Lets face the hard honest truth.  We will probably never see Orlando Hernandez in a Met uniform again.  Maybe never’s too strong a word. Perhaps, once CitiField is open, the Mets will put a larger embrace on their history. They could hold Old Timers Games, and Duq being both a former Met and old, would hence be eligible to participate.

Regardless, Duq has had more setbacks, and Pelf starting shortly gets another shot. With Pedro also in less than stellar health, Pelf has a big old case of opportunity knocking. Oppurtunity is no stranger to the Pelf. He’s come knocking before.  In times past however, Pelf turned out all the lights, grabbed his pet kitten (named Mookie), and dove under the dining room table, gently weeping. Opportunity then left, and gave a quick visit to Dave Williams, before giving up and chilling with the Rockies.

Flashforward to 2008. Pelf is a year older. Duq is 10 years older. And lady luck once again is giving the big man a chance. For all his struggles last year, Pelf was not as bad as he seemed. He improved as he went, but also suffered by a subpar Mets offense that seemed unable to do anything against opposing fifth starters. Granted, he was no Tom Seaver, but his pitching did not lose all those games.  He struggled in the spring, starting strong and tapering off. But tonight (well, ten minutes ago) he gets the ball for the first time in 08.  If he can do something with it, there’s a good chance that rotation spot could become his for good. If he’s the Pelf of old, we’ll probably start hearing a lot more internet rumors about Vargas and other castaways in search of new homes potentially being Sheaward Bound.