Single: Head over to ESPN.com, Sportsline.com, and Yahoo! for some great fantasy baseball prep. 

I already had my draft, and let me tell you starting pitchers are thin.  Makes me more and more thankful that we have four really solid guys in Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, John Maine and Oliver Perez.

Double: At the Journal News, John Delcos quotes Moises Alou as saying, “I’d love to get over 500 at-bats. If I do that I can have a great season. And, if I do that the team can have a great season.” 

The last time he had over 500 at-bats was in 2004 when he had 601 for the Cubs.  He’s only had over 500 at-bats three times in the last eight years.  While I’d love to see Alou step into the batters box 500 times this year, I just don’t see it happening.  Willie has to almost treat him like a catcher, rest him most day games after night games, etc.  Let’s be realistic, he’s 41 and was consistently hurt in his mid 30’s.  I think he can get close to that number if Willie rests him properly.  Most sundays he should send Alou for a day-off, tell him to go see a movie.  He’d probably enjoy one, seeing how movies are in color now. 

Triple: According to Newsday, Jose Reyes plans on cutting down on his antics this year such as his clubhouse dancing and celebratory handshakes.  Tuesday Reyes said, “No more handshakes. People kept saying we got teams fired up when we did those handshakes, so now I want to focus more on baseball.” 

Sometimes they seem a bit too choreographed but really, he didn’t bat .205 in September because he slapped Carlos Delgado’s hand a few times before he entered the dugout.  Sometimes most people–including me–often take this game like its a religion of some sort.  Baseball is a game, a sport, a very important and intense one at that.  And we in fact are hypocritical when we look down on these players for demanding too much money and treating it like a job. I know I’ve thought they should  be thankful that they have the privilege to play baseball for a living.  So yeah, let them enjoy it, make sure they know its not a job.  Jose should slap hands bump fists elbows and feet when he hits a homerun.  

Home Run: The usually quiet-mannered Carlos Beltran recently said, “So this year, to Jimmy Rollins — we are the team to beat!” After he proclaimed a division title last year, Phillies’ SS Jimmy Rollins responded, “Has anyone heard of plagiarism?”  In an interview for 950 ESPN radio, ESPN senior baseball analyst Jayson Stark discussed how there were people in the Phillies locker room suggesting there would be a brawl. 

This hatred between the two teams really has just blossomed over the last few years, since both teams have been good.  The rivalry really spiked with Rollins’ prediction of the division crown last year, and the Mets collapse allowing his seemingly absurd prophecy to be true.  What’s still humorous though, is that I still don’t see them as our biggest rival.  Even though there has been all this tension and hatred lately, the Braves have been our rival for so long and probably again will contend for the NL East Title as well as the wildcard.  To me, the Phillies are a grumpy third wheel that just desperately wants some attention.  Really, we won as many playoffs games as they did last year. 

In a story by the Associated Press, Nationals OF Elijah Dukes claims to a be a changed man.

“I’ve been working on myself a long time, and I finally found a breakthrough,” the 23-year-old Dukes said. “And from now on, everybody gets a chance to really see (what) the real Elijah Dukes is like. I’ve always been working on it, it’s just been issues of mine and I think now I finally tuned it up a bit so I can stay on the field the whole year.”

Dukes, while talented, has been arrested six times since 1998. This offseason, the Nationals traded for Dukes from the Rays.

While I doubt they’ll contend this year, or even next year, the Nats have a nice young OF corps there with Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Wily Mo Pena and if 1B Nick Johnson can every stay healthy at 1B they could look to be a playoff contender in the next few years. Even down the stretch this year they could be scary and play spoiler.

Head over to Mets Prospectus where ‘The Man’ is letting readers ask questions and he’s promising to answer all questions (providing they aren’t repeat questions). 

Nice work over there.  Do you think someone with the blogger name ‘The Man’ thinks highly of himself?

Check out the Onion, for this hilarious take on the ’Strong Side’ and ‘Weak Side’ of Johan Santana.  My favorites include:

• Head is perfectly shaped for a 7-3/8ths hat.
• Devastating 1 mph changeup often forces batters to humiliatingly swing and miss three times at a single pitch.
• Still smells Like Minnesota
• Still winless in his first February in New York Spotlight 

Drop-dead funny. 

