Pitchers And Catchers And Bears, Oh My!

Welcome to the latest Joey blog for Studious Metsimus. This blog will pertain to those three words everyone can't wait to hear. No, those words aren't "FREE CHICKEN NACHOS", although those wouldn't be bad right now. The words bring warmth on a cold winter's day. They evoke childhood memories of playing catch with your dad.


Those three beautiful words that all baseball fans love to hear are...


PITCHERS AND CATCHERS!!!

That's right, SMFs! Today the Mets' pitchers and catchers reported to Port St. Lucie to begin their six-week stay in the hopes of getting their groove back. After a dismal 2009 season in which the Mets decided to hibernate months before October, there is hope that the team can bounce back to respectability and perhaps even more than that.

Other than Carlos Beltran, the team has canceled their membership to the Injury of The Week Club. 2010 should be the year the Mets show us if the poor record of 2009 was based on the players losing so many games due to injuries or if it was because the team just isn't as good as they were from 2006-2008, when they averaged 91 victories per season.

The Mets added Sgt. Bay of The Yukon to patrol the vast expanses of the Northwest Territories at Citi Field. But other than that, all they seemed to do was add a boatload of backstops. They did not change any members of Johan Santana and The Four Rainouts. They did not upgrade at first base. They did not get rid of Stupid Is (Fred Wilpon, the Brooklyn Dodger fan formerly known as Mutt) and Stupid Does (Jeff Wilpon, the Daddy's boy formerly known as Jeff), not that they would have fired themselves.

With the Phillies, Marlins, Braves and Nationals all filling in numerous holes on their respective teams, can the Mets seriously expect to be contenders by adding Jason Bay, no starting pitchers and every catcher except Crash Davis and Jake Taylor?



No one knows for sure how the Mets will do in 2010. That's the beauty of spring training. Everyone comes in with equal expectations and everyone comes in tied for first, except the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are already a dozen games out of first place in the NL Central.

If the catchers can settle The Four Rainouts down and get them to pitch effectively, the team might be able to contend for more than just the first two months of the season.

However, there are still too many question marks on this team to consider. Will Jose Reyes be the speed demon he used to be? Will David K. Wright regain his power stroke? Will the Mets stop ending games by dropping infield pop-ups and hitting into unassisted triple plays? Those questions will be answered as the season progresses.

For now, I'm packing up my ball and glove and heading out to Port St. Lucie. That's right, SMFs. Joey's going to spring training! I'll be there with Coop from My Summer Family next weekend, hoping to get exclusive photos of Mets players while they're still uninjured.

When I return, I hope to post another blog about my adventures in the PSL. Maybe I'll interview a player or two. Maybe I'll get Coop to buy me an adult beverage.

Those are too many maybes, but there is one thing I'm DEFINITELY sure about. I LOVE PITCHERS AND CATCHERS! Be sure to come back to Studious Metsimus next week to read my recap on the Port St. Lucie trip...assuming I decide to come back from sunny Florida, of course!

Nah, who am I kidding? After all, I have to be the first in line at Citi Field on Opening Day when the chicken nacho stand opens for business!