Having returned from the trip, there were a few things that stuck out for me over my 5-day retreat to the conception of the baseball season last week. The first being I beieve John Maine is on the cusp of being a top-flight pitcher in this league. I still scratch my head over the deal Omar swung which brought Maine here from Baltimore. That said, 18 wins out of Maine is a realistic possibility. His change up and pin point accuracy with his fastball should continue to improve with confidence that gets better from start to start. It makes me feel even that much better that my Pujols for Maine and Justin Morneau deal in my fantasy league was on the front end.

Secondly, judging from his start against a relatively “A” Tigers lineup, Petey looked strong. We guess-timated that his fastball was popping the mitt around 88-89 and his off speed stuff was simply nasty- evident by his knee-buckling 3-2 curve ball to Cabrera.

Last and by far most important, is the revelation I had when I walked by a vendor named “John”selling “Tacos in a helmet” so of course I had to inquire. As I noted the other day, the Premio sausage and peppers were not up to par, since the grease caused the bun to dissolve like tissue paper in a rain storm, so I figured this lunch needed a clean getaway. I was right, it was clean and satisfying, like a dip in the Colorado River, just with horrid reflux. As my boy John cracked open the bag of nachos that would soon line the bottom of the helmet I appreciated the effort he took in his craft and told him so. I told him he should put a picture of Jimmy Rollins on the bag and beat the crap out of it all day long. After admiring the great craftsmanship of my new friend only one errand stood in my way before completing Spring Training baseball’s triple crown (I had my scorecard and lunch) – Beer me.

As I sat back and watch Petey throw 4 shutout, I said to myself “where in the world can you see professional baseball players at a bowling alley or shopping for toilet paper at Publix (sorry Billy Wagner), eat tacos out of a helmet and drink $5 beers, take a nap, wake up and play 9 holes?

Man, I love Spring Training.

Port St. Lucie, Fla. - So we were geared up driving to Tradition Field today knowing we’d be seeing Johan for the first time live in a Met uniform. As we got in the gates and paid our $5 for parking, we realized that we were in Florida: all the parking attendants had clearly been spending too much time in Magnum PI’s closet. Blue Hawaiian shirts and Met hats substituted for the Tigers lid, yup gotta love South Florida.

Anyway, a few notes from today’s game:

• Johan verses Pujols in the first inning was a real treat. The best pitcher and hitter in the NL going head to head in March. Give Pujols the hat tip for guessing right on a first pitch fastball leading to a double and an unearned run scored.

• Johan quickly learned his lesson and started mixing it up throwing change ups first, and honestly, that pitch is just ridiculous.

• Delgado starting to go to left hitting a ball hard followed by a HR in his following at-bat. Hopefully he continues to take the inside fastball and look to drive the ball the other way.

• After Jose Reyes hit a sinking line drive off Adam Wainwright, eerily similar to his out in the 9th in 2006, I had a flashback. Luckily, after thinking, “Tyree, Tyree,” I felt much better.

• As much as I was looking forward to seeing Johan, I was thinking all morning about destroying my first Premio sausage/peppers of the early season. Unfortunately, the bread was a little soggy and, you guessed it, I had a blowout. Can’t wait until they’re in midseason form.

• On a negative note, Omar may regret this 4-year Castillo signing. We’re thinking this may have Allan Houston written all over it as in a nice guy who will be in street clothes more than in uniform.

• Memo to Joe Smith: If you want to make this team, I’d advise not walking the lead off batter in a 10-3 game.

• Memo to Ricardo Rincon: Take up tennis.

And by the way, we sat in the stands yesterday at Roger Dean and watched a jaw dropping throw from Fernando Martinez. After tracking down a gapper, F-Mart winged the ball to second base on the fly- from the warning track.

This kid is special.

Heading back tomorrow to check out Petey.

March is no time to panic.

Well, who can blame Met fans for the constant state of worry that seems to ravage this team year in and year out? It resonates in the groans at Shea after Billy Wagner blows his second save of the season in July, or Carlos Beltran goes 0-4 with three men left on base in his first game home from a road trip that just saw him win NL Player of the Week. It’s the same feeling that WFAN’s Steve Somers feels has you “searching for the Kaopectate.”

