LeBron James Will Not be a Met

Despite a full court press by Bobby Bonilla, Vince Coleman, Alex Cora and Chico Escuela, Lebron James has decided to remain in the NBA and join the Miami Heat vice taking a run at a baseball career with the Mets.

"The Mets made me a very attractive offer--very attractive--but at the end of the day, staying true to myself and humble was my only option, so I decided to leave my hometown and join the Heat," said LeBron.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel had grandiose plans for James and was visibly upset with the announcement, "I thought pairing him with The Animal would pay huge dividends, and lord knows we need some bullpen help. I just hope Carlos Beltran can make up for this a bit when he returns."

The Mets can now return their focus on the first-place Atlanta Braves, who come to Citi Field tonight for a key three game series leading into the All-Star break. With a sweep the Mets can tie the Braves.

Strange and Wonderful Days at Citi Field

Yesterday was both a strange and wonderful day at Citi Field.

The Mets split a doubleheader with the Padres--in game 1 the Ace, Johan santana struggled.  In game 2, Jonathan Niese was one swing away from a perfect game.

There was also a triple play, a finger by some cretin named Lady Gaga, 4 strikeouts by David Wright, 4 hits on his birthday from Jose Reyes, a Henry Blanco homerun, and a whipped cream pie to the face of Niese from Angel Pagan.

Artwork courtesy of the wonderul Joe Petruccio

Niese (3-2) struck out six and walked none. He was sheer brilliance and only needed 108 pitches for the complete game, 1-hit, shutout.

"Ever since I came off the DL, I haven't felt anything," said Niese. "Before that, I felt some lingering soreness. When I went on the DL, I got some rest and it's paid off."

Ollie who?

Good Morning Mets Fans!

How sweep it is!

After taking the first two games in relatively easy fashion, the Mets used the hot bat of Jeff Francoeur, and the positive energy of skipper Jerry Manuel, to come back from a 5-0 deficit and complete the sweep of their Florida rivals.

The Mets fell behind on another sub-par outing by Takahashi, who gave up two long balls yesterday and  did not look sharp, especially after the first time through the order.  Not willing to quit, the Mets chipped away and benefited by Fredi Gonzales strange deicion to pull Ricky Nolasco after only 82 pitches.

That move ignited the Mets.

Jeff Francoeur is hot---boiling hot--at the plate, and he proved his mettle again yesterday with a tying, three-run homer in the seventh inning.  It was the big blow that keyed two rallies that put the Mets on top and upped their home winning streak to 8 games.

"I know this is a big yard but I knew I got that one," said Francoeur, who is batting .500 (18 for 36) during his 10-game hitting streak. "I was sure nothing was going to stop it."

Prior to the Francoeur bomb, Angel Pagan demonstrated why he has become one of the most valuable men in the lineup.  Pagan smoked a two-run single in the sixth and scored the go-ahead run when Ike Davis grounded into a double play in the eighth.

"Right now our offense is a lot better than three or four weeks ago," Pagan said. "We can do more things and I think this comeback helps us. ... We just kept fighting."

David Wright chipped in with 3 hits and continues to mash.  His strikeouts are down, and he is driving the ball with authority.

The Mets are now 18-4 in their last 22 games at Citi Field. They have the best home record in baseball, including 22 home wins.

"This was one of those games that tests your character," catcher Rod Barajas said. "That tells you what you're all about. That was an awesome win being down 5-0 early."

The Mets also received a big boost from their skipper.  I've been tough on Jerry all year, but he definitely out-managed his counterpart yesterday. Manuel kept the team positive, and he also put Angel Pagan in motion on a key full-count pitch to Bay, with great results as Bay stroked a single that sent Pagan to third, where he ultimately scored the key run.

"We've been taking chances and our baserunners are making good reads," Manuel said. "We felt like if it's a breaking ball we might get a stolen base. The only thing you worry about is hitting a line drive at somebody, but with people moving around it's a lot harder to hit a line drive at someone. If you do, you just tip your cap."

The bullpen, for the most part, did their job.  Igarashi had a rough time of it, but Elmer Dessens, Pedro Feliciano and Frankie Rodriguez were all up for the task.

Feliciano got the win, to go 2-2 on the year, and Frankie picked up his 12th save of the year.

