Last year, many of the blogs were filled with “Fire Jerry” chants and mantras on practically every networking site out there, so expect this season to have the vultures perched on the mountaintops waiting for those last bodies to fall before picking the bones. I have to admit that I thought Jerry would bring that “championship” attitude to our Amazins but…

My, how things have changed. When Manuel stepped up from bench coach to interim manager, Carlos Delgado was quoted as saying, “I think it’s great.” Delgado said on Monday, ”He’s a great communicator. There’s no gray area with him. He’s very upbeat, and he’s able to keep it simple in a very effective way.”

Mets management absolutely raved about Manuel. They believe him to be a man of high character who presents the team to the public in a way of which they can feel proud. “He’s done an excellent job, in all ways, on and off the field,” team owner Fred Wilpon said before Sunday’s Super Bowl. “He’s a great gentleman.” A great gentleman? Okay. Not sure what to make of that. Learning from some of the best like Jim Leyland, Felipe Alou, and having gained the trust and respect of ChiSox owner, Jerry Reinsdorf was obviously a plus. It could be argued that Manuel built the White Sox team that won the World Series after his release from the team. In six seasons, he won over 500 games, a division title, and a Manager of the Year award so he has what it takes to coach. He is a teacher, a mentor, and keeps his training simple and basic.

Manuel is everything you’d want in a coach but he’s the wrong guy. I love his demeanor, wit, and ability to handle the tough questions the NY media throws at him after a tough Mets loss, but he is not going to survive in this setting through no fault of his own. The deck is heavily stacked against him due to his ties to Minaya and his tenuous position in the organization. Let’s face it. Minaya is a figurehead at this point so if anything goes south in 2010, Minaya goes and his “hires” do as well. Jerry is a quality guy, but I don’t see how he can survive this. That being said, who is capable of coming  into this mess (preferably once it’s been cleaned up or cleaned out with only Fred and Jeff still standing)?

This team has long lacked the kind of gutsy, heads-up presence in the clubhouse and in the organization. This is a New York team and that speaks to me: guts, fighting spirit, never-say-die attitude, and an unwillingness to quit and a willingness to work hard, play hard, and do it together! When I look at the current squad, that attitude seems deficient to say the least. The days of “Nails” and bulldogs like the Kid and Doc K, for example, seem to be past.

So who steps in and restores this team to where it needs to be? One name that I’ve tossed around was Bobby Valentine. There’s something irreverent and nutty about someone that after getting tossed out of a game returns in a mustache and dark glasses. Not his best moment, but that kind of unpredictability can translate into the kind of team that won a World Series in 1986. Nobody thought they had the pedigree or the “stuff” to win it all and they looked like guys just thrown together, but even with all the drugs, infighting, and other daily dramas, they came together and took it all. Valentine knows talent and he understands the importance of the intangibles. He can build a team that can not only contend but win consistently as long as his head is in the game. He knows how to light a fire under his players too. Something sorely missed in our team as of late. Just him being there brings the kind of players to the table that the Mets need to restore their reputation as players in the championship picture.

How about Bob Melvin? He was just recently given the title of “professional scout” with the team. In his last seven years with Seattle and Arizona, he has coached his team to five winning seasons so he knows what he’s doing. Do you really believe that he is not a potential replacement for Jerry when the inevitable happens?

Eric Wedge’s name has been mentioned in some smaller circles but maybe not on the radar for the Mets. Larry Bowa? He’s the current Dodgers third base coach, but was a former Mets player and knows what it takes to win. When the fans cried out for heads to roll, Tony’s LaRussa’s name was mentioned on more than one occasion, but may not be the likely choice even if he could be pried away from St. Louis. Manny Acta has his name in the managerial pool practically every year since and before he left NY for the Nationals.

It’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it. Now the question is who? Unfortunately, I don’t believe it will be Jerry for much longer.

The Daily News is reporting that Citi Field is getting a little trim, particularly in center field.

 The height of Citi Field’s center-field wall will be sliced in half, making the ballpark more homer-friendly, the Daily News has learned.

Last season, the wall measured 16 feet in front of the sparsely used Home Run Apple. Now, with the second level of padding being removed, it will measure eight feet in the middle of the outfield.

