Meaningful March Games Begin On Tuesday

For all you diehard baseball fans, spring training games start this Tuesday March 2nd.  The Mets will play the Braves at 1:10PM and the game will be televised on both SNY and MLBN.  No less than seventeen Mets spring training games will be televised locally in New York.  The long winter of discontent among Mets fans will be ending. 

Of course winning and losing these games is not meaningful.  But the games are still important.  We fans get to evaluate the players and see how they progress as the regular season approaches.  Is Johan Santana healthy and throwing 93MPH again?  There are so many questions about the other starting pitchers too.  Can Mike Pelfrey, and Oliver Perez rebound from poor 2009 seasons?  Will John Maine be healthy and finally come into his own. 

We will also get to see for the first time, our newest star left fielder Jason Bay.  We are counting on Jason to hit at least 30 home runs this season.  But Reyes, Wright, Beltan, and Francoeur must also step up big time.  Only then can the chemistry and camaraderie develop and grow which will enable this team to succeed.

It's hard to believe that all MLB teams play about 30 exhibition games prior to playing 162 regular season games.  That's a lot of games.  But for the diehard fan, it doesn't matter.  The more the merrier. 

Focus On The Field - Mets Baseball

It could be called the winter of discontent for Mets fans.  Many were frustrated every time another free agent signed elsewhere.  But we did get Jason Bay and that's not too shabby.   Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon were constantly getting battered in the media.  Omar being incompetent and Jeff being a liar and a lousy chief of the Mets.

But that's all behind us now.  Spring training has started.  The first exhibition game is this Tuesday.  Yes, baseball is back.  It's finally time to focus on the field.  Who will and won't make the opening day 25 man roster? 

Let's take a look at what's happening down in Port St. Lucie.  Pitchers and catchers had reported last Thursday February 18th.  Many others reported at that time too ahead of schedule.  Carlos Beltran arrived to help support the team even though he will only be rehabbing his knee. 

Morale is starting out very high.  Johan Santana has claimed to be perfectly healthy after his off season elbow surgery.  He quickly announced himself to be the best pitcher in the NL East.  Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez are "in the best shape" of their lives.  Hopefully that will translate into effective pitching.  John Maine is also healthy for the first time since 2007.  They all seem very eager to prove themselves.

Mets players seem to have a new energy and excitement.  They seem pumped and have the energy of rookies.  David Wright of course, wants desperately to rebound from last year's power outage.  Jason Bay seems ready to lead by example.  Jeff Francoeur has that perennial smile. He is planning on being a real force and impact player.  How can you not root for him. 

Mets fans can't even remember what it was like when Jose  Reyes was healthy.  But Reyes is healthy and seems giddy to be back on the field.  As Jose goes, so goes the Mets.  And if he is indeed back at full strength, the Mets should do well.  It will be such a refreshing change from the disaster on the field last year.

Mets fans need to support their team, not booing at every failure.  And no more negativity about our owners and GM.  We fans will be focused on the field.  Hopefully our second season at Citifield will be one for the record books.

Danny Baseball Is Back

I'm back.  It's been a good winter.  Best news is that Spring is less than one month away.   Baseball is back.  Actually baseball was never gone.  Hot  Stove baseball was going on all winter long.

So what have I been doing?  A lot of things actually.  Firstly, I've been doing my physical therapy for both of my shoulders and both of my knees.  This is in preparation for the upcoming 48+ baseball season.  I rehabbed a partially torn rotator cuff last season and was able to throw pain free.  That's a major accomplishment.  The problem was that I caught like 15 out of our 18 games, and by the end of the season my knees were totally shot.  My right knee is better, but my left one is still hurting.  I still hope to catch this season, at least half the time.

I've decided to step down as Manager and G.M of the Mariners.  It was too much stress and I don't like stress.  I've worked hard to reduce my level of stress.  Now I can just play ball, bring my own equipment bag and have a lot of fun.

I've also been writing for Mets Merized Online  
It's a Mets fans blog.  I've had my articles posted once or twice a week.  Check it out.  Click on "Authors" and my name will pop up first on the list.  And you can read all my stuff.  I'd like to think that I have some Mets Merized fans who like my stuff quite a bit.  But I know for sure that I have my critics too.  I wouldn't want it any other way.

I've been reading quite a bit too.  I'm into non-fiction/historical fiction.  Ted Kennedy's autobiography was a great book.  So was the Harry Truman biography by David McCullough.  I've read a bunch of baseball books too:  "Seasons in the Sun", by Roger Kahn, and "Eight Men Out", by Eliot Asinov - to name two.  Now I'm reading the classic by James Michener, "Alaska".

More about me and more about baseball to come all spring and summer long.  And don't forget to look for my stuff at Metsmerizedonline.com.

Danny