The Mets are off today and face the Padres at home tomorrow.  We all get a chance to breathe and enjoy our coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida (28-30)	0	0	0	1	0	4	1	0	0	6	10	0
N.Y. Mets (30-27) «	0	0	0	0	0	3	3	1	x	7	12	2

Player of the Game

New York
J. Francoeur	AB	4
	R	1
	H	2
	HR	1
	RBI	3

 Related articles

• Post Game: Mets 7 Marlins 6 (metsblog.com)
• Mets 7, Marlins 6: Mets Win With a Rare Display of Power (nytimes.com)

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Hey, the kids are alright after all.

Jonathon Niese was absolutely dominant yesterday in leading ythe Mets to their 9th win in the last 13 games.  In another good sign, David Wright went yard, and Ike Davis smoked 4 hits.

When it was all said and done, the Mets had a 6-1 win over the rival Marlins, and the energy level of the team appears to be peaking.  It was the Mets seventh straight home victory.

David Wright has 3 RBIs on the day and looked extremely comfortable at the plate.  His homerun was an absolute bomb and sent the Citi Field faithful into a frenzy.   Jeff Francoeur, who has really hit the ball well of late, chipped in with an RBI single and newcomer Ruben Tejada, who looks like a real talent, stroked a run-scoring double.

The real story of the day was Jonathan Niese.  He had pinpoint control, changed speeds, and was locked in on every batter.  He worked quickly and looked like he could have easily completed the game if not for the fact that he was coming back from injury.  Fox cut to a camera angle of Niese and Jerry Manuel in the dugout after Jerry let Niese know he was done for the day, and you could see Niese plead for one more inning...the kid is a gamer.

The struggling bullpen came on and finished it off in fine fashion.  Jenrry Mejia and Fernando Nieve each tossed a scoreless frame, and Mejia had great life on his pitches.

The Mets are the best home team in baseball.

"If you watch us play at home, I expect us to win the division," Francoeur said. "We've accepted we're going to play to our advantage with this field."

David Wright now has 10 HRs on the year, and if not for the high K rate, we'd be talking about his solid numbers.  He is back on a hot streak and pulling the ball with authority.

"This really is a park that you have to be able to hit the ball down the lines," Wright said. "I don't really consider myself that good of a pull hitter. I like to try to stay up the middle. It felt good to be able to pull the ball and then the next at-bat be able to stay on the ball and go up the middle. So hopefully that's a good sign."

Ike Davis was actually using Jeff Francoeur's bat in the game, and the results were spectacular.

"I just felt good today swinging the bat," Davis said. "Been working on some things, just slowing it down a little bit. Happened to find the barrel a couple times. It feels good to find some grass out there." 

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida (28-29)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	7	0
N.Y. Mets (29-27) «	0	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	x	6	10	0

Players of the Game

New York I. Davis AB 4 R 3 H 4 HR 0 RBI 1

New York J. Niese IP 7.0 H 6 ER 1 BB 1 K 6

Related articles by Zemanta

• Niese, Davis Lead Mets to Win Over Marlins at Citi Field (bleacherreport.com)
• Mets 6 - Marlins 1 June 5, 2010 (metsreport.com)
• Jon Niese Returns to Mound, As Mets Go for Series Against Marlins (bleacherreport.com)
• Niese sharp in return from DL for Mets (cbssports.com)

Mets Cap Off Amazing Comeback Win

In what was the game of the year thus far, the Mets came back to beat the Nationals 8 to 6 in Citi Field.

The game started off poorly for the Mets, with Jonathan Niese giving up a three-run blast to Adam Dunn to put his team behind.

The Mets had plenty of chances to score early, but double play after double play killed the rallies, and the Mets were behind 6-2 in the bottom of the 8th.At one point in the game the Mets were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

Yes, it was that bad.

And then the magic happened...

12 men came to the plate, and 6 scored.

The New and Improved Rod Barajas, "Now with even more A-Has!" double off the leftfield wall to tie the game at 6.

After a beautiful bunt single by Alex Cora, the newest Met, Chris Carter, stroked a line drive single to right to give the Mets the lead.  Jason Bay walked with the bases loaded to give the Mets their 8th and final run.

Frankie Rodriguez came on to close it in the 9th, and after getting two quick outs, the magic of Ike "Money" Davis resurfaced for the third time.

Davis made another unbelievable catch by diving into the dugout and flipping over as he was caught by a half dozen teammates, coaches and trainers.