Still, as the Daily News exclusively reported in September, the stadium’s spacious dimensions won’t be altered.

The Mets hit 95 homers last season, by far the fewest in the majors. San Francisco ranked 29th with 122.

This should help a little and at least we’ll get to see that shiny new apple a little more next season.

2009 was just awful to be a fan of the New York Mets.  Injuries and incompetence ran rampant and by July we were out of playoff contention.  For me October 4^th, 2009, the last regular season game, could not come fast enough.  The day after the season ended we all know how Fred Wilpon, Omar Minaya (who may or may not be the General Manager) and Dave Howard did a media blitz promising that 2010 would be different.  The mistakes handling injuries would not happen again the 3 Stooges promised us. They also promised that they would spend what was needed in improving the season.

Well, it’s February 9^th, 2010, and before the new season even starts the Mets already have already embarrassed themselves and us with the handling of Carlos Beltran’s knee surgery. As usual, the Mets made their one traditional big move by signing Jason Bay, and then filling in the rest of the blanks with a bunch of backup catchers, reclamation projects and overpaying bench players like Alex Cora because he’s a nice guy. It’s the same tired script we’ve seen again and again under the Minaya era.

The truth is I wasn’t expecting the Mets to make good on the promises they made after last season ended. My blinders are off, but I was hoping they would prove me wrong.  I sit here and see how nothing has really changed from the 2009 season and it fills me with despair and hopelessness for 2010. Will the Mets lose 90 games if everyone stays healthy?  Most likely they won’t, but I don’t see them winning over 85 games this year and it’s hard to envision them making the post season.  The way this team is currently operates, just doesn’t seeming like a recipe for success.

The Mets are going into the season with two backup catchers who will log more playing time than they deserve, Daniel Murphy who will keep first base warm until something better comes along, an immovable second baseman that the club doesn’t want but refuse to dump his contract, and their fourth outfielder will most likely be their everyday centerfielder on opening day. The problems with the rotation are well documented.

You can call me negative and say that it’s only February, but we were saying a lot of the same things in early 2009.  The Mets have alienated me, my hopes aren’t high for 2010, but because I love this team I will be watching and going to games, hoping that they prove me wrong.

When might Carlos Beltran get on a major league field? Beltran is furious with the Mets and how they have publicly handled his surgery. He wonders if he should have been playing last year (in other words, was he properly diagnosed?). More important, he pushed to initially play in pain and then rush back in a lost season.

The Mets probably should not expect Beltran to prioritize the team this time around. He turns 33 in April. His contract walk year is 2011. So I expect that Beltran will take care of No. 1 and make sure he does not do anything to hurt himself for a 2011 salary-drive season.

First of all, unless your name is J.J. Putz, I think all ballplayers look out for number one. However, I do believe that the Mets may have seriously damaged their relationship with the all-star center fielder, and they may have set Beltran upon a course that will ultimately lead him to another team.

I don’t expect Beltran to even attempt a minor league rehab until he is absolutely 100% recovered from the knee surgery. Once he begins rehab, even the slightest twinge will have him back on the DL. Whereas last season, Beltran was willing to play in some pain to help the team, don’t expect that to happen this season. Especially with Scott Boras calling the shots. Any willingness to go out of his way to help the Mets has been shattered by the Mets inept handling of his injury last season, and last month’s surgery fiasco.

There’s a good chance that the estimated 12-16 weeks Beltran was expected to miss is actually a best case scenario and that his eventual return could come sometime in July rather than in May or June. When he does finally return, look for Beltran to quickly get back to his pre-injury form in preparation for his walk year next season and his last chance for a big multi-year deal.

To the many fans of the Orange and Blue, and bloggers and journalists in general, this topic may be coming too early to garner discussion or deep consideration.

I am a planner and if I was anticipating every possible angle to make enough improvements this year for a beleaguered Mets franchise, it’s not hard to see where to first focus my attention. We have gotten a steady dose of ideas internet-wide.

