On the Mets beat

Hate to bring up such a bad memory on the eve of tomorrow's opener, but with the Mets at Tropicana Field today, it seemed like a good time to say hello to Scott Kazmir. In one of the most regrettable trades in franchise history, the Mets sent Kazmir, their first-round pick in the 2002 draft, to the Devil Rays for Victor Zambrano only hours before the 2004 trade deadline. When Zambrano turned out to be "damaged goods" that trade led to an overhaul of the entire Mets organization, starting with the hiring of GM Omar Minaya.

"I understood exactly what was going on at the time that I was traded," Kazmir said. "It was something where they needed a pitcher at the big league level at that time to get to the playoffs and they thought I wasn’t ready for it so they got someone that was. It turned into a blessing in disguise. Just being here and being able to get the experience. I’ve learned so much every year just going through it, every start. So it turned out for the best."

The Mets wouldn't agree. Zambrano was non-tendered by the Mets this winter, but won a spot in the Blue Jays rotation. Kazmir, still only 22, pitched in last year's All-Star Game and will start Opening Day against the Yankees in the Bronx.

"It’s going to be amazing," Kazmir said. "You can’t pick a better spot to pitch opening day. There’s going to be a lot of adrenaline there. You just have to harness it."

The Mets 2007 roster for Opening Day is complete. Ambiorix Burgos and Lastings Milledge took the final two spots after today's 8-2 win over the Marlins. Reliever Jon Adkins cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans. In a somewhat surprising move, Chan Ho Park accepted a demotion to New Orleans as well rather than ask for his release, so the Mets were able to retain both Adkins and Park.

With the Mets headed to Tampa after today's game against the Marlins, the sidewalk outside the clubhouse is lined with rows and rows of matching Samsonite suitcases, complete with name tags and numbers. There is one piece of luggage that sticks out, however -- David Wright's bowling bag. It has a Superman logo on the side, and there's a strip of white tape that reads SUPERMAN (WRIGHT).

Still waiting for the Mets to make their final roster decisions, which are not expected to come until after today's game against the Marlins.

One interesting switch, however. Chan Ho Park has replaced Ambiorix Burgos as the starting pitcher. And check this out. Look who's back in the No. 2 spot today. Replace Park with Tom Glavine, and that's most likely the Mets' Opening Night lineup:

Jose Reyes ...... SS, Paul Lo Duca ..... C, Carlos Beltran ... CF, Carlos Delgado... 1B, David Wright .... . 3B, Moises Alou ....... LF, Shawn Green .... RF, Jose Valentin .... . 2B, Chan Ho Park .... ..P.

Lastings Milledge still hasn't been told of his status, but you can read more about the Milledge/Green situation in today's Mets Insider.

Carlos Delgado returned from paternity leave this morning around 10:30 to hugs from teammates and a wrapped baby gift waiting in his locker. The Mets already had boarded the bus for Vero Beach, so Delgado was scheduled to play in a minor-league game this afternoon. After that, it would probably be a nap.

"I had very little sleep," said Delgado, who left the team last Friday. "It's all good though."

Delgado's wife, Betzaida, gave birth to the couple's first child, Carlos Antonio, on Friday night. But due to complications, she wasn't released from the hospital until Wednesday. Delgado stayed by her side throughout, which meant minimal sleep and zero baseball activity.

"I'll be rusty," Delgado said. "But what are you going to do? I can’t be in two places at once. I said earlier, I wasn’t going to miss (the birth) for the world."

Delgado, who was bothered by a stiff neck earlier in camp, has played in only 12 games and batted .200 (6-for-30) with one extra-base hit and three RBI.

UPDATE: Delgado went 1-for-5 with a double against the Mets' minor-leaguers. He played first base for five innings and led off each time.

Lastings Milledge said his bruised right hand was feeling much better this morning before boarding the bus to Vero Beach. Milledge was not listed on the original lineup, but if his hand feels OK during batting practice, he plans to play.