After the first two of these spectacular plays, the bench now stands ready anytime Ike approaches.  The young first baseman is more acrobatic than a 4 foot 6 female Chinese gymnast, and he once again stuck the landing to take home the gold medal.

It was just a terrific comeback all around, and we saw solid, and much needed, hitting from Jason Bay and David Wright.

The Mets play the Nats tomorrow afternoon to finish the series.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco were afterthoughts this past off-season as they played second banana to the Benjie Molina.  If they were a musical duo, they'd have been called Garfunkel and Oates.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum, and the fans that fill the forum known as Citi Field are certainly grateful

Henry Blanco took a cue from Rod Barajas and blasted the Mets to victory in the 11th inning--this just one day after Barajas hit his walkoff bomb.

Blanco's blast enabled the Mets to win their 9th consecutive home game and sent the fan faithful home with a lot to cheer about.

"That was exciting to see Henry come up and hit that home run," manager Jerry Manuel said. "We swung the bats well the last couple of innings but I was wondering where we were going to get some runs."

"It was a fastball pretty much right down the middle but I never thought it was going to go out," Blanco said, "so I just keep running hard and see if I can make a triple. But I guess it went out."

Johan Santana pitched a strong game, going into the 8th inning on a very reasonable pitch count.  When two men singled their way on board in the 8th, Jerry Manuel made the switch to the bullpen with nearly disastrous results.  The bullpen couldn't hold on to Santana's 4-3 lead, and the Giants tied it on RBI single off Pedro Feliciano by Aubrey Huff.

I tend to beat up on Jerry's handling of the pitching staff, and yesterday was no different.  You have your ace on the mound, in the 8th, at 101 pitches, and an overworked bullpen.  In that situation the best move was to leave Santana in; instead Jerry goes to Nieve and Feliciano, both of whom are on pace to pitch in well over 100 games.  They gave up back to back singles and the lead was lost.

Enough is enough Jerry...the well is not endless, and when the Mets start playing back to back games of 10 or more, as the upcoming schedule shows, you're not going to have the guys you need because of all this ridiculous early season overuse.

That said, there was a lot of good news from the bullpen.  After Mejia recorded the final out of the 8th, Frankie Rodriguez came on and pitched two very strong innings.  Then Takahashi, the crafty Japanese import came on in the top of the 11th and once again pitched brilliantly.  He got the win thanks to Blanco, and afterward, he called Barajas and Blanco "My big brothers." 

It was another win in what is looking more and more like a very competitive and hard fought NL East.  The Mets are showing a lot of heart and grit--they are an easy team to root for.

Just imagine this club with Carlos Beltran.

Scoreboard
Final 11th	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
San Francisco (17-12)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	4	10	0
N.Y. Mets (17-13) «	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	7	0

Player of the Game

New York
H. Blanco	AB	5
	R	1
	H	3
	HR	1
	RBI	1

Enjoy your coffee!

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• Blanco HRs in 11th; Mets' home win streak at 9 (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
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• Mets 5 - Giants 4 May 8, 2010 (metsreport.com)
• Blanco sends Mets home happy with homer in 11th (cbssports.com)
• Note: about Rod Barajas, His Hand, and The Clutch (metsblog.com)

Jason Bay Can Right the Ship This Weekend

Jason Bay has struggled in May to the tune of a .111 BA, .190 OBP, .111 Slg, and .301 OPS in 18 at-bats.

Fortunately for Mets fans the team is home this weekend and facing a club with a pitching staff that Bay has crushed throughout his career.

Here's what he's done against the Giants staff in his career:

PITCHER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Todd Wellemeyer	16	3	0	0	2	5	0	8	.188	.222	.563	.785
Guillermo Mota	6	3	0	0	2	3	0	2	.500	.500	1.500	2.000
Barry Zito	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.400	.400	.400	.800
Matt Cain	5	4	1	0	0	1	2	0	.800	.857	1.000	1.857
Jonathan Sanchez	3	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.333	.500	.333	.833
Tim Lincecum	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.333	.333	.333	.667
Jeremy Affeldt	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.500	.667	.500	1.167
Brandon Medders	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	.500	1.000
Brian Wilson	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.500	.000	.500
Totals	43	16	1	0	4	9	5	14	.372	.440	.674	1.114

Those numbers alone have to make you smile, but there is another important point--Bay has hit well in Citi Field thus far.

On the year he has a .309 BA, .433 OPS, .545 Slg and .978 OPS in 55 Citi Field at-bats.