It’s clear that the job of our GM has become overwhelming to say the least, and possibly leaves little wiggle room if you include the internal dramas and the effect (or non effect depending on who you ask) of the Ponzi scheme.  It’s easy to slam Omar even when much of the criticism is unwarranted. If you were the GM, how would you have addressed the offseason differently? It’s not as easy it may appear…

If, as the Gm, you bought every high priced free agent that came down the pike, you would probably be the equivalent of a 1 year rental because you more than likely will soon be unemployed. Quality over quantity, right?

Would you preserve one of the hardest hit farm systems in the game? Before you answer consider that Buffalo, Binghamton, and Savannah finished dead last respectively with 56-87, 54-86, and 30-37 records and that PSL was middle of the pack and 2 games under .500.

Would you spend like crazy in 2010 and hope that it all pans out regarding chemistry, on the field play, and a post season appearance?

Would you be conservative, and when the next offseason comes around go completely out of the stratosphere and compete for the services of bats like Carl Crawford and arms like Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee, or Brandon Webb? Actually, the ideas are endless, but reasonably what can be done right now?

Whether the well is truly dry or not, the remaining FA class is less than desirable, kind of like that last sandwich in the vending machine. You have to ask yourself are you really THAT hungry?

The 2010 Trade Deadline is a thought. By July 31, it should be clear which of your players you will not sign and who could leave your team without garnering you anything in return.

If the talk about trading for Bronson Arroyo continues throughout the offseason, this is a possible move that can happen before the end of the summer and bolster a post-season run for the Amazins. Brandon Phillips and Francisco Cordero have been other names included in previous rumors. (Note: Felipe Lopez is still a FA)

Here are just a few more names to consider if we have to look to the Trade Deadline to increase our hopes for a postseason appearance and beyond:

Adam Dunn (no Nats extension just yet, just chatting. Big bat, no defense, just a thought) – Magglio Ordonez (Detroit would love to drop him now but do you need him?) – Carlos Lee (Houston always wants to trade him. Big contract but very big bat!) – Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle’s actually considered this) – Aubrey Huff (A $1 mil contact is nothing to escape nowadays) – Adrian Gonzalez (then Murphy won’t have to work with Keith Hernandez so hard. Just kidding. I think that’s a sign of a smart baseball player. Way to go, Murph but we’re talking about….Adrian).

Lots of room for discussion on this topic. If proper planning was exercised earlier, I’m sure you can agree that the face of our beloved team would look a lot different. We may be taking more confidence, depth and stability into our 2010 season, not to mention a fan base with a full head of hair and far less stress. If you were GM right now, what would you do? Now it’s your turn to put on Mr. Minaya’s shoes just for kicks… Oh, the possibilities!

ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported via Twitter that Mets prospect Fernando Martinez was named the MVP of the Caribbean Series last night.

Martinez went 2-4 with a walk and an RBI to lead the Dominican Republic to a 7-4 victory over Venezuela. Overall, Martinez had a great series, batting .348 (8-for-23) with a double and two home runs.

It looks like F-Mart is in prime mid-season form, and it would be great to see him carry this over and have a great spring training. While Angel Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr. are virtual locks to make the team, there is one spot left open at least until Carlos Beltran returns from injury, and the kid could force the Mets hands with a solid spring.

As I wrote here a couple of weeks ago, I still believe we have a future All Star with tremendous power potential in F-Mart. If he could just stay healthy and string together a few hundred at-bats in AAA, we may see him sooner than you think, and I predict that his second cup of coffee in the Majors will be much better than the first.

The Mets had actually offered the reliever a Major League contract, but couldn’t reach an agreement on the dollars according to another report appearing on NPB Tracker.

I’m a little surprised that the Mets continue to focus so much on the bullpen, especially after signing Chris Everts, Elmer Dessens, Ryota Igarashi, Kelvim Escobar and most recently Bobby Livingston. They also bring back Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano, Pat Misch and Sean Green this season.

The 34 year old LHP Hisanori Takahashi was originally considering offers from the Mets, Orioles, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants, Pirates and Padres, and was expected to make a decision soon.

He also preferred to sign a major league deal with a chance to become a starter.

Last year, Takahashi, who features a screwball as part of his arsenal, appeared in 25 games for the Yomiuri Giants and in 144 innings he went 10-6 with a 2.94 ERA with 126 strikeouts.

