“In my opinion and why I took him out of the game, he wasn’t getting hurt. I’m not accusing anybody of the possibility of retaliation, but I don’t blame the umpires for doing what they did. I don’t blame the other team for any perception of what happened. But I got news for you, in this game there are unwritten rules, and one of the unwritten rules is if you hit my guy, I’m hitting your guy, and you’re not hitting my guy tonight.”
Terry went on to say that David said “if anybody is going to get hit I want it to be me”, and the Mets Manager replied saying “I’m sorry it isn’t going to be you.

After the move was made in between innings David became visibly upset and engaged in a verbal disagreement with his manager in the dugout. I don’t know exactly what was said during the exchange but it appeared that David was not a happy camper.
David returned from the clubhouse shortly thereafter and went over to his manager to offer what appeared to be an explanation for his actions and why he felt the way he did.

This was great in my opinion. You don’t see this type of emotion from David all that often, and for him to get this upset over a situation like this, just goes to show that he has taken the leadership role on this club very seriously.

This was all over the “potential” for him to get hit, due to the eye for an eye unwritten rule in baseball. You protect your own, especially your stars and David wants to own that. He knows that he is the star of this club, and if their star gets hit, he would be the target of the Brewers pitchers. He did not want anyone else to have to take it on the chin because he was pulled from the game.

David is coming into his own, both as a leader and as a return to the all-star form from a few years ago. It’s May 16th and he is batting over .400, can we get this man a new contract already!

Most sports fan never bet on a baseball games.  In fact, many sports fans could not even decipher a baseball game line.   How many football fans have never bet a football game?  The first question you have when discussing baseball, is the two pitchers on the mound for that matchup.  With football, it invariably always comes back to the spread.  Call me naïve, but I’ve never heard a baseball fan say “can you believe the Yanks are 12 to 5 favorites today.”

If you include fantasy sports into the equation, the scale tips strongly in baseball’s favor.   How many of us have sat through a torturous AFC North battle because we have Ray Rice or Ben Roethlisberger.  Anyone who plays fantasy football knows exactly what I mean.  This wildly skews the television ratings.  Half the people watching these games would have permanent loss of vision, or lose their dinner, if they were watching for the game itself.

The inspirational and childlike joy that a baseball fan gets upon stepping out of the tunnel, and seeing that green grass, cannot be replicated in any other sports.  No football field in the world can duplicate that emotion.  It’s like a step back in time when life was much simpler.

Baseball is your wife. It’s something you look forward to after a long day, and know it will be there for you. Football is your mistress. After a 3 hour romp once a week, it’s not something you crave again the next day.  Baseball is your Mom’s home baked brownies.  Football is the Tiramisu you paid $13 for.  Baseball is something that keeps you company during an afternoon nap.  Football is something that keeps you and your Bud Light company.  Baseball is home.  Football is a 5 star hotel.  At the end of the day where would you rather be?

As crazy as Francisco Rodriguez was, he was still a top level closer and despite his high wire act most nights, he usually got the job done. There were also nights were he was just unhittable and even stretches of games where he would pitch 4 days in a row without being touched.

So far Francisco has just not been very reliable. You want to see an ugly stat line for a closer just take a look Frankie’s numbers below.

He has saved 8-10 games so far, which is not terrible considering what we have seen around baseball early on. Heath Bell lost his closers role, and teams like Cincinnati, the White Sox and the Dodgers have major issues in the pen. But Francisco was brought in to be the closer, and was given decent money to do so, 2 years and $12 Million to be exact. I just really wish that Alderson would have just given him a 1 year deal, or at least have made the second an option or performance based. I have to say the early return on this move might be the first mistake Alderson has made as Mets GM, but it is still very early to judge.

Francisco has really been inconsistent to say the least. If this continues I just don’t see any way he can stay the closer long term. If this team is going to be competitive then he needs to be competitive as well. Allowing 24 base runners in just 13 innings is not going to get the job done.

We all know that Terry hold players accountable, and he will not sit idly and let one player lose games for us. Francisco better get his act together or we may begin to see some changes to the back end of our bullpen.

We all know about Chris Young and his return from rehab. He may be the first one back to get a shot at the open rotation spot, and if he is it will be a great improvement over what we have seen so far. Young has always been a very good pitcher when he is on the mound, it’s just the fact that he is always on the DL instead. I was very critical of the Mets brining him back this season because I just didn’t see the point at the time. I wanted to bring in some other guys who weren’t injury prone, but I guess I can just eat my words now. I will just be happy he is returning so I don’t have to see the junk we have had to see man the 5^th spot over the past few weeks.

Aside from Chris Young there is a much more exiting option on the horizon. His name is Jenrry Mejia, remember him? To be honest I had really forgotten about him, not really, but I was not counting on him as an option to start this season in the Majors.

Thankfully I was wrong and the Mets brass were waiting and hoping he would be the first of the young talented arms to get a shot. He is still rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery, but all reports are that the 22-year-old is way ahead of schedule.

Mejia made his first start of his rehab for St. Lucie and it was a good one. He was clocked anywhere from 91-95 with his fastball. He went 5 innings, allowing just 2 earned on 4 hits while striking out 1.

The Mets plan to evaluate Mejia after 4 rehab starts to see he can contribute to the Major League Club as a starting pitcher, although many still believe his future will be as a reliever.

I can’t wait to see him back in action, and I am hopeful that he can return before Chris Young does. I want to see the kids pitch. What are your thoughts?

Some but not all of the players who we are seeing in the lineup this season are part of the solution. The others may not be part of the problem but that doesn’t mean that they are going to help up contend for a championship either.

This team as presently constituted is full of hungry players looking to make a name for themselves. Aside from guys like David Wright and Johan Santana, none of these players are proven. They are looking to build a career in the Majors, whether that is with the Mets or somebody else.

I am not sitting here and saying that I am happy to see some people get injured, but their absence has opened the door for some young players to showcase their talent.

Andres Torres and Jason Bay’s injuries opened the door for us to see what we had in Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Mike Pelfrey going down may have paved the way for us to (hopefully) see some of our young arms. Now Ruben Tejada lands himself on the DL and we get to see what we have in Jordanny Valdespin.

Not all of these guys will be here next year. Their showcases now may prove they are here for he long-term, or they could intrigue some other teams who are looking to fill a certain position and may contact the Mets to try to work out a deal.

Nothing but good can come from all of this and I am ecstatic to get to see what we have in our young players. Hopefully we will get to see a lot more of them as the season goes along.

First, Johan Santana was throwing 92-94 in Minnesota, however after the trade and extension with the Mets he is now throwing 88-92. With K-Rod he was throwing 95-96 in Anaheim and now throws 89-90 on a regular basis. Finally, we all know the story with Ollie…let’s just not talk about him. Anyway, I know time is a factor, but none of these pitchers were old enough that their velocity should have been decreasing.

What I am questioning is how the Mets sign so many players that have an instant drop in velocity after signing the contract. If you look a Ramon Ramirez this season, he was throwing his sinker at 93-94 last year and had an ERA under 3 and now he is throwing at 88 with an ERA over 4.

There has to be a reason whether it is just players getting older, their mentality, or it could be mechanical. The problem here is not home-grown players such as Bobby Parnell, it is only the players we are bringing via Free Agency or through trades. There could be a reason, or it could just be coincidence…we just have to wait and see.

The organization heard the sentiments of the fans and set out to make it feel more like the home of the Mets. They added pictures, banners and Mets color throughout the inside and outside of the ball park. They added the Mets hall of fame that is a shrine to the Mets greats as well as the great moments in the franchises history.  All of these little changes made fans feel like this park belonged to the Mets.

Now with the outfield walls that were once black and Orange being changed to Mets blue it feels much more like home. The blue walls give the feel of Shea Stadium, as does the nice touch of the walk bridge that is named the “shea Bridge”.

The only thing that could make Citi Field the true home of the Mets is to start to create some memorable playoff moments. Until that happens this park will not officially be broken in and have the same feel that good old Shea did.

1. I think we have seen enough of Manny Acosta. He has his moments, but he really is just a guy that should come in during garbage time. Keith Hernandez put it best the other day when he said “Acosta should not be in when the game is close”.

2. I know Alderson was looking for a cheap alternative at closer when he signed Frank Francisco. I was not against the signing when it happened, I was really just happy they made a move. But the more I see this guy it is painfully clear why he has never been a full-time closer. He is just not that good, and giving him 2-$12 million was a mistake. A 1 year deal would have been good enough and then if you pitched well you could have re-signed him.

3. Ramon Ramirez has been a disaster so far. I was so excited when they acquired him for Angel Pagan, and I talked about him being the best reliever on the staff. I said he would be in line to close games should Francisco struggle. But with the way he has pitched so far, he is not in line, he really should be on the bench.

4. The 5th spot in the rotation looks like it’s going to be a revolving door all season. I have no confidence in Chris Young staying healthy, so that just leaves the options we have seen thus far. Alderson has made it clear that he will not rush any young arms for a short-term fix. So that just means we will get to see a lot of Jeremy Hefner, Chris Young and probably some more Miguel Batista. I can’t wait….

5. The sweep in Houston was an embarrassment. I know the so-called “experts” believed we were near that bottom with the likes of the Astros, but that was not how we had played over the first 20 games. As bad as we are and as bad as we think we have it, just taking one look at Houston’s roster makes you realize it could be much worse. We can not let opportunities like that slip away. We will have to play enough tough opponents that might sweep us, we can’t afford to have that happen when we are playing one of the few teams we are actually better than.

1. Zack Wheeler – AA-Binghamton Mets

Best Start: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

Wheeler is debated by many regarding his standing as the Mets top prospect. Many people think it’s Harvey, but the consensus appears to be split between the two. Wheeler is said to have the best pure stuff in the Mets system. Not bad for a guy they basically stole from the pitching heavy Giants for a two month rental of Carlos Beltran. Thus far early in the season Wheeler has delivered on the promise as he has completely dominated for Binghamton. He likely won’t make his debut this season, but if he continues on this track a 2013 sighting is a very real possibility.

2. Matt Harvey – AAA-Buffalo Bisons

Best Start: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Harvey has recently been talked a lot about in regards to a promotion to the Majors. The talk has mainly come up as a result of Pelfrey’s Tommy John Surgery, and has all come from the media. The Mets have little depth and that is the main reason for the talk of Harvey coming up, but that is not going to happen. He has struggled out of the gate this season, and the Mets will not rush him in any way.

3. Jeurys Familia – AAA-Buffalo

Best Start: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Familia has struggled the most of the big 3 so far. He has not had a start of 6 innings yet this season, and in his 5 starts he has only completed 5 innings twice. Many people believe that there is a chance he could end up as a bullpen arm at some point. He has his chance to prove that he can be a starter in the Majors. With a vacant spot in the Mets rotation up for grabs this season, a string of dominating starts from Familia could mean he’s the first to get the call.

4. Darin Gorski – AA-Binghamton

Best Start: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

The little known lefty named Darin Gorski quietly put together one of the best years by a Mets minor league starter during the 2011 season as he led the Florida State League in ERA. To start out the 2012 season no other starter aside for Wheeler has pitched better. Gorski is a guy who could potentially be an option if he continues to pitch at this level. I have no delusions of him being a top pitcher for the Mets, but he may be able to fill the 5th starter void.

Now I am not saying that the Mets plan on rushing these guys because they won’t. Sandy Alderson is well aware that this team is not likely to contend for a World Series despite the hot start. However, if the plan in Sandy’s mind was to bring these guys up later in the season, maybe after a deadline trade of a starter, or as a September call up, I wonder if it could be sooner now with Pelf’s injury.

Both Familia and Harvey have struggled out of the gate in Triple-A, and if they don’t right things this won’t even matter. But, if they begin to dominate as they did last season I have to believe that we could possibly see one of these guys in June or July, especially if some of the other fill-ins don’t pan out and we are still winning ball games at that point.

I am a proponent of these guys getting their seasoning in the minors, but if they are showing they need a bigger challenge by mid-season, then why not bring them up.  You don’t really know what is going to happen as the season goes along, but I do not expect these guys to be rushed no matter what happens. If the Mets are in contention, and could use someone to fill a spot in the rotation where someone isn’t getting the job, I am very curious to see if Sandy makes the move to one of the kids.

I think we will see one of these guys in the rotation by July. I don’t expect a guy like Chris Schwinden to keep his spot, and I have no expectations for Chris Young. Someone like Dillon Gee could see his spot in jeopardy as well if he continues to struggle. The Mets will not give up an opportunity to fill the stadium if this team stays in the race, and that is not out of the realm of possibility with the 2^nd wild card now in play.

It will be very interesting to see what will happen, lets hope that it is a discussion later in the season because that means were still in it.