If the weekend goes as the numbers predict, Bay is back, and with a vengeance.

The Mets Want Your Feedback on Citi Field Tours

I took the survey, and it truly does take less than 5 minutes...they are trying to gauge interest in Citi Tours and what would be a reasonable amount to charge.

For the record, I put $10.


Dear Mets Fan:

As a loyal Mets fan, you are our most important customer. For that reason, you have been selected for this brief, five minute online survey regarding your interest in Citi Field tours.

  Start the Survey   

We appreciate your time, and your feedback is important to us. We look forward to further enhancing your Mets experience.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Good Morning Mets Fans!

A 9-1 homestand does wonders for your confidence.

It also helps push a team up in the standings, and in the case of our beloved Mets, it pushed them all the way from last to first.

The Mets, at 13-9, are a half game up in the NL East, and they now own the 3rd best record in the National League and the 6th best record in baseball.

There are many reasons for the team's success, including fantastic starting pitching, a dominant bullpen, an awakening offense, and a shot in the arm from the newest Met.

Ike Davis has impressed his teammates as much as he's impressed the fans.

“He’s given us a shot in the arm,” David Wright said. “He solidifies a pretty good lineup.”

“He’s been a good major league player,” Jason Bay said. “You wouldn’t know he’s been here a week.”

Luis Castillo remains the most consistent Met.  He has reached base safely in each of his starts, and his OBP continues to climb.

Jason Bay and David Wright have found their strokes, and each man found the gap at Citi Field with consistency over the past few games.  David Wright's OBP sits at .438, and Jason Bay is at .387.

But more than anything its been the pitching.

For all the crap Omar Minaya takes, I will once again state that the man put together a world-class bullpen anchored by one of the best closers in the game.

Toss in the mastery of Pedro Feliciano and a deep bunch of setup men for Jerry to leverage, and it's easy to see why a one run lead is often enough.  These guys are getting the job done and then some.

So we all take a breather today...read, rest, re-energize, and then head to Philly tomorrow to keep the mojo going.

It sure feels good to be a Mets fan right now--enjoy your coffee!

National League
EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
NY Mets	13	9	.591	-	11-5	2-4	96	72	+24	Won 7	9-1
Philadelphia	12	9	.571	.5	3-3	9-6	114	90	+24	Won 1	4-6
Washington	12	10	.545	1	7-6	5-4	93	107	-14	Won 2	6-4
Florida	11	11	.500	2	5-5	6-6	106	103	+3	Lost 2	4-6
Atlanta	8	13	.381	4.5	5-4	3-9	77	91	-14	Lost 8	2-8

Good Morning Mets Fans!

5 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, zero RBIs, one run...and a win.

It was scant offensive production, but on this rainy night at Citi Field, it was enough because Mike Pelfrey simply refuses to give up runs.

Mike Pelfrey is now 4-0 with a "near complete game" 5-inning laborious effort that was oftentimes frustrating to watch, but Houdini like in his ability to get out of inning after inning unscathed.  Raul Valdes threw exactly one pitch in the top of the 6th, denying Pelf the complete game--it's a strange rule, but the pitch counts.

Finally the baseball Gods had seen enough, and after 5 innings (and one pitch), the skies opened up, and it was the end of the night for everyone and the Mets 4th win in a row.

The Mets are now 1.5 games back of the Phillies, tied for second place with the Marlins and Nationals.

Big Pelf's scoreless streak is now 24 innings, he is 4-0 on the year, and his ERA is a miniscule 0.69 (insert your own joke here).  Additionally his WHIP is 1.19 and he is holding the opposition to a .200 batting average against.

Jose Reyes was responsible for the lone run of the contest...he blooped a hit, stole second, then came around to score after Jason Bay hit a sharp single to Chipper Jones.  Instead of putting the ball in his back pocket, Larry tried to throw out Bay at first, and the ball bounced away from Braves first baseman of the day Troy Glaus.  Reyes easily scored on the error.

The Mets have are now over the .500 mark for the first time since opening day.  Of note, the win gave them their first sweep of the year and put that look we love on Bobby Cox face...he is in agony.

Pelfrey leads the major leagues in ERA...he is pitching like a terrific #2 starter, if not an ace, and battling like we've never seen him battle before.  Mike Pelfrey is a stud, and he is exuding confidence.

