a question for Mr. Shor and anyone else with an opinion on this matter.

would you consider either Maine or Pelfrey a known quantity in the Mets starting lineup?

who would have been a better choice?

Once Derek Lowe signed with the Braves*, Omar's choices for a starter were essentially Oliver Perez, Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, and Mark Mulder.

A number of my friends (Hi, Dave!) were all about Sheets, but his big problem has always been injury, and today's news makes it pretty clear the Mets dodged a bullet by not signing him. In truth, because I don't play fantasy baseball and as a result don't have a lot of knowledge about players not on the Mets or their big rivals, I don't know much about Wolf and Mulder. What I do know is that Marty Noble would have gone for Wolf, and I almost always agree with Marty.

However, Mary Noble is a baseball beat reporter, and I'm a Mets fan. So my approach is more emotional than his, and the Gd's honest truth is that I just *like* Oliver Perez. I feel about him the way Omar Minaya seems to feel about him-- with the right instruction and guidance, he could be not just good but great. And Ollie is so much fun to watch on the mound when he's got his good stuff, I would miss him if we hadn't re-signed him. Moreover, he's a known quantity. We know he can perform in the pressure of New York, and we know that he responded extremely well to the coaching of Dan Warthen in the second half of the season. If I were Minaya, I would want to believe that more time with Warthen as his coach, Ollie will really blossom into the star we know he can be.

So go ahead, argue with me. I'd love to hear your opinions.


*I can't stand Derek Lowe, never could. The man strikes me as a bully and a jerk. Which just makes it that much more appropriate that he's going to be an Atlanta Brave now. It would have been hard for me to cheer for him in NY.

and thank goodness for that.

Omar Minaya has made it clear that he's not planning on making any more blockbuster free-agent deals before spring training, and in particular that he's not interested in bringing Manny Ramirez to Citi Field. Yet another reason I like the Omar. Of course, another reason I like Minaya is that he was so gracious about signing Johanna's jersey at the spring training game we went to in Ft. Lauderdale during spring training in 2008.

All the reasons I don't want Manny on the Mets are many, and given my level of exhaustion, will have to be another post.

Three more years of Ollie

Though I know there are those who feel differently, I'm thrilled that Oliver Perez signed a three-year contract with the Mets today. I know he's inconsistent, but when he's on, Ollie is the kind of pitcher that people who love pitching (as I do) love to watch. I'm happy he'll be a part of the '09 rotation... and even happier if he keeps the facial hair.

And since Oliver is a pitcher, he'll be reporting to spring training in just nine days. It's almost spring!

spring is in the air

ok, not so much in New York, but having spent the last three days in Los Angeles, I can just feel the coming of spring, which is really the coming of baseball season. And what's better than that?!

Why I love the Superbowl

When the superbowl is played, we're no more than two weeks from when pitchers and catchers report to camp.

I've tried to get into football, I really have. My motivation is clear: I want a sport to care about during the months that baseball isn't being played. But no matter how I try, I just can't get into it.

So, I'm issuing a challenge to anyone reading who is both a baseball fan and a football fan: convince me that I can find football as interesting as baseball.

Ollie

I understand the arguments against giving Oliver Perez a large contract to be with the Mets for three years. I've seen him blow games against inferior teams, which is just sloppy and somewhat unprofessional play.

At the same time, I've seen Ollie dominate the Braves and other foes at exactly the time they needed to be shut down. If only Ollie can grow up enough to treat every game as though it were as important as a Mets-Braves or Mets-Yanks game, we'd have a true phenom in our starting rotation. It's for this reason that I agree with Omar Minaya in his desire to sign Perez rather than some of the other free agents this year (Ben Sheets at the top of the list these days). Minaya believes, as I do, that Oliver has yet to reach his full potential, and he no doubt noticed how Perez blossomed under the tutelage of Dan Wherthen once the latter became pitching coach.

The problem, as it so often is in baseball these days, is Scott Boras, who seems to believe that if he behaves as though everyone has as much money as they did last year, teams will throw around money like they have for the last couple of years. I'm hoping that the reality of the economy, combined with Minaya's desire to sign him and the unmistakable pleasure Ollie seems to feel in the spotlight of New York, will have this all end in a fair contract for Oliver Perez to continue pitching for the Mets.

And I'll be especially pleased if he rocks a goatee or beard this season.

My Maine Man

It's no secret I have a big crush on John Maine, so I was happy to hear that he and the Mets avoided arbitration when he signed a one year, $2.6 million contract this week. Still, I loved John's comment when he had his contract renewed last year for $450,000, which of course is a huge salary except when you're a talented starting pitcher with the New York Mets. Never the less, his reaction to his contract last year was telling about his personality. When asked for his reaction, Maine said, "It's still a lot of money. I don't have to worry about paying my cell phone bill."