metirish

6 to 1 PR, Milledge flashing his glove on a nice catch in LF.

Beltran gets a big 2 run double off Wagner, 17 year old Fernando Martinez playing center for the Mets.

Pedro giving a long interview during the game, when asked about his opening day start he said he hopes to make itis toe is still hurting, hasn't thrown live BP yet, hasn't thrown a breaking ball.....he's a great interview.

Some good pitching form the Gonzalaz boys, Dicky looks bigger than when he was a Met, nice hand and making lots of noise, Steve Phillips is doing the TV color, Millidge playing CF, Nady RF, Floyd LF, Matsui 2b,Castro C, Wright 3b and Harper playing first, Franco is the DH, Puerto Rico scores the first run.

Yeah I just saw the scroll on ESPN, he's having surgery.

Where - today at 2PM on ESPN. Pelfry will debut for the Mets. That's all I know for now, no idea what team the Mets will field as they are playing the Dodgers aswell.

Great pics, thanks for sharing, yeah who's interviewing little soup...MLB TV?

Who knew Rick Peterson's dad was GM of the Pirates?]By STEVE POPPERSTAFF WRITER PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Pete Peterson was an old school baseball lifer, a general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and a disciple of Branch Rickey. His son, Rick, had a different idea.Rick Peterson already was a coach in the minor leagues and told his father he wanted to install a sports psychology program in a baseball organization, to combine his interests in psychology and spirituality with mechanics. And his father, who had pushed his son to be a doctor, a lawyer, a dentist or to sell insurance, said, "Rick, you're not going to live long enough to do this. No one in baseball is going to do this." Times change, though.Baseball is a sport in which the job of a coach or manager for decades was to tell a player to grip it and rip it. But somehow in this world, as the pitching coach of the Mets, Peterson has found his place.In his back pocket, he is almost never without his dog-eared black book, a pocket calendar that plots out pitchers' schedules, but also includes pages covered by his own creations -- a triangle combining the elements of success, a list of attributes that make up "The Mental Side of Baseball," and a paper titled, "Prepare to Perform."In the bullpen, he has pitchers standing on the mound and making their pitches. It may look like any other session under the eye of any other coach. But here, the pitchers are making their pitches with their eyes closed, learning lessons of spatial awareness.He has taken his pitchers to the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala., to place them in a sensor-laden suit and undergo a biomechanical analysis -- a portable version of the machine is expected in Port St. Lucie later this month.Peterson pores over data with his staff, able to spout off the most obscure statistic. Peterson studies videotapes meticulously, able to spot the slightest variation in a pitcher's arm slot. But if a martial arts lesson or a spiritual awakening will solve a flaw in one of his pitchers, he will resort to that, too."You have to try to be diverse enough and be balanced enough to understand where people come from and what they're about," Peterson explained. "It's not about what I'm saying. You try to be a reflection of themselves and reflect back on them, on what they do and what they do best."The task is not easily defined. Peterson went from a baseball nomad, adrift in the sport and even in his own ambitions, when he landed in Oakland under Billy Beane, a general manager with a rebel spirit. He inherited a team with the league's worst earned run average and led by a trio of talented youngsters -- Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder -- found acceptance, although sometimes grudging credit from some of his pitchers, when the staff finished in the top three for five straight seasons.With the Mets, he has a different challenge. He has helped turn around the likes of Aaron Heilman, salvaging a budding career that only a year ago seemed on life support. But he also has had to massage a new game plan out of Tom Glavine in the final years of a Hall of Fame career. He must tinker with Victor Zambrano -- a task far more intensive than the 10-minute fix claim that leaked out two years ago, while also serving as a co-worker to Pedro Martinez.Some of his pitchers gripe that he has a cookie-cutter mentality, wanting to create all of them in the same mold. In Oakland, some fought him (and nearly came to actual blows), but the numbers proved Peterson right."For me, I found working with Rick fascinating," said Yankees pitcher Al Leiter, who spent one season with Peterson as a Met. "I want as much data as I can get -- then break it down and decide what I want to use."While Zambrano remains the unsightly measuring stick by which Peterson may be judged, his greatest accomplishment may have come not in finessing any of the young pitchers, but in remaking a veteran. Glavine was wondering last season if his career might be over, but Peterson helped with minor tweaks of his motion and a major overhaul of his game plan. Glavine put up a 2.22 ERA after the All-Star break last season."With me and him it's more about him trying to get me to change my game plan," Glavine said. "He made me understand how good some of the other things were that I could do, get me to believe in that stuff.""When you go through a tough time like Tommy was going through, you get demotivated," Peterson said. "You get filled with pure worry and doubt that this game isn't working right here. From our standpoint, we have to get them motivated again on that process of pitching -- realize, 'OK, this isn't working right now.' What is it that we need him to do?"Belief is a big part of what Peterson does. He must make Heilman believe his pitch is good enough to retire major league hitters. He must make Glavine believe that a new game plan will smooth his path to 300 wins.But mostly, he must make old school baseball people believe that there is another way, a better way. One Peterson supporter said that the best proof that general manager Omar Minaya does believe is that in a season full of expectations, Minaya has handed Peterson a handful of pitchers who must be better than they've been -- Jorge Julio, Duaner Sanchez, Heilman and Zambrano.He has gained believers now. Even his dad.E-mail: popper@northjersey.com