"I can't say I was pleased with my outing," Pelfrey said. "My command wasn't great and they did a good job laying off my pitches and made me work."

Tonight the Dodgers come into town for three with Ollie Perez on the hill.  The Mets are eager to keep the winning baseball going at home, as after these three, it's on to Philly for what will surely be an early season measuring stick series.

According to the Daily News, John Maine will make his next scheduled start.

Metstradamus approves of this sweep.

Andy Martino tips us to the class of the Mets organization--even though the fans technically saw a complete baseball game last night, they can redeem those tickets for tickets against the Padres or Tigers.

Amazin Avenue has a recap...and a nice poem by my friend Howard Megdal.

Enjoy your Monday morning coffee!

Scoreboard
Final 6th	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta (8-10)	0	0	0	0	0	0				0	5	2
N.Y. Mets (10-9) «	1	0	0	0	0	x				1	5	0

Player of the Game

New York M. Pelfrey IP 5.0 H 5 ER 0 BB 5 K 3

 Related articles:

• Mets 1, Braves 0, 5 Innings (Rain): Mets Win Rain-Shortened Game to Sweep Braves (nytimes.com)
• Pelfrey, Mets hold off Braves in rain-shortened game (cbssports.com)

Good Morning Mets Fans!

If last week was torture, yesterday was joy.

Jose Reyes had 4 hits, including a triple, stole a base, and lit up Citi Field with his energy and smily.

But there was one guy who was even better than Jose, Mike Pelfrey, who pitched 7 scoreless to extend his streak to 19 innings without a run en route to a perfect 3-0 start on the year.

For all of Pelfrey's greatness, he knows how much Reyes effort meant.

"No matter how he plays he's a spark plug," Pelfrey said of Reyes. "You love looking behind you and seeing him smiling, having a good time."

Reyes second inning triple scored two, including Pelfrey himself, and set the tone for the night.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano actually settled down nicely after the second, with the middle of the Mets order looking especially feeble against his offerings.

Zambrano struck out nine over six innings, including Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, and Ike Davis twice apiece.

At the end of the 7th Pelfrey left the game after allowing only 3 hits and striking out 6.  He had only thrown 102 pitches to that point, but on the heels of his work in the 20-inning game, Jerry Manuel pulled him one inning short--a move he told Pelfrey he'd make before the game started.  Pelfrey lobbied for one more inning, but he took the news with a smile, and handshakes and hugs from his teammates.

Pelfrey looks like an ace right now, or at least the solid #2 starter the fans didn't think they had after failing to acquire a starter in the off-season.

In the top of the 8th Mets Reliever Ryota Igarashi went down with a strained hamstring--he is scheduled for an MRI today. He was relieved by the guy that pitches every day, Fernando Nieve, who came on with a runner on second and got a K to end the inning and preserve the 2 run lead.

In the bottom of the 8th Pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis blasted a two-run bomb to give the Mets a 4 run cushion, and Frankie Rodriguez came on in the 9th to close out the win--it was the Mets first back-to-back wins of the season and gets them one step closer to .500.

It sure is starting to feel like baseball around here again....enjoy your coffee!

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chi. Cubs (5-9)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
N.Y. Mets (6-8) «	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	x	4	9	1

Players of the Game

New York J. Reyes AB 5 R 0 H 4 HR 0 RBI 2

New York M. Pelfrey IP 7.0 H 3 ER 0 BB 3 K 6

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• Post Game: Mets 4, Cubs 0 (metsblog.com)
• Pelfrey Shuts Down Cubs for Mets Second Straight Victory (bleacherreport.com)
• Mets 4, Cubs 0: Reyes Goes 4 for 5 as Mets Win Again (nytimes.com)

Mike Jacobs DFA'd, Stoner...then Ike?

The Ike Davis era at Citi Field could be starting sooner then we think.

I personally love the move if it happens.  Ike is positively raking right now, and he has been for well over a year against every level of competition.

Ike can hit and he has the power to put it out of any field.  Moreover, first base has been an abysmal disappointment to this point and we all believe this move will certainly be an upgrade, both offensively and defensively.

If I were king for a day...

Ike comes up Monday, Chris Carter to first base at AAA, and fix the big league lineup.

The lineup:

• Reyes
• Pagan
• Wright
• Bay
• Davis
• Francoeur
• Barajas
• Castillo

For more on Ike, take a look at his minor league lifetime stats.