He came onto the scene in 2006 and showed promise, potential and a bright future. Now 3 years removed from his debut he is still labeled as one who has promise, potential and a bright future. Will this ever be reached?

Very few pitchers burst onto the scene and have an impact their rookie year. Our own Doc Gooden was an exception. Others that come to mind are Fernando Valenzuela in 81 and Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych in 76. But most pitchers, even the great ones, take a few seasons to develop. Tom Seaver was spectacular in his rookie year but only became better, winning the Cy Young Award in his 3rd season. Others like Curt Schilling take even longer. Schilling spent his 20’s struggling with mediocrity. It was not until his 30’s when he ‘learned’ how to pitch and became one of the best big game pitchers in the majors. His post-season winning percentage of .846 (11-2) is the highest in history of any pitcher with at least 10 decisions.

It takes time to learn the game and learn the hitters. One has to become a ‘pitcher’ and not a ‘thrower.’ However, John Maine has shown none of this. And he needs to!

His debut with us came on May 2, 2006 against Washington where he allowed 4 ER on 6 hits in 5 1/3 IP. Four days later he was placed on the DL with inflammation in his right middle finger.

Overall, 2006 was a great year for John. He went on to establish the Mets rookie record of 26 scoreless innings. He made 15 starts and compiled a strong 3.60 ERA, averaging 7.1 K’s for every 9 innings. He also was our surprise starter in Game One of the LDS vs. the Dodgers. He displayed that potential and promise. Mets fan saw him as a legitimate #2. However, over time, John has not really improved. He is still a thrower, not a pitcher. He has not grown at all in 4 seasons and is no more of a force now then he was as a rookie, maybe even less. Not only have his numbers not improved but they have actually gotten worse.

His ERA has risen each year from 3.60 to 3.91 to 4.18 to 4.43. His K/9 has decreased from 7.1 in 06 to 6.1 in 09. He is walking more batters now then he used to, going from 3.3 in his rookie season to 4.2 last year. He also needs to learn how to conserve pitches. One of his big shortcomings has been his inability to pitch deep into games. Lets face it. We all know that when he starts a game our bullpen will get a lot of work that day. Last year, he pitched into the 7th inning only twice. In 08, just 5 times. And even in 2007, where he made a career high 32 starts, only 12 times he made it to the 7th inning.

In all fairness to John, he has been injured. But this also only serves to question his true value to our team. He’s been on the DL 3 times in less then a season and a half. He has averaged only 125 IP, a pitiful number for someone supposedly a legitimate starter. He has recorded just 36 wins in that time for an average of just 9 per year. Is that acceptable for someone who we expect (and more importantly NEED) to have out there every 5th day?

As we head into the 2010 season, our Mets are filled with more questions then ever before. And the biggest question is our pitching. We all know what a healthy Johan is capable of. With Mike Pelfrey we hope he will bounce back from the disappointing 09 campaign. Oliver Perez? What can we say about him? But John Maine is a dark horse. He will be turning 29 this year and he needs to become a force in our rotation, a solid starter to follow Johan. We don’t expect him to compete for a Cy Young award but just put up good, solid numbers. Is 200 innings with 18 wins and even a 4.00 too much to ask? With respectable stats like that we do have the ability to surprise some people this season. But if Maine continues to flounder yet again, to not reach back for something extra, I see us spending a long summer counting down between Johan’s starts.

David, Jose and Carlos will be coming back from injuries. And we all know what they can do when healthy. John Maine, however, we really don’t know. After all this time, we still are not really sure what he is capable of. Can he get better? Or is this the best he‘s got? I do hope he can get better. It’s imperative for him to step up and reach that potential he supposedly has. More then ever we need him.

For those of you who don’t subscribe to ESPN Insider, here is what the two evaluators concluded,

“I think Santos is more like an up/down guy for a good club… Santos is decent emergency protection at AAA for a good club and a backup catcher for a club that isn’t going to contend.  He can run into a fastball, but the more action he sees, the more that his aggressive approach at the plate is likely to be exposed at the big league level.”

“You’d think they’d be more than willing to give Josh Thole a shot to see regular at-bats”, said the other evaluator, “at least he has some upside.”

