The Mets fell to Detroit yesterday by the score of 7-2.

Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a run-scoring single, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 7-2 win over the New York Mets in Grapefruit League play.

Curtis Granderson walked three times and scored a pair of runs in the victory. Brandon Inge and Mike Hessman contributed solo homers.

Cabrera knocked in Granderson during a three-run fifth that broke open a 2-1 game. He connected for his first homer of the spring in the seventh and Hessman added his first in the eighth.

Jonathan Kibler started for Detroit in place of the ailing Jeremy Bonderman and issued four walks with a pair of hits over two innings, but only surrendered one run.

The Mets have their own pitching concerns, as ace Johan Santana may not make a spring start until mid-March as he continues to work through discomfort in his elbow.

Jonathon Niese went the first two innings for the Mets and yielded a pair of runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Angel Pagan had a pair of hits and a walk with a run scored for New York, which left 10 runners on base.

Overall, as a Mets fan, I just want to see Johan throw his first ST pitch so he can be ready for that first start in the regular season. I am sure he will come around.

Hello All,

We have been receiving A LOT of interesting visitor inquiries as of late, and many of the questions (5 to be exact) have been on this very topic (or close to it).

So I will give my opinion to those who asked:
- Jim (Illinois)
- Gina (Chicago)
- Jason (New York)
- Bill (Connecticut)
- Susan (Washington DC)

* This post has drawn even more emails since it was posted (5 to be exact) and I will post some of that here as well! *

Ok, so the question went something like this: “Do You Feel MLB Should be testing EVERYONE in order to preserve the sanctity of the game from this point forward?”

First, I want to also say the floor is open to ALL visitors to give your opinion here as well.

I truly feel that this would be a wonderful first step for the MLB to take. I understand the players unions has some say in this, but let’s face it, if you throw away the random aspect of testing it will certainly make players think twice about these performance enhancers.

The only thing that should be random about this testing is the dates, EVERYONE should be tested, and EVERYONE should be unaware as to when. Let’s let the truth come out, if no one is taking them anymore than why should the have any issue with this? If everyone is so squeeky clean, then why should the union even have an issue…Let’s get real here, there are still a great deal of offenders in baseball..and I dread the day that list gets released…

So in conclusion, I feel YES they should test EVERYONE. If this rule started today, barring any undetectable substances, it would restore some purity to this wonderful sport we love so much. It would mark 2009 as the true re-initiation of official non tainted record keeping.

I want to open the floor to the other authors here to make some comments and critique what I have said here…also, visitors let me know your thoughts.

Ok, so the Mets’ bid for a perfect ST has gone down the toilet, but hey, their bats certainly werent the problem!

On offense, we got to see Bobby Kietly’s first home run of the spring, a three run blast. Church, Rivera, Beltran, and Delgado also contributed to the hit parade.

On the mound: Livan Hernandez made his exhibition-game debut with two scoreless innings and appeared to be quite effective. His primary competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, Freddy Garcia, was not at all effective. He walked three, allowed two hits and four runs — two earned — in two-thirds of an inning. \

Overall, in the first three games, we have seen more than 20 runs total out of the Mets, and we are seeing some other promising things as well. Livon is certainly making his bid for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and I would love to see him eat some innings for the Mets all season long.

Coming next, the Mets take on the Tigers, where Niese and Parnell will show us what they’ve got. Let’s Go Mets!

Hello All, I am now going to start by methodical break down of 2009 Mets Players by position. Let’s first start the the all important Catcher.

In 2009 the Mets will be using the familiar combo of Ramone Castro and Brian Schneider.

Seriously, the Mets Pitchers love when Schneider I behind the plate. He knows how to call great games, and he has a calming effect on the Mets staff. His bat is a little cold at times, but the effort he puts forth on the defensive side of things far exceeds the lack of pop in his bat.

As far as Castro goes, I feel he is one of baseballs better backup catchers. He has some serious power at times, and you can count on him to call a consistent game and potentially deliver some incredibly timely and important hits. I have very little worry when I see him slated on the roster.

Coming Up the Turnpike: Francesco Pena

Although he is only 19, he is still not a great defensive catcher and has been right up there as one of the league leaders in passed balls. He has average arm strength, and surprisingly little pop in the bat. Considering he is 6’3, 230 you would expect slightly more.

There is no reason for the Mets to quit on Pena, there is simply no one else really waiting in the wings as far as catchers go in the farms.

I expect 2009 to be another consistent year for Mets catching. I am also expecting a solid showing at the plate by Mr. Castro as well. I really enjoy when he’s in the lineup it adds another threat later in the order.

Next…we move to 1B. Stay tuned.

So over the first two Spring Training games Luis Castillo seems to be tearing the cover off the ball! He looks noticably slimmer, and looks pretty focused too. I have a strange feeling Castillo will provide a alot of support for this 2009 Mets Team.

We all know Luis can still make a play or two at 2B, so I am very comfortable with that aspect of his game, but it has always been this slap hitting insanity that has always drove me a little crazy as a Mets fan.

To be honest I would like to see Reyes continue to leadoff the games for the Mets, I don’t like Castillio as a leadoff hitter at this point. Hitting number 3 may indeed cause a strong decline in Stolen Bases for Mr. Reyes, something many Mets fans would miss.