"If I get two hits today, I'll be all right," Milledge said before leaving.

As you may have noticed, if you're watching either ESPN or SNY this afternoon, the Braves didn't bring the entire A-team to Tradition Field. But once the season begins, expect Atlanta to be a force to be reckoned with. And don't underestimate the chip on the Braves' shoulders after the Mets ended their streak of 14 straight division titles last year.

All of the Phillies' early trash talk hasn't gone unnoticed, and it doesn't sit well in Atlanta that most prognosticators have the Braves slotted third in the NL East. General manager John Schuerholz made it a priority to fortify the bullpen, and now he believes this club is as good as any in the division.

"The reality is inevitably our streak was going to end," Schuerholz said before today's game."No one wins forever. We knew sooner or later there would be some reason for us to lose. Somebody would just be overwhelmingly better or our team wouldn’t be as strong as needed. Or there would be a fatal flaw in the construct of our team that we couldn’t cover and it occurred last year.

"We knew that our bullpen last year needed to be addressed and so that prior winter, we tried to sign Bob Wickman, we tried to sign Trevor Hoffman, we tried Danys Baez. We tried to sign every free agent out there, but our pile of money wasn’t big enough."

Whether or not that last comment was a slap against the free-spending Mets, you make the call. But despite his cool exterior, Schuerholz is as competitive as anyone in the game, and seeing the Mets overtake the Braves last season was tough to stomach for him.

"There’s that fire and there’s that pride that has driven us and our players," Schuerholz said. "You don’t win 14 years in a row because you dominate with ability or you spend more money or you’re smarter putting a roster together. You’ve got to rely on the leadership of the manager and the pride of the players to dig down during tough times."

Spring training can't get over fast enough for Oliver Perez. The Mets lefthander was drilled by a batted ball again tonight -- for the third time in as many games -- when the Nationals' Dmitri Young smacked a grounder off his left hip in the sixth inning. Perez scooped up the ball and threw him out, but manager Willie Randolph still trotted over to check on him. Perez threw one warmup pitch and stayed in the game.

In his two previous outings, Perez was nailed on the right foot and the back of this right thigh, but still continued to pitch. His line tonight against the Nats: 5 2/3 innings, nine hits, five runs, four earned, two walks and five strikeouts.

Sometimes the press box can be a dangerous place. Earlier this month in Winter Haven, a snake of unknown species sent reporters scurrying at Chain of Lakes Park during the Mets-Indians game. And tonight, I'm sitting in the front row here at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, with an ominous dent in the wall right behind my head. It's the calling card of a foul ball that smacked into that very spot, leaving a tell-tale red stitch mark. Some witty scribe even penned an epitaph right below that says, "3/23/07 NEARLY KILLED ROB PARKER."

Rob used to be a columnist at Newsday, and he's a good guy, so I'm glad he ducked in time. I hope I'm as fortunate and stay conscious through tonight's game. Anyway, here's a few in-game notes:

-- GM Omar MInaya must have been thrilled today to hear Carlos Zambrano's comments to Sports Illustrated. Zambrano is a free agent after this season and is not making much progress in contract discussions with the Cubs.

"I like the Yankees, but I don't see myself pitching at Yankee Stadium. Too many rules," Zambrano said with a laugh. "If I play in New York, it's going to be with the Mets. First of all, because I get to hit. And I love hitting."

When told about the story, Minaya smiled and said, "Who's his agent?"

-- Lastings Milledge reported no improvement with his bruised right hand but is hopeful that he can play by the end of the week.

-- Minaya said he talked to Carlos Delgado, but made no mention of when the first baseman might rejoin the team. Delgado left the Mets on Friday to be in Puerto Rico for the birth of his son, Carlos Antonio.

