It's Groundhog Day...Again and Mets Daddy on A Metsian Podcast

I mean, what else can I say? I'll quote myself from the below A Metsian Podcast: "Well, It's Groundhog Day...again. It's almost a  feeling of Groundhog Day to continuously compare our fandom to that movie, but I'll tell you what? The next time I see Ned Ryerson, I'm going to punch him in the fucking face."

Photo via nypost.com

After taking in a game Monday in Philly, my first of the year where I actually still had a good time despite the final, I, like all other Mets fans, just kept watching the same thing over and over again, as we've been doing so for day after day, month after month, and year after year. Today should have been a day of celebration, with Tom Seaver being honored at Citi Field with the main address of 126th Street being named 41 Seaver Way. Instead, just the fact it was this far into the life of Citi Field, and Tom Seaver himself can't even take it in because he now has dementia...that they were doing it 3 hours before starting their 4th and final game against the Phillies...yet again, the ineptitude of the Wilpons are front and center. And then all we're talking about later on in the day is once more how AWFUL the Wilpons have allowed this team to be with another blown save. Today should have been a day of celebration, but instead, it is once more a reminder how how far this team is from those glory days of yesteryear, as well as the glory days of only 4 years ago.

How do they expect to ever have consistent winning? There is nothing they can do to change the way this team keeps going through these peaks and valleys operating the way they continue to operate. I am exhausted talking about them, yet it is the only thing we can do because it is SO GLARINGLY this team's BIGGEST issue.

We had a lot of great rants on the 30th episode of A Metsian Podcast last night, and I urge you to tune into listen to Rich, Mike and John aka Mets Daddy, as well as I, rant, rave and holler about this gloriously awful team we love to love.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Dropping MF Bombs

This is how it goes. That never-ending cycle we all hope they will break. One step forward, 8 steps back. Just when the weekend looks like progress is being made, they blow a very winnable game and then almost choke out a reporter. This is a team on the brink of a breakdown.

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Photo via Newsday

We all try to stave off being on the brink of a breakdown. Some more than others. Glory can be almost tasted, seen right in front of us and we do everything we can do not to get in our own way. The Mets are no exception, and clearly Mickey wants to win. As much as we give him shit for the moves he makes, like yesterday when he clearly should have had Edwin Diaz ready to go when it was clear Seth Lugo didn't have it in his 2nd inning of work, he is trying to win. No competitor isn't. Art Howe wanted to win, Jerry Manuel wanted to win, Dallas Green wanted to win. I don't think Mickey doesn't want to win. He's trying his best, but yesterday was the first time we saw him break.

He had been pretty even keeled until the perceived sarcasm from Tim Healey of Newsday, someone who does a great job of reporting and has been on our podcast. Knowing Tim, he wasn't jeopardizing his own line of work by causing conflict in the workplace. Hence why the Mets reached out to him to apologize and "handled affairs internally with personnel." They recognize, which they hardly ever do, the mistake that was made internally. Wouldn't it be nice if the Wilpons did the same on a more consistent basis?

How are we supposed to break the cycle? How are we supposed to make any progress when we keep tripping over our own two feet?

I'm going to the game tonight in Philly, and they're having their own problems having lost several games in a row including three at home to the Marlins. This will be the first game I've made it to all year, and I probably shouldn't even be going, but I've been planning it for a while and haven't seen my friend in some time. Hopefully, I'm not tripping over my own two feet as well since I should keep earning and not be spending money. I, however, also need a breather. As much as they may end up frustrating me tonight, I'll be happy I saw a game in person.

Then again....

Oy. Those Motherf-

Anyway, last night, on A Metsian Podcast, the guys had Mr. Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing on to rant and rave for themselves, for the fans and for me. Please, indulge with a listen when you have a chance.

LET'S. GO. METS.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 28 - Subway Series Bronx Edition Recap & Looking Ahead

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast enters episode 28!

We'll recap the Subway Series doubleheader in the Bronx, look ahead to an important 4-game series with the Cardinals at Citi Field, and of course, take a look at the players to wear number 28 in Mets history.