You know what I’m talking about. Panic, overreaction, fearing the worst, the ridiculous factors to the ever-fragile psyche that is being a Met fan. I mean, are a few injuries here and there or a home run to a post HGH Juan Gonzalez really that big of a deal this time of year?

Certainly the collapse, or maybe even the Milledge trade, did little to ease the tension engrained in some fans, and frankly it’ll take more than the Johan trade to make this thing go away.

That said, we’ve seen this before. There are those of us who suffered year in and year out with the pre-1994 New York Rangers. Then enter Mark Messier. History proved what Mess was able to accomplish and it was a poignant quote from then Rangers GM Neil Smith following the team’s Stanley Cup who said Messier “changed the perception of the logo from a losing one to a winning one” in leading Rangers to ending their 54-year drought. In essence, a Met fan yearns for a championship, in addition to being run like the organization from the Bronx. Over the past few years, thanks to Fred Coupons taking some chances, the only thing missing is the same feeling of supreme joy the Football Giants and their fans endured several weeks ago.

So as Mets fans, let’s take a moment and a deep breath here early in spring training and think about the upcoming season. We are a strong team with veteran leadership and the best pitching staff in a very competitive NL East. For all the questions about Carlos Delgado and Duaner Sanchez are we to believe that a few spring training games are a precursor to ultiMet (don’t excuse the pun) success this season? Aren’t we taking ourselves a little too seriously?

This is, after all, a team that admitted it was on cruise control last season, following a year that saw them finish one game from the World Series. Sometimes a smack in the mouth on the playground was exactly what that cocky kid from your neighborhood needed.

Speaking of which, for those of you who constantly feel the need, we have 162 games to question Willie’s decisions, or to boo Beltran, Aaron Heilman and Wagner. Crack a frosty beverage and enjoy the early work of Mike Pelfrey. Root hard for the continued development of Sanchez. Revel in the fact you’re still getting goose bumps every time you see Johan in Blue and Orange and more importantly that Fernando Martinez didn’t have to change his address to make it happen. Heck, give Angel Pagan a freekin’ standing ovation for his early efforts. After all, that’s what the Spring should be all about.

Isn’t it?

So I’m looking forward to filing reports for Hot Foot as we make our annual voyage to Port St. Lucie March 15-18. This is 8 years now we’ve been doing this and allow me to reflect on some very memorable moments.

First off, I’ll never forget my very first game at T.J. White Stadium (now Tradition Field). We sat two rows behind home plate and watched Masato Yoshii give up 10 runs over the first two innings. I remember some slick, grey haired guy looking very uncomfortable and another younger grey haired guy who yapped on his cell phone constantly, literally right in front of us. Turned out to be Freddy Coupons and Steve Phillips. So, of course, I had to hit Steve with, “I hope you’re not ordering Japanese.”

One other great memory stands out and that was my first glimpse and the Mets future SS back in 2001. He was skinny and fast as can be, and his infectious love for the game was as evident then as it is now. Somehow you just knew Reyes was going to be special.

Fast forward to last year, running into John Maine at a local Publix, I have to say there is nothing quite like Spring Training.

Pictures, video and updates to come. Let the countdown begin.

It’s been a long and very restful off-season for yours truly and I’m excited to kick off the 2008 with some thoughts on what has been quite and eventful winter.

First of all have to give a huge thumbs up to De Rosa, whose hard work over the years was rewarded by SNY. GiantsFootballBlog.com is an awesome home for die-hard fans of Big Blue and is just what the doctor ordered.

Speaking of the Giants, I had a great feeling about them beating the Pats all along, but the Super Bowl victory gives ultimate credence to how Eli Manning really should have been perceived. People would question his lame stats and his facial expressions but when they drafted him I wondered how anyone could lead Ole Miss to an SEC Western division title and not have a magical quality? Hopefully, Giant fans will remember the Super Bowl-winning drive the next time Eli has difficulty with the wind at the Meadowlands or has a questionable QB rating.

And in watching the parade it came to mind that, yes, there is no place to win like New York and the “Canyon of Heroes” is the ultimate experience, but why did we need to hear politicians spew forced football jargon?

That said, nice job by “I love it when you call me” Bob Papa, – he made me want to throw my hands in the air.