For Fox Sports, Dayn Perry gives us his list of the top 10 GMs in baseball where he ranks Omar Minaya #7, writing:

In the three years prior to Minaya’s arrival in Queens, the Mets endured a losing season each time out; in Minaya’s three years on the job, the Mets have one division crown and three winning seasons to their credit. And in his relatively brief tenure, Minaya has proved to be a master of the trade. Thus far, he’s pulled off plainly one-sided deals for Johan Santana, Oliver Perez and John Maine. Despite the late-season collapse in 2007, Minaya’s Mets enter the upcoming season as the team to beat in the National League.

A few days ago, Jon Heyman of SI.com did his list of the top GMs, placing Omar at #8, writing:

His brilliant 2006 season in which he pilfered Oliver Perez from the Pirates and John Maine from the Orioles, two teams that could have used their services, was followed by a 2007 that featured some costly mistakes — trading Heath Bell, Brian Bannister and Matt Lindstrom and getting practically nothing for them in the offseason, and then doing little to help prevent a late-season collapse that left the Mets one game short.

Before the Santana trade, I was really down on Omar but he really played his cards right.  Granted he took a risk waiting out the Santana sweepstakes, but he traded much less than anybody expected by waiting out the Twins’ rookie GM.  Naturally, he made all of us go crazy for a winter, but the prices we pay as fans….

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Freddy Garcia visited with the Mets in Port St. Lucie today.  According to the article, the Mets were pleasantly surprised by the successful recovery of Pedro Martinez from similar shoulder surgery that Garcia went through.

I like the idea, can never have too much pitching, evidenced by the Mets having Brian Lawrence making key starts for the team down the stretch.  I just hope if we make a deal a roster spot isn’t guaranteed.

• For the New York Post, Mike Vaccaro writes how Brian Schneider could be next in a long line of great Mets catchers, beginning with Gary Carter through Paul Lo Duca. Vaccaro writes that the Mets value him for his ability to manage pitchers and such, and when you build a team around your pitching that probably makes sense.

He quotes Omar Minaya (and then makes fun of it):

“But we wound up in a pretty good position, I think. You’ll see what Brian [Schneider] can do. He’s a player you appreciate more when you see him every day.”

Of course, coming from a general manager, that could be the equivalent of a guy setting his buddy up on a blind date and telling him the girl has “a great personality.”

• For more on Schneider, check out the New York Times and the Daily News.
• In the Daily News, Adam Rubin writes how Willie Randolph plans on resting Jose Reyes more often this year, which would favor giving the last bench spot to Ruben Gotay who played SS in winter ball. In the same article, Rubin writes how Matt Wise looks like the favorite to claim the final spot in the bullpen, and how the Mets will be using former closer Brant Rustich as a starter in order to replenish their weakened starting pitching due to the prospects given in the Johan Santana trade.
• For ESPN.com, Jayson Stark writes about Carlos Beltran’s recent trash talk, “This year, tell Jimmy Rollins we’re the team to beat.”
• For ESPN.com, Bob Klapisch writes how bringing in Santana has given the Mets their swagger back.

Here are the worthwhile reads this Saturday morning:

• For SI.com, Jon Heyman hands out his offseason grades, where the Mets were one of four teams to receive a straight A. If you’re curious, the Phillies got a B, Yankees a B-, Braves a C while the Nationals got a C-.
• For the New York Times, Ben Shpigel writes about how Jose Reyes trained over the winter, and how the Mets never doubted the electrifying Reyes by refusing to send him in the deal to the Twins for Johan Santana.
• In the Daily News, Adam Rubin quotes Jose Reyes as saying, “Probably I’m going to be a little bit faster this year.” For more on Reyes, check out the New York Post.
• In the Daily News, Adam Rubin discusses Ryan Church’s obstacle for full ownership of the starting RF job: proving he can hit lefties. Also within that piece, Rubin writes how El Duque has no interest in joining the bullpen, Sandy Alomar Jr. will be the catching instructor, and Wayne Hagin will be replacing Tom McCarthy alongside Howie Rose calling Mets games.
• For articles about Willie Randolph and his part in the collapse and moving onto this year, check out the New York Times, The Daily News, New York Post, and Newsday.

