Joe Smith lets some Cubs fan get under his skin. We have to keep in mind Joe’s age here but he’s gotta realize everything is going to be caught on video nowadays. So you tell’em Joe but realize the whole world is watching.

Hat tip to Mets Blog for the video

Forty-four degrees Fahrenheit ain’t exactly baseball weather. That’s one thing I learned attending the Mets’ eighth home game of this season, their 45^th and final season at Shea Stadium. Yes, Citi Field looks amazing. The bricks have that brand-new pinkish-red quality, as if they’ve yet to be rained on. And the whole complex looks as though it will be sprawling in an inviting sort of way—more a collection of neighborhoods (The Rotunda, The Concessions, The Park Itself) than a cylindrical stand-alone entity like Shea.

But on to the game itself. I was still finding my seat when my man John Maine walked the first batter of the game, Cristian Guzman. Then Guzman went in motion and Met-killer Ronnie Belliard poked a single through the hole. Was that a hit-and-run, or just a straight steal where the batter happened to swing? It looked like the latter from the third base-side field box, although my perception of the play might have been tainted by my knowledge that Manny Acta manages the Nationals.

After Maine got out of it only allowing one run, I went on a food run (pretzel for my girlfriend, dog for me). I missed Jose Reyes’s at-bat, but I returned in time to see Ryan Church hit one a long damn way. “I guess he can hit lefties,” I said as he rounded the bases. The stadium blared “Whoop, There It Is.” I flashed back to painful high school dances.

Maine continued to look scary in his subsequent trips to the mound. Our old friend Lastings Milledge (more on him in a minute) looked to be robbed of a home run by a gust of wind, as he absolutely crushed a two-strike fastball and it ended up short of the left-field fence. Then the next guy, Austin Kearns, really crushed one and no wind could’ve kept it in the park. I’m not gonna lie, I thought we were in for another long night. Leave it to Reyes and Carlos Beltran to come to the rescue. I’m not letting Maine off the hook, though. Four walks, one home run, and at least two near-home runs? Against the Nationals? Not good enough, my man. You’re a better pitcher than that.

I heard some of the booing I’ve been reading about. My take is that most of the people who booed Met players last night, during a victory, were idiots—or at the very least, soulless, mirthless sad sacks. For example, after Beltran hit the three-run homer, Carlos Delgado followed with a strikeout. A few people booed. The Mets had just taken a three-run lead with a mammoth home run, and people booed the next batter. How bad does your life have to be that you can’t enjoy a home run long enough to avoid booing the next guy who comes to the plate? Worse than the booing, however, were the people who cheered when Milledge was hit by a pitch, and cheered louder when the trainers came out. I can understand booing Lastings (though I applauded when he came to the plate), but how does a person become so morally bankrupt that he cheers when another human being has possibly broken his hand? I think some of the “fans” who come to these games think the players are fictional characters.

But I am not a despairing blogger, so enough about the bad fans. There were plenty of great fans at the park, and this was a great win for this team. Reyes looked fantastic, and Joe Smith looked like a legitimate major league reliever, coming in and striking out Ryan Zimmerman with two on. I don’t see how we send that kid down when Matt Wise is ready to come off the DL. And finally, you gotta love Beltran’s basket catch to start the ninth (another ball that appeared to be knocked down by the wind, by the way).

Let’s try to stay above .500 the rest of the way, shall we boys? Let’s go Mets!

Rosters for everyone!

Mike Pelfrey will be your fifth starter. Brady Clark is your bench guy. Joe Smith is in the bullpen. We’ll keep updating you as more news roles in, most of which while just be the likely DL moves and corresponding roster awards (ie Castro and Casanova). Info courtesy of John Delcos at LoHud.

After all the speculation that Fernando Tatis had edged ahead, it goes back to the expected, and Clark gets the nod. Its a good move, Tatis is a one trick pony, Gotay’s waivel was a bad idea, and Tatis will never live up the almost decade old hype and expectations. 

