There is today’s winner for best banner during today’s Mets Banner Day Parade before the game. If I might say so myself, they did a fantastic job and out of the banners the Mets posted on their Twitter account today, I liked this one the best myself.

Here are some of the other images the Mets tweeted or re-tweeted today, and also a few from New York Newsday:

I loved the message in this particular one. Very cool…

Looks like David Wright was well represented today. This one was looked great…

Kevin Burkhardt was one of the judges and he seemed very impressed with this one.

This was one of the first ones to go before the judges. Kudos for originality.

When it comes to originality, nobody beats Mets fans!

I knew there would be a few for John Buck…

A well-deserved banner for second baseman Daniel Murphy!

Homegrown stars are always the best!

We’ll end this on a high note: The future looks bright!

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 last Saturday before Harvey’s start.

“How hard does he throw?” “How’s his command?  “How’s his breaking ball?” “Is he as good as he was last year?”

They were clearly intrigued by our phenomenal young starter.

“He reminds me of Tom Seaver,” I said, “Big righthander, late life up in the zone with his fastball. His strikeout rates are actually comparable, maybe a little better.”

Funny thing, don’t mention Tom Seaver to Patrick Reusse. While Tom Terrific is revered in Met circles like no one else, I quickly realized following a remarkably colorful string of expletives (that all but made me spit my coffee out laughing), this isn’t necessarily the case in other circles.

“Harvey seems like a nice kid,” I interjected. “Soft spoken, low key.”

Reusse raised his eyebrows and laughed, “He sure isn’t like that on the mound.”

I had to concur there, Mr. Harvey is all business when he takes the hill.

“I think he’s actually been better than he was last year, his command is better.” I said, as Mr. Reusse did a double take.

Harvey’s biggest goal in the off-season and during the spring, by his own admission, was to improve his command so that he could work deeper into games. So far so good.

His changeup and slider have been working well, he’s been able to mix his pitches and change speeds both with his fastball and his changeup  He’s worked his slider inside to left-handed batters, using it almost like a cut fastball with marvelous effectiveness (one notable exception), while spotting his fastball with pinpoint accuracy.

Harvey’s also been able to dial up his velocity in key spots late in games, causing you to overhear things like “reminds me of Justin Verlander that way.”

Harvey mentioned during the press briefing that his curveball needs some work, that it’s been up at times. Difficult to imagine what he’ll be like if he can get his breaking pitch working right.

Below are a collection of quotes by his teammates from the post game press conference following his last start:

Kevin Burkhardt: Asks Marlon Byrd, “After 13 starts does he wow you a little bit with the way he pitched tonight?”

Marlon Byrd: “He looks like he’s pitched 1,300. He’s one of those guys, certain guys, you know he’s bringing it to the table, that bulldog mentality.”

“To be young and throw 97 and be able to use his other pitches like he does. He hits his spots. You know he’s going to work hard and we’re going to work hard for him. It”s nice, it’s nice when he’s out there, you try to get a run or two and you know you have a chance to win.”

Burkhardt: Asks John Buck, “What has it been like catching his first 3 starts?”

Buck: “Yeah it”s a lot of fun, gives you a lot of weapons to work with. The most exciting part about it is right after, he wants to evaluate his starts, to say, ‘hey, what could we have done better here and here,’ he’s not satisfied. He knows there’s room to improve. He also liked to go over some of the good sequences as well , he’ definitely looking to get better.”

Burkhardt: ”When he asks you what can he do to get better, what do you tell him?”

Buck: “Usually it’s like a sequence I know, like a certain particular sequence, or a hitter, or when he’s had a long inning, being ready for the first hitter, little things like that, he pays attention to detail, those are the little things he wants to get better at and repeat better. That’s exciting for me.”

On whether Buck was worried about how the home run would affect his mindset:

Buck: “Yeah, no, that’s one of his pluses. To be able to stay focused. I don’t think we’ll ever see Harv back off. If anything I have to ask him to, especially in that situation. I think David went out there to see but he quickly turned away. I think he saw he (Harvey) was pretty locked in.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

For Met fans, the excitement in the air every time Harvey starts is palpable. We find ourselves throwing out “not since … ” comments with every batter he blows away, with every overpowering high fastball.

