Opening Night in St. Louis

Game 1: Mets 6, Cardinals 1
1-0 for the season

at the top of the 4th, I called my dad and told him that what I used to think was seasonal affective disorder might actually have been the effect of a lack of baseball on my brain. it was just so good to see them, and to see them play so well. it was so good to see HoJo in a Mets uniform, coaching first base. it was so good to see the Joses (Valentin and Reyes) turn gorgeous double plays. In the end, the infield had four double plays, and made Glavin look better than he'd been (though he'd been pretty good).

there were a number of great plays, from Beltran throwing Eckstein out at the plate to Alou making a good first impression with a fantastic diving catch in left field to the aforementioned 4-6-3 double plays. there was also some good hitting, with the veterans acting like veterans (LoDuca had 3 RBIs, Delgado had 2, and Beltran had 1-- but even Shawn Green hit) and the kids finally settling in by the later innings, with both Reyes and Wright gaining their first hits of the season in the latter part of the game.

I love watching Jose Reyes play. in the top of the 9th, he was robbed of a stolen base by a move that's still considered controversial; he was picked off when the pitcher faked to 3rd with his foot still on the rubber, then threw to first. I agree with those who think this is a balk, because a balk is defined as a move intended to deceive the runner, which that move most surely is designed to do. either way, it was a little too predictable that Jose was going to be running on that play, but I think the pick-off was really a balk anyway.

it's worth mentioning that last season, the team (which is essentially the same team that started last season-- two different outfielders, but otherwise the same) did not play well in April. they weren't as crisp last year at this time, particularly in the field, as they were last night. it's hard not to feel like this bodes well for how they'll play together all season. there is something magical about watching a team with good chemistry play together-- it really looks like they're having fun playing the game with one another, and is a real pleasure to watch.

random thoughts:

• David Newhan, who scored the 6th Mets run in the 9th inning, has quite the schnoz.
• the play-by-play guy on ESPN was awful. he messed up at least three times that I caught (including opening an inning by saying "We're here at Shea Stadium..." and never correcting himself), and was very careful to accent the last syllable of the last name of each of the Latino players ("Valen-tin," "Bel-tran") in the most affected of ways. I'm really looking forward to the first broadcast on SNY on Wednesday night.
• I'm considering scoring games I watch at home. is that insane?

My dad affirmed the idea that seasonal depression is really a lack of baseball, and mentioned that's why he's such a fan of mlb.com-- it allows him to listen to games all through the winter. "In January, I can listen to Vin Scully call games," he told me. "I've got one where the Mets score three runs in the first inning that I listened to a lot this year."

and here I thought that watching the '86 Mets win the World Series over and over and over on ESPN Classics was excessive. now I know it's merely a hereditary predilection.

no game tonight, which is just as well since it's the first night of Passover. a zeizen pesach to Shawn Green and everyone else who's celebrating!