My thanks to someone from WNBC-TV called Tracie Strahan who made me hit the mute button during their parade coverage after proclaiming, “Now I know what it’s like not to be the most famous Strahan in New York,” in reference to having to share the stage with Michael Strahan, no relation. Yep, those local NBC reporters have a great sense for the moment, don’t they?

Speaking of the mute button, how about Chris Berman’s latest venture? No, not the countless videos of Boomer cussing out ESPN peons, I’m talking about his role as the ultimate sportscaster for SportCenter’s “Greatest Highlight of All-Time.” If you haven’t seen it, ESPN deletes the original announcer’s call, thus overshadowing each broadcaster’s defining moment, so that Berman can interrupt with his own anti-climactic version. There’s nothing like hearing the “BACK, BACK, BACK…gone!” call attached to Aaron’s 715. Thanks Chris, we knew what was going to happen, it happened 30 years ago. Makes you wonder how sports EVER got along before ESPN, and Berman. Actually, it makes you wonder even harder just how cool sports would be if ESPN scaled its narcissism back and reverted to more simpler times.

As far as the Mets are concerned, say what you want about Johan, Pedro or Delgado, but I think the key to this year’s team is Duaner Sanchez. The guy was the best set up man in baseball for a stretch two years ago thanks to a nasty change-up which he learned from Eric Gagne. One can only hope that Sanchez is healthy and ready to contribute.

I recently noticed that the Yankees will start the season with Joba Chamberlain coming out of the pen. Strategically, it makes sense to shorten the game to 7 innings, the championship teams of the late 90’s were carried by getting late inning outs, but who on earth is going to pitch the first 7? Rest easy Yankee fans, Carl Pavano is raving up his engine again.

So here’s my take on the whole Clemens/Mcnamee thing. They’re both creeps. But neither are as creepy as the gutless Republican Congressmen who felt the need to verbally attack the trainer based on his checkered past, yet ignore basic flaws in Clemens’ testimony. The worst offender was Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana, who reminded me of the great Vin Scully’s evil twin brother. The whole thing was such a joke that it really cast a terrible cloud over our justice system. If you really believe that Clemens, a man who threw a jagged-edge bat in the direction of another human being, would allow a man to inject his wife without his knowledge and do NOTHING about it, you either need to pay better attention, actually do a little research, or get your head examined. In fact, Burton should be held accountable for his performance the other day. Ironically, Burton was the primary sponsor for the The Government Performance and Results Act, an 1998 effort to require federal government agencies to do more strategic planning, establish more accountability measurements, and do more reporting on their performance.

You have to love American politics.

The bottom line is Americans and even sports writers to a degree ( doesn’t agree) are forgiving people. Clemens should have come clean, waited 15 years and gone into the Hall of Fame a graceful 50 something, instead of hoping to go in a shady and tarnished, 40 something year old.

The whole thing will continue to drag on and on but let’s hope that the hype doesn’t overshadow what could be a glorious baseball season in New York.

As noted on Metsblog, some guy named Rich Hofmann (leave off the last “f” for “fuming”) spewed some good old fashioned NY hate on philly.com. The sub head says it all.

“New York disgustingly canonizes new ace before he even pitches”

Here are a few more gems:

“In the realm of the nauseating, this was even worse than Eli Manning and the fellas parading the Lombardi Trophy through the Canyon of Heroes (because the Giants earned it, after all). You really had to see the way they welcomed Johan Santana to the New York Mets to believe it…”

“And then the PR guy attempted to shut down the last shutterbugs and begin the news conference by announcing, ‘Johan, your public awaits.’

At which point, I gagged on some vomit.”

Hey, Jay Horowitz is Mr. PR Guy to you pal.

“The Mets … just spent up to $150 million on one of those green Christmas-tree things you hang from the rearview mirror. They would hate to find out that it failed to mask the stench of 7/17*.

By 7/17*, Rich is referring to the Mets collapse, but of course the obvious question is which “stench” smells worse 7/17*, or the effort of losing three straight to the Rockies in the playoffs. Real impressive. So much for NL East momentum.

It gets better. Our favorite coffee swilling “ex-Sports Reporter” Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News feels that Santana alone won’t heal all of the Mets problems.