More specifically, we'll discuss Zack Wheeler's uneven walk year...Jason Vargas's resergence, Pete Alonso's All-Star and Rookie of the Year potential, and look at whether the Subway Series is still as exciting after all these years and with the novelty of interleague play having worn off.

PLUS MUCH MORE! So, join us LIVE at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE below, or at the direct link here.

Home Cookin'

We're exhilarated when they're playing well and we're disgusted when they are not. I have not been high on Mickey Callaway and I'm always skeptical this franchise can ever sustain success with the Wilpons at the owning helm. This team creates such a bipolar emotional swing, there is never a dull moment.

Anthony J. Causi
Photo via New York Post

Thing is, the 2019 New York Mets are bucking the trend and playing well at home. They're just not playing well, and that is an understatement, on the road. They are currently 7 games over at Citi Field with a 17-10 record but 9 games under on the road at 13-22. That right there is the difference in the season. The majority of the games we have complained about them blowing have been the bullpen's inability on the road to stave off their opposition's 0wn home cookin'. Just a 5 game swing and they would be a .500 road team. It all is obviously hypothetical, but that's how thin the difference is between them being a winning ballclub and 2 games under .500. I'm sure all us fans can list 5 games we know the Mets could have held onto in other's people's ballparks. Tighten that up, and we're not as fed up as we have been.

Now, with the Rockies on the way in, it is time to plow forward and make sure June is not even remotely close to the miserable 5-21 it was last year. I still believe this team is far better than the 2018 squad was but they have their work cut out for them this month with the majority of the clubs vying for a playoff spot, including the Yankees at the stadium on Monday and Tuesday. I'm sure all Mets fans are looking forward to THAT potential trolling. Buckle up, Buckaroos.

Before I go, thanks once more to Taryn "The Coop" Cooper for joining us on the 27th episode of A Metsian Podcast last night!

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 27 - Dreaming of a Brighter June, with The Coop

At 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast will be LIVE with our 27th episode! Taryn "The Coop" Cooper of "My Summer Family"joins us to talk about..who else? The New York Mets!

Well, with last night's win, the Mets are 1/5 of the way to matching their win total of 2018's June. Obviously, 6 wins this month will still be rather miserable, and it seems unlikely they will be as bad as they were, but Mickey Callaway and Co. have to figure out how to go through this month with a better formula for success than they have been putting together as of late. We'll discuss some strategies we think they need to take to do so, you know, other than the overall strategy of not blowing the leads they keep having.

Robinson Cano was rushed back from the IL and proceeded to re-aggravate his injured quad. Why do the Mets keep rushing these players back from injury? Have they seriously not learned by now?

That plus much, much more! Including a look at the players to wear number 27 in their history.

So, join us LIVE at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen below, or at the main page HERE.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast Memorial Day Weekend Special - Assessing the 2019 Mets

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast Memorial Day Weekend Special is here! Once more, there isn't a shortage of places to travel on this full service podcast. Gary McDonald of Mets Musings will join us for the chat!

On top of wrapping up the final results of the Nationals series, the heat was on Mickey Callaway entering the week after 5 straight losses. This prompted the "seal of approval" presser with Brodie Van Wagenen on Monday, while yet another flurry of Meddin' Jeff articles were written by the media, local and national alike. Just another year in the world of the Mets.

Injuries have lead to some shuffling of the roster. Of course, after getting heat for a perceived lack of hustle, Robinson Cano pulls a hammy legging out a double. Of course. Rajai Davis got called up after Brandon Nimmo was placed on the IL and immediately makes his presence felt with a 3-run home run to cap off a 6-run come-from-behind inning Wednesday night. What is to be expected of him and will he stick around?

Carlos Gomez has yet to truly make his presence felt with the bat though his notorious energy has been there both with on-the-field flare as well as cheerleading from the bench. He's been walking some so he hasn't been completely absent. Can he ever regain his Major League prowess?

