Deja Vous All Over Again

Is this an unfortunate harbinger of bad times to come? Sound familiar? Glavine, zinged by his former team, Braves star pitcher strangles Mets in debut and we hear yet again that familiar refrain: Braves win another, this time, by a 5-0 margin?

During his first five big league seasons -- all with the A's -- new Brave Tim Hudson compiled a 3.30 ERA and .702 winning percentage. Doesn't look like the change in uniform and leagues has changed his pitching ability and it doesn't look like a rollover of the rotation has hurt the Braves. More of the same headaches for us as always.

Oh yeah, and in case you missed it: Danny Kolb, the closer the Braves imported from the Brewers to allow John Smoltz to return to the rotation, retired the side in order in the third and struck out Kaz Matsui. Kolb averaged just 3.3 strikeouts per nine innings last season.

On the bright side, Glavine wasn't really zinged by the Braves. He allowed two runs, both unearned as a result of a Jason Phillips' throwing error. He scattered four hits, fanned one and didn't walk a batter. So's he hasn't given up an earned run in four innings of work so far this Spring. It's still oyely, but backing up Pedro just might grease the wheels for a strong Glavine comeback this year. A single digit victory total this season might well derail his plans for 300 once and for all.

*****The Straw That Snorts The Line*****

It's all the rage in the Mets Spring of late. Still having a hard time with Darryl Strawberry: Rehab Man? The Mets aren't.

His job, in the week he will spend with the Mets, is to be Darryl Strawberry - part hitting instructor, part life consultant, part walking example of what happens when temptations get the better of you.

"My thing is about young people making the right decisions and choices," Strawberry said. "Don't make some of the mistakes I made in life, because there's a price tag for everything that you do."

Other than Hamstring Jose, who seems to want to steal a hundred bases in Spring Training just to prove a point, there aren't likely to be too many Mets, young or otherwise, who will need Darryl Strawberry around to teach them not to throw away their careers on mad egos and drugs.

As in, hey kids, don't try this at home.

And it probably won't penetrate the thick veneer of apathy in Mr Selfish Himself, but then again, considering this new information, that the armless catching wonder is a "good Roman Catholic boy, and a President Bush-Ann Coulter-Sean Hannity conservative", it's plain that thinking isn't part of the gameplan anyway. Ugh. Learning about Piazza's political views this Spring is like having a bag of sick opened up in your face.

We might need his bat but wow, how many runs will he have to produce to make up for being an out-of-the-closet neocon AND allowing 80% of baserunners to steal second all season with nothing but his wet pasta throws to save us?

*****Cryin Mike Update*****

As far as being trade bait or as our, gasp!, rightfielder goes, it appears that Cryin Mike Cameron is coming around.

Of course, despite reports of progress, when asked if he were ready for game action yet, Cameron said "that would be stupid," though he admits he is ahead of where he expected to be at this point.

Gee, Mike, would it be as STOOPID as telling the Mets world you'd be willing to move to rightfield for Carlos Beltran, thinking all along it'd never happen and then crying about the move when it DOES actually happen and you've got to do what you say? Nah. Didn't think so...

*****Is that Bullpen or Bullshit?*****

It might not be a happy sight, but it's OUR unhappy sight, this bullpen of ours:

This bullpen rundown indeed, runs down our only the eternal optimist's chances at a slamshut bullpen:

..."there isn't much available on the trade market in the way of an upgrade right now. Byung-Hyun Kim is a possibility, as his name continues to be mentioned, but that's more smoke than fire right now.

New York will likely go with what it has, using Dae-Sung Koo from the left side and Mike DeJean to from the right side to set up for Braden Looper. Felix Heredia may be an option, but after experiencing numbness in his left hand last week, his status is uncertain. Scott Strickland continues to come back from Tommy John surgery and appears to have the inside shot at garnering one of the spots, but the long relief role is still up for grabs. Scott Stewart and Mike Matthews are possible left-handed options, while Roberto Hernandez has looked solid thus far from the right side."

This is like a waiter coming to your table and telling you, well, sorry. We're out of prime rib and we're out of lobster but how about a few granules of sand for your surf and turf instead?

*****Chop, Chop*****

No, no. That isn't a Tomahawk Chop you hear, it's the sound of the Mets future ace Phil Huber getting demoted after two scoreless innings pitched against the Nats. Joining Huber on the chopping block but hopeful for the future were Yusmeiro Petit, Jose Rosado and Grant Roberts.

*****Cry Me A River*****

Can't say as this bothers me one iota. In fact, the mere potential that Mr Delgado and his big-mouth agent will be silenced for the season is music to the wishful thinking ears.