TUG McGRAW: Coined one of the best slogans ever. As far as team slogans go, the 1973 Mets’ rallying cry “Ya Gotta Believe’’ may not rank with Knute Rockne’s “Win one for the Gipper,’’ but it stood the test of time, lasting far longer than Reingold’s “Ten Minute Head.’’ Had it been a movie, the late and great Roger Ebert would have given it a thumbs down for it’s corniness. Going into the season, the [...]

SCORE: San Diego 2, Mets 1, at Citi Field. RECORD: 2-1. SUMMARY: What, you expected this to last forever? When you pitch you always have a chance to win. When you don’t hit, that chance is negated. The Mets wasted a solid outing from Dillon Gee in suffering their first loss of the season today by the Padres. This coming after the Mets outscored the Padres, 19-6 in their first two games. “Dillon pitched well, we just weren’t [...]

The cold didn’t bother Matt Harvey last night, but the Mets will pay close attention this afternoon to Dillon Gee if the temperatures drop during his start against the San Diego Padres. In the quest of rooting for good stories, Gee is up there in his attempt to come back from emergency surgery to repair a blocked artery in his shoulder that caused his right hand to go numb. Simply, you can’t throw if you can’t feel the ball. [...]

Matt Harvey was everything the Mets hoped for as he dominated the San Diego Padres, 8-4, in frigid Citi Field tonight. Harvey gave up one hit with ten strikeouts in seven scoreless innings. All San Diego’s runs came against the bullpen, which is expected to be a Mets’ Achilles Heel this season, but not even it could ruin this night. Especially impressive was Harvey did it pitching with temperatures in the low 30s after the [...]

I was able to meet with Matt Harvey on Monday and we had a nice little exchange while he sat in front of his locker thinking about his upcoming start on Wednesday night against the Padres. There is a likable quality to  this young man and it has nothing to do with his pitching. He speaks with confidence that doesn’t border arrogance. He has a big time arm without the big time attitude. He’s attentive to your questions, and [...]

David Wright was all smiles yesterday. “If you like grand slams and scoring lots of runs, what’s not to like?’’ Wright said. “Of course, we’re not going to score 11 runs every game.’’ His qualifier continued: “It’s only the first game.’’That it was, and as good as they looked in mauling the Padres, the Mets remain loaded with questions. When the Mets introduced their team, only nine players were the same time last Opening Day. [...]

How appropriate. It was overcast for much of the day, but shortly after this afternoon’s 11-2 rout of the San Diego Padres, it started to rain on Citi Field. If there could be universal laws in baseball, is it isn’t supposed to rain on Opening Day and the home team has to win. Let the Padres win Wednesday night and when they return to San Diego, but today belonged to the Mets, played as complete [...]

There have been many changes and lost traditions in baseball over the years. One particularly missed is the spectacle that used to be Opening Day. The season always started on a Tuesday in Cincinnati and Washington; the home of the sport’s oldest franchise and in the nation’s capital for the national past time. This year, lost in the midst of the NCAA Tournament, the start of the baseball season begins with Sunday’s highly anticipated Houston [...]

It is the same in every spring training camp with winners and losers. Booms and busts. With camp ending today, the Mets had their share of both. THE WINNERS Jon Niese: With Johan Santana a question going in, Niese entered camp No. 1 in the rotation and pitched deserving of that title. Not surprisingly, he was named Opening Day starter. With Santana gone for the year, he’s the de facto ace, at least until Matt [...]

The Mets have two games remaining in spring training, and if they don’t know what they have by now they never will. They break camp today after playing St. Louis, then bus over to the bay side of the state to play the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. Next will be Opening Day Monday afternoon against San Diego, while at the same time, in a display of scheduling genius by Major League Baseball, across town the [...]

Daniel Murphy passed the audition and said it was worth the risk. Murphy, playing for the first time in a major league game this spring because of a strained right intercostal muscle, singled in three at-bats against Washington’s Gio Gonzalez, played five innings and declared himself ready for Opening Day. Had he kept playing minor league games until Monday and was re-injured, his DL stint would be backdated deep into spring training. Should he get hurt now [...]