Wow. I can?t believe all of the comments and questions my blog is generating.  When I went back online to see if anyone had noticed it yet, I was floored with the huge response. I was surprised that it?s become this popular so fast, but I guess it shows the Mets have a pretty big following online.

I?ve printed out all of the names for the blog that people have suggested and I plan to sort through them on our West Coast trip. We have a long flight to San Diego, so that will give me a good opportunity to read through them. Next time I post, I?ll try to have my mind made up on a name. I like a bunch of them that have already been submitted, but go ahead and keep sending in your ideas. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Overall, we?ve started the season just about as well as we could possibly expect. Everything has come together for us in the first couple weeks. We?ve had great starting pitching, our bullpen?s been phenomenal and we?ve had timely hitting. That?s a good formula for success in this game.

The strong start has helped us develop a little swagger as a team. We have the expectation that we?re going to win every game we play. Obviously you don?t win every game in a Major League season — we just lost two of three to Atlanta — but there?s no reason we can?t be prepared to win every day.

That confidence is an attitude that?s filtered down from the veterans to the younger guys. But we need to keep taking care of our business and preparing to win. There?s a long, long way to go in this season and we need to keep jelling as a team and doing the small things that help win games.

But the good start has undoubtedly given our club a big boost. It shows we have a good team on the field, not just on paper. All spring, we knew we had good personnel in the clubhouse -? the kind of guys we need in order to win. But you?re never certain until you go out on the field and prove it, and that?s what we?ve been able to do so far.

We?ve gotten beaten a few times. That?s going to happen over the course of the season. But, more importantly, we?ve proved to ourselves that we have the ability to win close games -? the kind where we have to find a way to win. They?re the games that stick with you. You remember them the next time you?re in a tough battle and trying to scratch out a win.

We lost two games to the Braves, on great pitching performances by Kyle Davies and Tim Hudson, the last couple days before heading off on our road trip. But that?s only the beginning of our battles with Atlanta this season. To be the best, you have to beat the best. And the best in the NL East the last 14 years has been Atlanta. We have to find a way to dethrone them. They?ve been a phenomenal franchise for a lot of years, so it?s no accident that they made it to the top. 

But it?s not like I?m trying to play the underdog card here, either. We have a ballclub that?s capable of winning our division. There?s no doubt in my mind about that. It?s just a fact that the NL East championship has to go through Atlanta until somebody finally beats them.

Now we have our first West Coast swing of the season. I think the important thing about a road trip like this is making sure you do everything in your power to get your body physically and mentally prepared to meet the challenge of playing, despite the changes in climate, surroundings and time zone.

We?re only out there about a week, so we can?t get caught up with the idea of jet lag and how it might affect us. We just have to make whatever adjustments are necessary to get on a good sleep schedule so we?re well rested.

You need to know yourself — how many hours of sleep you need and what kinds of food you need in your body to perform at the peak of your ability. Personally, I like to have about nine hours of sleep and I?m pretty conscious of what foods I eat, so I?ll just build in the right amount of rest and be ready to go.

Those are just off-the-field concerns, though. You do your best with them during the day and they?re usually off your mind by the time the game rolls around. Once those lights go on at the stadium, you become energized no matter what city you?re in. It?s time to play.

I’ll stop by again soon.

— David

Blog along with me >

Welcome to my blog, everybody. This is the first time I?ve tried to do something like this, so I?m going to have some fun with it and try to give you a glimpse of what it?s like inside the Mets clubhouse. You can help me out by giving me your thoughts and suggestions as the season goes along. I?ll try to answer some of your questions whenever I have a chance.

The first thing I realize is that I need a cool name for my blog to replace "Getting it Wright," so send along your ideas through the "Comments" link below and I’ll choose the one I think is best.

My first season with the Mets went by fast. It was a lot of fun and memorable to say the least -? even having to take orders from Cliff Floyd. It was all part of the rookie experience, sort of my initiation into the big leagues. That stuff is in all in good fun and it really helped make me feel like part of the team.

During the offseason I was just like any other Mets fan, I guess. I would get online every day and check to see what kind of moves the front office was making. Needless to say, I liked what I was reading all winter. With each one of the moves, I found myself nodding my head and thinking, "This is going to be a big help." Now, when I take a look around our clubhouse, I realize the sum is even greater than the parts.

It was tough to lose guy like Mike Piazza, who was a legend in this city, and Mike Cameron, of course, but Omar Minaya, the Wilpons and the rest of the front office did an outstanding job by adding guys like Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner, Paul Lo Duca, Xavier Nady and Duaner Sanchez. Julio Franco is another guy that?s going to bring a lot to this team.

I got to meet all of these new guys when we had our Mets caravan in January. Then we had Spring Training to get to know each other a little bit better. Now we have the task of putting together all of this great talent and making ourselves a team. We have all the right tools and all the right pieces. Now we have to put it together and play cohesively.

My biggest expectation going into this season is to win a lot more games. One way or another, that?s what we need to do and that?s really the only thing that matters. The only important statistics are our won-lost record and the NL standings.

We have a playoff caliber team. In fact, we have the talent to go deep in the playoffs. Now, we just have to stay healthy and play like we?re capable of playing. One of the things I like about this year?s club, so far, is the way the veteran guys on the team have been speaking up, especially the guys who have played on winning teams.

Those guys keep reinforcing ?- as cliché as this sounds -? that we have to play for the team on the front of our jerseys rather than the name on the back. We have to pull for one another, play for one another and pick each other up.

It?s a long season in baseball, so we?re all going to have our moments to contribute and we?re all going to have work through slumps and injuries. If somebody doesn?t get the job done in front of you, then it becomes your responsibility to pick him up.

Hopefully, having that strong team attitude from the very beginning will help set the tone for a winning season. I?m only in my second year, so I know how important it is to be surrounded by some veterans who you can lean on a little bit.

Speaking of veterans, I think Cliff is going to be delegating his bag carrying duties between a couple of new rookies this season. It looks like Brian Bannister and Anderson Hernandez are taking over for me this year. As long as I don?t have to do it anymore!

Seriously, though, Cliff will take good care of them, like he did for me. I had to do a lot of chores but he always took care of me, too. He bought me some nice new suits and took me to dinner, so it was well worth it. I?m sure he won?t be too hard on Brian and Anderson, either.

I couldn?t be happier playing for the Mets and being a New Yorker. One of the things I realize living in Manhattan is that we play for the greatest fans in the world. They recognize everybody on the roster, from No. 1 to No. 25. Even as a relatively new guy, people recognize me every time I walk out of my apartment.

It?s all good, though. You get words of encouragement -? a "good game last night" or a quick "hello" -? little things like that that let you know that they appreciate your efforts. There?s so much excitement and electricity. New York sports, baseball in particular, has a certain energy that you don?t get anywhere else. I?m lucky to be a part of it.

I?m going to try and update this at least once per homestand, so keep reading and let’s have a winning season together.

— David

Blog along with me >