I find myself getting a bit too excited about this season. This shouldn’t be happening, considering the medical problems and accompanying confusion is seemingly already at full throttle. While Carlos Beltran recovers from surgery, Jose Reyes has an overactive thyroid — maybe. At least Francisco Rodriguez is out of pink-eye containment. Injuries and medical conditions can be unpredictable, and when complications arise due to negligence, legal support becomes crucial. Trust an Anaheim medical malpractice lawyer to guide you through the complexities of your case, advocating fiercely for your rights and interests.

But the reasons I’m excited are the young players. That’s what gets any baseball fan looking to the future excited (you know, since this season is pretty much a lost cause). Ike Davis is crushing home runs and hitting over .500. Fernando Martinez is tearing the cover off the ball as well. And Jenrry Mejia looks ready to blow away big league hitters right now. Yet I shouldn’t be getting excited for this season due to any of that. One, it’s spring training, and barely over a week into it. Two, I’m pretty sure none of these guys will break camp with the major league team. And the one guy that seems to have the best shot — Mejia — I don’t want to start the season in the Mets’ bullpen. He needs to continue to develop as a starting pitcher, not only because that makes sense in any situation, but particularly because the Mets’ rotation doesn’t look like world-beaters going forward. The Dominican kid has ace potential, as evidenced by the stuff on display here. Please don’t fuck him up. Please don’t.

Meanwhile, David Wright seems capable of hitting home runs again, Johan Santana is not quite back in the pitching groove yet, and Oliver Perez still sucks. That’s all I’ve got at the moment. I just needed to check in.

Anyhow, I figure this is as good a time as any to post what I’m looking forward to this 2009 Mets season (and what I’m not).

I dread seeing:

Luis Castillo – I don’t care that he’s torn it up in the first two spring games — I still find his swing more painful to watch than American Idol. Unfortunately, if he continues on this road, he really might be batting leadoff on Opening Day.

Oliver Perez – This should be obvious to anyone who knows me or has read my blog before. Once he starts to display some semblance of consistency, he implodes spectacularly in a flurry of walks, mixed in with whatever else decides to go wrong.

Carlos Delgado – Halfway through the season, I will want him gone — just like the past two seasons.

Francisco Rodriguez – Oh sure, he broke the pointless save record, but that doesn’t make him anywhere close to the best closer in baseball. I’m just waiting for the first time he blows a couple of games in a week. It’s inevitable, along with New York sports talk becoming insufferable as a result.

I’m eager to watch…

Daniel Murphy – No doubt the guy I most want to watch play this year. I loved his approach at the plate last year an inordinate amount. He’s not going to replicate it (.386 BABIP* lol), but I’d be happy with .290/.375/.475, which is basically what Bill James is projecting him for. Of course, the uncertainty around whether he can really handle a starting role is what makes me so anxious to watch him play.

Johan Santana – The best Mets pitcher since Dwight Gooden. Dude is fucking awesome. Not much more to add to that. I still get chills when I think about that shutout the second-to-last game of the season. And then I get nauseous thinking about the last game.

David Wright – Mancrush.

J.J. Putz – Why am I excited to see Putz instead of K-Rod? Because there aren’t any expectations, and if he’s truly healthy, he’ll better than K-Rod. Mark it.

Jose Reyes – The Most Exciting Player in Baseball(TM). No, really, I keep hoping he’ll manage to keep his OBP high for an entire season. I don’t know when I’ll give that wish up.

Mike Pelfrey – Just a beast of a pitcher, and like Murphy, I’m looking to see if he can keep it up this season. He’s the type of pitcher that can be good for 230 innings a year. I’m giddy just writing that.

Ryan Church – A solid all-around player, other than his sliding ability. Once again, it’s uncertainty that makes me eager to see him in meaningful action. Will first half or second half Church show up? Hopefully, that second concussion didn’t fuck him up permanently.

John Maine – The 2007 version of Maine was the 2008 version of Pelfrey in terms of my appreciation for the two pitchers. I still really like Maine, but he needs to learn how to finish guys off. And not in the happy ending type of way.

Fernando Martinez – Near the bottom only because I’m not sure how much I’ll even see of him this season. Otherwise, he’d be right behind Murphy, considering he’s been touted as the Mets’ future LF for a while now. He needs to go one season without getting hurt first.

Carlos Beltran – Why at the bottom of this list? Because he just makes everything look too easy, and we know what to expect from him. Basically, he’s TOO good. The guy runs down balls in the gap unreachable for normal CF like he’s taking a morning jog.

But most of all…

Citi Field – Already got some tickets, and I cannot wait to check out the new stadium. I also hear the food is going to be goddamn amazing. The name may be a sore spot, but I’m sure once I’m inside I won’t give a shit that I basically paid for some poorly-run company to have its name all over the stadium.

*For the uninformed, BABIP stands for “Batting Average of Balls In Play.” Trust me, .386 is absurdly high and impossible to maintain.

Now that the unprovoked NASCAR bashing is out of the way, it’s time to talk about baseball. Glorious, steroid-laden, over-romanticized baseball. I love baseball as much as anyone, but sanctimonious sportswriters can’t tell me that the game was pure before this whole steroids shitstorm. And that’s about all I’m going to say about that. Check out this Fangraphs post for awesome.

I just want the actual season to start, as I’m already sick of predictions and thoughts about the upcoming season, even ignoring the week long discussion of A-Rod. Even spring training games will suffice, as I will at least be able to see how pitiful the Mets’ collection of 5th starters is, and if Luis Castillo can still walk. I’ll be able to watch Daniel Murphy again, and see if J.J. Putz is as nasty as he once was.

This weekend was just the first step. For the next eight months, baseball will own my life, and it will be awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQmNpBXJOTY

The best part is Keith Hernandez cracking up.