Mets Fall Short Against Red Sox, Pedro Feels Good

ME: today work was okay. got a lot done and i have lots to do these days. it's beginning to really annoy me how much i smoke. but that's another blog all together! after work, later, i had a catch with becky in prospect park. but it was kinda chilly and got dark quick--although the sun still sat late which is always nice. and it was great to throw. becky's got a good gun! i want to have more catches and go hit fastballs at the range near where i live! it's amazing there: a large batting cage center--indoors, with basketball, video games, a sports memorabilia shop, a chicken fingers and pizza stand and tables where adults and children alike, play one another intense games of pokemon, digimon and magic. it's a great place to waste time and hit fastballs. in fact, i plan on going there on friday! should be fun-always is! anyways, after the catch, bex1 and i got the ill hot dogs, waffle fries and mozzy stix! mmmmmmmmmmm--Hot Diggity Dog is the greatest BK hot dog and treats place to go to...we got a ton of stuff and it was only $20; they've been there forever-mad neighborhood. anyways, we got these treats and headed back through the crazy wind. my hips are absolutely killing me. every step i take, i have to be careful not to throw my knee out to the outside...i know that doesn't make any sense whatsoever...how can i explain it? i was told years ago that i had the legs of a woman! that my knees go out, whereas a man's turn inwards. consequently, my hip gets a tremendous shooting pain this day, tuesday, whenever i straighten out my leg or turn it inwards. it's a painful annoyance. but i live. the dogs help! mmmmmmmmmmm! watched In Treatment and something else i can't recall...'twas a good day (and i didn't have to use my AK!).

METS: today the Mets lost to the Red Sox, 4-3, despite fine performances from Pagan and reliever, Steven Register who pitched two nice-nice innings. Angel Pagan, who is starting to look like Alou's replacement, smacked a sweet two out triple in the third. but while the reserves continue to come through for these springtimey Mets, it wasn't enough against the 2-3 Manny Ram and the untouchable relief antics of Papelbon-bons. it's fun to see these match-ups. who knows? maybe this would be the year of the 1986 reunion World Series? tomorrow, the Mets plays Baltimore. meanwhile, in Port St. Lucie, Pedro threw a simulated game for three innings and reached 87 mph. "It's not about velocity, it's about changing speeds," said the Mets ace. at least he's feeling healthy, and believe me, a healthy Pedro is what we need in that spot right after Johan. do you remember where you were when you heard the Mets were getting Keith Hernandez?

Pelfrey Amazes and Abreu Scores Winning Run

ME: so today i had a pretty busy day. my boss hasn't been in the greatest of health so i've been taking care of him and his business. we make resumes. it's actually pretty interesting and i'm finding these days, i can make just about anyone's resume! it's cool. i interview these random people, next thing you know, days later, i make their resume. i learned a great deal from my boss. anyways, it was pretty gross today, i won't get into details but...it worked itself out fine. when he's out of it, it allows me to do more work--as opposed to when he's alert and with it, he busts my chops and won't stop schmoozing. my honey came back from maine with her momma and it felt sooooooooooo great to see her (she was gone all weekend). i really miss my honey when she's away...hell, i can't even sleep right without her beside me, i've grown so accustomed to her always being with me. it was, all and all, a good monday considering it was monday! think i may have some pals come over and hang out tomorrow night! yay! watch the results come in (LET'S GO HILLARY!!!) and listen to some tunes. i just can't wait for opening day. can't believe this is the last year for my beloved shea stadium. oh dear, how i do love shea!

METS: today, Pelfrey pitched another three shutout innings against the Braves in spring training! that's five, count 'em, scoreless innings for the "turnaround" kid! the Mets won in dramatic fashion in 10 innings, with this new kid, Michel Abreu scoring the winning run on a Ruben Tejada double. who's this Ruben Tejada and is he any relation to Miguel? then, i found out the following rumors: El Duque may be a reliever this season AND...get this: there's talk of getting Mike Piazza back to play first base! crazy, right? well, i love Piazza and of course, while i was sad to see him go, i would be psyched to see him come back. why not? this is, after all, the last year of Shea Stadium...he had a successful run here and let's face it, we've employed both Andres Galarraga and Julio Franco at first so...bring Mike back i say! let's hope this new and improved Mike Pelfrey remains in tact for the season!