After a relatively quiet spring, Monday was a bit hectic at Mets' camp, with Guillermo Mota arriving to work out for the first time and Duaner Sanchez getting ready to leave again for another operation on his right shoulder. Both are question marks this season for different reasons. Mota is suspended 50 games for testing positive for steroids, and no one knows how effective he will be when he returns, presumably drug-free. As for Sanchez, who fractured a small bone in his right shoulder, the best-case scenario has him back in August, but there's no guarantee he'll pitch at all this season.

The Sanchez news was a bit of shock, but I have to say I was a little surprised by how strongly the Mets defended Mota, an admitted steroid user. Of course, he's a teammate, so that's part of it. And Mota seems to be well-liked, too. But one of the quotes I didn't squeeze into today's paper from David Wright
suggested that this is a one-shot deal (no pun intended). Another screwup by Mota, and not only is he suspended for 100 games, but he will lose a lot of friends in the game as well.

Here's the unabridged version of my conversation with Wright on Mota's situation:

"He’ll be the first to tell you that he’s suffered, and definitely financially,from taking the hit in a free agent year trying to use performance enhancing drugs. So I think he’s being punished. You’re talking about almost a third of the season, so I think he’s learned his lesson. But he’s a guy that we’re going to rely on in our bullpen. I’m against any kind of performance-enhancing drugs. If you take it, and you get caught, there’s a very severe penalty. I think he’s serving that. He’s fessed up to that. He’s been a man about it and he’s serving his suspension. Hopefully he doesn’t make this mistake again.

"When you're talking about teammates, you're talking about your extended family, but I’m not condoning it at all. He made a mistake. In essence he cheated, and he got caught. I genuinely believe it won’t happen again, and as long as he learns his lesson, things will work themselves out. To be punished for a third of the season, that’s a very harsh penalty and something that obviously hurts us as a team, so we’re a little upset that we won’t have one of our best bullpen guys to start the year. Just make sure that it doesn’t happen again. That’s the message that we’ve sent to Guillermo, that we want him to understand that, Hey, the first time, maybe you were a little desperate or something like that. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Guillermo Mota was warmly received by his teammates this afternoon when he arrived in the Tradition Field clubhouse and it seems the Mets generally agree that he should be forgiven for his mistake. Even if that mistake is violating MLB's drug policy by testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Mota will serve his 50-game suspension as a first-time offender once the season starts, and the process of repairing his public image began today when he faced the media.

"I've come out and said I apologized for what I did," Mota said. "I want people to forgive me and I'm sorry about it."

The fact that Mota admitted his wrongdoing and apologized seemed to go a long way with his teammates. Paul Lo Duca, who acknowledged that he is a close friend of Mota's, was among his biggest supporters

"You name me one profession where there ain’t something -- where everything is hunky dory and cushy and I’ll give you a zillion dollars," Lo Duca said. " It’s over with. There’s nothing we can do about it. Guys have taken it, guys have admitted to it, guys haven’t admitted to it. You’re innocent until you’re proven guilty and you go on with life. You go on with it. There’s guys in jail that probably didn’t commit crimes. There’s also guys on the street who’ve committed crimes. Life ain’t perfect. Deal with it."

It seems like TNT shows a Rocky marathon every other weekend, and the reason they do it is for people like Lastings Milledge. As soon as the Mets outfielder noticed Rocky III today on the clubhouse television, Milledge pulled up a stool, turned up the volume and was riveted to the screen. He was just in time for the training sequence involving Rocky and Apollo Creed sprinting side-by-side on the beach. I can't help but wonder if he was picturing himself edging past Shawn Green in his mind's eye.

"I've seen every one like 15 or 20 times," Milledge said. "Every time it's on, I have to watch it. I don't know why. I'm addicted to them."

It wasn't long before Milledge had company around the TV, which hangs from the ceiling between two rows of lockers. Jose Valentin thew a mock right hook at a clubhouse kid, then walked off to the lunch room chanting, "Rock-ee! Rock-ee! Rock-ee!" Milledge barely flinched. His eyes never leaving the TV as Rocky stepped into the Madison Square Garden ring to face Clubber.