Note: This will be the first installment of what will become my weekly column.  In this column, I’ll take a look at four things, which based on importance I will rate as a single, double, triple or home run—a la hitting for the cycle. 

Single: Boy is this picture from the Daily News beautiful.  Yesterday as pitchers and catchers reported (see more on this later), Pedro Martinez was asked about his status as the team’s ace and opening day starter. When asked whether or not it is important that he gets the nod come opening day, he said, “Not really. If I get a start in that first rotation I’m happy. I’m extremely happy. Felipe [Alou] told me one time that the day’s special when you’re on the mound. It’s your day. No one else is as important that day.”

Despite everything Pedro has done for the franchise, I think Johan Santana should be toeing the rubber come March 31st.  Granted, my opinion will likely go back and forth over this throughout spring training, the Mets didn’t unload most of their farm system and the largest contract ever to a pitcher for nothing.  He’s the best pitcher in baseball and beyond everything else that qualifies you to get the ball Day 1 and every fifth day from there on out.     

Double: In a recent chat for espn.com, Keith Law was asked, “Is El Duque the 5th starter for the mets?” Law replied by saying, “It should be [Mike] Pelfrey, but it will probably be El Duque until he hurts himself cleaning his dentures or something.”

I really believe in Pelfrey and I think his great sinking fastball is enough to carry him as a starter.  BUT, I do think he should start the year in the minors.  As of now, Pelfrey doesn’t have the mental makeup and maturity to succeed.  Last year when he was given a rotation spot he failed, and it couldn’t have been much worse.  Through his first eight starts he was 0-7 with a 6.10 ERA.  Not to mention walking 22 guys in that span while only striking out 21.  He did show flashes of what he can do in September, when he won three games but when he was needed he didn’t continue that success.  On September 24th, when the Mets were mid-free fall, Pelfrey gave up 6 earned runs in 5.2 innings to the lowly Nationals. 

Triple: On Wednesday, Roger Clemens testified to Congress to deny his use of steroids and HGH.  On Wednesday, and even dragging into today Clemens’ and his former trainer Brian Mcnamee’s testimony covered baseball news and headlines.  It also came out that that in his testimony to Congress, Andy Pettitte admitted knowledge of Roger Clemens’ use of illegal performance enhancing drugs. 

Considering how much media attention this story has gotten over the past week this should probably be my ‘Home Run’ topic but I refuse to give it another top headline.  It is very disappointing that pitchers and catchers began yesterday, and still headlining many websites such as SI and Fox Sports were pictures of Roger Clemens talking to Congress.  Until we get a lot of evidence this story is just boring and repetitive to me, because so much of it is one guy’s word against another.  And I might hate Clemens more than anyone, and enjoy seeing his career going up in flames like this, but jeez can’t we just pay attention to baseball? 

Home Run: Pitchers and Catchers reported yesterday for many teams, including the Mets where players reported to Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Newsday gives us quotes from Wagner, while I already discussed earlier what Pedro had to say. 

To me, pitchers and catchers isn’t really a big deal.  Most players aren’t doing anything different than the day before, except for a player or two who marveled over Johan Santana as he threw a bullpen session today.  Even though its the off-season, every player works out over the winter.  Whether its playing winter ball or lifting weights and throwing on the side, almost everyone is prepping for the season no different than they were thursday when pitchers and catchers began.  However, what I do love is what pitchers and catchers represents.  It means that we’re only a little over a month away from real baseball.  It means we have a week and a half until I get to watch a baseball game, even if it doesn’t count.  It means the monotonous offseason is over, an end to repetitive and mostly false rumors and pointless speculation, but a beginning to why we read every false rumor and every bit of pointless speculation. 

A spectre is haunting baseball — the spectre of spring training.