Joe Smith is no real surprise either, having done well at least in the first half last year. Now lets see if he can stay on his game for a full season instead of a half one, if he’s lost that dead arm problem. Though it could be pointless since Dirty Sanchez will in theory be ready in a few weeks. From the first half last year though, Smith looked good, and he seemed to work well in a role where he’s paired with Feliciano. Though one two Smith Pedro punch seemed quite effective.

 Lastly, Big Pelf. Its safe to assume Duq will hit the DL within the hour. Even Pelf admits he faltered at springs end and that Duq healthy goes to play. But here’s your chance Mike. Stop tipping your pitches, start getting some outs, and this spot could be yours. Duq is a stubbed toe away from retirement, especially since a stubbed toe with his delivery will probably cause his entire leg to fall off. 

The Mets fell to the Marlins this afternoon by a score of 7-5.  Ricky Nolasco got the win for the fish. Nelson Figueroa took the loss for the Mets. For a full recap, head on over to MLB.com.

A few notes

• Starter Bobby Parnell was impressive, going five innings without allowing a run
• Carlos Delgado had arguably his best day at the plate this spring, going 2-5 with two rbis.
• It was not a good day for bullpen hopefuls Joe Smith and Figueroa, who both allowed three runs in an inning of work.
• Duaner Sanchez allowed a run in a single inning of work.

The highlight of this game was definetely Parnell. With him and Jon Niese, we may have found two diamonds in the rough…

Joe Smith has a funny exchange with teammates regarding his appearance in the video game MLB 2K8. Adam Rubin posted this exchange on his blog for the New York Daily News.

Joe Smith’s teammates were glad to hear he was included in MLB 2K8, but that didn’t stop them from ribbing him.

Smith was lamenting the fact that his fastball in the game was a four-seamer (straight) rather than his two-seamer (sinker).

Ryan Church, who homered against Smith last year, joked about that shot: “It went out four-seam.”

Matt Wise told Smith the side-armer probably uses Billy Wagner in the eighth and himself in the ninth.

Replied Smith: “I run the bullpen like it’s supposed to be run.”

Last year I read about how Smith was getting tons of parking tickets living in New York, the kid always seems to be part of something comical. I hope he sticks around in this crowded bullpen.

It appears that Joe Smith will have to prove he deserves to be part of the Mets bullpen last year after he struggled through a dead arm period in the later part of last season. On Mets.com, Mary Noble discusses Joe Smith’s chances of starting the season with the big league club.

Noble talks about how new Met Ryan Church had firsthand experience with Smiths late season decline.

Their shared experience began — and ended — in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17. A 1-1 pitch from Smith in the seventh inning became a pinch-hit two-run home run by Church and another unsightly episode in the Mets’ slippery-slope September slide.

Smith had faced the Nationals three times previously, faced eight batters, struck out four and allowed one to reach base. Those appearances happened in April, and the difference between April and Sept. 17, according to Church was “about six or seven miles an hour.”

Smith will have a tougher time making the team with Duaner Sanchez and Matt Wise in the mix. Sanchez, Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis, Pedro Feliciano and Jorge Sosa are are all most likely penciled in already. Smith, Wise, Ruddy Lugo, Juan Padilla, Brian Stokes and Tony Armas Jr. will fight it out for the likely seventh and final spot.

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that both the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins have discussed adding another player to the reported Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey deal. While the Mets view 19-year old prospect Fernando Martinez as ‘practically untouchable’, the two sides have talked about adding Scott Schoeneweis, Joe Smith or Aaron Heilman to the deal for Johan Santana.

The Yankees and Twins have discussed adding a third or fourth player to their proposed deal of Philip Hughes and Melky Cabrera.

The Red Sox have discussed tweaking the back-end of their current offers to make the deal happen, but the Twins still would have to work with either a deal led by outfield prospect Jacoby Ellsbury or another led by pitcher Jon Lester, but not both in the same deal.

Update 1/26 - 7:12 p.m. - It appears that Neal updated the article and now it does not include pitchers Scott Schoeneweis or Joe Smith.

Buster Olney on his ESPN blog writes of the matters that could complicate the trading of Johan Santana.

Among them is his no-trade clause, which he could use as leverage to block any deal where he doesn’t feel he will get his best return on a new deal.