You don’t want to miss a pitch, you hurry and grab a sandwich before his next inning. But what continues to impresses me like nothing else after these first three starts of his season is his demeanor, his understated intensity and his desire to improve.

This kid is the definition of “special.”

We’ve got a good one on our hands Mets fans.

Here’s what Adam Rubin of EspnNewYork reported on Davis:

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According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt this is what he had to say on Davis:

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And finally, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated who pointed it that this work will help the Mets and Davis determine whether season ending surgery can be avoided or not:

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Going forward this may not mean much at all, but this will certainly be a positive factor on deciding whether or not the 2^nd year talent will need season ending ankle surgery or not.

This could be the first step in a line a few steps in getting the services of Davis back at some point in 2011. If the Mets can continue to remain in the National League’s Wildcard race somehow, someway, imagine the lineup the Mets could throw out there every day down the stretch.

Combined with a return of a healthy David Wright and Jose Reyes, the Mets would no doubt boast one of the National League’s most feared lineups.

A lineup that would consist of leadoff man Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran, Ike Davis, David Wright and Jason Bay would certainly be as formidable as any in the game, something the Mets environed early on in the season.

In just 36 games played this year, Davis is batting .302 with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Those seven home runs are still second on the team, despite Davis being out nearly two months.

Clip #1 – Alderson talks about the importance of zone rating on defense and said Derek Jeter won a Gold Glove because he makes all the plays even though his range is not a good as some other shortstops. He also discusses his draft philosophy and talks about the slotting system.

Clip #2 – Alderson discusses the search for a new manager and how to choose the right man for the job. He also talks about putting together his front office and explains the roles for John Ricco, Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi. He shares some very good insights.

An outstanding job as always by Kevin Burkhardt who continues to shine in these types of interviews. Besides all the trade rumors and all the wheeling and dealing that goes on in the offseason, the other thing I enjoy best about the offseason is SNY’s Mets Hot Stove Weekly.

This sent me off on a random thought of which Mets players/announcers, both past and present, would play some of the show’s characters. I figured why not parlay this into an article for the entertainment purposes for fans of both the Mets and Scrubs. So without further adieu here is my Mets edition of Scrubs:

J.D.

John Dorian or J.D. for short is an easy going young doctor, who works his way up through the ranks of Sacred Heart to become a resident. J.D. seems to have everything going for him, including good looks. Over the years J.D. becomes one of the top doctors in the hospital. Likewise, David Wright came to the Mets as a young third baseman, who was just trying to crack his way into the big league lineup. Over time however, Wright also became every successful and quickly became one of the faces of the Mets franchise. Like J.D., Wright, too, has the looks that make him a favorite with the ladies.

Dr. Kelso

Dr. Kelso is one of the old timers in Sacred Heart Hospital. Once the chief of medicine, Kelso finds himself opening a new chapter of his life, semi-retirement. The same can be said for Keith Hernandez with the Mets. Once a member of the 1986 World Championship team, Hernandez, know finds himself calling games in the broadcast booth. Both men have a sense of wit that many find very amusing. Despite, their lose personalities both are very good at what they do and are well respected in their field.

Jordan Cox

Who better to play the role of Jordan than former Met, Kris Benson’s wife, Anna? During Kris’s tenure with the Mets, Anna developed a reputation as being rather opinionated and did not back down despite criticism from both the news media or the Mets. Similarly on Scrubs, Jordan is very opinionated and backs down from no one. Both have a knack for getting themselves into trouble, but neither seems to care all that much.

Keith Dudemeister

Naturally, when it comes to playing a young up-and-coming intern, field reporter, Kevin Burkhardt, would be an ideal choice. Both Kevin and Keith are on their way to fulfilling their dreams. Keith is closing in on becoming a doctor, while Kevin is trying to become a sports broadcaster. Furthermore, both come off as being extremely nice. So nice, in fact, that you look for ways to try dislike them, but are unsuccessful.

These were some of the comparisons I could draw off the top of my head. Feel free to share your own in the comments section.

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