Fixing a Hole

Game 1 - Mets

Mets 2, Braves 1
Record: 1-0

Misery Loves Company's six Opening Days prior to today have featured more than one close game going the wrong way thanks to bullpen collapses, from a Sox nightmare at the Trop to Braden Looper spoiling Pedro's Met debut. Enough angst-inducing drama to make us wonder at the time if we actually had 162 games' worth of recaps in us.

With Omar Minaya's singular focus affixed to "improve the 'pen" this off-season, all eyes were on the Sean Green/J.J. Putz/Francisco Rodriguez trio today as the Mets clung to a 2-1 lead that should have been far more comfortable. I'd love for the nearly flawless outing the three newcomers delivered to be something of an omen for how it will go this year for the Mets. I'll settle for this Opening Day win.

Everything's relative, in fact. I can still remember rushing home from work to take in the Mets-Cubs opener early one April afternoon in 2003. A 15-2 drubbing that had me cursing the club from the very first frames. I dare say that one was a tone-setter. I also remember watching the aforementioned Loop Job from The Dubliner in 2005 -- a suitable setting for a year of much drinking due to the Mets.

So today, seeing Johan Santana impress on an afternoon when he didn't have his best command and Golden Boy II Daniel Murphy get it done at the plate and in the field was downright pleasant. Calm, soothing, and a fine way to usher in the '09 campaign. In truth, at this point I don't even remember what happened at the end of last season. It's washed away. (Nick: "Tap tap tap . . . hello, is this thing on?")

Oh, and right on cue, Murph and Ryan Church began their respective 2009's as if to say, "Tell me again about how the outfield corners needed Gary Sheffield so badly..." We'll see how Sheff works into that arrangement. I happen to like both of those guys out there. I can't tell how the much-publicized story of David Wright convincing Sheffield to come to the Mets is sitting with Murphy and Church, but for one day against a mediocre club, enough pieces worked to scratch out a win.

A win we'll surely need, since after many beers last night, I said the Mets would win 91 of them. Alrighty then.


P.S. Right now I still miss Endy, but that'll change if these new kids plug the holes we've had. Until then, godspeed, #10.

Genesis

Game 1 – Mets

Mets 6, Cardinals 1
Record: 1-0

The over/under on how many times during the month of April that Rob or I type something that roughly translates into “it’s still too early to make any judgments” is 14, so let’s just get one of them out of the way. Wouldn’t be prudent . . . at this juncture . . . to get ahead of ourselves. Not gonna do it.

That said, there is nothing quite like Opening Day, or in the Mets’ case, Opening Night. And there’s nothing like stomping the World Series Champions in something of a rematch from last fall’s NLCS to kick off the new campaign. It felt good, and there’s nothing wrong with a sliver of revelry after watching it. Most of us in the Township are no dummies; we know that Tom Glavine hitting his spots and the lineup driving in runs is the given (or it had better be), with the rest of the rotation and the bullpen –which bent but did not break last night – presenting significantly more of a variable. But baseball is baseball, and when anything can happen but the expected positive result still does, be pleased.

Glavine becomes more of a Met and less of a Brave all the time; there’s no question which lid he’ll don on the plaque, mind you, but those first couple of shaky years at arm’s length seem a distant memory.

The aforementioned pen made things interesting more than once last night, but man oh man, did the defense come to play. Reyes’s wizardry is the standard; Beltran’s unadvisable but dazzlingly effective gun to the plate was a bonus; Alou’s diving catch and Valentin’s two-turning were absolute gravy, but critical to the outcome. If the Mets can muster that level of play on a regular basis, that kind of D will make any sort of pitching staff seem Grade A.

As an aside, here’s a tip for Hollywood: think about making Miami Vice: The Early Years, featuring David Wright as a raw Sonny Crockett, Jose Reyes as a young Rico Tubbs, and Jose Valentin as a (no matter how young he is, he always looks old) Lt. Castillo. Okay, maybe it's a stretch, but 'Stache’s resemblance to the stoic Lieutenant distracts me a fair bit. At the very least, it’s worth a cheesy Mets promo poster.

Everyone in the starting lineup for New York recorded a hit, including Glavine, but it was the infield’s turning of four double plays – including a spectacular one started by an amazing snare by Valentin – that kept this from being a tighter affair. There was plenty to enjoy, not much to frown about (except perhaps Paul LoDuca taking a foul ball off his hand), and Baseball Season 2007 is underway with a smile.

Sometime during February or early March I thought to myself that the excitement and heartbreak of that October night at Shea seemed like years and years ago, thanks to my burying any off-season thoughts of the Mets into hibernation, like a depressive’s repression. Last night was a letter-perfect Mets awakening for me, and it’s as if that loss in Game 7 happened last week. God, I love baseball.