March 26, 2007

Okay, Who Kept The Billy Goat Out Of Legends Field?

So. Not only is Carl Pavano lined up to be the opening day starter (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, accep-... acc-... nope, not there yet), but Jeff Karstens, winner of the fifth starter derby, is now sidelined with elbow stiffness. "Elbow stiffness" is one of those phrases that could mean either three days or six months, so it's still unclear how big of a freakout this calls for. But I'm ready for anything.

The swarms of bees that keep descending on the Yanks this spring are starting to seem biblical, aren't they? Next up: the Gatorade cooler runs red with blood.

Anyway, Darrell Rasner it is. In fact, last summer I remember thinking that Rasner had been more impressive than Karstens in his major league starts; but, looking back, a lot of that was probably related to the fact that Karstens looked 14 then (he looks at least 16 this year). I'll check their stats tomorrow.

Over in Port St. Lucie, the Mets surprised fans who don't have access to the internet, newspapers, or television by naming the deserving Mike Pelfrey their fifth starter. Chan Ho Park is apparently headed to the bullpen, but not without considerable grumbling.

And in fluffier news, an informal poll of Mets reveals that the players consider Carlos Beltran the teammate most likely to spend over two grand on a suit, Paul Lo Duca the most likely to talk trash to opposing fans, and Aaron Heilman the best-read. Are you ready for the season to start yet?

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