Santana's presence a force of nature

Remember when Kaz Matsui joined the Mets? (I know, we'd like to forget.) A swarm of Japanese journalists and photographers followed his every move in spring training, whether he was taking batting practice, fielding grounders or just stretching.

Well, there is a new sensation in camp and unlike Matsui, it is legitimate. Johan Santana attracts followers wherever he goes and with good reason. So when he threw live BP for the first time Friday, it was big news. And of course, he did not disappoint.

I noticed it and Metsblog.com confirms that the Mets will not be using any silly taglines this season. Good. They only get mocked.

I'm sad to see that the joy is gone for Jose Reyes, and that he won't be doing anymore complicated handshakes. Here's a guy who has fun out there, and now -- because of media pressure and the idea that his celebration with Lastings Milledge somehow cost the Mets the season -- he'll be having less fun.

I have friends, Mets fans, who hated the handshakes and loved it that Milledge was traded. It never bothered me. In fact, I enjoyed them and wanted to see Milledge stay.

But what drives me crazy is this idea, perpetuated by the likes of David Lennon in the above-linked story, that the Marlins "had nothing on their minds but tee times and fishing trips until they saw Reyes and Milledge dancing on the ashes of Florida's season."

First of all, Florida's season was burned up long before that series. The idea that Reyes and Milledge somehow fired the team up and that led to Tom Glavine's first-inning meltdown in Game 162 is ludicrous. Florida came into the series smelling blood -- you recall the Mets were floundering, yes? -- and said publicly that they wanted to be spoilers.

And even if the team was fired up afterwards, momentum is only as good as the next day's pitcher, and it's Glavine who cost the Mets in the finale. Had he pitched well, the Mets might have won, whether the Marlins were geared up or not.

So Reyes will play with less exuberance. And if he gets off to a slow start, the media will hammer him and say, "He's not the same Reyes." And we'll wonder why.

Perez Wins Arbitration - Now He's Gotta Prove He's Worth It

How'd you like to be Oliver Perez? The right-hander just won his salary arbitration case against the Mets on Friday and now will be paid $6.5 million rather than the $4.7 million the Mets proposed. Last year, Perez posted a 15-10 record with a 3.56 ERA - good enough for a $2.4 million paycheck in 2007.

Perez has been quite a surprise (in a good way mostly) for the Mets since coming over from Pittsburgh in 2006. However, Mets fans have to hope for a little more consistency from him this year (perhaps a return to his 2004 season when he struck out 239 batters in only 196 innings for the woeful Pirates.), since last year there were times when he was awesome and others when he looked pathetic. He now has 6.5 million reasons why the Mets really need him to step up as either the number 3 or 4 starter.

Who can forget last year's September meltdown? With a consistent Perez, hopefully that won't happen again.

Santana gets a warm welcome (no kidding!)

Johan Santana made his debut as a Met Wednesday -- can the season just start now?

He sounded great, said all the right things, said Pedro was his idol and that he's looking forward to hitting in the National League. This guy is going to dominate, and having him at the top of the rotation will be huge, made even more powerful if Pedro steps things up in the final year of his contract. Wow.

How competitive is Johan? Read Tom Verducci's piece on SI.com about how close he came to walking away, telling Fred Wilpon he wasn't budging off $140 million. He budged by $2.5 million, and so did the Mets. He also told Omar "you'll get your clause, I'll get my Cy Young."

The final year of Shea Stadium will be a busy one, with a special concert on July 16. Called "The Last Play at Shea," the concert will be headlined by Long Island's own Billy Joel, who will become the first performer in history to play all four major New York venues: Shea, Yankee Stadium, the Garden and Giants Stadium. (What, the Coliseum doesn't count?)

I think Joel is a Yankees fan, but he claimed at the press conference that he recalls being upset that the Dodgers left Brooklyn, and said he "would have written more songs about the Mets had he known more words that rhyme with 'Mets.' Sounds like a fan contest for sure. Email us your suggestions!

What a difference a year makes

It's true what they say -- it is always darkest before the dawn.

My 2007 sports year couldn't have ended worse. Not only did the Mets suffer a painful, unbelievable collapse, and not only were the Jets outright terrible, but the Patriots -- the team coached by the man who was supposed to succeed Bill Parcells before beating a retreat to New England -- were unbeaten and looking to make history.

The only ray of hope was SpyGate, as Eric Mangini exposed the Pats' cheating ways, which led to heavy fines and a forfeited draft pick, but no suspension for Belichick.

Well, that ray of light has become full-blown sunshine as 2008 couldn't look any brighter. Not only have the Mets all but erased the memory of their failure by landing Johan Santana, and not only did the Patriots see their dream of a perfect season trashed with a Super Bowl loss to the Giants, but now Senator Arlen Specter is calling the NFL into the carpet to explain why it destroyed evidence, and a former Pats employee is threatening to expose just how deep the Pats' cheating went, and how far back.

Could it get any better?

Sure, it could. The Mets can dominate the NL this spring and summer and win a World Series with Santana winning a Cy Young and David Wright winning an MVP, and Shea Stadium will be imploded before the year is out. Not too much to ask for, right?

Done deal - Santana is (finally) a Met

You may have missed it but the Mets announced a huge deal Saturday with Pedro Feliciano's one-year deal for $1.025 million.

Oh, by the way, Johan Santana passed his physical and signed a six-year deal for $137.5 million, locking up the two-time Cy Young winner (and hands-down best pitcher in baseball over the last three seasons) with the Mets for the heart of his prime.

Excited about pitchers and catchers yet?

You can read all the details of the negotiations here. Omar Minaya took his chances by being patient but relentless, by staying in the game and staying in contact with the Twins while the Yankees and Red Sox played it coy. When they wouldn't fork over their top prospects, the Mets were the last team standing and the Twins had to make a deal or risk getting nothing in return.

Is Santana overpaid? Maybe no one can live up to those big numbers, but compared to what Barry Zito got, it's almost a bargain. And based on Santana's history and athletic prowess, there's no reason to think he won't be an elite pitcher for the duration of the deal, which will end when he's only 35.

Santana, Pedro, Maine, Perez, then El Duque or Pelfrey. Hell, at this point sign Livan Hernandez, slide El Duque into the pen, let Pelfrey fine-tune his stuff in AAA and suddenly that's perhaps the best staff in baseball. Lots of innings eaten up there, which only helps a bullpen made up of Sosa (also recently signed), Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez, Heilman and Wagner.

It's funny how much crap Minaya got from so many scribes and pundits for not doing anything to improve the team. Like you get extra points for acting more quickly. All that matters is what you've done before camp starts, and now the Mets' camp has Johan Santana, and all is right with the world.

Let's play some ball!