Outside of Citi Field itself, that is exactly how it is going to be on opening day if the Mets do not get themselves some help with that starting rotation.

Good pitching stops good hitting. We all know this. It’s drilled into our brains by every baseball analyst on television and in the papers.

NEWSFLASH!

Right now the Mets do not have enough pitching.

All they have are Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey as their number one and number two guys, and a mediocre, at best, John Maine and Tim Redding.

Not exactly a rotation that opposing teams are going to tremble at when they come to town.

If the Mets are going to make a move for Ben Sheets, the time to strike is now. Stop procrastinating already and get the job done!

I refuse to sit here another day talking about how Omar Minaya and the rest of the front office are not doing anything.

When I wrote the blog about patience being a virtue, I meant it. At the same time, patience only goes so far. This is no longer a time to be patient.

With other free agents being picked up one by one, the Mets have to bring someone aboard. Starting pitching is always crucial for every team. The Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves are looking for help for their rotation. As are the Milwaukee Brewers, especially since they lost CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets.

While we are all excited about the new stadium and cannot wait to see it, that is not the only thing I would like to see. I want to see a team that will contend. My money is not just going toward a new stadium, it better be going toward putting together a great team too. Do not raise prices and then give me garbage on the field.

Quite frankly, and I am very sorry for this, what Minaya and company have put together so far is not a team that appears ready for contention. This 2009 team appears ready for another choking.

Great job on the bullpen. Three cheers for that! However, the bullpen is not the only area that needed a fix. The rotation was not exactly primed for October baseball.

Stop signing all of these backup infielders and outfielders. Get the pitching straightened out. That is the priority. That is what will win the division and, quite possibly, the World Series.