Jeez, there's even MORE to cover! Yoenis Cespedes violently broke his ankle NOT falling off a horse, but apparently stepping incorrectly in a hole on his Port St. Lucie ranch. Is it time to completely write off him ever playing another inning for this team?

So much to cover, so little time! Join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE down below, or at the link here.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 26 - Bre From That Mets Chick Joins the Podcast!

LIVE at 9pm ET, episode 26 is here, and we are thrilled to welcome Bre from the blog, "That Mets Chick!" You can follow her on twitter @thatmetschick.

Bre is a 24 years old from Long Island. She fell in love with the game of baseball because of her dad and brother. She played 4 years of college softball, playing center field and right field (and had a cannon of an arm.) Her all time favorite Mets players are David Wright & Carlos Beltran, while her current favorite Mets players are Michael Conforto & Jeff McNeil. She started following the Mets in 2003 when Jose Reyes made his debut and has been following them ever since!

We'll first tackle results of the Nationals series, and will have some choice words regarding Wilmer Font being a starter right now regardless of today's outcome. He represents a budget option on a team expected to contend, so what mixed signals are the front office and the Wilpons sending here?

We'll touch on some roster issues such as Todd Frazier and Keon Broxton, and whether, with his opt out coming in June and him killing the ball in AAA, Carlos Gomez should eventually be on this team.

That and much, much more! We'll also talk the ballplayers to wear 26 in Mets history as well as the 1926 NY National League legacy.

So, join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE down below, or at the direct link here.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 25 - John Strubel of Mets Rewind

A Metsian Podcast returns for our 25th episode! LIVE at 9pm ET, we welcome John Strubel of Mets Rewind to the podcast!

John Strubel publishes the team history website Mets Rewind, as well as its social media feed, @MetsRewind. He has spent 25+ years in broadcast media, freelance sports writing and minor league baseball.

The Mets are coming off of a horrendous 1-5 road trip that saw them fall to 17-20 on the year. Dominic Smith was sent down for backup shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, and while it's clear they needed a better spell for Amed Rosario at shortstop, was sending down their backup 1st baseman and key bench piece truly the best move? Jed Lowrie is also slated to come off the IL shortly, so who is the odd man out when that decision reaches a junction?

That plus much more! We'll, as always, delve into Mets history by exploring the players to wear number 25 for the Mets over the years.

So, join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE down below, or at the direct link here.

Exacerbated in Extras

On Saturday night, as the Mets got deeper into their extra inning loss to the Brewers that was the middle game of a weekend sweep, I was getting deeper and deeper into extra innings on the road. I was driving around on my rideshare game, picking up people as Quattro de Mayo turned into Cinco. I have no idea what the inning was that correlated with when I felt I needed a quick nap, but I couldn't even put the game on knowing I needed to get to sleep as soon as I could fall into it. When you're driving for a living, you have to be fully aware of the trouble signs.

Benny Sieu/USA Today Sports
Photo via SNY.TV

It was 12:15 when I was able to pull over and grab my neck pillow. I set the alarm for 1 o Clock, putting on some classical music to soothe me to sleep after checking the score. When I woke up to finish up the bar scene, the Mets had lost. I had some strange feeling that this would be the alert I would see once I got back to my extra innings. It wasn't raining when I went to sleep, but it got literally right to it after I was up. Not raining when I rose...raining within ten seconds of me putting my drivers seat back into it's upright position.

The only time the Mets or any baseball team can take a pause during extra innings is if it begins to rain. Looking at the results, it sure looks like the Mets could have used a snooze themselves. It wasn't until the next morning that I checked twitter that I had any idea of some of the details of how it all went down after the Mets took the lead in the 18th only to spit it back up in the bottom half. I had this to say on twitter about the weird yet weirdly satisfying way I woke up Sunday morning to my twitter feed feeding me the tweets from the exact moment the Mets lost.

