Mets Season Has High Hopes - Team Can Make Postseason THIS YEAR!

Since there's only 2 more baseball seasons left until the end of the world in 2012, let me make a bold prediction that many will think is crazy: The Mets have a legitimate chance at making the postseason THIS YEAR with the team as constructed TODAY. Yes, it's true.

All we hear is Philly, Philly, Philly. And I'm not saying the Mets will beat the Phils for the division, but despite the Phillies perceived dominance, you still have to play the game. Ask the San Francisco Giants about that one! The postseason is certainly not out of the question if you look at the Mets roster and the potential that lies therein.

Before you call us crazy (too late), we will offer a big assumption, and that assumption is that key players return healthy and stay healthy. That is the whole key to this team, because if you go position by position, you may have to look at this team in an entirely different light. Let's do that:

No one's going to mistake Ike Davis for Albert Pujols, but Ike had a solid season last year and shows every indication of getting better (unless you believe in the sophmore jinx, which of course is completely ridiculous). Davis hits for power, drives in big runs, plays great defense, and is a team leader already in the clubhouse. Who'd you rather have, realistically? Obviously, first base is no problem for the Mets, both offensively and defensively.

How many third basemen in the game today are better than David Wright? Maybe Evan Longoria? The bottom line is David Wright will hit 30 homeruns, drive in 110 runs and hit close to .300 this year. He continues to get better and you can't find a player in MLB with a better attitude toward the game in general. GM's all over the game all point to him being a key player, so once again, the Mets are blessed at third base with one of the best in the game. No problem here at all.

Josh Thole impressed everyone last year behind the plate in limited appearances. He's got potential, he's got the desire to get better, and he's already a great defensive catcher with the ability to call a good game. The Mets don't need him to be Mike Piazza with the bat, so if he hits .250 this year, and continues his trend of timely hitting from last year, the Mets have a winner behind the plate. Again, who'd you rather have today? (and don't say Jorge Posada). Behind the plate? Check!

Let's talk about Carlos Beltran. If he comes back healthy and stays healthy throughout the season (a big "if" for sure, but if you're a betting person, you have to bet that would be the case), Beltran will be playing the whole year for a contract. And what do most players do when their in a contract year? They play great and put up monster numbers, that's what they do!!! Trade Beltran? Is everyone crazy? A healthy Beltran will hit 35 homeruns, drive in 100 plus runs and hit about .280, all while playing solid defense whether he plays center or right. Sounds like an MVP season to me! Okay, I get it that he took strike 3 a few years ago - Carlos Beltran was, is, and will always be a gamer, and a healthy Beltran means healthy wins for the Mets. This whole issue with Beltran?: overblown media sensational nonsense.

Now we get to Jose Reyes and again the health question comes up. But that's the only question. A healthy Reyes batting lead-off terrorizes pitchers, makes things happen, and provides a catalyst on this team that no other baseball team currently has. None. That's how unique Jose's game is. And people want to trade this guy? For who - Jimmy Rollins? No thanks. No where else can you get speed on the bases, a little pop in the bat, and the overall uneasiness he creates on opponents. And his defense isn't bad either. Oh, and he's playing for a contract extension - what happens to players when they play for contract extensions? See Beltran above!

Jason Bay's had about a season and a half to recover from his injuries. Can he possibly be as bad as we saw him last year (to this day, I'm convinced he was hurt way before he smashed into the outfield wall - why else would Boston just give him away after his monster year with them?). But the past is the past and again the health issue rears its head. A healthy Bay with CitiField experience certainly beats last years numbers and pace, and we predict a 30-120-.275 year from him (plus steady defense). Crazy numbers?..., not if you look at his previous healthy stats in the second year with teams. Take it to the bank folks with a huge offensive season from Jason Bay.

Next we turn to rightfield (or center) with Angel Pagan, who many consider to be the MVP of the Mets last season. When trade talks happen and involve his name, fans generally point to him as "untouchable" for some reason. Perhaps that reason is because he continues to get better and better and has all the tools necessary to become a star player in the very near future? Maybe this year? Is there a downside to this guy? No, there isn't - just like (other than health), there isn't a downside to the entire Mets outfield if you really look at it.

Finally, we get to second base, which of course every Met fan knows is the problem with this team since Castillo is so bad - except of course, that the stats actually show else wise. Castillo's a solid hitter and does the little things well that generally don't appear in the boxscore. His range on defense is a bit suspect, but the Mets don't need him to be Chase Utley. With the way this team is constituted right now, they just need him to be their 2011 version of Doug Flynn, even without the stellar defense. And even if Castillo isn't the secondbasemen, what's wrong with Daniel Murphy? Just a short time ago, Met fans were looking at him as the next Keith Hernandez. Or even Ruben Tejada or Brad Emaus? Certainly the team can do worse.

