing 2^nd base.

We’ve discussed Sandy Alderson on Twitter (@MetsGM), the schedule for Mets bobble head days (no Kranepool bobbler though, sad!) We talked about the pessimistic/optimistic Mets fan, ticket packages, Ike Davis ankle, David Wright’s back and Lucas Duda outfield prowess.

We’ve learned that Josh Lewin will be Howie Rose’s tag team partner in the Mets radio booth, and that John Franco (not Edgardo Alfonzo) will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. The new/old uniforms are back, that’s been discussed and of course the financial state of the Skill Sets and the club has been expounded upon by experts and those who have trouble making change for a dollar.

Just think we’ve discussed, debated and beaten to death these and other subjects about our beloved Metsies even while Super Bowls were won, hockey team looking like Cup Champs and a kid from Harvard has stolen the heart of hoops fans of NYC.

The manager, coaches and many players are in camp. Dispatches with the address Pt. St. Lucie are now showing up on the fish wraps, soon SNY will transmit pictures and sounds of our heroes in action and not a moment too soon as me thinks some of the fan base needs a baseball fix badddddddly.

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Ok, Ok, I get it the Mets are broke and the Skill Sets are in denial as their empire is crumbling all around them, so can all the copycat writers stop with the regurgitation of the Skill Sets financial quagmire please. How the hell can anyone write about the rise and fall of Freddy and Saul after Howard Megdal ,  who has written extensively on this subject, put all the pieces together in his book Wilpon’s Folly. Everything that has been dished out by other writers is just a total rip off of Howard’s hard work. There is without a doubt more honor amongst bloggers than there is among the main stream media.

Let’s set another record straight as well as we get closer to reporting date of spring training. The club that will report to St. Lonesome in a week is not the re-incarnation of the 1962 Mets. They are not the 1986 Mets either.  This is not the worst team in baseball either; right now the Mets are a middle of the pack team. Sure the Mets will be a disadvantage playing in the stacked NL East but after what we’ve seen of this club last year do you really think they are going to lay down or go through the motions? Do you think Terry Collins or Sandy Alderson will tolerate that? While on the subject of Sandy Alderson, Twitter is all a twitter over the GM tweeting some self-depreciating humor about the club; some folks are outraged over the snarky tweets that Alderson has tweeted. I guess those folks just don’t get it, Alderson possess an outstanding dry sense of humor and is using social media as a platform as satire on all the comments about the teams money situation. Got get with the program folks this is the thinking fans GM.

Look, I’d be as happy as any Mets fan is the Skill Sets sold the club and moved on, never to be heard from again but I’ve been rooting for this team for too long and my love of baseball too deep to let their difficulties spoil my summer. As I said in an earlier post I’m rooting for Daniel Murphy and R.A Dickey and after reading the piece in the NY Daily News on Jason Bay, I’ll root hard for him as well. Sure this team pisses me off a lot, I’m mad as hell that the team doesn’t have money for starting pitching depth or a decent left handed bat for the bench but as angry as I am, I can’t wait for the first spring game out of St. Lonesome on SNY.

I have no right to tell people how to spend their money and no one has the right to do that to me, if you feel not going to Citi Field or watching the team on SNY or buying Mets merchandise will drive the Skill Sets out of power, that’s your right but for me not going to Citi Field or watching SNY or listening to games on WFAN or buying a Mets 50^th Anniversary jersey  would just make me fucking miserable (or more fucking miserable than a normal day)it’s what I love to do.

If you want to root against the Skill Sets that’s fine but to root against the Mets and by the Mets I mean the players, coaches and manager, that’s just plain stupid.

Remember all your favorite MSM columnists in this town were ready to burry Tom Coughlin, Jerry Reece and the coaching staff of the NY Football Giants  in December, today they have Coughlin in the Hall of Fame, Reece is a genius and the coaching staff was right to stay the course. Two weeks ago, the media was running Mike D’Antoni out of town on a rail, Melo was out with injury and Amare had a family tragedy to deal with so the Knicks were finished, But, out of nowhere came Jeremy Lin and now the media is ready to kill Melo and Amare if they don’t come back and mesh with the rest of their teammates as Jeremy Lin has brought his Harvard Chemistry Set to turn the 2012 Knicks into 1969 Knicks.  So take note of all the MSM folks who are predicting that the Mets will suck this coming season and when they become the surprise team in MLB, remember who called bullshit first when the fish wraps start comparing Terry Collins to Billy Martin as his “gritty, gutsy”  Mets win more games than they lose.

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Sure there’s a bit of snow today and it’s colder than we’ve been used to this winter but when it comes to trying to get a gauge on the arrival of spring, nothing answers that query like Truck Day.

This coming Monday the truck filled with Mets gear will be packed and headed south to Pt. St Lonesome and as far as I’m concerned it can’t get there soon enough. This off season has been as uninteresting as none I can remember as a Mets fan.  So with spring training just a mere 8 days away we can only hope the day to day workouts and games give this grumpy fan base a spark.

There is a lot of anger amongst the faithful but what worries me is that apathy could overtake that anger, it’s one thing when your fan base has passion both positive and negative but when the folks stop caring then you have a major problem.

The Mets need  to find the baseball version of Jeremy Lin.

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My good buddy Ed “Rusty Jr.” Marcus over at The Real Dirty Mets has a very good column posted this morning on the patients Mets fans will have for the team this coming season. Ed asks the questions will fans show up at Citi Field, if the team gets off to a slow start will fans call for Terry Collins and Sandy Aldersons head and how much more cat calls will we hear from the stands of Citi Field for the Skill Sets to sell? All very good questions.

This off season has been as dormant of any positive Mets news in a long long time. The specter of the Madoff trustee law suit and the teams financial straits have overshadowed any baseball move made by the club as all the moves and non-moves have been money driven. That being said, I can’t wait until training camp opens as we can finally get back to discussing hitting, pitching and defense and hopefully some baseball related story lines.

The die hard “the Mets are in my blood” fan will come out to Citi Field no matter what this coming season brings.  With all the talk of boycotts and protest and insurrection by a part of the fan base, let me say don’t count on me for support. Am I pissed off about the way the Skill Sets have run this franchise and besmirched the good name of the New York Mets? Oh hell yeah! Do I wish they were gone from their seat of power as owner of the team? Double oh hell yeah? But will I abandon my Mets fandom? Infinity hell no!

If Terry Collins can continue to move this team in the direction he has and improve on how they fundamentally play baseball, then this could be a very interesting season. Two major things have to happen for the Mets to play above all expectations this coming season, they must master the fundamentals of baseball and they have to stay healthy, those two aspects of the game will be the difference in whether the dormant Mets fan will come out to Citi Field or will stay home. The Mets do not have the raw talent to be a contender for a division or a wild card berth, but if they limit the mistakes on defense and on the bases along with staying healthy, especially the very fragile starting pitching, the Mets could be the big story of the 2012 baseball season.

If the Mets do become this out of the blue story ,no one in the fan base will give a rat’s ass about the owner. We care about the Skill Sets now because we’re bored and angry, bored because there hasn’t been anything baseball related to discuss thus we’ve started to turn on ourselves (just check out Twitter any afternoon) and angry because we want to have a team we can be proud to call ourselves fans of.  What the Skill Sets have to worry about is that the die hards don’t become the minority among the fan base.

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