Say it with me, "I Like Ike!"

Bill Madden is a Doosh

I am already bored of writers bashing the Mets after every game just a few days into the season.  They're writing crap as if these first week of the season contests, especially the losses, are proof positive that a long year awaits.  Is this going to be the modus operandi this year?  If so, count me out as a reader.

To whit, here is Bill Madden from today's NY Daily News:

Where does one begin on a day that Jose Reyes' return to the Mets was something less dazzling than Tiger Woods' return to golf; that one day after hitting four homers against the sub-quality Washington Nationals' pitching, the Mets again hit none; that on a bright, sunny cloudless April afternoon, Citi Field was somehow turned into a temple of gloom and frustration?

 A temple of gloom and frustration?

Bill, we have not even played ONE Week of baseball yet!

The Mets came from behind to load the bases in the bottom of the 9th inning, and the Nats made a game saving catch to escape with a one run victory.  The game itself was a bit of a dud, but the Mets played well and lost by the narrowest of margins.

Does Bill write about the comeback?  No, he writes about Jose Reyes frustration as he stood on third, and capped it all of with the tired reference to last year.

As he stood on third, after Capps had walked Wright and Jeff Francoeur in the ninth, and watched Harris - he of the vintage circus catches off Carlos Delgado and Ryan Church, among others, in recent years - make a diving stab of Rod Barajas' two-out liner to left, Reyes had a front-row view of all the Met frustration he's missed since last May.

What a poor excuse for a baseball writer.

Anyway Bill, here's $0.05, go buy yourself a clue.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

What an opening day--my call to the Mighty Gods of Baseball obviously worked like a charm.  I kid of course, but it sure seemed like someone was smiling down on the team and the raucous crowd at Citi Field yesterday.  One thing is for certain, it was as good as it gets as the Mets played crisp baseball while out slugging and out pitching a division rival who everybody picks to finish ahead of them.

Johan Santana, who had a soaring spring ERA, pitched six terrific innings and reminded us all that he is a true ace.

David Wright, who suffered from a severe power outage in 2009, hit a two-run homer to the opposite field in the first inning--it was a Captain's homerun.  Welcome back David.

The new guys contributed in a big way--Jason Bay, Rod Barajas and Gary Matthews Jr. each got two hits, and Mathews played solid centerfield on a windy, high sun day.  Seeing Jason Bay fly around the bases for a triple reminded us all that we now have a slugger with a work ethic who will do everything and anything to help his team win. 

Oh, and the bullpen?  All they did was toss three scoreless innings, with Fernando Nieve working two scoreless and Frankie Rodriguez closing it out in the 9th.

"I think it was an all-around good effort," Wright said. "We caught the ball, we pitched well and obviously had some timely hitting. You can't ask for much more than that, first game of the season."

There were a few little things that also deserve notice:  Jeff Francoeur worked a walk, Luis Castillo stayed patient and saw a ton of pitches--he also stole a base, and Alex Cora played great defense at shortstop.

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida (0-1)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	6	3
N.Y. Mets (1-0) «	2	0	0	0	0	4	1	0	x	7	9	1

Players of the Game

New York D. Wright AB 3 R 1 H 1 HR 1 RBI 2

New York J. Santana IP 6.0 H 4 ER 1 BB 2 K 5

The reading this morning is plentiful:


The Daily News has a great article on Jason Bay feeling at home and another on David Wright's powerful opening statement.

Metstradamus thinks it was a fine day for an underdog.

It's contest time over at Amazin Avenue...this looks like it has serious possibilities!

Loge 13 is back in business.

Subway Squawkers has a nice piece telling the Mets they didn't need Jack Bauer.

The Mets Report thinks the team sent a message to the rest of the league.

All in all a great day...why MLB schedules a say off after opening day has always been a point of frustration for us fans, but for now we get to bask in yesterday's great win and hope for another tomorrow.

Enjoy your coffee!

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Dear Mets Season Ticket Holder

Image via Wikipedia

Thank you for your support of the Mets and your purchase of Season Tickets for 2010.

With Opening Day upon us this Monday, April 5, we wanted to provide you an update on exclusive Season Ticket Holder Benefits and Services and some of what you will find new and exciting at Citi Field.