So we look around the league and see that as an overall picture on offense and defense, not many teams have what the Mets have (again, assuming health). They even have some depth on the bench with the much improved Lucas Duda, veteran Scott Hairston, and catcher Ronnie Paulino among others. People, dare I say it, this team is GOOD!

But of course we have to look at the most important part of the game: pitching, and even that doesn't look too bad if you're once again assuming health. Mike Pelfrey heads the staff, and again, when other teams talk trade with the Mets, Pelfrey's name seems to always come up. Why? Because he's a solid pitcher... no Tim Lincecum, but a solid starter nonetheless. Can there be an issue with R.A. Dickey after his poise and attitude from last year? Plus, he's a knuckeballer so you don't have to worry about him pitching heavy innings or his arm falling apart. Jon Niese showed the stuff last year which make him comparable to a young Jon Matlack and there's certainly no reason to think he won't get better - maybe even have a Jon Matlack type of season. As for Chris Young, yes, he's coming back from an injury - but he sounds confident and all medical reports point to him being back... and does anyone remember how good this guy was? There's a very good chance that Young will be the steal of the off-season with the Mets this year, and I predict that at some point THIS YEAR, fans and media alike will use the term "staff ace" at some point, because he's going to be that good. Finally, you want to talk Chris Capuano, Pat Misch, Dillon Gee, et al? Well, certainly no head turners, but the Mets went to the World Series a while back with much, much worse. So while the Mets starters don't stack up to the Phillies staff, they absolutely have enough to make this season interesting. And don't be surprised if the offense makes up for some stinky outings every once in a while.

But the bullpen? That's important too, right? Let's put it this way: KRod may be a jerk, a home-wrecker, a hot-head, uncontrollable, unpredictable, a-hole, but guess what? There's not many relievers out there who are better! Despite the cardiac arrests, he gets the job done. The Mets closer (on the field) is not the problem. When you look at middle relief, you have flamethrower Bobby Parnell, Manny Acosta, and maybe even Oliver Perez, which I give you looks a bit scary. But remember this: the bullpen is by definition the worst part of ANY team - you can't expect them to be good, otherwise, they'd be starters! Manager Terry Collins will have his hands full with this, but then again, every bullpen turns their managers hair grey. And by the way, we didn't even mention Johan Santana coming back either, which will only be a shot in the arm, even if he comes back as effective as a number 3 starter would be - unlike his previous Mets experience, watch the offense bail him out this year instead.

And speaking of managers, the Mets finally have a manager that can manage and coaches that can coach. We have a GM who knows what he's doing and the culture of the team is slowly turning positive. Will the Mets beat the Phillies for the division? Probably not, but compared to what else is out there in the National League and the points I've made above, they most definitely have a realistic shot at a wild card berth THIS YEAR - and if that happens, well, who knows what happens in the postseason? Health is the key issue. A few strange bounces of the ball sees the team winning here and there and maybe even ending up in the World Series. (isn't that what being a Mets fan is all about - hope, dreaming, doing the amazing?)

Personally, I'm looking forward to this year. You should too. Forget the negativity, it's all media induced so writers can write something and bloggers can blog. Because if you look at it logically (and the health gods smile upon the team) it's quite clear that this team can compete as it's presently constructed, whether the Wilpon's go bankrupt and sell the team or not.

MADOFF: WHO KNEW ... AND WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT?*

Back in the early months of when news broke about the Bernie Madoff scandal most of us did not think much of it at first. We all just stared at the television screen in awe at the boldness that one could have towards their fellow man, and then continued on with their lives. As the days went by and more information was released our reactions went beyond awe. When we learned that it was Billions, that's right, Billions with a capital "B", and not Millions, that were involved our reactions was like that of a Slurpee Brain Freeze. Even days later I was at first referring to Millions unable to get my head wrapped around the amount of money that was being talked about. It was then when realizing the reality of it all New York Mets fans were hit smack across the face ... The New York Mets would become part of another controversy. This one however would be the worst one for both the organization and its fans.

Besides Madoff's outlandish audacity, many in the media started with the class envy. They were quick not to think much of it as they felt that it would not effect our everyday living. Hey, it was just a bunch of rich people that got taken. They were wrong, oh, so very wrong. How the rich have all the money and we do not. How wrong they are. Many of the wealthy and well-to-do are my clients. As well as my client's clients. With Summer being my most busiest part of the year it was a slow start, then seemed to pick up. All looked right with the world. As the holidays approached the schedule for work turned bleak. Fall, Winter, and into the Spring of the new year there was not much work. It was around this time that The New York Mets organization claimed that all was right in the World of Wilpon. What? Are you kidding me? Many had lost everything, one investor committed suicide, and your telling us, the fan base, that everything was status quo. Thinking about it now, I guess they were right.