"These guys are ripped," Milledge said. "I want to see Clubber Lang against the Russian [from IV].They've got to make one of those."

With Rocky as his inspiration, let's see how Milledge does in today's game against the Astros. He's starting in rightfield -- not Green -- and batting seventh.

Yes, you too can be the next "Flushing Idol." That's what I'm calling it anyway. And I hear that Gary Apple makes Simon Cowell look like Mary Poppins. Consider yourself warned.

METS HOLD OPEN CALL FOR NATIONAL ANTHEM AUDITIONS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 AT 11 A.M. AT SNY STUDIOS

The news release follows below:

Scar tissue? Or structural damage? That's the thought that had to be going through the mind of GM Omar Minaya this morning when the club decided to fly Duaner Sanchez back to NYC for a
"precautionary" MRI of his surgically repaired right shoulder. Sanchez had to be shut down after only 11 pitches on Thursday, but the initial diagnosis attributed the "popping" sensation as nothing more than the breaking apart of scar tissue from his Aug. 1 surgery. That may still be the case. The Mets just want to be sure.

"He said he felt better than yesterday," Minaya said. "But we said let's be conservative and get the information. Let's get him to New York and get him looked at."

The Mets had hoped Sanchez would be ready by mid-April, but Thursday's setback will delay him for another two weeks, at least.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa evidently is through discussing Thursday's DUI arrest. Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight -- a close friend -- accompanied him to today's game at Tradition Field and La Russa did not entertain questions on the subject. When a reporter asked if Knight "kidded" him about falling asleep at the wheel, La Russa snapped, "Why don't you go ask him?" The Cards manager probably hoped the cantankerous Knight would punch the reporter in the face. But the exchange continued, with La Russa pointing toward the Mets dugout and saying, "Why don't you go stand over there." Perhaps a veiled reference to the New York media. Hey, we like scandalous behavior as much as the next guy. Does that make us bad people?

Good news for Carlos Delgado -- and the Mets. The first baseman just left to catch a flight to Puerto Rico for the birth of the couple's first child. That should give him plenty of time to return for the April 1 opener in St. Louis, which happened to the original due date. Delgado had said earlier that he would leave the team to be with his wife, Betzaida, even if the regular season already had begun.

Funny scene in the clubhouse this morning. David Wright creating a shrine to bullpen coach Guy Conti above the empty locker between him and Jose Reyes. Actually, it was just a framed photo of Conti, but it was amusing to watch Wright try to hammer in the tack. First, he tried Reyes' cell phone (not so good). Then, Wright grabbed a sneaker (the rubber sole was useless). Finally, Jose Valentin yelled over, "Why don't you try a bat?" Stunningly, that worked and the photo was up moments later. Conti chuckled.
*****
In roster news, the Mets signed Fernando Tatis to a minor-league contract this morning. The 32-year-old third baseman was released by the Dodgers earlier this week.

Now you can be the DJ for DW's at-bat musical selections. Check it out:

METS FANS TAKE SWING FOR DAVID WRIGHT’S AT-BAT SONGS AT SHEA

Fan Vote on Mets.com to Determine All-Star Third Baseman’s Final Selections

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., March 22, 2007 – The New York Mets and Mets third baseman David Wright today announced the launch of an online fan vote at Mets.com to select the All-Star’s at-bat song selections at Shea Stadium in 2007. The two-phase fan vote begins today and concludes Friday, April 6.

Fans can log on to Mets.com and select from the 50 songs listed below whose genres range from classic rock, to hip hop, to alternative. The first round of voting will conclude Wednesday, March 28 at 5 p.m. when the top votes will be pared down to 20. Fans will have the opportunity to vote April 2-6 to determine the final four songs that will be played throughout the season when Wright comes to bat at Shea.

Last season, in 76 games at Shea, Wright batted .313, with 16 home runs and 61 RBI behind such hits as “Brass Monkey” by the Beastie Boys, “We Right Here” by DMX, and “Bounce to the Ounce” by Zap.