TEAM WORKOUT
Complimentary tickets for the Mets Team Workout this Sunday, April 4 at Citi Field were enclosed in your Season Ticket package. The workout will start at 11:00 a.m. and is scheduled for approximately an hour and a half. The ballpark gates - Left Field and Jackie Robinson Rotunda locations only - will open at 9:30 a.m. Parking lots will open at 8:30 a.m. There will be no charge for parking.

The workout is exclusive to Season Ticket and Plan holders. All tickets are general admission for the Field Level, where Taste of the City concessions will be open. The Ticket Office lobby in the Rotunda will be open and Ticket Services representatives available. The elevator in this lobby will be operating for ADA access to the workout. Club spaces will be closed. The ballpark will be open, rain or shine.

METS HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
The brand new Mets Hall of Fame and Museum at Citi Field is the home for nearly half a century of Mets history. Located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda on the first base side, this spectacular attraction is a virtual walk down memory lane, featuring a treasure trove of artifacts and images. The 3,700 square foot space is filled with interactive exhibits that showcase video and audio highlights of the franchise's signature moments.

The Mets Hall of Fame and Museum will open exclusively for our Season Ticket and Plan holders this Sunday, April 4 at 9:30 a.m. as a special preview, before it opens to the general public on Opening Day.

CLUB ACCESS/IN-SEAT SERVICE/FOOD AND BEVERAGE
There are many enhancements for 2010 to Citi Field's already-extraordinary food and beverage services and offerings. These include expanded Club access, additional in-seat service, facility enhancements and improved menu offerings.

We have greatly expanded Club access and in-seat service, based on seat category, for 2010. For a listing of Citi Field Club Access by seating category, please click here.

In addition to the Delta Club categories, we will offer in-seat food and beverage service for all Champions Club (previously Ebbets Club) seating at the outset of the season. Construction is currently being completed that will enable in-seat service to be introduced in June for the following seating categories: Metropolitan Box Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze; and Field Box Platinum, Gold and Silver.

Additional enhancements to food and beverage services and offerings will also be in place for 2010. The Delta Sky360 Lounge will feature an upgraded snack program. The Champions Club now will offer an all-you-can-eat buffet, in addition to a la carte concession options. The Caesars Club will have an added element of table service, along with menu enhancements. The Promenade Club will also offer a table service option and expanded offerings. The Promenade Level Concourse will now feature Big Apple Brews and other premium concessions, previously only available in the center field Taste of the City area on the Field Level.

TEAM PUBLICATIONS
Complimentary copies of the 2010 Mets Yearbook and the first issue of Mets Magazine will be shipped to you in early April. We will contact you by email with access instructions when the 2010 Mets Media Guide is available to you online at Mets.com.

SEASON TICKET HOLDER GIFT
Your annual Season Ticket holder gift will ship to you in April. We hope you enjoy this unique item, specially produced for our account holders.

DEDICATED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES/TICKET SERVICES TEAM
As a Season Ticket holder, you have a dedicated Account Executive who is available to you throughout the annual seat renewal process and all year long for matters pertaining to your account (seating, account changes, account payment, etc.) If you do not know your Account Executive, please call our Ticket Office at (718) 507-TIXX and we will be happy to connect you. Our new team of Ticket Services Representatives is also available to you all year at (718) 507-TIXX, and at the Ticket Office lobby counter in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda on game days. The Ticket Services team will provide account service support as you may require -- including assistance with ticket transfer, StubHub sales, reprints and print-at-home transactions.

SEASON TICKET HOLDER VIP CARDS
You recently received a mailing of your Mets Season Ticket Holder VIP cards for 2010. Presenting your VIP Card entitles you to a 15 percent discount on regular-priced merchandise at the Mets Team Store at Citi Field and other retail locations at the ballpark where credit cards are accepted, subject to the conditions on the card. For your convenience, one VIP Card is issued for each seat in your account. We suggest that you carry your VIP Card with you to identify yourself as a Season Ticket holder whenever helpful (e.g., to replace lost tickets) or as may be required to take advantage of special offers to come (e.g., "Partner" Attractions).

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS
As a Season Ticket holder, you will receive exclusive discounts and special offers. Presenting your Mets Season Ticket Holder VIP Card will entitle you to a 15 percent discount on regularly-priced merchandise at the Mets Team Store and other retail locations at Citi Field. You will receive discounts on select seat categories for Group Sales ticket purchases (excluding Platinum game dates). You are entitled to 10 percent off room rental for any non-game day events at Citi Field booked with Metropolitan Hospitality. You will also receive complimentary or discount offers to Mets "Partner" Attractions (e.g., free admission to the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) and the Queens Museum upon presentation of your VIP Card; other offers will be announced in the weeks ahead). Activating your complimentary Club Mets Membership will entitle you to additional discounts and offers.

