So at least that type of talk has subsided. Unfortunately, it took stripping that team that was surprising us all of it’s top players to agree the goal was dumping salaries and fielding a team as inexpensively as possible.

So why feel differently for 2012? Three of the core players who made three months of 2011 such a pleasure (Reyes, Beltran and KRod) were sent packing. The fences have been moved in and the bullpen, though weak, has at least improved somewhat with arms proven they can still pitch. But already there is the feeling we would again be stabbed in the back by sending off Wright and a possibly recovered Santana for more prospects. I think Bay is going to have decent stats, not enough to justify his salary, but enough to also be sent packing.

The Wilpons have more financial problems than the civil suit and more losses in their other business ventures than the $500 million they were swindled out of by Madoff. They are in debt for Citi Field, to MLB, banks and SNY which cannot allow them to absorb more $70 million losses with the Mets. And they priced themselves out of competition with building a smaller ballpark which won’t help revenue, even if the teams does surprise us again.

And if the team does jell, I see them once again stabbing Davis, Duda, Tejada, Murphy and others in the back like they did last season. For the Wilpons, money isn’t a priority over winning, it’s the only priority, period.

Just hard to see remaining in this hand to mouth limbo for an extended time. As in, much past this spring.

I believe that…Wright can hit .280, +100RBI and +25HRs…I hope he can hit +.300, +120RBI and +30HRs. I fear that he’ll hit .240, +80RBI and 15HRs with 180Ks and we find out that is back is going to give him problems his hole career.

I believe that…Bay can hit .260, +100RBI and +20HRs…I hope he can hit +.300, +130RBI and +30HRs. I fear that he’ll continue his disappointing production and hit .220 with 70RBI and 15HRs.

I believe that…Santana can pitch effectively this season …I hope he can pitch +20games with a sub 4.00ERA and 10 wins. I fear that Santana will never be the same pitcher ever again and he won;t have any control and can’t top 86MPR on the gun and will only win 30games the rest of his career.

I believe that the Mets will hang around .500 into the mid summer time frame, but will trade away players to save cash and finish with 70 wins…I hope everyone is healthy and hits their expected level of performance and win 100 games and sweep the Phillies in the NLCS and Sweep the Yanks in the WS. I fear that the team will be 10 games under .500 in May and Murph, Neise, Ike, Wright or anyone else with talent will be traded away by the All Star Break.

OK,so my “hopes” are pretty unrealistic…but I can still hope for them, sadly, I think my fears are more realistic.

The reality is, I only real hope is that this Wilpon money issue hits rock bottom soon, and either he sells or not (I don’t personally care), this team can go back to trying to compete than just trying to turn a profit.

Reasonable to believe that Wright will be OK, but hoping on a prayer that Santana will be productive. And I put Davis in the believe category.

If you look into what’s being said…it all comes down to the fact that we have been crossing our fingers on key players health for the past four plus years and it’s never worked out. Why, because “hope” and “believe” is not a successful strategy and it never leads to winning.

Yes, I Hope that Santana, Wright, Ike and Murphy are healthy…Yes, I believe that Bay, Wright can rebound and put up big numbers…I believe that Murphy can become a solid MLB 2nd basemen. I believe that Duda is an everyday RF’er and I believe that Neise and Gee can be very solid MLB pitchers.

But I’ve had hopes and beliefs for 25 years and it’s only worked out twice…that’s not a great track record for “hope” and “belief”. When you look at the current roster, every player and every position has a hope of belief attached to then. When our best “certainty” on the roster is a 37year old knuckleballer, thing s aren’t looking good.

As far as the Omar/Alderson comparison; it’s not going to end…Omar spent big and gambled big…Alderson (not that it’s his fault) has nothing to spend and is here just to get the Mets back in the black. But as long as the Mets are losing, the comparison is never going to end. Especially because people want to blindly believe that Alderson is genius while the rest of us see what he’s really about.

The fact is that He took a 80+ win Padre team and turned it into a 60win team and his last five years in Oakland, he never won more than 80 games and only topped 70 wins once in that stretch.

Getting back to David, bad marketing and also does not show commitment to home grown talent plus what do investors want? A meet and greet with Tejada or David who could be a face to investors? Just saying.

Going back to 2006, you can and point to injuries as the reason why this team came up short. Who thinks that they would have made the WS is they had a healthy Pete, DL’uque, Sanchez and Floyd?

But if you look at the main guys who led to the Mets success last year, we look a Reyes, Beltran, K-Rod and Murphy. Three of those guys and gone and one is injured and doesn’t have a position.

Sandy did nothing to improve the lineup going into 2012…we are hoping for health in Ike, Murphy, Torres and Wright. We hope the moving the walls will help Wright and Bay. He hope that Rubin, Duda and Thole can give us a full season of production at the show. We hope that no one gets injured because there isn’t much depth to help out right now.

Then we look at the rotation…the closest thing we have to sure thing is a 37 year old knuckleballer? Really? Or Ace may never be effective again…Pelf is a disappointment and Neise and Gee have to make some big progress to prove that they aren’t nothing more than bottom of the rotation guys.

Our Defense is filled with holes…Bay. Torres and Ike should be fine…Rubin should be OK too, but he’s still very young. But Duda is a weak fielder, Wright has regressed, Murphy needs a lot of work at 2nd and Thole needs to step up his game as well.

Finally there is the pen. while I think it’s better than what is was at the end of the season, we don’t have a real closer and Parnell, Rauch and Beato has a lot to prove.

Sadly, until the Wilpon situation is taken care of, any success the team has will be short lived because they can’t afford to keep the good players and can’t afford to sign players who will make the team better.

Could the Mets really trade away Wright? I doubt it. As attendance goes down more, they’ll be afraid to risk totally alienating the fans.

Will Johan Santana be an effective pitcher again? He’ll surprise everyone, by starting at least 20 games and having an ERA below 4.00.

How will the Bernard Madoff situation affect the Mets? Hopefully, the Wilpons will get smacked and have to sell the team. And I still can’t believe they’ll raise anywhere close to $200 million from people who want to meet Mr. Met!

Are the Mets truly in rebuilding mode? Not really totally, since they signed Francisco for two years. They are hoping not to embarrass and win 85 games. Probably they’ll win 79 though.

Are Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jeurys Familia on the fast track? Harvey and Familia will be in NYC by September; Wheeler will be in Binghamton early on, and then in Buffalo later (but not NYC). That’s pretty “fast.”

How will Ike Davis bounce back from injury? He’ll be OK, and hit 25 homers this year.

Can Ruben Tejada effectively replace Reyes? No way, but he’ll hit .260 and field fairly well.

Will the new fences make a difference? It will for Wright, but not as much for Bay (who has been a mess—at home and away).

Can Daniel Murphy play adequately at second base? Yes.

then, if he gives you anything, it is found money. You just can’t book on it.