“Fortunately, the team behind Santana will be basically the same one that went into the tank last September and helped the Phillies win their first East title since 1993 with only 89 victories. Rag-armed catcher Paul Lo Duca has been replaced by defensively superior Brian Schneider. But, really, do last season’s .235 and 54 RBI terrify you? First baseman Carlos Delgado played a lot older than 35 last season. Moises Alou turns 42 in July. The leftfielder hit .341, but 89 of his 112 hits were singles, and it takes a triple to score him. Luis Castillo had one homer and 38 RBI in 135 games between the Twins and Mets. The guy’s a Hoover at second, however.”

And by “Hoover” he means like himself at the buffet table.

What troubles me is that I don’t want to get into this NY/Philly thing, we were burned by it last year. Let’s face it, the Phils ARE the team to beat, but what on earth have THEY done to improve? Brad Lidge? Maybe if teams in Philly actually won something the media would know how to handle it instead of exhibiting their inferiority complex on paper. But then, we couldn’t have any fun with them now would we?

Hat tip to Andrew Smith for sifting through Philly sports rummage.

Watching Johan Santana pull on the Mets uniform made me flashback to another great Met who wore #57- Eric Valent.

Why? I have no idea. Maybe it’s because on July 29, 2004 he hit for the cycle, or maybe it’s because nothing quite sums up the “Art Howe Era”, quite like Valent. He’s like the quintessential bad Met who was very easy to root for. Heck, the guy has his own fan site.

Alas, those days are gone, and as much as people want to dwell on the collapse look on the bright side, Eric Valent isn’t in the middle of our lineup.

That’s right, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo has laid down the gauntlet today on WFAN.

“Ryan Church is not better than Shawn Green…”- February 6, 2008.

Now, “to be fair” we think Russo is a good baseball fan. He knows his stuff as well as anyone. But c’mon, this is just ridiculous. Church is very productive. Granted, he doesn’t have Milledge’s upside, but he’s more productive than Shawn Green, heck I’m more productive than Green.

By the way, any time I hear Church’s name I think of Steve Somers‘ classic line:

“Omar got rid of the Temple and brought in the Church.”

Who needs sources when you have common sense? As we await for the contract extension to be signed over the next 72 hours, it was obvious to us that there was no way the Twins were going to deal Johan to the Yankees or the Red Sox. Our dark horse was the Dodgers who were eerily quiet despite possessing the prospects and money, not to mention Joe Torre, to trump any Met offer.

But, today is not about gloating. It’s about celebrating an apparent steal of a deal.  We look forward to seeing Johan in Port St. Lucie, and bringing you reports from Spring Training.

The end could finally be near in the Johan Santana sweepstakes.

And the winner is . . . according to a report yesterday in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the answer likely will be revealed within the next 10 days, before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

Rumors have swirled that the Twins are asking for Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith or Scott Schoeneweis as the fifth player included in a Gomez, Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra package. I’d be hesitant about Smith because I love his arm angle out of the pen. It gives hitters a different look, but I’m not sure it’d be a deal breaker. Either way it looks like the end is near.

John Heyman, who we have to say is turning into the anti-Buster Olney, reports that the Mets appear to be having daily discussions with the Twins and believe they have a legitimate shot to bring the lefty to Queens, something we believed would happen all along.

Hot Foot noted a month ago that the media buzz surrounding the Sox and Yankees obtaining Johan Santana outweighed Twins GM Bill Smith’s desire to trade him to an AL rival. Indeed, now there seems to be one logical spot for Santana, since the Theo Epstein’s Sox and the Hankees don’t seem willing to outbid one another.

“Neither the Red Sox, who have seemed consistently lukewarm in this derby, nor the Yankees, who have run hot and cold, has been as aggressive as one might expect considering their longstanding fight over players big and small. At this point, it appears either might simply be happy not to see Santana go to the other. “

Granted this news gets us absolutely nowhere, but at least Heyman knows Omar’s number, which leads us to think something may be brewing here and the Mets may be the only real option for Smith and the Twins. But then again, by using our own common sense, we’ve known that all along.

Simply put, why on earth would Smith trade Santana to an AL East team when his team is positioned to add pieces that can make them playoff contenders. So the Twins get Ian Kennedy or a Jon Lester and win the Wild Card. What happens when they face the Yanks or Sox WITH Santana? Have they really gotten any better?

