Things to Look Forward to this Season

After talking to my brother, he still thinks that this season is gonna suck for the Mets. Actually, a lot of people think that this season is gonna suck for the Mets. Me? I don't think it's gonna be pretty, but I don't think it can get any worse than it got last year. Last year's team was a team that couldn't string together three wins in a row if their life depended on it. No, really. I have the pocket schedule to prove it.

After thinking about it for a while, I have come up with a few things that make me look forward to this season. With 15 days until pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie, baseball is getting closer and closer and I find myself excited. Why? I thought you'd never ask:

1. We now employ a manager who can speak in coherent sentences. By hiring Terry Collins, we finally can say goodbye to mumbling press conferences and quietly snicker to ourselves as we can't help but to think Collins reminds us of the high talker from Seinfeld.

2. David Wright can finally get back to being David Wright. David did pretty okay for himself last season being the only "real" bat in the lineup. A lineup of Bay, Beltran, Wright never got to fruition last season, but with some of the pressure off of Wright, I am expecting he will perform better.

3. Two more years of R.A. Dickey! Dickey was the highlight of last season, our team MVP. Towards the end of 2010, he was the only pitcher I could rely on to get the win. This is his year to prove that last year wasn't a fluke.

4. Bring on the Phillies. As much as I hate the Philadelphia Phillies, I do enjoy the rivalry. Sure, they may have picked up Cliff Lee. Sure, they have the two Roys (Halladay and Oswalt) and Cole Hamels, but they lost perhaps their biggest Met-killer in Jayson Werth, who is now employed by the Nationals (darn....). Three words: Bring. It. On.

5. The possibility of a home-grown infield. Assuming Daniel Murphy beats Luis Castillo for the second base job, the entire Mets infield will be made up of home-grown players. And that's not even mentioning Josh Thole. I know for me, I'd rather see an infield of Wright, Reyes, Murphy, and Davis. Maybe Murph is the second baseman of the future....as long as he remembers to use both hands when catching a pop fly ball hit by Alex Rodriguez.

Now that I brought up the possibility of a home-grown infield, I really hope it happens. The only thing that has to happen is that Luis Castillo gets a bum knee. Or two. And for Daniel Murphy to be ready to play the position. That is also key.

Countdown to Pitchers and Catchers: 15