Misery loves company

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) May 5, 2019

And so it goes. The miserable way Saturday night ended was in company with a miserable weekend. The Mets managed in the last two games to buck the 1-run trend, but not enough for it to manifest a W in either. My pessimism is such that when Juan Lagares made it 3-2 yesterday with a solo shot, I said to myself, "That's the final score." It was manifested. Yet again as it was in 2018, Mickey Callaway got his team off to a good start only to be under .500 sometime thereafter. I cannot tell you what the threshold is for when he should be concerned for his job, but you cannot manage that way either way otherwise your job loss will indeed manifest itself. It is a sucky feeling knowing that the main reason the Mets keep finding themselves in baseball purgatory is because of the way their owners run this shop. We at A Metsian Podcast were able to give the Wilpons some credit for a change somewhere in our offseason podcasts. Syracuse was a great move. And some other stuff, too. That, however, was short lived, and we're staring down the barrel of the gun recognizing once more that this team, as I feared leading up to 2015, will never be able to get out of this rollercoaster pattern of good for two years, awful for six. I will always hope they prove me wrong someday, but that hope is better suited for other parts of my life.

Jeez. I have to believe, don't I? Hard to do so when the evidence points elsewhere.

I guess we just gotta

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 24 - Mets Newsday Reporter Tim Healey

A Metsian Podcast with Sam, Rich and Mike comes at you LIVE at 9pm ET! We are thrilled on this episode to be welcoming Mets Newsday reporter Tim Healey to the program!

Photo via @timbhealey/twitter

Tim Healey is in his second season covering the Mets for Newsday, and before that he covered the Marlins for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. A Connecticut native and Boston University grad, Tim is a proud New Englander but has taken a liking to living in New York City.

The Reds series wraps up today at noon and we'll recap our thoughts on the up and down 4 game series for the Mets. Jacob deGrom pitched his lights out, seemingly back to form. The offense, however, reverted back to not supporting our ace. Will he ever get the support he deserves?

Our closer Edwin Diaz, albeit in a tie game each time, took his first 2 losses of the year. As much as logic dictates you want your best reliever out there in those situations, they continuously have a tendency to pitch less than stellar. Should managers continue to run their closers out there in tie games?

Meanwhile, our former closer turned 8th inning man Jeurys Familia blew the save on Edwin Diaz's offday and was subsequently placed on the IL with shoulder soreness. Has his issues this year all been injury based or just a case of not handling the transition to his new role?

That plus much, much more! We'll also naturally talk about the players to wear number 24 in Mets history, and briefly the NY NL legacy year of 1924.

So, join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen down below, or directly at the page here.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 23 - Home Cooking Bursts...Then Fizzles; Sam's Uncle Stan

A Metsian Podcast turns 23! LIVE at 9pm ET, we return to regroup on another day off after an optimistic series win against the Phillies. Along with Sam, Rich and Mike, Sam's Uncle Stan from Brooklyn joins to discuss his baseball history growing up in Brooklyn and what he thinks so far of the 2019 team.

Things were looking good for the first two games against the Phillies after a stumble some on the road, but after throwing behind their slugger, Rhys Hoskins, the Phillies soundly handled the Mets in the final game of the series. Do we think this year's rivalry with the team of brotherly love could get even uglier as the season goes on?

The Mets straight up passed on Gio Gonzalez. With Jason Vargas only giving them 4-5 innings, was this a smart move?

That and much more! Plus, we'll discuss the players to wear 23 in Mets history as well as the 1923 NY NL legacy seasons.

So, join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast! You can listen LIVE down below, or at this direct link.

The Starter & The Defender

It was yet another disappointing weekend for the New York Metsies. So far, on Saturdays and Sundays in 2019, the Mets are 1-5. Sue me for the #SmallSampleSizing. For a fanbase busting their butts Monday through Friday (and sometimes through the weekend, like in my case where the most money I can make as a Lyft driver are those party days), our favorite baseball team has been anything but a respite from the work grind. Watching them has been as difficult as any job we do.

Getty Images
Photo via nypost.com

Do I sensationalize much? You betcha, but drama is the name of the game in this day and age, and as much as I personally work towards scaling it back some, my nature can only be suppressed to a point.  When my favorite baseball team's supposed 2nd starter has an ERA pushing 6 (at 5.90) you're going to be in a heightened state as a fan.