Anyway, I am going to go out on a limb and say this: Luis Castillo will hit .290 plus this year and will play an integral part in the Mets regaining the NL East Title. Mark my words, I thing this season will be different!

Yeah, yeah I know what you’re all saying…that’s what you all said the last few years! Well this time I mean it!

What does everyone else think?

Hello All,

I just wanted to let everyone know a few things.

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Well, that’s about it for now! Until next time, Happy Blogging and Lets Go Mets in 09!

It’s finally here! The 2009 season has started (sort of). The Mets started off in very good fashion! Here is what the starting lineup looked like:

Castillo, 2B
Murphy, LF
Pagan, CF
Church, RF
Castro, R, C
Cora, SS
Evans, 1B
Valentin, Jo, 3B
Martinez, F, DH

I have to say, I was quite impressed with Church, Castillo (Yes I said Castillo), Murphy and Pagan. The Mets took this game 9-3 and banged out 15 hits.

In order for this team to have any success, this lineup is going to have to produce…especially in those late innings!

As for the pitching, Right-hander Sean Green started for the Mets and was gone after just two outs, a victim of a cut nail on the middle finger of his pitching hand. Southpaw Pedro Feliciano got four outs without allowing an earned run, and veteran Duaner Sanchez pitched an inning and allowed three baserunners and one earned run.

Anyways, this was just a quick update, Let’s Go Mets in 2009!

Everybody….the 2009 Major League Baseball season is upon us! Ok, Ok…Not the regular season of course, but the long awaited Spring training is starting!

I don’t think I have ever been so excited to watch a season of baseball in my life. I have always watched every single game, paid attention to all of the stats, tracked things down to the second, but I realized…I never had a place to talk about it on a constant basis. Ok, so occasionally I would chat with my friends regarding a game or two, but I wanted more…

So here we sit, with a brand new opportunity to speak our minds in front of a large audience of like minded individuals…individuals who have at least one thing in common, we are all fans of the wonderful sport that is baseball. Let’s put aside all the petty steroid BS and enjoy this beautiful game for everything it is. It is Excitement, it is Suspense, it is Stress, it is Raw Emotion, it is Victory, and it is Defeat….it is everything someone could want in a sport.

Each pitch, each swing, each play in the field paints a picture that no other sport can ever come close to. The intricacies of this game have no equal in the world of sports, and the fans of this sport are amongst the most passionate in the world.

In victory, and in defeat we still persist in believing in our teams. Whether they had a good year or a bad one, we still come back the next season to watch each game in its entirety. In a world full of uncertainty, Baseball season is truly something that provides many of us with much needed stability.

So in closing, I want to say this…everything you read above describes what this site is about. People come here to read TRUE fans thoughts, they come here because they want to be surrounded with other REAL baseball fans who have a true appreciation for the sport. The true essence of this sites foundation are the fans themselves and the wonderful authors who I can honestly say enjoy this wonderful game as much (if not more) than I do! Let’s make this 2009 season something special, let’s get involved. Leave comments, let yourself be heard. If you have something to say, say it. You are amongst other TRUE fans of the sport, you are at MajorLeagueBlogging.com.

2009 Season Here We Come!!!

Well, this is it, the number one move Minaya has ever (and will ever) pull off for the NY Mets…the acquisition of a certain ex Minnesota Twin (Sorry Aaron – Twins Author)…of course you all know it’s Mr. Johan Santana.

By trading for the (then) 28 year old left hand pitching machine, often considered one of the top 3 pitchers in all of baseball, Minaya had really outdone himself.

At the time of the acquisition, the Mets really needed a “Pick-Me-Up” after their historic collapse of the season prior.  The fans demanded something dramatic, and they got it in the form of Johan.

The Mets agreed to send young outfielder Carlos Gomez plus pitching prospects Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra to Minnesota. Ok, so I did like Gomez, but I like Santana just a little (I mean just a very little) more than him.

Talking about Santana as a 2 time Cy Young winner seems to underestimate his achievements. He brings an energy like the Mets haven’t seen since the likes of Doc and Tom. His presence alone makes watching each and every start he makes a true pleasure. Win or lose, he battles and competes like no other in the sport of baseball.

Even though they collapsed again last season, the Mets gave me something to watch. I had the honor (As did many) of seeing the Santana Gem towards the end of the season when the Mets needed it most. I can only imagine what Gems this Ace will produce for the next few years for the Mets.

I honestly believe Santana might have edged out Lincecum if the bullpen would have help even 3 more games for him in the season. Well, what’s done is done, this year is a whole new ballgame (pun intended).

So hat’s off to you Minaya, you have done some really great things in your tenure as Mets GM, keep it up! For all of you loyal Mets readers, I am going to follow this up with a position by position break down of your (and my) 2009 New York Metropolitans.

Until next time, Happy Blogging, and Lets Go Mets in 2009! Shop New York Mets Fan Gear

Hello All,

Guess What? We had an overwhelming response to our fantasy baseball Exclusive author opportunity. We received 21 Emails from applicants in only 3.5 Hours!

Stay tuned for the first post about one of America’s favorite passtimes..Fantasy Baseball

Happy Blogging,
Jeff