The Mets announced that advanced ticket sales for the
2007 regular season at Shea Stadium have surpassed 2.5 million, a mark they did not reach until May
3 last year, more than a month after their home opener.
Sales for Season Tickets and Plans for 2007 are up more than 35% from last year’s same date sales.

The Associated Press reports the Blue Jays have traded RHP Francisco Rosario to the Phillies for cash.
Rosario was designated for assignment last Friday, which meant the Blue Jays had to trade, release or send him to the minors within 10 days.
Rosario was 1-2 with a 6.65 ERA in 17 games in 2006 with the Blue [...]

In a report for MLB.com, Jamey Newberg looks back roughly 25 years ago, when the Rangers acquired OF Lee Mazzilli from the Mets for RHP Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.
Speaking of Mazzilli, Promote the Curse has a pretty unfavorable review of his work on SNY’s Pre-game Show, writing…
“His problem isn’t just that he looks and sounds [...]

…even though David Cone and Orlando Hernandez are in yankees pinstripes in this video, it’s still pretty funny…

…the best part is the look on coney’s face when he gets caught out in the restroom rehearsing his dance…well played…
…hat tip to always amazin and cstb for the link…

This week on SNY’s Mets Weekly, among other segments, watch David Wright and Paul LoDuca show their competitive side as they go bowling with Julie Donaldson; and follow Joe Smith’s career from Brooklyn to Binghamton to the big leagues.
…bowling, fine, whatever…instead, i rather keep score on who is more successful when hitting on julie, wright [...]

Produced by Shout Factory, and arrated by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins, The Team. The Time. The 2006 Mets chronicles the team’s success, from spring training to the NLCS.
The DVD is in stores and available on Amazon.com today.
To watch a preview of the DVD, go to Shout Factory.
Earlier today MetsBlog.com gave away a free [...]

…Phillies…
Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if it’s “too early to panic” now that the Phillies bullpen has blown the first two games of the season.
According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies RHP’s Freddy Garcia and Jon Lieber will make their first rehab starts this week.
Garcia and Lieber are recovering from right [...]

On a night when John Maine looked outstanding in a 10–0 win over the Cardinals, Mets Walkoffs takes a look back at another 10–run win for the Mets over the Cardinals, which occurred 11 years ago yesterday, and which also included a guy named Mayne.
…i love reading walkoff’s posts, if for no other reason that reading the [...]

SNY will broadcast tonight’s minor-league opener between the Mets Triple-A affiliate New Orleans Zephyrs, as they take on the Nashville Sounds starting at 7 pm.
Philip Humber will start for the Zephyrs.
SNY will air select Zephyrs games throughout the season.

At his blog for the Daily News, Adam Rubin talks with RHP Aaron Sele about his decision to join the Mets, which was influenced by his former teammate Darren Oliver, who played for the Mets last season.
Sele pitched a scoreless ninth inning, with two strikeouts, against the Cardinals last night.

In a radio ad that is currently running on local stations, FOX’s Joe Buck refers to himself as the “Velvety-smooth voice of baseball,” while promoting DirectTV and MLB Extra Innings.
…velvety smooth…give me a break…
…listen, i actually do not mind buck and Tim McCarver individually, as i believe they are very talented and i tend to learn [...]

Willie Randolph will wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 for the Mets’ April 15
game against Washington as part of Major League Baseball’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of Robinson’s
breaking the major league color barrier.
Randolph, who was born in
Brooklyn, is the first African-American manager in New York.
Randolph, on wearing the jersey, as quoted by a variety of [...]

If you’re interested in contributing to a community projection for Mets RHP Mike Pelfrey, go to Minor League Ball.

In the New York Post, Mike Vaccaro writes how the Mets were given a custom-made excuse to fall flat, or play with a ‘hangover,’ following last season’s painful ending, yet they came out strong to start the season and “couldn’t be playing clearer-eyed baseball if they put Visine in the Gatorade tub.”
In the first three [...]

The Mets bullpen has yet to allow a run in six innings during the first three games of the season.
In Newsday, David Lennon takes a closer look at the team’s bullpen.
…it’s crazy, really, in that most all of us worried a bit about a) the team’s starting rotation, and b) the bullpen, and yet both, [...]