Pleased to Meet Me(ts): ReplaceMets Win!; "Francoeur's Mets" Take the Field to Start a Long Year

Some somewhat random observations about a Mets opening day which answered the question of what happens when an uninspiring offense meets an unseemly defense. If this Marlins squad is the team the Mets are battling for 3rd place, then the Fish have to worry about their defensive gremlins at first and center-field.  At least for a day, you have to like the Mets chances.

Mets uniforms
Off white is off putting. It looks like Charlie Samuels left Oliver Perez's pink thong in with the hot wash laundry yesterday.



Artist's rendition of Gary Matthews Jr. playing centerfield

Gary Matthews Jr.
Takes Rodger "flyball dodger" Cedeno-like routes to the ball. They are hard to watch and make me giggle out of terror. I realized it's only a matter of time before circumstances lead to the hardest thing in the world to watch: Oliver Perez delivering a pitch that is hit to center patrolled by Private Matthews Jr. I don't think I could take that.

If the radar gun is so important, then why don't they put it on the scoreboard?
SNY decides viewers don't need pitch speeds until the sixth inning, unless I missed something. I seem to remember this happening before early in past seasons. Seeing that SNY is trotting out the same tedious, vaguely offensive advertisements with the wacky Pakistani (?) sports gear store owners, you have to wonder what they've been doing all winter over there. Preparing an offer to buy this blog, no doubt.

Chicks!
Mex "can't say no to a pretty face." Keith's comment is ironic, seeing as it was directed at the woman whose job is probably to keep him from making sexist remarks.  He hasn't stepped in it in a while, so this is something to follow.

Frenchy cured!
First, Keven Burkhart reveals that Frenchy has taken control of the Mets clubhouse. Then he takes a walk in the 4th. Delta Delta Delta!!

There they are!
Mets showed flashes of their old selves in the 4th when they threatened and got the bases loaded and blew it in short order.  Nearly everything else went their way though.

Slappy defensive notebook
Castillo still using one hand for pop-ups. And arguably, he could have slapped a decent tag down on Cantu in the 6th on Jason Bay's nice throw to end the inning, if his arthritic claw could move that fast.

Clowns
Cody Ross still a dumb rodeo clown. Speaking of clowns, I saw many complaints about MLB's internet service in the interweb. Unbelievable that these clowns can't get this right.  I go with the cable TV package every year, which, for all its aggravation, isn't as bad as MLB.com.

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The Fill-mes may be interested in getting Figgy with it. This interest in Mets cast-offs may be just one more way of tweaking the Mets.  Rumor is the Fills plan to acquire the entire 2009 Mets roster and win a championship with them.

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If you're like me and feel that Mets baseball and baseball in general is opening for business under a cloud this season, confirm your suspicions by reading Vecsey's run down of the Mets, or this article on the way that luxury seats that businesses can write off what amounts to a government subsidy are ruining the game and life on earth.

The Mets are guaranteed a share of first place until Wednesday. Go get your bragging in.