On top of that, a team would need to part with a number of their best prospects, a proposition that could present another roadblock due to the fact that the Yankees are reluctant to give up Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, and Phillip Hughes, and the Red Sox may be unwilling to trade Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and Jacoby Ellsbury on top of a $150 million contract extension.

The Mets seem more willing to deal their prospects, as Omar Minaya has stated that ‘nobody’s untouchable’ and he intends to upgrade his rotation this off season.

A package could include either Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, or more likely Lastings Milledge, who has the most major league experience of the three, as the Twins want players who are major league ready in return, along with and pitchers Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber and Joe Smith.

Hot Foot reported earlier this week that Jim Callis of Baseball America doesn’t believe the Mets could put a package together that the Twins would be willing to accept for Santana. Callis believes the Mets should set their sights on Dan Haren instead. Ken Davidoff seems to agree, and writes of a Haren deal with the Mets on Newsday.

“Trade Aaron Heilman, Lastings Milledge, Kevin Mulvey and a lower-level prospect to the A’s for Dan Haren.The beauty of a Haren trade is that the Mets would be acquiring an ace for the price of a back-of-the-rotation starter. They would retain the payroll flexibility to go out and get Santana on the free-agent market a year from now, if Santana is still available, or Erik Bedard in two years.”

Olney wonders if a package of Milledge, Humber and Pelfrey would be enough weighed against the backlash new Twins GM Billy Smith would receive from fans for trading Santana.

Smith, in his first year as Twins GM, will look to shape his legacy in his first season. He could find that he may endear himself better to fans, however unlikely, by holding onto Santana, hoping he leads the Twins back into the pennant race next season rather than hand him over to the Yankees or Red Sox.

The importance of middle relievers in baseball has increased in recent years, as the trend of starting pitchers failing to go deep into ballgames continues. The Hardball Times provides a graph of the decline in the number of innings pitched by starters over the past hundred years.

With this increased importance, comes a price. In the New York Times, Murray Chase points out that relievers had an average salary of $1,433,992 in 2006 up from $1,316,384 in 2005.

The Mets currently have Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez, John Maine, and Mike Pelfrey tentatively penciled into their rotation for 2008, with a fifth pitcher likely to come from free agency or via trade this winter. The uncertainty of the Mets rotation makes the need a quality bullpen even greater. The inconsistency of the Mets rotation last season caused the Mets starters to fail to get deep into ballgames, and put a great degree of pressure on an overworked Mets bullpen.

The Mets enter 2008 with a bullpen consisting of Billy Wagner, Scott Schoeneweis, Duaner Sanchez, Jorge Sosa, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith, Juan Padilla and possibly Orlando Hernandez.

The Mets will likely use Aaron Heilman as a trading chip to acquire a front line starter.

As we scan the free agent landscape this off season, there are quite a few quality arms available to upgrade with. Two big name closers are on the market, Francisco Cordero and Eric Gange, but will want to close so would be of no use to the Mets.

Ron Mahay, Jeremy Affledt, David Riske, LaTroy Hawkins and Scott Linebrink, Octavio Dotel, and Byung-Hyun Kim are some of the other arms who might be worth a look as middle relievers. Chad Cordero is a longshot, as the Nationals have asked for Carlos Gomez in return and Cordero is also likely to perfer a closing role.

Mahay was 3-0 last year, with a 2.55 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 67 innings for the Braves. He is considered the best of the middle relievers on the market and has attracted the Yankees interest.

David Riske was 1-4 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP over 69.7 innings for the Royals. Riske hasn’t had an ERA over 4 since 2002.

Matthew Cerrone on Mets Blog relays information from Mike Pagliarulo who advises the Yankees, who Mark Feinsand of the Daily News said has interest, to steer clear of Linebrink, whose stats indicate a ‘structural decline.’

Octavio Dotel was traded to the Braves from Kansas City at the trade deadline and compiled a 4.11 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP. He spent time on the disabled list with a shoulder strain in August.

The Orioles could look to move Chad Bradford, who is signed to a three year, $10.5 million contract. He compiled a 3.34 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP.