There’s no possible way Newday’s Jon Heyman could’ve written this Wednesday piece without visiting Port St. Lucie in person. But a gratuitous swipe at Tom Coughlin is always welcome.
Along with the vast majority of his players, Fred Wilpon arrived at Mets camp well ahead of schedule. Then, in what has become a wrong of spring (as opposed to a rite of spring), Wilpon offered his predictable prediction by agreeing that his Mets team is ready to “take off.”
Wilpon’s almost annual Pollyana prognostications have prompted some guffaws over the years, such as the time he foresaw meaningful games in September and was off by five months. But this time we agree.
There is a lot to like about this Mets club beyond the obvious, which is that Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner (above) give the Mets the power bat and power bullpen arm they sorely needed. This is an easy group to get excited about. Ticket sales are up 25 percent, Wilpon said, and it’s easy to see why.
It remains to be seen how quickly the Mets will come together, but at least they have assembled sooner than required. All but a couple of position players were on hand for yesterday’s workout, two days ahead of schedule. This is a team even Tom Coughlin would love; you aren’t early unless you’re days early.
Earlier, there was some radio static about Omar Minaya’s acquisition of a large number of Latino players. But that amounts to nothing more than hot air. Putting aside the fact that there’s a decent chance the Kris Benson trade was requested (if not ordered) from above, it’s insulting innuendo that Minaya doesn’t deserve.
Recently acquired 2B Bret Boone — who hit .170 in his brief stint with the Twins last year after being released by the Mariners — tells the Bergen Record’s Steve Popper, “I’m not going to sit here and make demands.” That’s pretty big of him.
The award for Least Provocative Column Of The Century comes courtesy of the New York Post’s Kevin Kernan, who writes that Manny Ramirez’ Boston-authorized March 1 reporting date, “could be another sign of his wanting to get out of town.”
“The Mets need to take advantage of another case of “Manny Being Manny,” exhorts Kernan. “It’s time to do everything in their power to make Manny a Met.”
With this kind of radical thinking, it’s amazing that Kernan is limited to writing for The Post. Surely there must be room in the front office of a big league ballclub for someone who can make such an unprecendented suggestion?