The days are ticking away until pitchers and catchers report for spring training followed by the rest of the team. Let’s take a look at some of the notable dates to circle on your calendar in anticipation of the 2012 Mets season. April 5- Mets Opening Day The team will begin the season at home against the Atlanta Braves. Most likely, Johan Santana will not be pitching this game, and the nod may go to [...]

Today was supposed to be the deadline that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig finalized the plans to expand the playoff structure to include two wild card teams. However, scheduling and logistics remain areas open for debate, which has halted the process. Still, if MLB agrees to expand the postseason, it increases each team’s chances by one spot. The two wild card teams would play a one-game playoff to see who advances to the Division Series. Where [...]

Here are some Mets thoughts from the afternoon media session from Tuesday’s 23rd annual MLB B.A.T. Dinner. Gary Sheffield Sheffield said it was not difficult for him to retire after his long career, which included a World Series championship in 1997 with the Marlins and hitting his 500th career home run as a Met. “I pretty much did everything I wanted to do on a baseball field,” he said. He has enjoyed spending time playing [...]

Sadly, Carlos Beltran’s Mets legacy will forever be defined by what he didn’t do: take the bat off his shoulder against Adam Wainwright during Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. However, Beltran meant so much to the Mets organization over the past seven years for his work on and off the field. He was honored at MLB’s annual B.A.T. dinner as the recipient of the Bart Giamatti Award for outstanding community service. Beltran’s organization, the [...]

Major League Baseball and Natural Balance Pet Foods hosted the 23rd annual “Going to Bat for B.A.T.” Fundraising Dinner on Jan. 24 at the Marriot Marquis in Times Square. The Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) raises money to assist members of the baseball family who have fallen on hard times with financial grants, healthcare programs and rehabilitative counseling. This year’s dinner celebrated the 50th anniversary of our beloved New York Mets. Notable Mets alumni were on [...]

To answer the title question bluntly: Absolutely not. You have to play the games first before determining where a team will finish in the standings. But certainly on paper, the Mets appear to be the weakest link of the NL East heading into this season. Based on the offseason moves of the other teams, the NL East has the potential to rival the AL East as the top division in baseball. Let’s start with the [...]

With the dust settled from this year’s Hall of Fame voting, the attention turns to a loaded 2013 ballot. Prominent names such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and Craig Biggio will be on the ballot for the first time, but so will one close to all of our hearts here at MMO: Mike Piazza. Naturally, Mets fans have an enduring love for Piazza. He revolutionized this franchise in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and [...]

Our site moderator Joe D. informed us a few days ago of a blood drive that the Mets are hosting Thursday, Jan. 5 at Citi Field. The team is offering a voucher for free tickets to a select game in April for anyone that donates. It got me thinking, how many fans would be willing to bleed for their team? OK, so it’s only a pint of blood, but there are many people out there [...]

In anticipation of a new baseball season, all we’ve been hearing about is how the bad the Mets are going to be and how much financial trouble the team is in. Well, though I’m usually the optimistic around here, I can’t help but admit that 2012 might be a long season. But if Sandy Alderson has taught us anything in his tenure as general manager, it’s that baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. The [...]

I had the chance to meet the authors of a children’s book that takes a different look at the famous poem “Casey at the Bat.” In “The Deal is on Strike Three: The Story Mudville Never Knew,” Long Islanders Peter Fertig and Rudy Saviano explore the story behind Casey and the Mudville nine. Hall of Famer and Mets legend Tom Seaver was so inspired by the book that he voluntarily wrote the foreword. Cal Ripken Jr. [...]

Amidst trade rumors surrounding the talented lefty, Jonathon Niese showed up with a smile to the Mets Kids’ Holiday Party. He said he feels good and is eager for spring training to begin. Though it’s unlikely the Mets trade Niese, he said it’s a matter in which he has no control. “Obviously, it’s not my decision where I pitch,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll stay here with the Mets, and I’m looking forward to it.” [...]