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Jerry goes with three "C's" in a row: Reyes, ss Murphy, lf Wright, 3b Delgado, 1b Beltran, cf Church, rf Castro, c Cora, 2b Perez, lhp

bump The polls close tomorrow!

Excellent first KTE--you've set the bar high for the rest of us. Micah Owings is going for the Reds on Wednesday instead of Arroyo: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/mets/2009/04/series-preview-mets-at-reds-1.html

[u:2e0eb76888]Newsday [/u:2e0eb76888]has the Mets Opening Day line-up: Reyes - SS Murphy - LF Wright - 3B Delgado - 1B Beltran - CF Church - RF Schneider - C Castillo - 2B Santana - SP Reds Zone has the Reds line-up: 1. Jerry Hairston, Jr. CF 2. Darnell McDonald LF 3. Joey Votto 1B 4. Brandon Phillips 2B 5. Jay Bruce RF 6. Edwin Encarnacion 3B 7. Ramon Hernandez C 8. Alex Gonzalez SS 9. Aaron Harang P __________________

Lupica must be bored today. He fawns all over Jeter to the point where I double-checked the byline to make sure that it wasn't Madden. Lupica's too good for this kind of crap: "It is still a great Yankee drama watching him try." Yes, just watching Jeter reach in vain for another ball a foot out of his range is "great Yankee drama." Ugh.

Sheffield was a big part of [u:1apxtlie]Game of Shadows[/u:1apxtlie] (if you get my drift) and he's been a jerk for a long time so I don't know why that will change (the Mets uni doesn't have transformation powers like the MFY uniform) but... he's here so I'm looking at it this way (if this happens): who would I rather have on the bench, Sheffield or Marlon Anderson? That's an easy one.

The NY Post (yeah, I know), says that Sheffield is close to joining the Mets. On one hand, he provides the righty power bat off the bench they lack. OTOH, will he gripe about being a bench guy? (This should have a separate thread.)

NL East: Mets NL Central: Reds NL West: Dodgers NL wild card: Phillies AL East: Red Sox AL Central: Twins AL West: Angels AL wild card: MFYs League finals: NL: Mets over Dodgers AL: Angels over Red Sox World Series: Mets over Angels NL MVP: David Wright NL Cy Young: Johan Santana AL MVP: Jason Bay AL Cy Young: Zack Greinke Mets win total: 93

*One point for each correct playoff pick (half a point if your division-champ pick makes the playoffs via the wild card, and vice-versa). *One point for each correct award pick. *Three points for each correct World Series participant. *Five points for correctly picking the World Series champ. *For tiebreaking purposes, predict the Mets win total. NL East: NL Central: NL West: NL wild card: AL East: AL Central: AL West: AL wild card: League finals: NL: AL: World Series: NL MVP: NL Cy Young: AL MVP: AL Cy Young: Mets win total:

Edgy--you can have the July @ WAS series if you'd like.

I'll take the 3 series "@ WAS."

Arizona- 86.5 UNDER Atlanta- 83.5 UNDER Baltimore- 73.5 OVER Boston- 94.5 UNDER Chicago C- 91.5 UNDER, best bet Chicago W- 79.5 OVER Cincinnati- 80.5 OVER Cleveland- 85.5 OVER Colorado- 77.5 OVER Detroit- 82.5 UNDER Florida- 76.5 OVER Houston- 74.5 UNDER Kansas City- 75.5 OVER LA Angels- 89.5 UNDER LA Dodgers- 82.5 OVER Milwaukee- 80.5 OVER Minnesota- 83.5 OVER NY Mets- 88.5 OVER NY Yankees- 97.5 UNDER, bitches Oakland- 81.5 OVER Philadelphia- 87.5 OVER Pittsburgh- 69.5 OVER San Diego- 71.5 UNDER San Francisco- 80.5 UNDER Seattle- 72.5 UNDER St. Louis- 82.5 OVER Tampa Bay- 87.5 OVER Texas- 73.5 UNDER Toronto- 80.5 OVER Washington- 71.5 UNDER

http://www.thefightins.com/meechone/the-phillies-will-wear-gold-trimmed-jerseys-on-opening-night/

Nicely done, TheOldMole. I hope it gets the attention of a [u:3ahobw1b]Post [/u:3ahobw1b]bigshot. The [u:3ahobw1b]Post [/u:3ahobw1b]is making numerous cutbacks--including eliminating the Sunday Books section, dropping six comic strips, dropping a separate daily Business section--so this guy is lucky he's employed.