What Song Should David Wright Swing To in 2007?

· A Day In The Life, The Beatles
· All These Things That I've Done, The Killers
· Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen
· Brown Sugar, Rolling Stones
· Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol
· Clocks, Coldplay
· Crackerman, Stone Temple Pilots
· Crazy, Gnarls Barkley
· Drop It Like It's Hot, Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell
· Fame, by David Bowie
· Feel Good, Inc., Gorillaz
· Frontin', Pharrell featuring JayZ
· Galang, M.I.A.
· Gold Digger, Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx
· Holiday, Green Day
· I Write Sins Not Tragedies, Panic! At the Disco
· Jesus Walks, Kanye West
· Lean Back, Terror Squad
· Ice Box, Omarion
· 50 Wild Thing, The Troggs
· Me and You, by Cassie
· Move Along, All American Rejects
· My Generation, The Who
· Mysterious Ways, U2
· New York State of Mind, Nas
· Paradise City, Guns and Roses
· Pump It, Black Eyed Peas
· Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
· Seven Nation Army, White Stripes
· Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
· Song Remains the Same, Led Zeppelin
· Soul Meets Body, Death Cab for Cutie
· Steady As She Goes, The Raconteurs
· Sugar, We're Goin' Down, Fall Out Boy
· Superstition, Stevie Wonder
· Sympathy For The Devil, Rolling Stones
· Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, Bruce Springsteen
· That Was A Crazy Game of Poker, O.A.R.
· The Second Coming, by Juelz Santana
· Theme to the A-Team
· Throwing Stones, Grateful Dead
· Welcome to the Black Parade, My Chemical Romance
· What'd I Say, Ray Charles
· Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin
· Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who
· Yeah!, Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris
· Yellow Ledbetter, Pearl Jam
· You Really Got Me, The Kinks
· Zoo Station, U2
Better Man by Pearl Jam
· Fan selection __________________________

Scary moment for the Mets tonight in the first inning when Oliver Perez took a sizzling one-hopper off the back of his right thigh. Olmedo Saenz drilled him, and Perez limped around the mound, his head back, while trainer Ray Ramirez and manager Willie Randolph jogged to the mound. After a few practice pitches, Perez stayed in and appeared to be OK, getting Andy La Roche on a bouncer to third to end the inning. Perez batted in the top of the second second inning and is now on the mound for the bottom half, so he seems fine.

Another night game, this time against the Dodgers at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach. With Oliver Perez drawing the evening start, Tom Glavine pitched a simulated game this afternoon at Tradition Field. He made it through without incident, throwing 90 pitches over seven innings to stay on track for Opening Night. Glavine did get his work in, but the lack of intensity during the simulation is definitely a drawback. When Glavine headed toward the dugout between innings, his kids, their gloves extended, called out for a baseball so they could play catch in the box seats.

In other news, Duaner Sanchez finally will throw from a mound tomorrow morning. The session is supposed to last for 30 pitches.

Personally, I had enough of Anna Benson a long time ago, even when her husband, Kris, still pitched for the Mets. But evidently the people over at Penthouse don't share that view, so here's a few more comments from her that appear in the April issue of the magazine. Nothing to get worked up about. But it is amusing that she didn't get Jorge Julio's name right and apparently does not think much of John Maine as a pitcher. So here goes:

--- On trading her husband on the brink of winning a World Series: “The Mets lost (a chance at winning) the World Series because of a little red dress. That doesn’t bother me. That should bother them.”

--- On the “Anna Claus” incident: “What do they (the Mets) care more about, a bleeping dress or a World Championship?

-- On the Mets getting the better of the trade: “They got a bleeping bag of balls for Kris. They didn’t get expletive. Julio Jorge and John Maine. They traded a number one stud pitcher who was 30 for at the time, and they blame the red dress.”

