Read: Santana on SI Cover

February 19, 2008 at 20:26 pm · 65 comments

by Regis Courtemanche

Johan Santana is profiled and featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s 2008 Spring Training Issue.

To read the online column, go to SI.com, which reads: “Happy Days: Johan Santana Lifts the Mets Without Throwing a Pitch”

added to by Matthew Cerrone

…first off, hats off to Lee Jenkins, who is the author of the column, and who use to cover the Mets for the New York Times back when i first started MetsBlog.com…lee was always super supportive of this site…he’s an outstanding writer, which i have said time and again, and i’m glad to see him in SI…

…second, lee is right…it’s amazing how just one acquisition helped lift the spirits of this franchise, from ownership to the fans…so much so, that i still can’t help but wonder what might have happened had santana not been traded to the Mets…and worse, been traded to the Yankees…fortunately, we’ll never know

{ 65 comments }

bxsci insight February 19, 2008 at 8:28 pm

Its cause we can’t wait for baseball. Lets go mets

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:47 am

I can wait. I’m a little disappointed MLB chose to re-use the same spring-training caps from last season. The flaps over the ears confuse me.

pkpiazza February 19, 2008 at 8:35 pm

two words SI curse

mikey_FF February 19, 2008 at 8:36 pm

There is no such thing as a curse. Don’t believe the hype.

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:45 am

Some curses are more compelling than others. The most compelling curse–in my opinion–centers around a car.

The vehicle, in which, James Dean killed himself had a cursed history long after Dean’s death (see wiki).

Hit The Weights Zeile February 20, 2008 at 8:35 am

at least hes not on the cover of madden, then id be worried

Number41 February 20, 2008 at 6:56 am

Curses are made to be broken!
Just need a little black cat to prance out in front of the visitors dugout while the Phillies are in town….
(Isn’t a Philly, a girl horse? So, they are the Phil. Girl Horses?
Who came up with that?)

KinersKornerman February 19, 2008 at 8:36 pm

aw crap, we’re screwed! Thanks, SI

Bel-TRON February 19, 2008 at 8:42 pm

ya 2 bad the season doesnt start for another 2 months

curses are BS!

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:32 am

oh you must be the guy from ESPN who works with Joe Morgan but at this exact second I can’t recall but will in like 3 minutes.

KinersKornerman February 19, 2008 at 8:46 pm

Hey, do ya remember that last year, we had that goofy cover with Omar and the Diversity Crew? You all know what happened after that.

Brian February 19, 2008 at 8:54 pm

Yeah, the SI cover curse *really* killed the NY Football Giants.

Oh…wait.

General Millz February 19, 2008 at 9:08 pm

I was saying that before and after the Super Bowl… I’d say most teams that win championships are on an SI cover at some point during the season in which they win.

That being said, Let’s Go Mets!!!

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:50 am

I love your witty screenname. It’s just like the cereal.

professor met February 19, 2008 at 9:02 pm

I rather look at the SI swimsuit edition.

Innis_2_winnis February 19, 2008 at 10:25 pm

Is Johan in body paint or a swimsuit???

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:38 am

hopefully youre a girl

TobeRinkler February 20, 2008 at 1:42 am

Why? Got a problem with alternative lifestyles? & I was gonna ask u out.

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:48 am

no youre right and I don’t (even if youre joking). my bad on that.

bxsci insight February 19, 2008 at 9:02 pm

The idea of a curse will make it that much sweeter when we win the World Series

bigchart333 February 19, 2008 at 9:09 pm

“that wasn’t rain,” Said Rick Peterson, “that was healing water”

lol, this guys is friggin hilarious…EVERYTHING is some sorta similie or metaphor. If he stays on for years to come, he’s gonna go down in Mets folklore, i’m tellin u…this guy with his maps for finding ways, and his noah’s arcs, and healing waters…he’s gotta write a book

Rawjah Clemens Is In Jawgies Bawx February 19, 2008 at 10:13 pm

Don’t forget this one from later in the article:

“Peterson read Eastern philosophy and drew sketches of his players.”

mackey_sassers_arm February 19, 2008 at 9:27 pm

Wasn’t Dice-K on the cover of the baseball preview issue last year? champion. And if I recall correctly, Pujols was on the cover of the baseball preview the year before, but I don’t want to talk about how the Cardinals did on ‘06.

Dennis A February 19, 2008 at 9:49 pm

“use to” > useD to

MetsYeahYo February 19, 2008 at 9:59 pm

when does this issue come out? or is it out already?

cb32 February 19, 2008 at 10:44 pm

hits newsstands Thursday.

dave27 February 19, 2008 at 9:59 pm

This isn’t the preview, but your point is right on. For good measure, last year’s Spring Training issue featured the Cubs and prized acquisitions Lou Piniella and Alfonso Soriano. They were ‘cursed’ with a division title.

No, no curse…just another for the collection!