The thing that gets me is that he's 26 so he's not an old and jaded reporter who has "seen it all." He hasn't seen anything! He just wanted the job, and who could blame him, but he shouldn't have been given the job. I know someone that knows him and says he's a good guy but he should be reassigned.

This was interesting--[u:15aoh24i]The Washington Post[/u:15aoh24i]'s Nationals reports admits to hating sports: http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/people/capitalcomment/11866.html http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2009/03/an_apology.html#comments I know that a job's a job and we want to make money, but he's writing about baseball and covering a major league team. I'm sure that it can be a grind but he's watching games for pay--we do that for free. If he doesn't like the game then [u:15aoh24i]The Post[/u:15aoh24i] is at fault for giving him this assignment. If a writer hated rock music, should they review rock concerts? If he just wants to be a writer, then do something else. The comments in after his "apology" are mostly supportive.

Thank you for your critique.

Because it is typical of Selig to cite the vague "best interests of the game" as the reason for doing anything. It wasn't the first time he said that and it won't be the last--even if it screws you and me. WS games that end around midnight? It's in the game's best interests because FOX pays the owners a lot of money. Have numerous days off in the middle of the playoffs? The game benefits because more playoff days means more money, even if it impacts the outcome. A WS that will be played in November (game 7 is scheduled for November 5)? That's in the best interests of the game because of the WBC, even though the players (and fans, but that's irrelevant to him) will be cold and this affects the quality of the play.

I also hope that Kielty makes the team. He's got some pop and is supposed to be a good clubhouse guy. And, unlike most of the others, he's been on a team that won the WS.

And there's a 2 run double by Jeremy Reed. Welcome to the Mets!

http://www.murraychass.com/ Chass goes after Mike Piazza again today. Murray: If you think he took steroids, then say so. Maybe he did. Show me proof other than zits. If you do, I might believe you. If you don't, then shut the [frig] up because you come across as a bitter, old man.

Writer Jeff Pearlman on Amanda Bynes: http://jeffpearlman.com/index.php?s=amanda

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/extramustard/03/18/pop.culture.grid/index.html SI has a weekly feature where it asks various athletes questions about pop culture. It looks like Daniel Murphy does more than watch hitting tapes. I love his answer to what the locker room smells like. And someone should fix him up with Amanda Bynes.

"I need to work on some of them," Selig admitted [speaking of major league owners concerning the WBC]. "There is a time in life to put the best interests of the game ahead of your provincial, self-interests." OK Bud, so I should be happy if/when my guys that are playing in the WBC, and they are "my guys" since I spend thousands of dollars to watch them (live, on TV, and via the internet) and wear their stuff, are being worn out, and possibly playing injured, because you perceive (and it's only a perception), that it is for the greater good of baseball. Then I guess I should be happy when WS games go to midnight on a work night and school night, because you've decided that this is in the best interests of the game--I shouldn't be "provincial" that my son, who watches baseball all season long, can't watch the WS because that's looking out for my own interests and not those of baseball. I should be happy that you ignored steroids, and have thereby made a mockery of the record book, because you decided that doing nothing was better for the game than taking action and possibly hurting revenue. I should be happy that owners have absurd boundary lines for blackout restrictions, such that fans in Las Vegas are blacked out on Extra Innings and mlb.tv from seeing five teams even though none reside within reasonable driving distance of their home, because this, somehow, is in the best interests of the game. You are not the game Bud. You don't determine what is right and what is wrong. How I hate you. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tom_verducci/03/22/Korea.Venezuela/index.html

When he's not kissing himself, or Madonna, or a Toronto stripper, or, I guess, his wife, then Alex Rodriguez has something, at least according to the [u:3m8cofnq]NY Post[/u:3m8cofnq], in common with Elliot Spitzer: http://www.nypost.com/seven/03222009/news/regionalnews/spitzer_madams_a_hit_with_a_rod_160789.htm