Just watched Pedro Martinez cruise through another one of his throwing sessions with his personal trainer Chris Correnti. I know the Mets are predicting an early August return for Pedro, but I'm betting it's going to be earlier than that. Martinez is zipping his throws with surprising ease, popping Correnti's glove from about 75 feet away, and judging from his demeanor, he could not be feeling much better. He even playfully snapped off a couple of soft curve balls when Correnti closed in to about 12 feet.

Martinez smiled when it was suggested that he was showing off for a visiting reporter from Boston, but there's no denying that he's making steady progress.

Quiet morning here at Tradition Field. While many of the Mets were sleeping in, John Maine, Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner turned in their requisite innings on the off day -- facing minor leaguers in a simulated game. Otherwise, the facility was deserted. Manager Willie Randolph didn't even bother to change out of his streetclothes to watch. The important thing to note is that all three pitchers completed their workouts without a problem, and the Grapefruit League schedule resumes tomorrow night when the Orioles visit Tradition Field for a 7:10 p.m. start.

El Duque gave everyone a scare when he felt a little cramp in his hamstring as he was running to first base on a sacrifice in the fourth inning. Even though the cramp quickly went away, Willie Randolph removed him from the game "as a precaution." Herndandez was a bit edgy when talking to reporters after the game, wanting to talk more about his arm than his hamstring. "I feel good. I'm feeling better than my last start," he said. He threw 61 pitches in four innings, allowing three hits and two runs. Ten of the 12 outs he recorded were on fly balls, but he wasn't concerned about it. Randolph said El Duque will make his next spring training start on schedule.

A highlight of Hernandez's outing was a first-inning changeup -- an "eephus-like" pitch -- that caught Albert Pujols off balance and got the Cardinals' slugger to pop to short. "The times I've seen him throw it, he's gotten guys out," Randolph said. "The art of deceptions is a part of pitching."

Jose Reyes hits his team-high fourth homer of the spring, but the Mets lost to the Cardinals, 5-4, to fall to 6-14-1.

That's it for Zog's Log from Florida. I head back to New York on Monday. I'll talk to you next on Opening Day. Thanks for reading and writing.

Here at the Cardinals’ spring training complex in Jupiter, they like to taunt fans of the visiting teams by giving the weather report from back home. “It’s a chilly 32 degrees in New York with a wind chill of 22. It’s 67 degrees here with bright sunshine and a light breeze.” Thanks a lot, pal.

Anyway, there was an interesting wrinkle to the Mets’ half of the first inning. The Cardinals’ “starter” was none other than the St. Louis closer, Jason Isringhausen. Manager Tony La Russa likes to use Izzy to pitch most of his spring training innings at the start of the game so he faces the top of the opponent’s batting order, the better to simulate a big situation during the regular season.

Isringhausen, the former Mets’ starter who missed the Cardinals’ World Series run last year with a serious hip injury, had a tidy 1-2-3 inning. He retired Jose Reyes and Paul LoDuca on grounders and caught Carlos Beltran looking – what else; it’s the Cardinals! – with a slider on the inside corner.

It was a bad day for veteran pitchers hoping to earn spots in the Mets’ starting rotation. At Port St. Lucie, Chan Ho Park was riddled for seven runs (four earned) and seven hits in three arduous innings against the Nationals. He allowed three solo home runs, two by Chris Snelling and one monster shot by Travis Lee.

At the same time in Fort Lauderdale, Aaron Sele allowed six runs in the first inning of a split-squad game against the Orioles. Though he settled down to retire 12 straight at one point, it seems as if his days with the Mets are numbered.

Though some in the organization still value Park as a potential starter or long reliever, Saturday’s events can only enhance the chances that Mike Pelfrey will win the run-off for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Interestingly, there is some speculation that even if Pelfrey wins that spot, he would start the season in the minors because the Mets won’t need a fifth starter until April 16 at the earliest. So if Park could pitch in long relief, he could stick around for a couple of weeks.

Jorge Sosa, another “bubble” pitcher but one with higher value to the organization because of his youth and power arm, also got rocked on Saturday. At Port St. Lucie, Sosa relieved Park and promptly allowed eight hits and six runs (three earned) in two innings.

Looks like the intermittent rain didn’t bother Tom Glavine too much Friday night in Jupiter. Glavine didn’t allow a run and surrendered just three hits against the Marlins in his first five-inning stint of the spring, lowering his ERA to 1.29. The veteran lefthander wasn’t especially efficient, throwing 84 pitches, 44 for strikes. Glavine was unusually wild in the fourth, yielding two walks and hitting a batter. But with two outs, he retired Eric Reed on a grounder to second.

Aaron Heilman, who hadn’t pitched since March 9 because of mild tendinitis in his right elbow, pitched an inning last night. He showed no ill effects from the layoff, throwing his first six pitches for strikes and tossing a 1-2-3 sixth – a groundout and two strikeouts. He threw 14 pitches, 12 for strikes.

You may be getting snow in New York, so I can understand if you’re not very sympathetic to my plight in Florida, but …

Mets night game at Jupiter against the Marlins is in jeopardy as of 3 o’clock because of the threat of thunderstorms. I’ll check in later with an update.

No news out of the clubhouse. Still waiting to see if Ruben Sierra accepts his assignment to the Mets’ Triple-A club in New Orleans. Mets GM Omar Minaya told reporters late Thursday night that he told Sierra and his agent at the time of his signing that there was little chance of the 41-year-old to make the team. “We brought him in for insurance. That was the plan,” Minaya said.

With younger, more versatile reserves available, and 49-year-old Julio Franco still around to counsel young players, Sierra wasn’t needed.

As for prize pitching prospect Philip Humber, Willie Randolph said he advised Humber not to consider it a demotion. “He’s got talent. He has to go down [to the minors] and work on getting a ‘feel’ for pitching.”

The manager added that Humber was “overthrowing a little bit down here trying to impress. That’s understandable. But he knew what he was doing was out of character and he’s read to move on.”

Great first inning by Oliver Perez last night against the Red Sox. Tradition Field was sold out and the Red Sox fans outnumbered the Mets fans as evidenced by the sea of red shirts and the thunderous ovation that greeted David Ortiz when he stepped in against Perez with a runner on first and one out.

The Mets’ lefty, who is fighting to grab the No. 4 spot in the rotation, disposed of Big Papi decisively – a hard foul down the first-base line, a good off-speed pitch that Ortiz missed and then a lively fastball that froze the Boston slugger for a called third strike.

There were more loud cheers – though these were mixed with jeers – for Manny Ramirez. On a 3-1 pitch, Ramirez started trotting to first base only to return when plate umpire Jerry Meals indicated ‘strike two’ on a fastball that caught the inside corner. The next pitch was in the same area and again Ramirez couldn’t pull the trigger. Perez did a little hop on the mound before jogging to the dugout..

Remarkably, Perez whiffed baseball’s best 3-4 duo again in the fourth, getting Ortiz swinging on a slider and catching Ramirez looking at a fastball on the outside corner.

Very, very encouraging news, don’t you think?

They’re not as popular as the Yankees as a spring-training road attraction, but it’s still a special occasion when the Red Sox come to town. There is a rare sellout tonight at Tradition Field here in Port St. Lucie for Boston’s first visit since 1988. The Red Sox are making it an East Coast swing as they are staying overnight and traveling a half hour north to play the Dodgers at Vero Beach tomorrow. Considering that most veteran players don’t particularly enjoy four-hour bus trips – the length of Boston’s journey yesterday from its Florida home in Fort Myers – it was nice to see that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were here and put on an entertaining batting practice show for early-arriving fans. Ortiz played first base last night, because the Mets, exercising their rights as the home team, did not agree to the using the DH. “It’s not perfect, but we’ll make it work,” Terry Francona said of playing Ortiz in the field. The Boston manager said that he exercised leverage with the Phillies to use the DH for two exhibition games at Citizens Bank Park on March 30 and 31. “They wanted the Red Sox to come, so we threw that in as a condition,” Francona said with a laugh.

