Debut Part Deux.

       This evening marks the second time in the last calender year that a Grade-A capital-P Pitching Prospect has been recalled by the Mets.  And whether you believe TINSTAAPP or not, it will be one of the few silver linings in this horrible sow's ear of a season (mixed metaphor alert!). Last year it was Matt Harvey, who I immediately saw as the future, and then this happened.  I stand by my unabashed love of #33 and look forward to every one of his starts; they are usually the highlight of my week - though lately the Mets can't seem to score more than one stinking run for him *sigh* (UPDATE: they actually scored more than one run this afternoon for him and the bullpen tried to give them all back *double sigh*).  Tonight during the second game of a day/night doubleheader against the hated Braves we'll see the debut of the spoils of the Carlos Beltran trade, Zack Wheeler.

I have not gone 'all in' the way I have with Matt Harvey, but I have picked up a few of his cards here and there.  You will notice that I do not even have a complete page of him (yet) but the three I have in the Mets books share a page with the overflow of Harvey's. 

The bottom three are currently in top loaders, but I will be moving them to the books.  The middle Bowman Platinum card is a refractor and it is much shinier than the scanner wants you to think.  I especially like the high leg kick follow through shown on the Bowman's Best card there.

Are Harvey and Wheeler going to be a 21st Century Seaver and Koosman or the second coming of Generation K (would that be Generation L *pinky to lip*)?  Obviously I am rooting for the former and only time will tell.  We have seen that Harvey is the goods and on a team with even competent hitting, he would have 9 or 10 wins by now (though his other numbers so far are marvelous).  I was very impressed with what I saw from Wheeler in spring training, and while his minor league stats are not overwhelming, one has to remember that he's been pitching in Las Vegas (notorious hitter's haven) and he has been frustrated by the Mets keeping him in the minors to protect his arbitration clock - he is convinced he has long been ready for the big time.  I certainly hope he can channel that bravado into some good pitching so I can have two reasons every five days to watch this awful team. 

Today is the Day.

It's Opening Day!


Turn off the Hit Parade...
 

put on your Finest...


settle into the Gallery...


be it in the Upper Deck...


or, if you can afford it, the Stadium Club.


Make sure you have your tickets...


or you'll be stuck at home watching it in HD.


Because they put out the bunting...


and the whole World is watching...


both the Stars...


and Hometown Heroes...


hoping to see some Moments & Milestones...


and give a loud Ovation.


Today is the best day of the year...Play Ball!

Metropolitans.

  

        As you may have gathered from the color scheme, borders, name plate, or maybe if you aren't very observant and just know me so well, I am a huge Mets fan.  My family moved into a new home when I was 12 and I was allowed to choose the colors of my new bedroom walls.  My choices: blue with orange borders.  If I were allowed to paint any of the walls of my house now, I doubt my choices would be any different.  There was a time in the 1980's when being a Mets fan carried clout, cachet even.  Alas, these are dark times to be a fan of the Nine from Flushing, but as with any marriage, I will root for them in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part (even if I am incarcerated for murdering Fred Wilpon).  Anyway, when I was going through the "Great Purge" of cards, I could not part with my Metsies, so I decided they would get special dispensation.  I have over 10,000 Mets cards spread over 2 monster boxes, a top loader-laden shoe box and several binders.  I did part with about 3,000 or so doubles, but as in any streamlining process, redundancies must be eliminated. 

      My Mets binders (one of which is featured at the very top of this blog with a brand new mascot courtesy of card blogging's best bronie, dayf from Cardboard Junkie) are some of my most eclectic and meticulously kept.  Choosing 800 or so cards out of 10,000 is not an easy task.  Then, picking a couple pages from all those is even tougher, so this will no doubt be a series on my beloved team.

       I do like to keep pages on current star players.  This page of Johan Santana features some of the many many incarnations of his 2011 Topps card.  I picked up a few from bloggers and then decided to augment that with some from COMC to complete the effect.  Parallels are here to stay, so instead of complaining, I embrace the concept with a tight squeeze:


Keeping with the parallel theme, here are some Topps Gold Mets in all their serial numbered glory:


And some late, great Fleer Gold Medallion:


Want to know why the Mets are so awful?  Because of pages like this:

I follow the Mets closer than my own family and I have never heard of any of those guys.

These are some longwise game-used cards and a Fan of the Game insert that seems to have wandered in from another page.  I can be a slave to my own aesthetics and ruin the whole thing at the same time:


I do like to me some faux-retro vintage,


and actual vintage vintage.


And finally a page that is a reminder that at one time, the Mets actually played in (and won!) World Series.  Heck, we were once the most hated and feared team in the league, rather than the most reviled and pitied. 
  
 Ahhh, the good old days, may they return.