A Post About Nothing

Springtime is here. Birds are chirping. It's finally stopped snowing up north. Daytime temperatures are back to 80 degrees in Florida. But more importantly....the Mets are back in town. The cast of characters is in place. I get more and more excited about Opening Day every time I see pictures from camp.

This post isn't to disparage one (or two) players. I'm enjoying spring and so should you. So here goes nothing:

*R.A. Dickey rides his bike 12 miles to camp every morning. Sometimes he rides home. Sometimes his wife picks him up. Knuckleballers are weird.

*David Wright can't just be the best player. He also has to be the best bowler.

*If Luis Castillo had family issues, why didn't he call Terry Collins and say he had family issues?

*I defended Oliver Perez on Facebook recently. Pigs aren't flying yet, so I guess it's not the end of the world.

*I really like that Terry Collins is getting in there and really helping all of his players. He's everywhere, which is what a manager should be. Maybe I can forgive him for reminding of the high-talker from Seinfeld.

*I was really happy that Mookie got hired as the first base coach (again). Maybe Jose Reyes will steal more bases.

*Speaking of Reyes, I hate his dreadlocks.

*Carlos Beltran will DH until at least March 10. Ummm.....this would be the time to get him adjusted to right field.

*If Brad Eamus wins the second base job, I will still forget his name.

*Hi, Nick Evans!

*I really hope Daniel Murphy gets the second base job. It would be a homegrown infield with Davis, Reyes, Wright....and even Thole!

*More Mets players need to get on Twitter...namely David Wright.

*Although following Fake Fred Wilpon is funny.

*Luis Castillo still gets spooked by the A-Rod popup. Disgust trumps fear. At least if he was disgusted, he would catch the ball more.

And perhaps the most important thing this spring....somewhere, whether it be in sunny Florida or sunny Arizona....Rick Peterson is wearing a jacket.

Mets Blurbs from Around the Interwebs

In news for the sentimental at heart, the Mets have signed Jason Isringhausen to a minor league deal. Isringhausen was drafted by the Mets more than 20 years ago, and was part of Generation K along with Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson. Isringhausen hasn't pitched since 2009, and is also recovering from Tommy John surgery. Chris Capuano, Taylor Buchholz, and now Jason Isringhausen...notice a trend?

The New York Times reports that Donald Trump has expressed interest in buying the team. He confirms that he called Fred Wilpon more than two weeks ago to discuss the potential sale of the team in a face-to-face meeting. The meeting has not happened, and Trump would only be interested in buying a majority stake in the team.

I just want to see Trump fire people "Apprentice" style. I'm crossing my fingers for that reason alone. But in all seriousness, I think if any person had the money to bail out the Mets, and bring in people that want this team to win a pennant, it would be Trump.

That and maybe we Met fans can find out if his hair is real.

Happy Pitchers and Catchers Report Day!

With the mandatory report date of pitchers and catchers, baseball season is here. And with that, the David Wright Strikeout Counter begins. Last year, David struck out 161 times. This year, my over/under is 170. And for those of you who forgot how the David Wright Strikeout Counter works, the rules are as follows:

~The David Wright Strikeout Counter will be divided into two parts: Spring Training and the regular season. The David Wright Strikeout Counter goes back to zero once the regular season begins.

~The David Wright Strikeout Counter is counted using a monetary scale. One dime is allocated per one strikeout (i.e. 10 strikeouts=$1.00).

~If the David Wright Strikeout Counter hits $20.00 in the regular season only, it will be retired for the season. Remember, spring numbers don't count so the numbers in the David Wright (Spring) Strikeout Counter will be thrown away.

~The David Wright Strikeout Counter is supposed to be fun, not looked upon as rooting for failure. For failure, we can look to many more aspects of this team, like Oliver Perez or Luis Castillo.

Happy Counting! (Photo Courtesy of MetsBlog)

Am I the Only One that Doesn't Care?

For the last couple of days, we have seen the coverage on Fred Wilpon's lawsuit with Madoff's trustee, Irving Picard. On top of not understanding what is going on, I really don't care. If I don't know what is going on, it's hard for me to care.

To me, it's just a crap load of the money that the Wilpons lost and Picard doesn't want to admit that Wilpon is a victim in the Ponzi scheme. Maybe Picard didn't see that Forbes put the value of the Mets at -$225 million.

Right now, the liabilities of this team are greater than their gains. Without any gain, it is hard for the front office to be able to pay the players they want on their team. Hence, rumors of the secret shopping of David Wright. Without a decent product on the field, the Mets can't win games. If the Mets don't win games, then fans decide to watch the games in the comfort of their own home....for free. Or at a sports bar, for a lot less money.

The way I see it, the only people suffering here are the fans. The Phillies sign Cliff Lee. The Mets? Boof Bonser. Despite rumors the Mets only had $3-5 million to spend in the offseason, it seems like they spent a lot more than that. The front office promised lower ticket prices and better ticket packages (the 7 pack was absolutely a perfect idea, I have idea why they took it away). But their liabilities are greater than their gains, and I can only see 4 games this season that will sellout at Citi Field: Opening Day, and when the Yankees come to town. And maybe the first game against the Phillies.

All this talk about money and finances makes my head hurt. As long as my precious David Wright is safe from trade rumors, then that's all I care about. You wanna unload a contract? How about the guy who sits in your bullpen for $12 million a year? Or the second baseman with two bum knees? That would be a good start.

Countdown to Pitchers and Catchers: 11