Syndergaard has not been able to hone in on finesse yet. It's power, power, power (including a homer created by Dexter Fowler's best Jose Canseco impression), but the control is not there at a WHIP of 1.28 (according to mets.com.) Seven walks in 29 innings, which means he's giving up a base on balls close to a quarter of the time he is facing batters, while also giving up just over a hit an inning. Noah (notice how I have yet to use the word, "Thor" in this post?) needs to figure out what kind of pitcher he is, because outside of his fantastic 2015 and 2016 seasons,  he has been pretty inconsistent when he has been able to stay on the mound. With a slider in the 90's and a fastball pushing 100, if he can hone in the control and consistency, the dream could seriously be reality.

Noah, however, has not gotten much help behind him these days. I'd like to hone in on one particular player whose elite defense has not come to fruition. Amed Rosario, while trying to figure out consistency at the plate, has left much to be desired with his defense up the middle. Mike, Rich and I discussed this on last week's episode of A Metsian Podcast, wondering when we were going to see the range we have been looking for out of our young shortstop. He followed that conversation up with 2 errors behind Noah yesterday. In 1826.1 innings fielded in the majors, according to Fangraphs, 20 runs have scored because of his defense. That is a far cry from the bill of goods sold to us. We have wanted him to come around offensively, but I will take a .250 avg if he can tighten up that defense ASAP.

Our "superhero" starter may be leaving much to be desired, but players like Amed Rosario are not giving him the best chance with a lack of defensive prowess behind him. They both need to tighten up considerably, but if the latter can do so sooner than later, Noah's success may follow as well.

There was a lot of concern to be had from the weekend series in St. Louis (outside of the continuing power prowess by Pete Alonso), but one of the more disappointing moments was Robinson Cano's HBP wrist injury (I'm not embedding any of these because most of them are eye-roll inducing, outside of Alonso's homer yesterday. Click at your own risk.) We'll see how it ends up affecting Cano, but he was JUST starting to hit his offensive stride. It is too cliché from a Metsian standpoint for a heralded acquisition to finally be coming around only to go down in throbbing pain.

The Mets stumble home for a weekday series against their Turnpike rivals, the Phillies. I wish I could say they desperately need some of that home cooking, but home has given them plenty of food poisoning over the years.

TIGHTEN. UP. NOW.

LET'S. GO. METS.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 22 - The First 18 w Metsian Theme Composer Adam Spiegel

We’re back with the first regular A Metsian Podcast of the season, LIVE at 9pm ET! Today, we are thrilled to welcome the composer of our theme song, Mets fan Adam Spiegel!

On top of his passion for the Mets, Adam is also a musician, composer, music director & actor. He's the lead singer & keyboard player for the band Brain Salt & also sings and plays keys for the bands Hide & Seek & Comic Tales of Tragic Heartbreak. He has written music, lyrics & book material for the musicals Cloned!, Camp Rolling Hills & The Whole Megillah. You can find more info on his website.

Well, as usual, there have been ups, downs, & everything inbetween in the first 18 games of the season. Both the bullpen and the starting pitching have struggled so far. What are certain solutions Brodie Van Wagenen can take to immediately address the issues? Yes, signing both Dallas Keutchel & Craig Kimbrel can be thrown out there as answers. The offense was on fire to begin the season but has since cooled down. Both Robinson Cano and Brandon Nimmo have struggled so far. How concerned are we about either of them and can you keep running Nimmo out there in the leadoff as the strikeouts keep piling on?

This plus much more! And we’ll explore the Mets to wear 22 in their history as well as the 1922 NY National League campaign.

So, join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast! You can listen down below or go directly to the Blog Talk website.

LISTEN. IN. NOW.

LET'S. GO. METS.

