Benjamin Grimm

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The more playing time that Murphy or Wright miss, the more Justin Turner gets. (Look at Turner's numbers for 2011 and 2012.) I like Turner; he's a nice player to have in reserve, but I certainly hope that there's no reason for him to see a lot of playing time in 2013. He seems to like to hit about .260, so I'll predict that for him. Hopefully no more than 200 at bats. 3 homers.

Associated Press wrote: Mets' Justin Turner sprains right ankle PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- Justin Turner, the leading candidate to replace injured David Wright at third base for the Mets, left New York's game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday after spraining his right ankle. The Mets said Turner was taken to a hospital for precautionary X-rays. Turner made a nice play on a hard-hit grounder by Justin Ruggiano, and his left leg buckled and his right foot turned awkwardly when he tried to throw to first. Turner was limping badly and was replaced by Brandon Hicks. ''I think just getting up, going to make the throw, I caught my front spike on the lip of the grass and then in order to try to catch my balance, all my weight went on my right foot and I turned it over,'' Turner said. ''I don't think it's too bad, though. I was able to walk off on my own, and it's not too swollen so, hopefully, as long as it doesn't blow up overnight and get too bad, it will just be a couple days.'' Turner said he has sprained both ankles several times in the past. ''That's one reason I don't feel like this one's too bad because I've had some pretty bad ones,'' he said. Wright has a left intercostal muscle strain and is expected to rest for up to four days before he is reevaluated.

He'd even show up in the regular season for a few weeks at a time.

Didn't he also say that he's been playing all along with this stiffness? It kind of sounds like something I had with my back a few years ago. It would be stiff and achy if I was inactive; I'd feel it if I had been sitting too long and I'd have trouble standing upright after getting out of a chair. But as I'd move around I would feel perfectly fine and I wouldn't even remember that I was injured. It eventually resolved itself. I think it took a couple of weeks. Hopefully this is something similar, and rest or applied heat or something will make it go away.

NY Mets great and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver feeling better, winning his battle with Lyme disease It�s been a living hell of uncertainty, confusion, depression and downright fear. The Mets� 'Franchise,' author of 311 career victories was not himself after his diagnosis, but is slowly regaining his championship form off the field. TAMPA -- The voice on the other end of the phone was once again that of a joyful winemaker whose lust for life, fun and good spirits has known no bounds. But as Tom Seaver confided, in and around expressing his elation at what it was like just to feel good again for more than one day, his life over the last nine months has been anything but joyful. In fact, it�s been a living hell of uncertainty, confusion, depression and downright fear. The Mets� "Franchise," author of 311 career victories and the highest vote plurality (98.84%) of any player elected to the Hall of Fame, was back at work at his vineyard in Calistoga, Calif., when I reached him. "You caught me on a good day," he said. "In fact a very good day because this is the fifth straight day I�ve felt really good. You have no idea what that means -- to feel good, to feel normal, for five straight days." I admitted I had no idea. I only knew that Seaver�s multitude of friends in baseball have been worried about him, worried because, in the past year, he had become uncharacteristically distant, and when he did make a rare public appearance or pick up the phone, he was not himself. He missed the Hall of Fame ceremonies last summer for the first time since his own induction, although Hall officials attributed that to recent hip-replacement surgery. Still, as the unofficial "team captain" of the Hall of Famers, especially those members of his select group of wine connoisseurs (all pitchers) who share an exclusive BYO table at the annual Sunday night induction dinner, he was duly missed. One of the sharpest and most astute athletes I have ever known was having trouble remembering things, and his thoughts tended to wander and become garbled in transmission. It was last June, the day after Johan Santana hurled the first no-hitter in Mets history, when Seaver�s friends and fans became alarmed that something was amiss with their hero after he put out a congratulatory statement, saying: "I�ve never met Johan personally, but what I�ve heard about him is he has a big heart and is a huge competitor." The only problem with that was Seaver had joined Santana in a half-hour SNY TV special in spring training of 2008 in which they talked at length about pitching strategies. "I didn�t know what was happening," Seaver, 68, said this week. "I felt like I had the worst case of the flu every day, and then I was having trouble remembering things and making bad decisions. I was scared. I said to myself: �It�s like I�m getting old before my time. Why is this happening?� I thought I�d had a stroke." But for Seaver, after months of private denial, the scariest incident came when his head vineyard worker, who has been with him for seven years, came into the house one morning. "I looked at him and I didn�t know his name," Seaver said. That�s when Seaver�s wife, Nancy, made him finally go see a doctor. After Seaver underwent an examination and a battery of tests, the doctor informed him that he did not have dementia, had not had a stroke and was not terminally ill. He had Lyme disease. It was not something Seaver was unfamiliar with, but nevertheless it was a shocking diagnosis. Back in November of 1991, when he was living in Greenwich, Conn., and spending much of his spare time on his favorite hobby -- tending to his gardens -- Seaver was first diagnosed with the often-debilitating, bacterial disease caused by infectious deer ticks. Initial symptoms of Lyme disease infections include chills, fever, headache and muscle pain. However, Stage 3 Lyme disease, which can occur months or years after the initial infection, can result in memory loss, speech problems, sleep disorder and an overall feeling of chemical imbalance -- all of which Seaver had been experiencing over the last year. Seaver�s initial case was extreme -- he suffered Bell�s Palsy on the right side of his face, and the doctors told him at the time that it was so severe that after they treated him with antibiotics, he would never have it again. In Seaver�s situation, a less severe case of Bell�s Palsy, doctors felt, might have returned. "But once it gets into your blood system, it causes real problems," Seaver said. "I�m taking 24 pills a day now, most of them vitamins, plus one penicillin pill to get my chemical balance back. It�s a cycle that kills off all the spirochetes that junk up your system. It�s been a slow process in which I�ll still feel like I have a bad case of the flu for days, but these past couple of weeks they�ve been less and less. I haven�t had a glass of wine or a beer in eight months and I don�t miss it." When I suggested to him that didn�t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of his wine -- his 2008 GTS Cabernet Sauvignon received a 97 rating from Wine Spectator -- Seaver laughed. "That�s OK, we�re still making terrific wine out here," he said. "I�m out here right now in the vineyard, going up and down the rows with my clippers. I�m back to working four- to six-hour days out here, and it�s great exercise and most important for the blood flow." He sounded like the old Seaver, laughing easily, going on enthusiastically about his grapes, basking in the sunlight after a year of confusion and fear in the darkness. "I feel," said Seaver, invoking one of his characteristic baseball metaphors, "like I�m a bunt single away from feeling totally normal again."