Gimme a freaking break Buster… Was this your idea of solid investigating reporting? What have we learned that we didn’t already know?

Did we really ned you to seek out two evaluators to tell Mets fans that Omir Santos is best suited to be a backup catcher?

What a waste of your time and ours on something that we already knew that ended up adding nothing to the discussion.

Why didn’t Buster ask those talent evaluators about new Blue Jays starting catcher John Buck who has allowed 100 stolen bases in the last two seasons?

John Buck sports a .16 caught stealing rating and had a woeful .976 fielding percentage last season, not to mention his career .235 batting average.

The Mets are only paying Omir Santos $400K… why not compare that to the $2 million dollars John Buck is getting this year?

Also, after beating up the Mets for pursuing Bengie Molina, where’s the follow up article pounding the Giants for re-signing him? What’s that old saying… “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

It looks like ESPN is beginning to take on the same fair and balanced approach as FOX News, and the Mets have become the FOX equivalent of Bill Clinton these days, with Olney taking on the part of FOX News contributor, Joe the Plumber.

In January at the Mets seasons ticket holders get-together at CitiField I had the pleasure to meet Daniel Murphy.   He is a good looking kid with a great smile.  He’s also 6′3″ tall, weighs 210 lbs, and has a great ballplayers physique.  Hearing him speak, he comes across as a confident, intelligent 24 year old who is planning on making it big in the major leagues.

Murphy said that he has been working out four or five days a week; running and lifting weights.  Then he hits and takes ground balls with his brother who plays college ball at Jacksonville University (also Daniel’s alma mater).  He had been planning to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic, but the organization citing his heavy workload in 2010 (he played in 154 games), decided to keep him home.

Later that evening at a Q and A, he introduced himself by saying, “Hi  I’m Daniel Murphy, the Mets 1st baseman”.  The New York media does not seem to scare him.  He is a potential poster boy.  After hearing him answer many questions from the attending fans, I was impressed.  He is anything but brainless and heartless.

Let’s revisit just how much Daniel accomplished last year during difficult times.  He started out as the Mets everyday left fielder.  Defensively he was awful, botching several fly balls that should have been caught.  His hitting suffered too, likely due to his anxieties of playing left field.  After Carlos Delgado was lost for the season, Murphy was moved to 1st base, a position he had never played before.

As the season progressed he learned to play 1st base adequately, and as he felt more comfortable started hitting better too. When Reyes and Beltran also went down with injuries, Murphy was elevated to a much larger role than had been anticipated.  He was just a rookie at age 24, suddenly batting third or cleanup, with all eyes on him to be one of the main offensive producers of the team.  He wasn’t ready for such a role yet.

Murphy’s  average in May was an anemic .176.  But his splits, from first half to second half showed marked improvement.

• Average: .248 to .282
• Slugging: .364 to .485
• OPS .677 to .798

Despite his rookie season’s hardships and anxieties, the end result was very successful and encouraging.  Overall he batted .266 with an OBP of .313.  He totaled 38 doubles, hit 12 home runs, scored 60 runs and drove in 63.

To his detractors, yes, he has to learn to be more patient and walk more often.  But I feel confident that with his work ethic at bat and in the field, he will significantly improve on his weaknesses.  I’m not predicting that he will be a gold glove 1st baseman, but I expect him to be an above average one.

Offensively Murphy has not nearly reached his potential.  He is tall, strong, and athletic, and is an extremely hard worker.  Daniel is not a singles hitter.  He is a line drive gap hitter who will develop more and more power as he matures and gains weight.  I look for him to hit close to .300 with 40 doubles, 15+  home runs and 80 RBI in 2010 if given the opportunity to play every day.

Let’s not worry about how Ike Davis will fit in next year.  If Murphy succeeds this season, the Mets have a great problem to solve next season.  Several years ago the Brewers traded Lyle Overbay so that Prince Fielder could move into the lineup.

In my opinion Murphy will be great in the clubhouse and can be a leader of this team. He has a future in New York with the Mets.

It’s hard not to root for Daniel Murphy.  He is a product of the farm system.  Just maybe Daniel Murphy will prove to be a burgeoning star.  And all the cynics will jump on the Murphy bandwagon.