To steal a quote from Aaron Lewis of Staind, “it’s been a while.”

I’ve stayed clear of ranting about the Mets, quite honestly, because I can’t take early season games that seriously. Yes, I still watch every pitch of every inning, and it bothers me when they lose, but I’ve learned over the years that playing well in April or May means nothing. I mean seriously, does any intelligent baseball fan think that the Rockies, who breezed through the National League last fall will remain 7 games under .500?

If you don’t, then why on earth are so many Mets fans shopping for Maalox on a daily basis? Is it because we collapsed last year? Well, it’s time to get over it.

See the difference between athletes and fans is that the key to being a successful professional is a short memory. Do you think guys who struggle against a pitcher have a prayer of getting a hit if they say to themselves, “Man this guy has my number. Last season in the third at bat against him during a game in June he made me look silly.”

No. So why do fans say to themselves every time the Mets lose, “Here we go again.”

I have a theory. It’s because Mets fans have no clue how to handle expectations. We’ve had success over the last couple of years and it’s gone to our head. We’ve spent money, and have a solid lineup, but it doesn’t give us the Rite of Passage to think we should win every game. So when the team loses, or plays bad, or get announced on Opening Day for crying out loud in the case of poor Aaron Heilman, some fans (and some who don’t admit it) boo. Why? Because Mets fans are used to being jaded by teams that were supposed to be contenders.

I take you back to 1988. Man, was that team good - better than the 1986 team. You remember that team right? The team that shouldn’t have won, but got the biggest break in World Series history? I was at the game, and watched the entire upper deck head for the parking lot down 5-3 and thought to myself, “what’s wrong with these people?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself for the past 20 years.

In 1988 we ran into the juggernaut that was the LA Dodgers and that stupid Mickey Hatcher and a dominant Orel Hershiser. We, along with the Bash Brother, needle-injecting A’s, were the two best teams in baseball, by far. The Dodgers were better than us over those two weeks and won. Fast forward a few years to Saberhagen and Boo-nilla and Vincent Van Go Away of the early 90s and the Mo Vaughn/Robbie Alomar Era, and it’s no real secret that Mets fans are genetically programmed to expect disappointment. So the defense mechanism is to get angry about it. And why not right?

Wrong. It’s baseball people. Enough of the woah is me crap. I dealt with it for years with the Rangers, an organization so crippled by fear and loathing that it hamstrung itself every time the team made the playoffs. That was until Messier slayed the dragon. We’re not cursed. Let the Cubs or Phillies fans implode under fan scrutiny. Heck, the dynasty is wearing off in the Bronx and fans are getting edgy there too. I call it the “Curse of the Giambino.” This team is good, albeit a little aged, so we need allow them to heal from last year naturally, and good baseball will follow. Don’t make them feel like their playing on egg shells against the Reds. We need to start a streak at home. Those 90s and early 2000 teams? You know why we struggled immediately afterwords? Freddy Coupons knew if he overpaid and the team stunk, BOO!! YOU wouldn’t come to the ball park and support. He never had a Carl Pavano coupon.

The point here is not to coddle this high-priced group or to express your anger that they’re overpaid and you’re not. Don’t nit pick and say they’re not trying or the need to try harder and show BOO!! YOU some effort. Carlos Beltran has played the same way his whole life. Heilman has the same stuff and used to be effective and can be again. And Oliver Perez is, well, he’s exactly what we thought he is when we traded for him: mind-blowingly inconsistent.

The point is simply to urge fans to understand that even in a great year this team is going to lose 70 games and that every time they take the field they are playing against major league teams. There will be times when we win. There will be times when we look great like we did in Philly, and when we look not so great, like in Chicago. The Red Sox got it handed to them by the Rays. They were swept in Tampa and scored like, 4 runs in 3 games. It’s a long season. Don’t beat yourselves up in early May saying things like, “boy that game’s gonna cost us in September.” It’s not productive and really not on the minds of the guys that have 400 more at bats to worry about and over 1000 more outs to record. Come to grips that the Phillies are very good, and have had our number, but that can change in a New York minute.

Or when Johan takes the ball.

OLF Notes

As much as it’s hurts sometimes being a Met fan, I am thankful that I don’t have to listen their announcers. But boy Sterling and Waldman crack me up. And that said, I still have yet to find ONE person who likes Michael Kay. If you know one let me know, seriously, I’m looking for one.

During the Seattle series, I was subjected to this classic Waldman/Sterling banter that went something like this:

“Ya know Suzyn, I saw something the other day that really shocked me. Hideki Matsui is 0-8 career against Felix Hernandez. OH-FOR-EIGHT! I just couldn’t believe it…THAAAA 1-0…cut on and fouled back.”

“You’re right John. It’s hard to believe that someone with Matsui’s ability could be hitless against anyone.”

“THAA 1-1…outside, nope nipped the corner for a strike. Delayed call by the home plate umpire, he needs to work on that…..Ya Know Suzyn, I was just shocked when I read that.”

Yep, “shocked” that a guy of Matsui’s “ability” could go hitless in two games against a guy with probably the nastiest fastball/off speed combination in the AL over the span of three years.

THAAA 2-2….

Lastly, I have Sexon on my fantasy team. Boy do I wish “losing your damn mind” was a category.

Tommy Dee is a contributor to Hot Foot, a realistic Met fan and editor of SNY’s TheKnicksBlog.

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.