I'd hope that they'd cut him some slack. After all, he's 68 years old.

I think I would have loved this stuff 30 years ago. Now I don't even care to think about it.

This is really taking on a life of its own. There was a photo in the Daily News today of Jay Horowitz dressed as Cap's sidekick Bucky Barnes.

Added Santana and Tejada.

I like Ruben Tejada. I don't think that he's likely to be a future All-Star or anything like that, but he does seem to be good enough to be part of a contending team's infield. He may have a long run as the Mets shortstop, unless Gavin Cecchini says otherwise. Anyway, for 2013, I expect similar numbers to what he's done in the past. .280, about 30 doubles. He will be among a small number of Mets (his fellow starting infielders) to get to 502 plate appearances.

I think Johan's last game as a Met will be in August, because he don't do September anymore. I'm sure that the Mets would love to trade him for a prospect by the July 31 deadline, but I don't imagine there will be any takers, unless the Mets throw in about $10 million. My guess is that Santana will have a nice streak or two where he pitches some good games, but his season will be, overall, mediocre. 6-6, 3.90 ERA. 19 starts. He won't be back in 2014.

Here are some that I pulled out of the UMDB: September 9, 1969 New York Mets purchased Jim Gosger from the Pittsburgh Pirates. September 18, 1970 New York Mets purchased Dean Chance from the Cleveland Indians. September 13, 1972 New York Mets sold Chuck Taylor to the Milwaukee Brewers. September 17, 1976 New York Mets sold Ken Sanders to the Kansas City Royals. September 26, 1977 New York Mets purchased Doc Medich from the Seattle Mariners. September 10, 1982 New York Mets traded Tom Hausman to the Atlanta Braves for Carlos Diaz. September 10, 1990 New York Mets traded Steve LaRose and Nicky Davis to the Houston Astros for Dan Schatzeder. September 17, 1993 New York Mets traded Frank Tanana to the New York Yankees for Kenny Greer. September 14, 1999 New York Mets traded Dan Murray to the Kansas City Royals for Glendon Rusch.

They're sending him to New York to see if Mike Piazza can induce an erection.

Added Parnell, Quintanilla, Ramirez, and Recker. We're almost done with this.

I don't expect him to get much playing time. He'll back up Buck, then when Travis is promoted, he'll become the starting catcher in Las Vegas. As a Met, he'll hit a double to drive in two runs in a close game. And that will be his highlight.

Already sent to minor league camp, but he was on my original list, so here goes. He'll be back. Ten games with the Mets, 4.70 ERA.

I have no idea whether he or Hicks will get more playing time, but I do think that Omar will spend some time with the 2013 Mets. Put me down for 150 at bats, .240.

He'll be given the "closer" job but I'm not sure that he'll hang on to it. I'm going to say that he and Brandon Lyon end up with roughly the same number of saves.

Edgy MD wrote: Brownie, you're doing a great job. Oooh! Maybe that can become a meme!

Added Niese and Nieuwenhuis.

I'd like to think that Kirk will hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases and hit around .260. And maybe in his best season he'll do something like that. But I don't see it happening this year. I'll say he gets off to a strong start, then fizzles and sees less playing time in the second half. He'll stick with the Mets as a reserve outfielder for the next couple of years, until roster issues lead the Mets to trade him or waive him.

I think this will be a good year for Jon Niese, and that he'll make a step forward in his progress. 17-9, 3.20 ERA, 185 strikeouts. Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Year.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: The Bronx Bombers are in danger of falling below .500 for the first time in 20 years And it's about time!

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Bah! Sentimentality. I'm gonna be presumptuous and guess that you probably discovered baseball and baseball cards around 1983. Because so many fans/collectors happen to think that the best baseball card set is the one that they first collected. Me too. The only cards that really send me are the ones from 1971, 1972, and 1973.