Spring Training 2012 - Day 2

Day 2 - March 23, 2012 - No Game

That is correct. I had no game scheduled on Friday. The Mets were playing 2 hours away at Disney World, and I wasn't making the trip. So I went to the back fields where players not on the bus ride were working out (see photos here).

Basically, it was a small group. Wright, Davis, and Bay stretched and went into the empty stadium to hit. They came back out to the practice field later to run. Neither time did they even acknowledge the few fans that came out to see them work. The 4 starting pitchers that weren't involved in Friday's game (Santana, Dickey, Pelfrey, and Gee - Niese pitched in the game at Disney) did some throwing before moving over to field 7 (the one shaped like Citi Field) to take live bunting practice in a minor league game. I did get Mike Pelfrey and Dillon Gee's autographs after they got their throwing in. In these situations, much smaller crowds on non-game Day at the stadium/practice fields, the guys are much better about signing for the fans and taking pictures. There were a couple of relief pitchers, but I lost track of them after their light throwing.

One note about the minor league camp. For the most part, these kids appear to be all mixed together and split up among however-many of the 4 full practice fields playing in games. In the past, there were 3 different uniform shirts that the kids wore (Mets white, gray, and black, but not quite looking like the major league uniforms), each with a name and number on the back. Now, they're all in the new Mets blue BP jerseys with their name and number. Even if I could have made any distinction (if there even was one) based on the jersey, that's gone. But everyone and everything is in the new orange and blue, and it looks awesome.

Anyway, as each of the pitchers headed off the field back to the clubhouse (where there is a gate in the CF fence leading them behind another fence over to the clubhouse, so this is a popular path where they can avoid being very close to the fans), I tried and failed to get any autographs. But after waiting for Johan Santana to come out, which he did in the same way as the others, I saw him standing and talking to the lefty great Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax over by the OF fence of the main stadium. Koufax made his way on a golf cart over towards the minor league complex and the small crowd (maybe 5 of us) got him to stop and sign (but no pictures). He was pretty nice about it.

There really wasn't much more to see than that. The minor leaguers were still playing on the different fields. Mookie Wilson, now a roving instructor for the Mets, was watching one of the games and signing for a few fans. Frank Viola, also in the organization, was there too (but no autograph for me).



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Few and Far Between

I'm back with enough thoughts on the Mets to exceed the limit of a facebook status. Let me go over a few items.

1. Justin Turner, Jose Reyes, and Dillon Gee need to be on the All-Star team. Reyes should be starting at SS for the National League. I think it's been a while since I said the Mets had 3 genuine All-Stars. Carlos Beltran is also worthy of at least being in the conversation as a reserve. I know it's somewhat of a popularity contest, and that most fans outside of New York have never heard of Turner or Gee, but these guys should at least be on the manager's radars for selecting reserves and pitchers. Gee has a shot at having 10 wins by the break, and remember, he didn't start the season in the majors and was out of the Mets rotation for a week or two. Lots of people could say that Turner has been keeping the Mets afloat while Wright and Davis have been out. More on him later. And what can I say about Reyes? He's such a dynamic player having a career year, leading the league in most offensive categories (except nose hair).
2. There was a fan movement about 9 days ago to show the Mets management and ownership (and the media) that fans want Jose Reyes to stay a Met. I absolutely support that effort (short of bloggers who become martyrs aside). I really hope Fred Wilpon and his new best friend got the message. Looking at Reyes's stats, I truly believe Citi Field is the best place for him, and the Mets certainly need a guy like Reyes at the top of their lineup. 3 steps back if they let Reyes go or trade him, and 3 bases forward (and rather quickly and matter-of-factly) if they can lock him up.
3. I really believe the Mets are better off without David Wright. Yes, you heard me right. Wright is wrong, at least for the Mets. And I blame Wright for Ike Davis's injury, but that's besides the point. I'm sure I've said this before, but if David Wright was the "face of the franchise" during these really bad years (from losing in the playoffs in 2006 through 2010), then what leadership has he provided? And I have to say, I like 3/4 of the Mets infield right now - Tejada at 2B, Reyes at SS, and Turner at 3B - and add back Ike Davis at 1B, and I like where this team is going. For Wright, this injury is giving the fans and management a chance to see what life without Wright can be like, and frankly, it's not so bad. It's even refreshing. And this injury is at least delaying the possible trade (or at least serious trade talk) involving Wright.
4. I also like the idea of a Duda-Pagan-Pridie outfield. I'll let you figure out what that all means.
5. I still do not consider the Mets a contender. A few weeks ago, I posted a thought on the facebook page for this blog that I saw a parallel to the 1997 Mets in this year's team (and I think this was after Wright and Davis were already down and out) - new management and a new direction, knowing it realistically will be a couple of years before it all pays off, and knowing that a few of the faces defining this year's club won't be around when it does pay off. I really do believe that Terry Collins has changed the tone in the Mets clubhouse. I think we heard that all the way back in Spring Training. He really was the right man for the job, despite what some people think about some of his on-field decisions. Maybe the Mets will live up to the phrase that I coined in 2009 - "Mets 2012. Rejuvinated at 50!"

And lastly, our thoughts are with Gary Carter as he begins to fight brain cancer. Go Kid!


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