Reserves Do It Again Delgado Feeling Okay

ME: woke up dumb late. like...1:00. woke in the middle of the night, sweaty--the heat was too much and i was too bundled. i felt like an old hobo or something. stayed up way too late, despite being so tired, just listening to music and reading about the people making it. i wanted to watch a movie but never got around to it. it's embarrassing but i've had the same 3 netflix movies for over a month now. so lame. but i read a bit about this lady, barbara dickson, who was in a production in the 60's, in the UK, called "John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert"! she sings beatles songs in the show and takes them to another level. great stuff. sweet voice. she apparently was a well known brit folk singer in liverpool. i also read about robin peter smith, better known as crispian st. peters. he was a folk singer as well, also a brit. well, he played with a few groups before doing things on his own; recording. he received a lot of attention then got tired of it and annoyed that people were just finding out about him. he went on record as saying that he had about 80 songs better than lennon and mccartney and was a better singer than elvis. he became a bit of a recluse. but his songs are great and his voice is something unworldly really. went out tonight with some friends to a "secret" lounge in lower manhattan. it fronts as a hot dog place but there's a whole other world behind this phone booth! amazing. i'm pretty tired still. headed home, moved around a few things, fed the cats then came over to becky's mom's house to cat sit, watch tele and eat chicken! that sounds like a chill sunday to me!

METS: today, the Mets did it again! beating the Dodgers two straight--both times with reserves starting. the runs didn't come until late though. in the ninth, rookie Angel Pagan (you gotta love that name!) drove in two runs with a single; he had three hits on the day. word has it that the only batter to touch the Dodgers' Derek Lowe was Ruben Gotay, who is putting his bid in for a roster spot. on the other side, Torre's Dodgers, a mix of youth and old vets, all had a hit except for former Met, Jeff Kent. Andruw Jones is continuing to have a nice first week as a Dodger. Oliver Perez, who i am assuming worked things out with Mets brass regarding $$$ (reports were the Mets didn't offer what he was asking for earlier), gave up three runs in the first. Mike Pelfrey, who had a less than thrilling '07, has had a nice start already and is looking to make a mess of the Braves tomorrow. i can't stand the Braves...nor the Phillies for that matter. although, when i was growing up, i remember the Cards being the one to hate. rivalries, as Willie Randolph will tell ya, are healthy and missing from baseball. sure, you got the Yanks vs Red Sox, but there used to be a bunch of "dirty," trash-talking games. i think they tried to get more of that when they introduced interleague play (see Cubs fans vs White Sox fans! oy...). in other news, Delgado made a special appearance at the game and seems better than everyone had thought, though he may still miss a few games.

Valentin at First?

Spring Training, Johan and Injuries

ME: saturday. woke up late and finished packing up things from my apartment to put into storage. too much clutter. the driver from the storage place called and wanted to know if i wanted him to come sooner rather than later--apparently, he was ahead of schedule. i was completely tired and out of it and wanted more time (um...the time i had scheduled? helllllllo?!). but sure enough, he came earlier, just to see what i had to transport. a cop told him he couldn't park right in front, so my roomie, Ruddy and i, hustled everything downstairs and i went way earlier than i had planned. walked from atlantic ave and grand back to 5th and union--when i got on a bus and came home. at home were my pals, Greg and Zora. they came to take my other pal, Bo's records, which he left in my house for over a year. i was psyched they were taking them. we didn't want them and i feared the records would stay longer than i wanted. so, again, there i am bringing heavy stuff down and into a vehicle. rested and listened to music. my lady, Becky, went to her mom's place in maine...left friday and for the first time in eons, we slept apart. i miss her terribly whenever she's away. sometimes i have to remind myself it's okay to not do anything. it was, after all, a tough week and i'm still sick...



METS: during the off-season, the Mets made some moves...the biggest one of them all being the acquisition of Twins' lefty, Johan Santana. the Yankees, the Red Sox and Mariners were all in hot pursuit of the ace. leave it to Omar (Mets GM) to make the magic happen! we also got Ryan Church and Brian Schneider...will Ramon Castro start behind the plate? maybe Fidel will now that he left cuba...and speaking of cuba, how about this Michael Abreu fella? the kid went 1-2 today with the game scoring run on a Brady Clark HBP. i know...lame way to end a game, but--hey, that's spring training and you have to love it. i can't wait to see Johan pitch! the guy is going to thrive in the national league. some bad news regarding Delgado: an impingement in his right hip...now, mind you, this was after he said there were "no lasting effects" of his right hip flexor that kept him on the bench last september. i'm beginning to have my doubts about that guy. sure--he's got the power, but where is it? since coming to NY, he's only amounted 62 home runs, and oddly, has had the same number of hits for the two years he's been a Met (139)! the "stinky" part is his low .262 average as a Met. anyway, enter Abreu...playing at first today. don't forget, Shawn Green is also a valid option at first. the Mets have played spring training games since tuesday, february 26th. now, they've never been a good team during spring training and i'm not worried about their 1-3-1 record (they tied with the University of Michigan on tuesday). there's a lot of good depth to this Mets team and i'm hoping they can wash away the pain from the final week of baseball last year...that really...well...it hurt...but i'm excited about this year and hope they can stay the course. forgot to mention that today, in the outfield, Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson collided in rightfield...Church had a concussion and Jose Reyes fouled a pitch off his knee...yay!

When Will Lastings Grow Up?