Btw – not only has Johan lifted the Mets spirits without throwing a pitch, but he’s also got Yammerin’ Hank Steinbrenner sqiriming before the calendar hits March. This guy is going to make us all remember the George that reigned from 1973 through October 1996….

Number41 February 20, 2008 at 7:00 am

“The Bronx Zoo II; The Sequal”

nrmax88 February 20, 2008 at 8:00 am

Yeah, Hank is definitely getting all panicky. Omar should call him up and tell him Santana for A-Rod and Cano.

icedrake523 February 19, 2008 at 10:08 pm

Peyton Manning was on the cover of SI with the headline “Yes He Can” (or something similar) before the Super Bowl.

Jimmy Rollins was on the cover in early October with the headline “Why Rollins is the MVP”.

Papelbon was on the cover the week after Rollins.

Giants were on the cover 2 weeks before the Super Bowl this year.

How’d it work for those guys? If there was a jinx, it’d have to be true every single time.

just-mlb February 19, 2008 at 10:11 pm

In another article in SI, they already are calling Manny Acta one the top 5 managers in baseball…

“Acta is a competitive advantage for the Nationals, a rare manager who thinks deeply about baseball, about his roster, and about every move he makes. That advantage is currently wasted on a roster that has about 65 wins in it, so you can’t expect miracles. The hope is that the talent base grows to match Acta’s talents before the organization decides to “make a change” for the sake of doing so. He’s already one of the five best managers in baseball.”

Willie MUST win a pennant at the min to keep his job for 2009

starz31 February 19, 2008 at 10:43 pm

how is he one of the five best managers in baseball and only has one year of managing experience? Those must be some good prerequisites.

mussi February 19, 2008 at 10:46 pm

does anyone think that the dancing in the dugout must end?

da burg's greatest February 19, 2008 at 10:50 pm

reyes has vowed to stop or at least tone it down.

DWright is King February 19, 2008 at 10:52 pm

no…not if they’re winning/struggling…

DWright is King February 19, 2008 at 10:52 pm

*not struggling

TobeRinkler February 20, 2008 at 1:44 am

The bugs on the ground do, almost certainly.

nrmax88 February 20, 2008 at 8:03 am

Exactly Dwright, its okay when your team is rolling, but just know when to tone it down. I like to see Chad Johnson celebrate, and it is all well and good when they win, but it looks silly when these guys are celebrating on crappy losing teams.

Number41 February 20, 2008 at 7:03 am

Manny’s name is on the door over at CitiField

The Captain February 19, 2008 at 10:58 pm

Should it be Johan or Omar on the cover? Last year was not the worst scenerio, the Mets played a good season and although disappointing at the end, I still remained confident in my team to stay at a competitive level.
Now with the acquisition of a Johan pitching caliber to our rotation, Im still pinching myself and realize the greatness he brings to an already above average well rounded team.
The more I think about the reason it was even possible to add Santana to the Met salary was by adding the low cost starting position players in Scheidner and Church . I always liked church and recognized his capacity to improve, but to be honest, never cared for Scheider. Well Im very confident in Omar’s judgment and recognition because of him being so familiar with the expos organization and opting to promote Schiener and Church from the AAA Nationals (expos).
Giving up on Mildridge? Well he was out of options and not ready for the big leauges. Mildridge brings value to a club when he contributes for the time he’s signed at a low salary. Mildredge needs time to find his way and will contribute for a AAA team, and the one available is the Nationals.

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:33 am

Very petty. And to call Milledge the incorrect name is incorrect.

mets7151994 February 19, 2008 at 11:10 pm

The arrival of Johan Santana has been long awaited by almost every New Yorker, let alone sport fan. To top it all of he is headed to the New York Mets, the underdog team in New York. The Mets aquired him for practically nothing. With the aquisition of Santana “The Mets are the team to beat in the NL East”.

Number41 February 20, 2008 at 7:05 am

your English is geting better and bettter, Carlos. How’s your mole?

LoDuca February 19, 2008 at 11:17 pm

For anyone interested:

I’m doing an all questions answered thread at my blog http://www.metsprospectus.blogspot.com

I’ll answer any questions on Mets Prospects, or even the major league club/ future if you want.

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:26 am

everybody thinks you are Paul Loduca. Tell the world that you are really him.

nrmax88 February 20, 2008 at 8:14 am

No offense, but the fact that you have written Milledge, Gomez, and Pelfrey off as failures makes me question whether I ought to even keep reading. If you remember, Reyes was awful when he was first called up. If this guy is tearing up the minors, and Alou goes down for 6 weeks, what do you do? Play Ben Johnson? Endy Chavez? Angel PAgan? No thank you. You cant rush him, but you cant overprotect him if he is clearly ready. You also seem to think that AAA is a more talented level then AA, which really isnt the case. AA is mostly younger up and comers, while AAA is a lot of veterans not good enough to play in the bigs anymore (Jose Lima, Chan Ho Park, Geremi Gonzalez, etc.). Too say they should not even entertain the thought of calling up Martinez until 2010 is silly. You monitor the situation.

zen February 19, 2008 at 11:47 pm

yanks didn’t need santana. they have an hgh-pumped pettitte.