We here at MetsFanClub do not like to toot our own horn, okay, maybe we do, but it is all in jest. Here's the thing. We, along with many of our members knew that the selection of former General Manager Omar Minya was a bad one. The same goes for the two former Managers in Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel, and now there was another thing we as fans knew, the New York Mets would be effected by the Madoff Ponzi Scheme more than the organization was willing to let on.

Why not just come out and admit the truth? Why not just let us know that the team is would be effected by the Madoff situation so we would know to deal with the upcoming seasons and not invest our emotions and time with expecting success. So, two years straight of not signing anyone by the All-Star Break, while our rivals make deal after deal. Misusing players as trying to make up for the lack of talent. Thinking about it know, I guess Mr. Wilpon was correct. Everything was status quo.

What I do believe is that we all have larceny in our hearts and that most of us would never look a gift horse in the mouth, even if it is talking out of both sides. Which makes me wonder, how did Fred Wilpon actually make his money. I mean, is he really that good, or just got lucky. You know, in the right place at the right time kind of thing.

Unless there is a paper trail or someone actually comes out and states for a fact that they, Wilpon, Katz, and whoever knew, the money that was withdrawn under the Sterling Equity, New York Mets, Wilpon or Katz account stays where it is. This is not a simple case of the bank accidently depositing money in the wrong account and you know it is not yours, yet you go out and paint the town red. This is a situation where someone thinking that the money in their account is actually theirs and they are able to do with it as they please.

From reading this, you can probably figure out that I am not an attorney, and my knowledge of the law is limited, but unless there is a specific law that handles this particular situation, then there is not much that can be done. Now, should some of the money be returned? Yes, if one wants to do the right thing and help out others who were effected in this crime. Yet, should they be made to? No. There are times when living in this world that not doing the right thing, does not make one a law breaker, or for that matter should be sued. That is why we are a nation of laws and not just feel good emotions. They too could lead to calamity. But of course there are lawyers out there that maybe start with good intentions, but my experience has been that they end up on an ego trip for power and money. So this no-name that is going after the money that was in the Wilpons account should look for other avenues. It is as simple as that.

Did the Wilpons and all know anything? I think not. Should they be made accountable for what Madoff did? No. Should they be made to return all of the money withdrawn? No. Should they return some of it? Yes, that would be the moral thing to do. But again, that is up to them and not anyone else to determine to make this so.


* The body of this article was written a while back, but somehow it was deleted. I was able to save some of it as a draft and debated whether to continue with its publication. Since then I have attempted to recreate as much as I could remember, yet we all know that an article is never as good as when you first get it down. It was lingering stories that kept appearing on air that made me realize that this is still a viable topic. Especially now that the organization is seeking investors willing to invest up to 25% of the teams worth. That my friends will be a topic for another time. It is too interesting watching how that is shaping up.

METS SIGN NEW MANAGER KERRY COLLINS ... NO WAIT, MAKE THAT TERRY COLLINS.

Sorry for that ooopppsss fellow Mets fans. When I first heard the news all those months ago, I did a double take at the radio and almost got into an accident at the same time. There I was heading east on the Long Island Expressway when the news was announced on that faithful day in late-November 2010. My first reaction was, what the heck are they doing now, then further on it was made clear who they had actually hired.

It is sometimes difficult being a NY Mets fan over the past few seasons. Each time you hear news concerning the team, you cannot help but think of how this is going to be the next bone-headed move. At moments it feels like while the rest of MLB is playing chess, the NY Mets management is playing checkers, or maybe Chutes and Ladders. I did what I have learned to do over decades as a fan, digest the information and wait to see how it plays out. This would be no exception.

I have have to admit that I did not know who Terry Collins was. Even when many of the local sports talk stations were debating amongst themselves and with callers as to who should fill the now vacant position. My first thought, it always is my first thought, would be to re-hire Bobby Valentine, but his brilliance is lost on this organization and always will be. But I digress ... that is a debate for another time, another article. Here, we are talking of Terry Collins, the 20th manager in New York Mets history, so here goes.

Since there was not much that I knew about Collins, I decided to do a little research on the man who would be the one to take me out of my self imposed exile from investing any emotion into this team. After reading a bit, I still do not know what to think about our new manager, but this is what I've got to work with:

Collins spent ten years (1981-1991) managing in the Minor League. By the mid 1990s he had a brief stint in the Majors. First for the Houston Astros (1994-96) and then the California "what shall we call ourselves this season" Angels (1997-99). Collins left the Angels with 29 games left to play during the 1999 season ending his run in the Majors with a .500 record. This however does not concern me. What does is that his departure was attributed to infighting that divided the clubhouse. Guess the California "we're no" Angels had problems and this would grow to be a concern. There were problems and Collins was at the center of it.

