This year, as the football sailed through the uprights of an improbable Chiefs, second-half comeback win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, baseball fans everywhere once again rejoiced: it’s baseball season.
And while the memories of the promising start and painful end of the 2022 season fade away on a bright, brisk February 13th morning, one thing is certain for the 2023 New York Mets: hope springs anew.
The 2023 New York Mets are poised to right the wrongs of how the 2022 season ended, and to burn a new memory into the franchise’s history. A World Series championship, in promised year 3 of 5 by owner Steve Cohen, seems the only goal for a ball club that is clearly all in. Yesterday, Mets pitchers and catchers who will participate in the World Baseball Classic formally reported to Spring Training, but that doesn’t tell half of the story.
Doesn’t it seem to you that many of the Mets have been present at the Mets Spring Training site for the past couple of weeks? The sights of Francisco Alvarez working on defensive drills with Omar Narvaez, Brett Baty in the cage and at the hot corner, Brandon Nimmo’s constant smile, and bullpen sessions from Max Scherzer have been ever-present over the course of the past couple of weeks. It seems that Mets players are about as excited to start the year as Mets fans. Hope springs anew: this year, 2023, this could be the year.
NEWS FLASH: Despite the continued arrival of Mets players to training camp, the biggest Mets news of the day most definitely is that Keith Hernandez has resolved his contract dispute with SNY, and will once again be a part of the best broadcast team in baseball this year. According to Boomer Esiason on WFAN and confirmed by Mike Puma of the New York Post, Hernandez signed a 3-year contract with SNY to continue to be one of the best color commentators in baseball. The trio of Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Hernandez will become the longest-tenured Mets broadcast team in all of Mets history this year – their 18th together, surpassing the legendary Mets broadcast team of Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy. I know that I am not the only Mets fan who recognizes this is by far the most important news of the day for all Mets fans. We can only hope that Keith will continue to teach all of us about “good fundies” for the foreseeable future (especially the Phillies).
Over the course of the next six weeks as the Mets prepare for Opening Day, this blog will attempt to capture some of the promise of the Mets 2023 season. Opening Day, in the bleak winter months so far away, now stands less than 50 days away. The Mets are ready to get started, and so are we.
Let’s Go Mets!