Vern Ruhle to get treatment for cancer

] FORT MYERS - Tony Graffanino started at second base for the Red Sox in their Grapefruit League opener against the Minnesota Twins last night, but chances are the veteran infielder will be getting a new start this spring. Graffanino, who is third on the Sox depth chart behind Mark Loretta and Alex Cora, was told by general manager Theo Epstein earlier in camp the team will attempt to trade him if it appears his playing time will be limited and a better opportunity arises. He was 0-for-3 in the Sox� 6-3 loss at Hammond Stadium. More than a dozen teams were represented by scouts at last night�s game, including the New York Mets, who are on the lookout for an established second baseman following Bret Boone�s sudden retirement Wednesday. �We�ve talked to Tony already, and we�re going to make sure he plays enough,� Sox manager Terry Francona said. �It�s kind of a win-win situation if he plays well, and he�s a good player. He could be with us, he could potentially be with somebody else. I think we all acknowledge that. I certainly don�t want him sitting. I wouldn�t do that to him.� http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=128843

Sports Illustrated has both Morrison and Redick on the cover this week, good article too, if the Knicks get the #1 pick that will go to the Bulls, Redick will probably go #1.

Very cool soupcan, hope you have a lot of fun.

]pays Delgado more, and gets one fewer productive year than he could have gotten last year, Again, Delgado had a better offer form the Mets last year and chose instead to go to the Marlins, not a lot Omar could do about that.

Doc I was talking about this article in NY magazine, maybe you never saw it, Pedro on the cover, I still have it. http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/sports/features/11260/index.html

Good article although New York mag did it better last year. ]� Neither I nor the Mets think about race, creed or color when we go after a player. We're looking for the best talent possible to make our team a winner. Our goal is to put together the best team possible for the New York fans. � from Omar.

Cool looking studio, fans can go and heckle from the street.

Of course that must be it, I'm just happy Pedro and Wagner are out.

FK, I'm watching the Phillies play the yanks on YES and Benie Williams is playing, Kay just said Bernie will be leaving the team after the game to join up with the PR WBC Team.

Manny Acta on Pedro. ] "It's a shame, but Pedro won't pitch in the Classic," Dominican manager and Mets third-base coach Manny Acta told ESPNdeportes. "I met with Pedro to talk about this; he did everything he could, and he was ready to join the team later in the competition, but his injury delayed his preparations."

Boone chokes up.... Peterson chats with Iriki Zac Clements can't get the tag on Todd Self.

yeah well you know what I mean, jeez so anal.

Giambi - " yeah man I swear my nuts shrinked to this size from the steroids" Jeter - " hey Alex wanna take a look" Rod - "lol lol, I've seen his, can i see yours Jete's"

WOW, Soriano is some prick.

Well I wouldn't be surprised to see a new ' invite' show up.

Can Omar add another vet to take his place?