This week, we get less calisthenics and more baseball. (Photo by The Associated Press.)
It's really hard to believe that Opening Day is upon us.
There were times this offseason where it seemed like the 2011 season would never begin. At least not for the Mets.
One thing that's clear is the bad press for the Wilpon family and the Mets organization will not go away just because there are games being played on the field. In fact, if the Mets struggle, the off-field distractions will probably be blamed. And probably unfairly. And until the Madoff matter is settled, there will continue to be far too many avenues for intrepid reporters to investigate. And if Citi Field is as empty as many believe it will be this spring, that lost ticket revenue will be another story peg. It's not going to end anytime soon.
So if it's not going to be better for the Wilpons and if it's not going to be better for the players, just who will it be better for?
You.
The Mets fans that stick with this team through thick and thin. Yes, there will still be negative stories to sort through and more information than you ever wanted to know about another person's finances. But there will also be games. 162 of them over the next 180-some days.
Baseball is back. And not a moment too soon for Mets fans.
*****
Last week I was playing around in my other life as an occasional MMA reporter. I don't even remember what I was doing two weeks ago. But it's been a busy couple weeks, so let's get right to "Getting Caught Up" edition of Random Thoughts.
It's also my fantasy draft league. How soon is too soon for Duda?
Fond Farewell 1: Well, if there was one story that I missed out on weighing in on this week, it was the long-overdue departure of Oliver Perez.
Clearly, it came later than it should have and I think it was a big miscalculation to not cut ties with Ollie earlier than the Mets did. It just would have changed the conversation at a time when the Mets needed the conversation changed, thanks to the aforementioned endless stream of Madoff headaches.
But if finally happened. And when it did, I didn't really see it as a celebratory moment. At least not for the reason you might think.
After all, Ollie had some moments for the team. For a couple years, he was the guy you wanted on the mound against the Mets' fiercest rivals, always rising to the occasion against the Braves, Phillies and Yankees. He took the ball on short notice, just like Johan Santana did at the end of the 2008 season. He didn't pitch the complete game, but he pitched well enough to win. Or at least, well enough to give the Mets a chance to win. He was on the mound for Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, and while Endy Chavez bailed him out somewhat, again he pitched well enough. So yes, there were good moments.
But seemingly from the moment he signed that ill-fated contract following the 2008 season, those moments were replaced with moments of ineptitude. It's important to remember that most fans wanted to re-sign Ollie at that time. But it's also important to remember why. It was a weak free agent class and when the Mets couldn't finish the Derek Lowe negotiations, they were left with no leverage. And no options. It was Ollie or bust. In the end, it was Ollie and bust.
So when the day finally came that Ollie was no longer a Met, it didn't seem like something to celebrate. But it certainly was a relief knowing the general manager who put the team in that position is no longer calling the shots.
Fond Farewell 2: Of course, Luis Castillo was the other overdue departure, which came the week before.
Like with Ollie, it's easy to pinpoint the moment it went all wrong on the field -- A-Rod popouts will never be the same. And like Ollie, the root of the problem largely stems from another Omar Minaya special. In this case, Minaya had all the leverage -- what exactly was the market for Castillo anyway? -- but still managed to misread the market.
But this isn't meant to remove any blame from Ollie and Castillo, while assigning it all to Minaya. Both players did their fair share to get run out of town. And if you need a clue as to why Castillo had to go, just check out how long it took him to arrive with the Phillies -- two days after he was expected.
Counter Programming: Ever wonder how networks draw ratings against the Super Bowl? Granted, the NCAA Tournament is a far cry from the Super Bowl, but I still think I know the answer.
Last week, I was celebrating St. Patrick's Day on the first night of the tourney, but spent the evening staring at monitors broadcasting Anderson Cooper and SportsNation. Now there's a lot going on in the world, so I can respect having CNN on a couple of your TVs. But canned SportsNation episodes on ESPN, while the biggest sporting event of the evening is being broadcast on four other networks? That just doesn't make sense.
Flash forward to this past Friday, when we had a new place, but the same illogical result. Instead of watching the UNC game from my table, I had a great view of ESPN's Fab Five documentary. Again, is that really what the sports fan wants to be watching?
So next year, when we see what finishes second in the ratings to the Super Bowl, blame the establishments that don't bother to change the channel. Maybe their remotes need batteries.