The injury update: Jose Valentin’s stiff neck, suffered during the Mets’ long bus ride to Winter Haven, healed and he is playing tonight. Reliever Aaron Heilman will rest his arm for a couple of days with what is termed “minor” tendinitis.

Herzog here in Lakeland, Fla., beginning my five-day tour with Mets. Left Tampa this morning after five days with Yanks. Didn’t hear anymore A-Rod fallout, but it’s early!

Omar Minaya told me before the Mets’ game he was anxious to see how John Maine and Mike Pelfrey pitched against the AL champion Tigers. The general manager had to be pleased

Maine gave up a well-hit but wind-aided opposite-field home run to Curtis Granderson leading off the game, then was impressive the rest of the way. He struck out four and allowed just that one run on three hits with only one walk in four innings. That’s nine innings this spring and only one run allowed for Maine. You can pencil him into the rotation right now.

Pelfrey wasn’t as efficient but he showed admirable grit, escaping two jams in which he put two men on but made the big pitch when he had to.

Like Maine, Pelfrey went four innings and allowed one run – a solo homer to Marcus Thames that definitely needed the wind to get over the leftfield wall.

The Mets lost, 2-0, as former Yankee/Met Kenny Rogers threw five impressive shutout innings against a lineup that included these regulars: Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Moises Alou and Shawn Green.

Red Sox visit Port St. Lucie Thursday night for the first time since March of 1988.

With the Mets criss-crossing the state again on another long road trip, this time to Lakeland for the Tigers, I wanted to keep everyone entertained in the meantime with an early AM blog entry. Just a quickie on Lastings Milledge, who just happens to be featured in today's Newsday in a story by Anthony Rieber. Looks like Milledge is doing his best to push for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but the Mets maintain they are sticking with Shawn Green in rightfield - for now. I'm curious what Mets Nation wants. Go with the younger, more athletic kid with the high ceiling or stick with the incumbent, a popular veteran who clearly has his best days behind him. Does a platoon make sense?

The Mets finally reached their breaking point with Alay Soler this morning and released the Cuban defector less than three years after signing him for $2.8 million. While it is unusual to cut loose a player with two weeks remaining in spring training, one Mets official referred to Soler as a "lost cause" and indicated that the front office was fed up with him after a lackluster performance Monday in Viera. Soler allowed two runs in 1 2/3 innings, including a solo homer to the Nats' Ryan Zimmerman, and team officials also were upset with his velocity, which maxed out in the low 80s.

Asked about the move this morning, pitching coach Rick Peterson said, "The inconsistencies were consistent." Still, it was only a week earlier that manager Willie Randolph praised Soler for showing up at camp in better shape than previous years, even mentioning that he was on the stationary bike next to him during Randolph's morning workouts. But Soler had an 8.22 ERA this spring, and the Mets came to the conclusion that his performance no longer merited a spot on the their staff -- at any level.

Soler, 27, would have earned $826,000 this season in the majors and $620,000 in the minors. Before his defection, Soler went 10-4 with a 2.01 ERA in 18 games for the Cuban national team in 2003. He did have a few highlights last season for the Mets, and the best of those select moments came on June 10, when he pitched a two-hit shutout against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

If you're a David Wright fan -- and really, who isn't? -- he's on the newstands again. The Mets' ubiquitous third baseman is now the cover boy for the April issue of Men's Health magazine and batting leadoff for an article entitled, "Your Breakout Season." Wright's "insights" are entitled, "Embrace Self-Doubt," "Macromanage Your Skill Set," and "Build the Illusion of Great Speed."

The two-page layout also features a picture of him swinging a bat against the Manhattan skyline with the headline, "The Young Master." So who's Obi-Wan? Howard Johnson?