Happy Opening Day

Get out your winter coats, gloves, and balaclavas and head to the ball park because it's Opening Day! Even though it's Thursday, MLB had the brilliant idea of starting the season off a little early. This will certainly backfire when no one shows up in the Bronx for 40 degree weather and rain. And can someone explain to me why the World Series Champs are starting the season on the road in LA?

Now on to what our readers care about most - predictions. Obviously there is nothing shocking about these picks since only certain teams can be competitive in MLB. So here you are:

National League

NL East - Phillies (Mets will finish 4th)

NL Central - Cards

NL West - Rockies

Wild Card - Braves

American League

AL East - Red Sox

AL Central - Twins

AL West - Angels

Wild Card - Yankees

World Series - Red Sox over Rockies

Gus

In case you haven't seen this already.

Nice Going, M.T.A.

Over the last few years, the M.T.A. has made several service cuts and fare increases in the face of significant budget gaps. In June 2010, the V train (with service from Forest Hills to the Lower East Side of Manhattan) was eliminated and replaced by the M train (with service from Forest Hills to Middle Village, Queens via Manhattan).

This and other service changes required the M.T.A. to replace a significant amount of signage across the subway system. One of the geniuses at the M.T.A. (probably some Local 100 worker) was clearly unaware of the popular acronym "FML," or "Fuck My Life." This embarrassment caused the M.T.A. to promise to change the signage as soon as possible. On the bright side, this sign is only at one station on 14th Street, but surely this is another example of wasteful spending by a NY State agency.

Government Shutdown

It seems this weekend as if anyone not preoccupied with riots in the Middle East or Midwest is focusing on the budget and the potential for a government shutdown following an Obama veto. So let me tell you all how it's going to play out, and then you can thank me later for saving you valuable time and eye power. It will get leaked that the White House is in "negotiations" with Republican leadership to reach a compromise bill. After much starting and stopping and many additional leaks expressing the anger and frustration of the various factions, voila said compromise will be reached. The new bill will closely mirror the initial Republican proposal save for a few changes designed to appease the ignorant public. Such is pragmatism in a one, I mean two, party system. Nothing to see here. Move along.

In Honor of the Grammys

October 19, 2006

This was the night of Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS between the Mets and Cardinals at Shea Stadium. Oliver Perez with his 3-13 record and 6.55 ERA got the start for the injury-depleted Mets. Jeff Suppan was on the mound for the Cards. It was the top of the sixth inning and the score was 1-1; each starter managed to get through two lineups full of nervous players. Perez was due to face the Cardinals' 4-5-6 hitters. Juan Encarnacion (quite a cleanup hitter, right?) grounded out 5-3 on just 4 pitches. Jim Edmonds was due next. Perez walked Edmonds after a 7-pitch at bat. Manager Willie Randolph surprisingly left in Perez - who had given the Mets more innings than they could have asked for. Next up was Scott Rolen at about 10:03pm. The third baseman was sitting on a fastball and swung on the first pitch. He launched a towering fly ball to deep left field. Back went Endy Chavez, who was in the game because of an achilles injury to Cliff Floyd. Chavez lept over the wall and snow coned a certain 2-run home run. Chavez even had the awareness to double off Edmonds at first base. At the time this seemed like the greatest catch in MLB playoff history. Shea Stadium was shaking and the fans couldn't stop chanting "ENDY CHAVEZ, ENDY CHAVEZ." But what happened in the ninth inning certainly caused some of us Mets fans to forget how close they were to greatness. Looking back to another catch that happened three years ago last night, can you imagine if the New York Giants didn't end up beating the New England Patriots after David Tyree made the Helmet Catch? That amazing play would certainly be forgotten.

In retrospect it is oddly amusing that Endy caught that ball over an AIG advertisement that read "The Strength To Be There." Since then the Mets collapsed twice and wasted 2 seasons in their new stadium. In addition to several embarrassing off-the-field incidents, they fired two managers (Randolph and Manuel) and cleaned out the front office. Will the 2011 Mets have new ownership? Probably not, but I sure hope they will. In the meantime, I will try to remember the catch that made me believe for a moment I was witnessing something special.

"The Gloves are Off"

The Madoff Mess is about to get very interesting. After settlement talks stalled because of a series of media leaks, both the Mets ownership and Irving Picard, the Madoff estate trustee, wrote today to the federal bankruptcy judge overseeing the case telling him that settlement talks had ended and urged him to unseal the lawsuit. Several media outlets filed a motion to unseal the suit and a hearing had been scheduled on that matter for February 9th. It's possible the seal could be addressed sooner. Stand by...