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:31 am

Yanks needed Santana because:

1) Wang lost his arbitraion case. He is angry and feels degraded.
2) Pettitte feels degraded by HGH stuff.
3) Mussina Feels degraded by being used in a dimished role (last year) and having Ian Kennedy waiting in the wings with his exact motion.
4) Phil Hughes is hit or miss (but i’m neutral on him now).
5) Who is their number 5? It’s never gonna be Joba.

Furthermore;
Arod can’t ptich.

LETS
go
METs. 08

tinathemetsgrl February 19, 2008 at 11:50 pm

I was just going to say what somebody else said. Dice K was on the cover last year and he did pretty well (winning a world series). My favorite issues of SI is when they have the preview for baseball, football, and basketball — really the only 3 I buy all year. I can not wait til Friday, I’ll definitely be picking up this one. (Let’s hope they pick us to win the division!)

1DoggLJ February 20, 2008 at 1:00 am

This isnt the baseball preview issue like you are thinking. Its the Spring Training issue. I havent seen it yet, but I dont think it ranks the teams, players, etc.

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:27 am

Why pay full sticker price at the store. Get a subscription.

Tapeball45 February 20, 2008 at 1:07 am

It’s only a curse if you believe in it…

You gotta believe…

just not in that..

bayridgehodges February 20, 2008 at 1:17 am

The SI curse is baloney, or Bologna, if you prefer. The Madden curse? Now THAT’S a curse.

Peter February 20, 2008 at 8:23 am

Exactly!

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:25 am

People think Santana is so special. How much appeal would he have lost if he was 30 now? Does our society have a problem with 30? Why is Yahoo (Stock Ticker: YHOO) stuck at 29 (for days)?

metsin080910 February 20, 2008 at 1:53 am

I really can not wait until the season starts. Just to think that the first Spring Training game is just a week away excites me. This team has potential to be great. Better than the 06′ team, and that’s saying a lot.

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 2:04 am

When we get to the year ‘10 — what are we going to call it? There just is no abbreviating 2010. You can’t say, back in ‘10 like you say back in ‘08. We will have to wait til the 20’s until we can stop saying, “back in twenty- ____.”

So I love your screenname. It takes us from Shea, to Citi, to a new decade with a new way of saying the year.

Very Progressive.

gomets6091 February 20, 2008 at 7:22 am

more importantly, what are we gonna call this decade when we look back on it? The O’s? That Aught’s? The Two Thousands? The Boston Got Lucky Years? The Bushies? Seriously people, this needs an answer…

gipper913i February 20, 2008 at 1:52 pm

not be a smarta** but people alread call it the 2000’s

JarvisJanesAddiction February 20, 2008 at 7:15 am

The Savior of Port St. Lucie! I know Johan is from Venezuela, but maybe we should refer to him as “El Salvador”!

QnsNative718 February 20, 2008 at 9:40 am

Boooooo…

nrmax88 February 20, 2008 at 8:18 am

We can call it the age of Johan.

nrmax88 February 20, 2008 at 8:19 am

Seriously like if Hilary wins the election, people in 100 years will look back and say, the first female president was elected during the age of Johan.

cver February 20, 2008 at 9:25 am

I’m still so frustrated and I know folks are probably getting frustrated with me regarding these semantics. I just think “expecting” to win the World Series sounds too “all knowing” – obviously it raises the “expectations”. Yes, we should accept no less than that goal from the NY Mets and should accept no less than for them to do everything they can to achieve that goal. And yesterday, maybe I didn’t express myself clearly, but in regards to confidence, there was a quote from Billy Wagner where he nails it in saying that the Mets were overconfident and on autopilot. I’m just a bit concerned that these guys are either thinking that now that they’ve got Santana, they have this wrapped up or that deep down they are all have such totally destroyed psyches that this is the only way that they can try to compensate, by making stupid comments. Look Beltran is a good guy and a great player – no doubt. It’s good that they’re all thinking positively. Santana was the one who knew what to say and I commend him for that:. “He insists that the Philadelphia Phillies are still the favorites to win the National League East this season, while acknowledging that the Mets are uniquely motivated.”

A great article that I will treasure!

QnsNative718 February 20, 2008 at 9:38 am

Cver, I see where youre commin from… Yesterday you kind of freaked out but its understandable. I love the confidence this team has now and please believe Im fully confident in this team as well but the games are played on the field and not on paper. Its a Looooong season… I was really surprised to see posters talking World Series.. Cmon people.. If thats initiative for other teams to want to beat us harder than I dont know what it is… Teams and the media want so badly for us to eat our words. I just hope when these guys get in a slump (Which will happen. Baseball is a game of failure), they wont panic…

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