Optimism in Flushing

I have this odd sense of optimism about the Mets next year. Maybe it's because the list of names on the Mitchell Report seemed to be half Yankees. Who knows?

But thinking about how the Mets are shaping up for next year makes think that things aren't as bad as they might seem. Of course the team they have lined up looks too similar to the one that chiked last year, but maybe it's a good thing. Maybe these guys will have that fire within them to right a wrong.

The key is going to be the pitching. Pedro needs to be Pedro. Maine and Perez need to repeat 2007's successes with a little more consistency. El Duque has to stay healthy and Omar needs to get El Duque's brother Livan. When needed Pelfrey and Humber have to fill and and Omar needs to rebuild the bullpen around the key guys like Feliciano, Heilman and Wagner.

There's a lot of "ifs" in this thought but it's possible. We all know these guys can hit and play defense. Delgado needs to earn his paycheck this year and if he does, these guys might surprise you. It's so easy to be really down on the Mets going into next year, but you need to focus on the positives of the team.

I still say the biggest move they should have made this offseason was getting rid of Willie Randolph.