Read the entire article at SI.com.

In an earlier post we were informed Mets thirdbaseman David Wright had some serious off-season arm candy on the other night at the Ford Supermodel of the World show at Terminal 5 in Manhattan. Apparently her name is Molly Beers and even more apparent is the fact that we wouldn’t need any…

Way to go David, but it seems about right that you could pull in such serious talent. But THAT serious? Anyway, please take our advice: make sure to drink a lot of electrolytes during this season. You’ll need your strength at season’s end.

Ahhh, nothing goes with the smell of burning Hot Stove logs quite like the stench of another Buster Olney report.

In his latest column for ESPN Insider, Buster Olney is claiming a possible shoulder injury to Johan Santana could be the major factor in trading the lefty before spring training.

Olney recently spoke with a “talent evaluator” recently who “thinks that if the Twins are intent on swapping Santana for a relatively modest package of prospects before the start of spring training, this may reflect some concern over the pitcher’s physical condition. In the aftermath of Santana’s 17-strikeout game against the Rangers on Aug. 19, there was some evidence of diminished velocity in the left-hander, and it was noted by at least one scout that he used his slider much less often — and in his final seven starts after that 17-strikeout game, Santana compiled a 5.11 ERA, allowing nine homers in 44 innings.”

Nice job finally providing statistical references Buster, but one look at another dominant AL lefty’s career will tell you that perhaps switching leagues would benefit Santana stats, and shines some light on the situation more than this “arm trouble” speculation. But that’s what we do Buster, we dig a little deeper.

We remember Randy Johnson had similar arm questions surface in 1998, his last year in Seattle and a 4.33 ERA was decent evidence that his dominant days were behind him. Too many fastballs and sliders must have taken their toll, right?

Well, not so much. A trade to the NL followed by four consecutive Cy Young Awards and his “shoulder problems” were just fine thank you.

Granted, it turned out that similar Pedro Martinez questions turned out to be a reality, resulting in major surgery, but not before two years of NL dominance after the age of 34.

Johnson was 35 at the time of the deal and spent years baffling AL hitters, widely considered the stronger offensive league. Historically the arms of fastball/change up pitchers like Johan have held up well. Not to mention Santana turns just 29 in March.

Needless to say that speculating about arm problems is a sensational journalistic tactic at best. So allow us to speculate that Buster’s “talent evaluator” is either Mr. Hanky or Linda Cohn.

Kudos to Sean Cunningham of Esquire for doing a great job chronicling Roger Clemens behavior over the years. Cunningham demonstrates countless reasons why the Rocket’s image and credibility is taking a shot and why he shouldn’t be surprised that he’s not “getting the benefit of the doubt.” It’s simply because time and time again Clemens has exhibited strange (see: douchebag) behavior and why he’s one of the least loved athletes the sport has ever seen. If you’re not loyal to your fan base, as Clemens wasn’t, particularly in Toronto, New York and Houston, fans are sure to return the favor.

Two of my favorites:

1996

Insisting the only thing that would make him leave Boston is a desire to play closer to his Texas home, Clemens decides to join the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite this, Clemens graciously expresses great fondness for the Red Sox, noting his former teammates are “distraught” and “on their way out the door.”

2000

An irate Clemens throws a piece of a broken bat at Mike Piazza during the World Series. Maintaining total innocence, Roger offers the perfectly plausible explanation that he just wanted to toss the bat “towards our on-deck circle, where our batboys were at.” Then he offers the equally perfectly plausible explanation that he “thought [the bat] was the ball.” Finally, he concludes, “To be honest with you, I didn’t know if it was the bat or the ball,” putting the matter to rest forever.

On his blog for The Star Tibune, Twins beat reporter La Velle A. Neal III now feels the Mets could be a viable option in the Santana sweepstakes. Way to go La Velle, but I feel like I’ve seen your sentiments somewhere before:

“This is pure speculation, but you have to wonder if the Twins would prefer to deal Santana to a National League team. Santana, a career .258 hitter, would get the chance to swing the bat. And, except for interleague play, the Twins wouldn’t have to face him during the regular season.”

Pure speculation?