The Typical Citi Field

Yesterday, a day after Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal published this article, Citi Field continued to mock the home team, silencing them in a 4-0 loss to the Nationals on our opening day. There may have been many factors contributing to the loss: the crazy turnaround from playing a night game in Florida before a day game in New York, the fact MLB allowed for a 3rd party drug test administrator that kept them delayed an hour because Dominic Smith didn't need to pee right away, or maybe just a dominant pitcher in Stephen Strasburg...still, if you're going to be facing the best, you would rather do it at YOUR best and the Mets were not set up to present the best fight against one of the best in the game.  Even with Noah Syndergaard sent ahead to not have to worry about all those other factors, he still could not hold down a Nationals team without Trea Turner, who is out for 4-6 weeks with a broken finger.

Photo via COED

Citi Field, however, may also be a major factor. The Mets have the worst home record there since 2012 and even their exit velocity goes down. The ballpark shouldn't be a factor in the latter, unless you factor in the psychological aspect of it, where it is constantly in the heads of the home team that they have to change their approach, which may lead to greater insecurity. We fans have criticized the place since it opened up for a variety of reasons, but 10 years later, we're still feeling the affects of the Wilpons overall lack of oversight, or just poor oversight all around, or "Hubris" as Greg Prince said in my Mets fan documentary...whatever you want to call it, no additions or fixing or what have you can change the fact that Citi Field was poorly thought out, poorly designed and poorly executed.

Whether the Wilpons own the team for all of our entire lives, or the life of the franchise overall, their circus-like organizational influence will never be lifted off of the Metsian experience, and it is just an absolute shame. I hope the team can consistently perform better as time marches on within the confines of how the owners like to do business, but it just saddens me, like much in this world, that they've left such a negative legacy on our favorite baseball team.

As my dad would say, "Well, other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

Although, now I'm wondering how the Lincoln family feels about that...


Anyway, here's last night's A Metsian Podcast with Stephen Keane joining us.

LAUGH. IT. OFF. GUYS.

LET'S. GO. METS.

2019 Mets Opening Weekend: The Sweet Sounds of Baseball on the Radio

I always feel like everyone needs spring training. 

Photo via
https://wtop.com (AP PHOTO/NICK WASS)

The players need it, the manager needs it, the umpires need it,  the SNY truck needs it...and us fans? We need it too. We have to work that muscle in again, what baseball feels like, what baseball looks like, how it paces, how it goes. You would think by now with as many games as we die-hards take in year in and year out, we'd be so familiar with it, especially considering it is on 24/7/365 in this day and age. Still, I think one has to feel it out year in and year out and sidle back on into the rhythm, the play and that sense in your brain.

This day and age for me personally, however, I feel so overwhelmed by everything in my life that I haven't had time to just sit, relax and watch a ballgame, much less listen to a spring game on the radio. I am both in a heightened state of being overwhelmed yet finally am practicing, or at least attempting, to train myself to take it easy, take everything step-by-step, go easy on myself while holding myself accountable. I'm trying to both train new muscles and work out older muscles I've hardly used over the last few years, writing included. Whether it is our physical strength or theoretical muscles, we all need training to get ourselves to where we need to be. You generally don't just show up "In The Best Shape of (Your) Life," without having gotten to that point by doing what they say you need to do to get to that place on the corner of 57th and 7th: Practice.

When it comes to the sounds of baseball on the radio, however, they sidle on in so eloquently and naturally to compliment the sounds of the city of the ballteam we all so adore. On Opening Day, though the "City" was the one with Jersey in its name, I had the game on the old fashioned way with the AM dial...yes, THAT frequency set-up...tuned into the new home of the 2019 New York Mets, WCBS 880. All of a sudden, I could breathe. Combined with the warming temperatures and sunny disposition of the tri-state that day, I didn't feel I had needed ear training to appreciate the feeling of baseball being back in my life. I had just gotten right back on the bike after all this time.

All weekend, it was how I took in this new incarnation of the New York Mets. Part of the beauty of listening to the game is that you imagine what is going on visually based on how smoothly the announcers, in our case Howie Rose and Wayne Randazzo in his first year officially as Howie's right-hand man, describe the scene to our ears and brains. Part of listening to the game is the anticipation of seeing the moments visually later on in your day. In today's media landscape, us fans can see the highlight of what we heard in a matter of moments if we so choose. My job, however, renders me unable to take my eyes off the road (as, really, is everybody's job while driving...) so I must wait till I am not working Lyft to take it all in at once.