He went to the Los Angeles Dodgers and worked under General Manager Paul DePodesta as director of player development from 2005-06. DePdesta was recently hired by Alderson as the Mets director of player development and amateur scouting. Under DePodesta, Collins would spend two years managing in Japan and would manage the China Team during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

After his foreign exploits, Terry Collins returned to the Minor League in 2010 as the New York Mets Minor League field coordinator before being selected as the New York Mets 2011 manager and signing a two year deal with a third year option. Collins does admit that he brings an intensity in managerial style, but he believes that with the lacking of passion by the prior laid-back coaching staff. He is best known for player development, and that is something that this team, this organization has needed for a very, very long time.

This is not everything ... because as New York Mets fans, we know that how anyone performs before signing with this team, is not conducive to how they will perform once they get here. With that said, I am getting a good vibe from the pairing of both Alderson and Collins. There is a confidence that even though opening days is weeks away, there is promise in the air.

Do us proud Mr. Collins. Do us proud.

SANDY ALDERSON ... We Believe .. so far

Some of you might be wondering why we here at MetsFanClub.com have waited this long to write a bit about our new General Manager, well we wanted to wait and see how he handled himself. Not just with the press, media, players, but with the organization itself. Admit it to yourselves. How many of us have gotten elated when it looked good on paper, then when the season started it all would go down hill. We have been New York Mets fans for toooo looong to let that happen, again.

When ownership relieved GM Omar Minya and Manager Jerry Manuel of their duties last year, the fans knew that it was more than long over due. I believe that this single fact was the cause of most of the frustration, for want of a better word, of the New York Mets fan base. We here at MetsFanClub.com have been pointing this out with the help of our members. eMail after eMail had been filled with sediments to the like. I understand loyalty. I admire it more in a company, especially today, when most employees are again seen as pawns to be discarded then cultured, but there comes a point when you have to cut your losses and move on. This organization just never seems to know when that is.

So, when we here at MetsFanClub.com first heard that both Minya and Manuel were let go, there were a few here who had to check the calendar to make sure that it was not the 1st of April. When we realized that it was no joke, the same words were uttered not just by us, but most NY Mets fans; "Well, it's about time!" And boy was it. The next thing naturally to think of was who to take their places. First, the General Manager, then the Manager for the GM should always be the one to select the Manager that his tenure would rely on. Although there was a big debate going on here at the MFC.com Ballpen with many of our membership, when the final selection of Sandy Alderson was announced, most of us accepted the choice as a solid one. My thoughts then were in the line of: "Hey, maybe ownership has finally seen the light."

Sandy Alderson. Finally, a true baseball man. Alderson, a Dartmouth and Harvard grad, has accumulated six division titles, three pennants, albeit in the American League, one World Championship, served almost ten years as MLB's Executive VP of Baseball Operations, handling a multitude of concerns from umpiring, on-field operations, security, etc. In doing so, this has helped Alderson gain the ability to multi-task amongst the many aspects of the position. He also had a hand in the 2000 Summer Olympic Team that won the Gold in Sydney, Australia. This I hope, hate using that word, will help him in bolstering the Mets Minor League system. Recognizing young talent that is home grown.

In 2005, Alderson made it back to the National League as the CEO of the San Diego Padres and brought them to prominence by bringing them to back-to-back playoffs (2005-6) for the first time in the Padres history. So all the talk that I have heard when he was first announced about him being out of baseball for some time is a waste of words. Maybe that is what this team needs. Someone who has been out of the daily operations team operations a bit, because the other way was definitely not working.

Most of all, what really sold me on Sandy Alderson was when I heard that he was in the military and served a tour-of-duty in Vietnam. To me, this was the guy who was not going to take guff from any of the players and hopefully management. The was the man to move this team forward, and he proved it by not using kid gloves and firing Charlie Manuel, unlike former GM Omar Minya and his investigation delays with Tony Bernizard.

There is one thing, we as fans need to keep in mind, for the season of 2011, is that Alderson has much that was left behind by former GM Omar Minya to untangle. After this year much of the over priced, bad contracted players drop off, leaving much positive happenings for the 2012 season to look forward to which leaves this season as one for fun and enjoyment. If they lose they lose, if they win they win. Just have fun. If you were like me and encased yourself in a self-impose exile for the past two years, freedom is going to fee so so so good. Come and hop on and join the ride into a new era of New York Mets Baseball.

We can only BELIEVE ... so far ...