Daily Archives: March 1, 2008
Ryan Church suffered a concussion, and should be out two 
weeks, while Marlon Anderson bruised his chest when the two collided in the outfield during today’s game.
Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado will be out at least a few days with a hip impingement – also suffered during today’s game.
…of the three, i expect anderson to be back the soonest…
…well, that was weird…i don’t know how else to describe it…
…i met a bunch of fellow Mets fans at Duffy’s Sports Grill, many of whom are also fans of MetsBlog.com…in many cases, people came up to me and said hello and expressed how much they enjoy MetsBlog…and in a few cases, some actually wanted to take pictures with me, which is flattering, but, again, just really weird to me…
…equally weird is being in a bar…in Florida…surrounded by so many Mets fans…i mean, we were everywhere…at the bar…in the restaurant…behind the bar…everywhere…it’s so great…in New York City, i will see at least a few Yankees fans butting in…getting in the way…not here, though…not in St. Lucie…a thousand miles from home, and this is clearly Mets country…so much so that the bartenders are in Mets gear…in fact, they are serving the same aluminum bottles of Budweiser, with the Mets logo in it, that are served at Shea Stadium…
…even more weird is seeing a few players stroll in…they’re just minding their business…grabbing a drink…after work…just like you and i would do…in some ways, this is just normal stuff…guys…beer…after work…etc…you know, normal…the thing is, baseball players are not normally at my local happy hour…so it’s normal, but not that normal…
The Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0, in a Grapefruit League game this afternoon in Port St. Lucie. The boxscore is available at MLB.com.
- RF Ryan Church and 1B Marlon Anderson collided tracking down a pop fly in the fourth inning. Both were taken out of the game.
- Top LHP prospect Jon Niese started and threw two hitless innings, walking one and striking out three.
- Niese was followed by scoreless innings by Jorge Sosa, Pedro Feliciano, two from prospect Bobby Parnell, and one a piece by Willie Collazo, Brian Stokes and Matt Wise, who picked up the win.
- Brady Clark drove in Michel Abreu to win the game in the bottom of the ninth.
- CF Angel Pagan went 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
Church was diagnosed with a concussion and is out two weeks, according to Marty Noble and MLB.com.
…so the Mets get their first win of the spring, but at a cost… Church will be undergoing a CAT scan, in addition to Carlos Delgado getting an MRI in New York… thankfully it’s early in the spring, so the Mets’ growing infirmary, already with Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, and Damion Easley recovering from injuries…
…i landed, rented my car, and after a several u-turns, i have checked in to my room…
…it’s a breezy 75 degrees, which is wonderful considering that only 12 hours ago i was brushing snow off my car at home…
…as i got off the exit for Port St. Lucie, sitting at a traffic light, covered in maps, i turned my head to see Ron Darling, 
chilling, with his shades on, sitting idle at the light in the car next to me…hysterical…it was 2 pm, so, apparently, he’s not at the game today…i did not say hello, though i should have…not that he would have known who i am, especially in traffic…in florida…
…before checking in, i had to drive by the stadium, though i did not go in…i pulled over, jumped out of the car and snapped this photo of the entrance…
…that’s all for now…i need to unpack, hit the grocery store for some food, water, etc, and then get set to meet up with some fellow fans, bloggers and writers at Duffy’s Sports Grill…
According to the Associated Press, the Mets have sent Carlos Delgado back to New York for an MRI.
The injury is unrelated to the right hip flexor that kept Delgado sidelined for 15 games last September.
GM Omar Minaya labeled the MRI precautionary, and doesn’t expect Delgado to miss an “extended” amount of time.
There is also no urgency to find a potential long-term replacement for Delgado; Minaya believes any number of Mets’ bench players could fill the roll, including minor league 1B Michel Abreu, who is right now slotted to start the season at Triple A.
…cross your fingers, because any long term injury to Delgado really hurts this lineup, especially with Moises Alou’s fragility… that said, we’ve heard time and time again that the team is comfortable with its multi-purpose bench despite outside rumblings that they need a power hitting backup 1B/LF… we may see if that holds up soon…
The Los Angeles Dodgers are in Port St. Lucie for a matinee Grapefruit League game. Top left handed prospect Jon Niese gets the start for the Mets, while Brad Penny goes for the Dodgers.
SS Jose Reyes is leading off, followed by 1B Marlon Anderson, 3B David Wright, LF Moises Alou, RF Ryan Church, CF Angel Pagan, 2B Ruben Gotay, DH Ramon Castro, and C Salomon Manriquez.
For updates, check out the live boxscore at MLB.com, Lennon’s blog, as well as Adam Rubin’s at the NY Daily News, Jeremy Cothran’s at the Star Ledger and John Delcos over at the Journal News.
…my flight to West Palm Beach leaves in roughly 30 minutes, after which, 
i’ll grab a rental car and head to Port St. Lucie…
…i’m a nervous…i don’t like to fly…it’s odd, too, because i used to love it…but, the older i get, the more i feel i already avoided the odds of it ending badly…so why continue to push my luck…
…i’m excited to get to camp…tonight, i will be meeting other fans and bloggers at Duffy’s Sports Grill around 5 pm…tomorrow, i intend to travel with the team to Vero Beach to see them play the Dodgers, which every other fan continues to tell is must-see experience…
…otherwise, the next week on MetsBlog will operate more like a diary, than my typically mini op-eds and linking around the web…instead, SNY has armed me with a mini-cam, a Nikon D40, press credentials and my laptop, and so i intend to just wander around camp, trying not to get in to trouble, while live blogging the experience…i hope you enjoy it…
In the “Around the Majors” segment of his latest article for SI.com, Jon Heyman has the following tidbit on
Pedro Martinez.
“Pedro Martinez has been throwing without pain pills or ice. And one longtime Pedro watcher predicts, ‘He’s going to win the Cy Young.’
Meanwhile, Martinez, 36, is telling friends he’d like to play a couple more years but probably not into his 40s. He understand the ball is in the Mets’ court and that he can’t approach them until he proves he’s healthy”
…come on, you can’t predict that and remain anonymous…was it a relative, a coach, just some fan that’s watched pedro over the years…anyway, only pedro’s health is of real concern to me as i’m confident in his ability to be a second ace for the Mets as long as his body lets him…
Tagged Pedro Martinez |
