IGT, Opening Day, 4/5/2010

[Centerfield]

In one day, the 2010 Mets have given me 1/10 of the Happy Day output of the 2009 Mets.

[Gwreck]

Lots of positive signs:
Wright's homer
Bay's triple and hustle - he really turned it on around 2nd; he also hustled hard in the 7th to the ball hit deep in the hole that Hanley threw him out on.
Barajas' double
Santana (of course)
Solid relief by Nieve.

Some troubling signs:
Gary Matthews Jr.'s routes to balls in center. I know he is going to pale in comparison to the 5 years of Carlos Beltran (plus 1 of Cameron before that) we've seen but he was giving me agita each time a ball was hit in his direction.
Jacobs and Cora being in the opening day lineup.

It's always nice to get the opener. Darryl threw out the first pitch; some group of soldiers appeared to lip-sync both times they sung. The curmudgeon in me wonders how much jet fuel we waste by doing flyovers. Mets fans booed the training staff, Perez, Green and gave a mixed reaction to Jerry. Almost everybody else got solid cheers, the biggest of which went to Wright, Bay, Santana and Rodriguez.

[metirish]

I really like these Mets uniforms.

[ashie62]

Today was a day to breathe dewey sweet Mets air.

[DocTee]

Excellent Start. And yes, I'll take one of those jerseys, thank you very much.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yes, I talked Omar into carrying Mejia. That was me.


This is what the mound looks like from Strawberry's perspective.


Roomy!


First 2,000 kids got a lapdance from the manager.

[G-Fafif]

Happy, festive day at Citi Field. Team may still suck after a fashion but the feel was Ray Knight vs. Boots Day from last year. I hope whoever spoke up at the monthly meeting and asked rhetorically, "Why don't we put the Apple outside where everybody can enjoy it?" got a closer parking spot for the first month of the season.

[MFS62]

Team	Place
Mets	First
Yankees	Last

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

The Mets win to signal the perfect start of spring. Duke wins to draw winter to a fitting end.

Hopefully, there will be a championship for the Mets in the fall. Let's Go Mets!!!

[Centerfield]

I really like these Mets uniforms.[/quote:2szar97h]

I was trying to tell watching the highlights. Are these the cream-colored ones?

[Ceetar]

Some good stuff out at the park yesterday. I totally forgot about Strawberry's first pitch when I was posting my pictures. Came out of my 'loner' shell a bit so to speak and actually met a half dozen bloggers/bluecaparmy before the game.

I wasn't overly concerned with Matthews play. He got to everything in enough time, and does seem to have some speed. (Try comparing him to Maybin playing yesterday instead of Beltran. works wonders!) The wind was probably an issue too, but he got there, hustled, pivoted and threw in hard every time. I hope Beltran's magnificant glides are back sooner than later though.

[metirish]

I really like these Mets uniforms.[/quote:1jrc2sdu]

I was trying to tell watching the highlights. Are these the cream-colored ones?[/quote:1jrc2sdu]


Off-white is the term Cohen used , but yeah that's them. Sure looked beautiful on Santana , no guarantee that they will look that good on me or you.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Posted this on the UMDB Facebook page, and figured, what the hell, I'll post it here too:

FUN FACT: Jason Bay yesterday became only the fourth Met to triple in his first game as a Met, and the second to do it on Opening Day. The other three: Jose Vizcaino on Opening Day 1994, Luis Rivera five days later, and Brian McRae on August 8, 1997.

[Benjamin Grimm]

These charts look kinda lame this early in the season, don't they?

[metirish]

Posted this on the UMDB Facebook page, and figured, what the hell, I'll post it here too:

FUN FACT: Jason Bay yesterday became only the fourth Met to triple in his first game as a Met, and the second to do it on Opening Day. The other three: Jose Vizcaino on Opening Day 1994, Luis Rivera five days later, and Brian McRae on August 8, 1997.

[MFS62]

Just heard a post game interview in which David Wright said that seeing Johnson (and hitting him well) about a week ago in ST helped the Mets yesterday.
Jerry had Santana pitch in a split squad game just so that the Marlins wouldn't see him before yesterday's opener.

Whether or not you think that decision had anything to do with yesterday's result, you can't argue with the results.

Later

[Guest holychicken]

A beautiful sunny day, a great way to start the season, the mets in first, the yanks in last and NO sun baby?

What is this world coming to?



Fixt

[Fman99]

I did abandon the IGT yesterday to go for a run (and get boned on trying to listen on my iPhone, being discussed in the non-baseball forum) but I expect to keep up the CSB coverage on weeknight games, when I can't even join the IGT till my little Fvarmint go to bed.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Hey, as the progenitor-- I dragged that in here, didn't I?-- I'm as big a CSB supporter as anyone. It just felt very OF 2009, though, and I figured we needed a clean break from last year. Put away old things, so to speak.

That said, hey, Opening-Day-mood-lift aside, it's not like the season REALLY feels all that different, so...

Gary Matthews Jr.'s routes to balls in center. I know he is going to pale in comparison to the 5 years of Carlos Beltran (plus 1 of Cameron before that) we've seen but he was giving me agita each time a ball was hit in his direction.[/quote:32g5brzu]

Holy crap, I know the wind was kicking and all, but man, was this frightening.

EARLY PREDICTION: Lil' Sarge's fielding will cause at least one case of early labor in an expectant mother this season.

[duan]

i think the wind had *a lot* to do with it.

Was great also to see Pagan come in and pinch hit a single, not so great to see him get picked off but then fortune favoured the brave.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Jerry says he'll use the same lineup as yesterday until the Mets face a lefty, which, I think, won't happen until Saturday. So more bench time for Pagan ahead, if Jerry sticks with that plan.

[metirish]

That will definitely motivate Pagan .

[G-Fafif]

Posted this on the UMDB Facebook page, and figured, what the hell, I'll post it here too:

FUN FACT: Jason Bay yesterday became only the fourth Met to triple in his first game as a Met, and the second to do it on Opening Day. The other three: Jose Vizcaino on Opening Day 1994, Luis Rivera five days later, and Brian McRae on August 8, 1997.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Cammack is the guy who hit the triple. A lifetime 3.000 slugging percentage as a Met!

[Guest holychicken]

Hey, as the progenitor-- I dragged that in here, didn't I?-- I'm as big a CSB supporter as anyone. It just felt very OF 2009, though, and I figured we needed a clean break from last year. Put away old things, so to speak.[/quote:3dbh58fy]
Okay, fine. Just like I do with my real babies, I will stick CSB in the closet and shut off the light.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I must've misplaced my glossary.

What's a CSB?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Creepy Sun Baby. He watched over the Mets last year.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ah! Thanks!

[Centerfield]

Count me in among those who do not need to see Creepy Sun Baby in 2010.

[HahnSolo]

Posted this on the UMDB Facebook page, and figured, what the hell, I'll post it here too:

FUN FACT: Jason Bay yesterday became only the fourth Met to triple in his first game as a Met, and the second to do it on Opening Day. The other three: Jose Vizcaino on Opening Day 1994, Luis Rivera five days later, and Brian McRae on August 8, 1997.