As unusual as it might sound from a pitcher who has given up six hits in 22 innings with three wins, 25 strikeouts and a 0.82 ERA, Matt Harvey wants to improve. Its always interesting when you hear the opposing press rave about a player. Patrick Reusse, legendary Twin Cities sportswriter, and a few others peppered me with questions about Harvey as I was one of the first members of the Mets press to arrive [...]

Updated by Joe D. on April 15 at 12:00 PM The reaction to Matt’s interview with Mets GM Sandy Alderson has been stunning. Over 25,000 different visitors have read the post and as I was telling Shannon of Mets Media Relations, it’s been talked about on WFAN and posted or linked to on over two dozen mainstream sites including MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, Fox Sports, Yahoo, USA Today, MetsBlog and the Daily News to name [...]

The other day I noticed my kid was reading this book that I recognized from when I was around his age. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach. The short novel about the transcendent ascension of a seagull who refused to be confined by the boundaries of his own defining limitations. He flew higher, faster, until he became a kind of zen master of flight and was even able to teleport if I recall. Like most [...]

Early afternoon at Target Field. Jon Niese taking an early jog around the the park. Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson watching batting practice at Target Field. Marlon Byrd is waiting for his turn to take some hacks. None of the players goof off whenever Jay Horwitz is close by. Justin Turner says, “Hey you’re Metsmerized… I know you guys!” Sandy glares right at me and says, ”There’s those crazy guys from MMO again.” Here is a [...]

I was on the phone with Joe D. as I was driving to the park and he asks me if I think they’ll get the game in? I look out my window, light snow showers, “I think so,” I tell him. “Just some light snow at the moment.” I hadn’t been off the phone for more than 30 seconds when the snow got harder, then it started doing something that I think they call sleet, [...]

Over their first 9 games the Mets have  shown some decidedly encouraging signs, but there have also been some glaring concerns. It’s far too early to draw any real conclusions, but it isn’t too early for a first impression. The Starting Pitching Two words: Matt Harvey. Harvey has been stellar … actually more than stellar, he has been intergalactic. What has impressed me about Harvey is his poise and his fledgling ability to control the [...]

I want to kick that football, I can see Lucy holding it. She’s promised not to pull it away, I know she’s promised before and still pulled it away, but she seemed really honest this time. I’m Charlie Brown, and I really really want to kick that football. I can visualize it in my mind, the feel of the ball on my toe, watching it glide through the uprights. I know it can happen. As [...]

Since 2006 the Mets have been plagued by a recurrent theme, the second half collapse. The extent to which organizational depth, or a lack thereof, has contributed to these collapses has been the subject of more than a few discussions in Met circles. I would argue, however, that the problem goes back even before the disastrous 2007 stretch run. 2005 was a pivotal year because at it’s conclusion the focus of management shifted to obtaining [...]

That the Mets dispatched the Padres on opening day should not be as much a surprise as the manner in which they did it. The Mets reputation as world beaters on opening day goes without mention … it likely has something to do with the presence of some fine pitching throughout Met history and the natural advantage pitching has over hitting early in the season. Yet somehow, yesterday felt different. It reminded me of a [...]

Updated Post 11:45 PM Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports posted on this today and I wanted to add some additional information that has surfaced that is relevant to my original post: The government is in. Despite the failings of federal officials in past high-profile cases that married athletes and PEDs, the Florida Department of Health has started an investigation into Anthony Bosch, operator of the Biogenesis clinic that allegedly provided drugs to players, the New [...]

One of my favorite sci-fi flicks is Star Trek: First Contact. The first 20 minutes are some of the greatest deep-space action sequences I’ve ever seen, but what makes the movie great, of course, is the villainous Borg. The Borg function as a hive, they are profoundly creepy in an elemental way, they make us wonder about ourselves and our deterministic exceptionalist tendencies as a species. Maybe we’re doomed to be swallowed up by some sort [...]