CLUB METS MEMBERSHIP
As a Season Ticket holder, you may take advantage of complimentary Club Mets fan club membership. Membership entitles you to benefits that include Next Generation Gameday and Audio Experience, discounts and special offers, plus complimentary Official Game Notes at Citi Field. For 2010 membership, you must activate your Club Mets account at Mets.com by April 30. The Activation Code for your Season Ticket account that you received in a recent email is required. If you need that code, please email clubmets@mets.mlb.com.

RAIN CHECK POLICY
New for 2010 - For Season Ticket holders only, rain checks, instead of solely being redeemable for tickets to another game, may instead be redeemed for their face value on a Rain Check Card at Citi Field ticket windows or by mail to the Mets Ticket Office. The Rain Check Card is then redeemable at Citi Field ticket windows for the purchase of tickets to Mets regular season home games, subject to availability, or for merchandise or concessions at Citi Field, either at the Mets Team Store or at merchandise or concession stands. Rain Check Cards may not be redeemed for cash or applied as payment to any account.

EARLY BALLPARK OPENING
For each regularly-scheduled Saturday and Sunday game*, Citi Field will open a half-hour early (three hours before scheduled game time) exclusively for Season Ticket holders. Simply present your regular Season Ticket for the game at the far right turnstiles at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda - nearest the Team Store and Mets Hall of Fame and Museum - then be the first to catch a ball during batting practice (on occasion, batting practice may be held indoors), or beat the lines at Shake Shack and 2K Sports FanFest! (*For make-up games, early opening times, if any, will be determined on a case-by-case basis.)

PARKING
For Season Ticket holders with parking, Preferred Parking ("P") hangtags and passes are honored at any Citi Field or remote parking lot (except the Official Lot/Gate 1 and Lot B). VIP Preferred Parking ("B") holders should enter via the left-most lanes at Gate 8 to reach Lot B (though these hangtags and passes will also be honored at any Citi Field or remote parking lot, except the Official Lot/Gate 1). Account holders with Official Lot Parking categories ("DP", "DG", "M", "ST", "S", "Y") should enter Gate 1. As you approach the parking lots, please display your hangtag prominently on your rear view mirror, or have your pass ready to display - including to New York City Police, as may be required or helpful in reaching your location - and present it to the attendant upon entering.

LOST/STOLEN TICKETS
For non-Season Ticket holders, lost tickets may be replaced, at the Club's discretion, with a $5 per ticket reprint processing fee charged. As a Season Ticket holder, you may replace your lost tickets by electronically transferring them to your own email address, (which voids the original tickets), then doing a print-at-home function to replace the tickets. This process is subject to established online convenience fees of $4 per transaction on the transfer and $2.50 per transaction for the print-at-home. As a Season Ticket holder presenting your VIP Card, these same transaction fees will be applicable if we replace your tickets - whether lost or left at home - in the Ticket Office lobby inside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field. Someone other than the account holder requiring Season Tickets to be reprinted at the Ticket Office will be subject to the $5 per ticket processing fee.

Tickets that are stolen will be replaced, without charge, if an official Police Report is presented to the Mets Ticket Office at Citi Field.

McFADDEN'S RESTAURANT AND SALOON
The legendary midtown Irish party-pub, McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon, opens its newest location at Citi Field this season. Located on 126 Street, in the northeast corner of the ballpark, directly under 2K Sports FanFest, this 13,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility will offer patrons an unpretentious party before, during and after games. It will feature a 200-foot island bar, outdoor patios, full-service dining room, batting cages, in-house TV and radio production and more than 80 huge high-definition plasma TVs and projectors. In addition to a full bar, McFadden's Citi Field will offer extensive Irish-American cuisine, mixed with traditional game-day favorites. McFadden's Five Minute Cheese Steak Nachos comes out in five minutes or it's free! The only public restaurant at the ballpark, McFadden's will be open year-round.

Everyone at the Mets looks forward to welcoming you back to Citi Field. If you have any questions with the information above, please call us at (718) 507-TIXX.

Sincerely,
William Ianniciello
Vice President, Ticket Sales and Services