Last month, I had the chance to conduct an email interview with John Sickels of the well-known minor league blog, Minor League Ball. Sickels worked for ESPN many years ago, where he had his own column about minor league baseball. Here is some of what we talked about: Q: Were the Mets too conservative with the Gavin Cecchini selection? A: I thought Cecchini was a slight overdraft but I didn’t really think that about Nimmo. By slight, [...]

Francisco Rodriguez spoke with reporters during yesterday’s contest in Port St. Lucie between the Mets and Team Venezuela, which is gearing up to compete in the World Baseball Classic. K-Rod said he would welcome a reunion with the Mets and would be extra motivated if given a second chance to redeem himself. Rodriguez is currently a free agent, and the Mets showed minimal interest earlier in the offseason. But please, please, please Sandy Alderson: Don’t [...]

Johan Santana will make his first Grapefruit League next Thursday, March 14, when the Mets play the Detroit Tigers, according to John Delcos of Metsmerized Online. That would leave three starts before the start to the season. Pitching coach Dan Warthen told Delcos that Santana is making progress after throwing a long-toss session on Monday and that notable gains have been made on velocity and arm strength. Terry Collins said that both he and Johan Santana are on the same [...]

Good morning from Port St. Lucie, where there’s a chill in the air and the sun is just coming up. Had dinner last night with a friend on the Mets’ beat and like most people I speak with in the media he’s not enthusiastic about them having a good season. Drove around a little last night and this place has changed over the past few years. Really built up. New hotels and restaurants, including a [...]