“Why would the Twins be willing to ensure American League dominance by moving their prize lefty to either the Red Sox or Yankees?…..This brings us to the Mets, the place where Johan seems to fit perfectly. Santana has leverage here, and is an accomplished athlete, who would love to come to the ballpark and swing the lumber. Of course, logic would not dictate Santana’s demand to come to the National League lies on the fact that he wants to hit. No, but what makes the Mets a realistic option is GM Omar Minaya’s aggressiveness to make a deal, and the young prospects to make it happen.”

I’m not looking for any credit here, I’m just damn happy that someone is starting to see this thing for what it is. The Mets have a real shot here people, just be patient.

Our old friend Cliff Floyd has apparently found a home (semi-retirement) in the “Sunshine State,” signing a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. No truth to the rumor that he agreed to move into the same assisted retirement community as Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and the REAL old one.

I know, I know, the “Golden Girls” lived in Miami, not Tampa, but close enough.

I always thought Cliff was the best warm-weather hitter in baseball so we should be seeing Cliff in the lineup sometime mid-June.

As Frank Drebin would say, “Very impressive, yes.”

Oh, and people who saw the other guy throw off a mound said he looked pretty good too.

I’m not going to waste my time with all the names, because yesterday’s proceedings are just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll wait until the names surface from other investigations sure to follow which will highlight activity outside the country in places like Tijuana, where “the juice” is easier to find than street fruit. I mean, if Mark McGwire is not on this list, or dozens of players who fit the profile of big stats/bigger decline, then we should hold our breath for other reports to surface.

I will say this about Roger Clemens. He can deny these allegations all he wants, and he may be right in doing so, and he may be innocent. But let’s just say that Clemens taking steroids and HGH makes a ton of sense.

If you watched his playoff performance in 2000 throwing 93 MPH sinkers at a baffled Mariners line up, or watched him twitch and shake during his effort in the World Series against the Mets, you’d think he’d need some help to get that superhuman. This report gives credence to baseball fans befuddled by Clemens reaction to Mike Piazza’s broken bat when he admitted he, “thought it was the ball” and that he was “really pumped up.”

Decent job by the YES Network yesterday, whose “Hot Stove” edition featured Bob Klapisch urging Clemens to sue former trainer Brian McNamee, or take a lie-detector test, in order to prove his innocence and to keep his legacy in tact. Also, the forum allowed for Dave Justice, a YES employee and former player whose name appeared on the list, the first chance to publicly clear his name, which he attempted to do. Justice cited his “fear of needles” as the reason he never used despite being linked to making purchases.

However, YES missed the opportunity to set the record straight regarding the hiring of McNamee, who was reportedly hired as strength and conditioning coach at Clemens’ urging, in 2000. McNamee was not retained in 2002 after he was questioned by police in connection with an alleged sexual assault on a woman during the 2001 season. It was reported the woman ingested the date-rape drug GHB. Charges were never filed against McNamee.

Clearly, if there was a chance to set the record straight about the team’s relationship with its former employer this was it, however YES executives passed.

What would the hot stove be without a pessimistic view on the Mets performance from ESPN’s own Bob Klapisch?

On ESPN, Bob “Watch out Bonilla’s behind you!” Klapisch attempts to rationalize just what happened to the Mets at the end of 2007, forcing fans to again remember the slow and painful last two weeks of the season.

The Mets collapsed Bob, we get it. But in all honesty, it saved us some serious humiliation against the scorching Rockies.

Offering no further insight into how to fix the Mets, Klap douses the chances the Mets had in getting Dan Haren, by implying they can’t work out a deal with the A’s without Lastings Milledge. Clearly, Bobby has no idea that Billy Beane was never asking for L Millz in any deal. But hey, why waste minutes on your cell phone when the Bergen Record is picking up the bill? I guess Bobby’s part time ESPN work isn’t enough to get him such pesky benefits.

Anyway, Milledge was never going west, that much is obvious, and the Twins may still make a deal that includes both Gomez and Martinez, which this Met fan hopes Omar would do in a heartbeat.

Thanks for the “knowledge” Klap, say hi to Buster Olney for us. We know he’s right next to you at the dinner table. After all, someone has to pick up the bill.

Mr. Unreliable Source? Table for two?…