MySports Today

So much has been said about the New York Mets’ collapses in September in each of the last 2 seasons.  With a bullpen that just blew way too many saves too be reliable each of the last 2 seasons, Mets GM Omar Minaya made it his off-season mission to make sure that did not happen during the 2009 MLB schedule.

How did the moves pay-off in the Mets opening day game against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday?  It was a one word answer:  perfectly.

Johan Santana – the Mets ace acquired in free agency a little over a year ago – pitched well enough to give the Mets a 2-1 lead into the 6th inning.  Newly acquired Sean Green came into the game with 2-men on and 2 out and his job was to preserve the Mets 1-run lead.  He did just that – getting out of the jam with a soft line drive to left field and then retiring the Reds 1-2-3 in the 7th inning.  Next up – - newly acquired J.J. Putz.  1 walk and 1 strikeout later, the Mets still had the 2-1 lead heading into the 9th inning.  Next up – - Francisco Rodriguez – or K-Rod as he is affectionately known throughout all of baseball.  10 pitches later – 8 of which were strikes – K-Rod had his 1st save as a Met and the Mets were 1-0.

Now I know it is just 1 game, but this is exactly why Minaya signed K-Rod to a 3-year deal and exactly why he traded for Putz and Green.  If today’s game is any indication – 3 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 2 K’s – these guys can pitch.  And as long as they stay healthy, you won’t see these guys collapsing late in the season.  Will it be enough for the Mets to overtake the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies to win the NL East Division Crown?  I guess we won’t officially know that answer until October, but I like my odds with the bullpen Minaya has put together.

With the championship game just hours away tickets for this NCAA brawl are still hot. If you are just looking to get into the game its going to cost you about $325 and good seats are still at $400 to $1,500. This comes as some what of a surprise since the Super Bowl back in February was not that hot of an event.  With the economy going down and people losing jobs many brokers did not think it would turn out to be that big of event. A lot of fans like to hold off until the last minute to get the best deal, but sometimes this gamble can come back to bit you.  We talked to Joe from ticketchest.com and he told us that they have received many calls and emails from people in Detroit looking for cheap tickets. He said, “It looks like there is going to be a lot of people in Detroit not going to the game.” Waiting is a gamble and its unfortunate that people miss out but its a market and it goes up and down with the demand for the event.

Also, what many people don’t realize is that when you wait and try to get tickets right before the event or on the street you could end up with fake tickets. If you don’t use a legitimate source for your tickets it could cost you the money you spent on the tickets and you won’t get in.