John Maine - Looking strong Photo by Jimmy Russotto	David Wright - tough day Photo by Jimmy Russotto

Armed with my Mets baseball jacket, my Mets socks and Johan Santana authentic jersey, your intrepid reporter descended upon Roger Dean Stadium in sunny Jupiter, Florida today to watch the Mets take on the local Florida Marlins.

Just a few exits north of my exclusive digs in West Palm Beach, the actual site was easily accessible, as was the parking, and all for just $7.  Then, deftly dodging scalpers all the way, I was able to procure a bleacher seat for just $13 more.  So far, so good.  A Good Samaritan from Canada (do we have any left) guided me in this effort, not only advising me on the seat but also pointing the way to a great mezzanine seat behind first base. 

Before you could say "Jackie Robinson" (if that's still PC these days), I had opened up my Mets pen and pad set, and settled in with a nice cold brew.  Ahh, this was a Mets game the way the baseball gods no doubt intended, a thousand or so miles away from New York.  Sunny day, no traffic, no construction, unobtrusive security (she actually smiled), and no pushy ushers, dirty rag in one hand, the other quite visibly extended.  The only thing missing now was some good baseball.

And, if you could manage to keep track of all the pitching changes, good baseball is just what the thousand or so fans and I got.  John Maine started for my blue team and he looked pretty good, nice velocity, good control, and, if I may say so, was a more confident-looking John Maine than was the 2007 version.   There were, of course, a lot of new faces, but some old reliables were in the house, including Jose Reyes at short, David Wright at third and Ramon Castro behind the plate.

Willie was there too, of course, looking well-rested and strangely Piniella-like in his bearing.  (Maybe it's a Yankee thing).  After what could only be termed a debacle of 2007, it was good to see no lingering affects on the manager or his team.  This was spring baseball at its finest, close your eyes and you could almost see a crazy Aussie exclaiming "No worries"!

The game itself was tied at two apiece going into the ninth, when the erstwhile Mets blew it open with a barrage of singles and even one impressive ground-rule double to right center by Richard Lucas, still another third baseman.  This onslaught came against the fifth or sixth Marlins hurler brought forth on this fine afternoon, no-names all.

Anderson Hernandez, Jose Pagan, Daniel Murphy, Reuben Tejeda and Raul Casanova all contributed singles in the rally, and this club appears loaded with slap-hitters with speed. That might make Mr. Randolph happy, but I’d surely like to see some power once the season does get started.  With Carlos Delgado out with a hip problem, Shawn Green traded and Moises Alou pushing 41 or 42 years of age, I’m not sure where the hitters are.  Lastings Milledge, well, no, he was traded too.

 

It certainly appears that this Mets team will have to get to the Series with pitching and defense.  Some of today’s relief pitchers looked good, Jorge Sosa and Pedro Feliciano from last year, but also Matt Wise, a Brian Stokes and an Andy Cavazos.  Speed was quite evident today as well, with Tejeda and Hernandez picking up a couple of stolen bases. 

 

I’m sure I’ll feel better once I can see Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez struttin’ their stuff.  Those two aces, combined with John Maine and Oliver Perez, surely make up the best starting four in the National League.  El Duque may pull some strong appearances out of his rather aging hat too, but I’d rather see Willie put the ball in Pelfrey’s hand more often than not.

 

Duaner Sanchez’s return helps me believe that skimpy leads will likely be held for Billie Wagner.  But I don’t necessarily look forward to a Mets team that looks more like the San Diego Padres or, God forbid, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

 

Oh well, it’s still early.  But this lineup looks a bit weak.  Will I feel worse if I head over to Yankees camp over in Tampa?  I think the likes of  Arod, Jeter, Abreu, et al could put me in an absolute funk. Even bright and sunny Florida will be hard-pressed to bring that smile back.  What if my Mets jacket or Santana authentic jersey get stolen down here? 

 

The smile returns when I think of Carlos Beltran though.  He’s one of the real x-factors this year.  He may finally be healthy.  That alone is a scary thought for Mets opponents, but a Beltran more well-adjusted to New York and its crazy fandom may just put them over the edge.

 

Ah, the spring!  What should I do tomorrow?  I could run over to St Lucie where the Mets take on Joe Torre and the Dodgers, or, if I feel lazy, I could just catch the Marlins take on the Cards tomorrow night.  The specter of that match up, though, got me thinking about visiting the West Palm Beach zoo.  Tony LaRussa.  Ugh!!

 

There will be a nice Mets-Indians match-up on Friday.  Imagine watching old C.C.Sabathia in that battered cap tilted sideways facing his old American League opponent, Johan Santana!!  Could it happen?  Nah, it’s not my birthday !