Here are some things I liked seeing from our team this first weekend of baseball in 2019:

• The Mets MO is winning on Opening Day. They get their fans' hopes up, but ironically have never won the World Series thereafter in seasons they win the first game of the year (a trend I hope they change this year.) There are many incarnations of Mets teams that have won on Opening Day, so we are trained to take the results with a grain of salt. In the moment, however, it is nice when the plan comes together TO A TEE: get a couple runs for your ace, play crisp defense and have your bullpen hold the lead. The Mets took advantage of a HR prone Max Scherzer (he gave up 23 of them last year, folks) got an insurance run late and did what they hardly could do in 2018 for our horse: give him a W.
• The Mets offensive approach looks much more professionally sound than in recent past seasons. They have a clear idea of what they want to do up there and are executing it so far. They are laying off some junk a good amount of the time, taking what the pitcher gives them and gliding the ball the other way. Players like Jeff McNeil and rookie Pete Alonso are doing a great job, with some tough pitches, of getting the barrel on the ball and making solid contact. All good so far, keep it up.
• They showed resilience and resolve to take advantage of a so far weak Nationals bullpen and even though lose the last game, gave themselves a chance to win...they've given themselves a chance in every single game they've played so far. No way, obviously, to go 162-0, but if you continue to put yourself in positions to win, you will do so more often than not. Keep executing, fellas.

It is so cliché of me to say, but I have so much else on my mind regarding muscles I need to train and retrain that when Mets baseball comes along, whether its just listening to the game to relax me while I attend to other stuff or producing the podcasts talking about the sport and team we love, I'm able to put all my troubles aside and just smile and laugh about it, even when we're complaining about them. Even though listening to the game feels like the first day I rode that bike perfectly back in the day, baseball and its role as a pleasant distraction is a muscle I was sorely in need of retraining. I think I'm well on my way.

We at A Metsian Podcast with Sam, Rich and Mike have been lucky enough to generally get together on Thursdays and Opening Day was no exception, with Faith and Fear in Flushing's Greg Prince joining us to discuss the new edition to the New York Metropolitan history books.

I was also lucky enough to talk Mets, burgers and BBQ with Metstradamus himself, John Coppinger, on his Burgerball podcast, on-location from the Barnwood Restaurant parking lot as I ciphered off their WiFi which I paid them back for with the purchase of a pulled pork sandwich afterwards. Along with plugging a burger I had had the night before at Rathbone's on 88th and 2nd in Manhattan, this was a fun time I highly recommend you take in. 

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends. Though that isn't the song I'm going to go with to close us off. As I'm trying to train and retrain my physical and mental muscles, I'm going to go with a song I keep going back to lately: Mind Power by James Brown.

FLEX. THAT. MUSCLE.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Former Mets Pitcher Skip Lockwood Joins A Metsian Podcast, LIVE at 9pmET!

Oh, hello. You may have thought I forgot about you. Well, I've struggled to communicate from time to time over the last 4 years, but it wasn't too long ago that I would regularly post the podcasts we like to do. First, the Rising Apple Report...but for the first time I am posting A Metsian Podcast with Sam,

Rich and Mike, which we started after leaving Rising Apple.

And what a show to entertain your ears with, ladies and gentlemen. Former Mets closer Skip Lockwood, who pitched for the Mets from 1975-1979, joins the crew to talk about his fantastic book, "Insight Pitch: My Life as a Major League Closer." We welcome him to the program and cannot wait to discuss growing up in Norwood, Massachusetts, how he got into baseball in the first place, and of course, the Mets of the late 70's (I kinda have a favorite of that...)

Please, join us LIVE at 9pm ET for a Skip Lockwood edition of A Metsian Podcast!

INSIGHT. PITCHING.

LET'S. GO. METS.