Five Days Til Countdown

With Opening Day looming just over the horizan and most of the battles of Spring Training settled, now arrives the quiet before the storm and as such, no fitting debates over who bats 8th or who gets the last pen spot. Let the others do the chatting:

And we can count on at least first base coach Jerry Manuel believes that the Mets will win it all this season, via Flushing Local. Well, actually, he only compares the possibility of this season's Mets with the '97 Marlins, but hey, it's a slow news day...

There is talk about the remaining choices of the bullpen at Amazin Avenue.

Piazza isn't catching the spotlight according to the Daily New of Philly:

"He's 36 years old now. He spent more time at first base than behind the plate last season and, at one point, went 74 at-bats without a home run. In fact, he has hit a total of just 31 homers in the last 2 years. That's fewer than he'd had in any single season since 1994, when he hit 24 for the Dodgers."

Does the Kaz Man really have the look of a number 8 hitter?

Willie is still working out the batting order.

In addition to signing Kelly Stinnett and acquiring Benji Gil from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations, the club also added catcher Fernando Lunar and infielder Wilson Valdez in separate moves Tuesday.

None of which makes us squirm. But apparently, Carlos Delgado makes us squirm:

On Wednesday, the New York Mets used a defensive shift against the left-handed slugger, with shortstop Jose Reyes playing on the first-base side of second base, second baseman Kaz Matsui playing in short right field and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz guarding the line.

In case you are ever nostalgic about other Mets who have gotten away, Melvin Mora is one to lament.

The Cornell Sun's Life of a Diehard Fan laments:

"Yankee fans might laugh, but I would rather bleed Mets blue than be some bandwagonner who'd lick Derek Jeter. I would rather stand by guys like Dwight Gooden, John Franco and Lenny Dykstra rather than BALCO-bloated Jason Giambi. I would rather stand by my Mets, even with the memories of Mo Vaughn, Bobby Bonilla, Robby Alomar and 100-loss seasons stuck in my head, than become a fan who doesn't even truly appreciate winning anymore.

And I would rather be a loser -- a diehard Mets fan who lives and dies by the Amazin's ups and downs and almost always falls for the same, dumb joke every year -- more than anything else."