ENCOURAGING

Word out of Mets camp just gets more and more encouraging, with the Mets' opener one week away. I mentioned that Pedro Martinez* pitched three scoreless innings in his spring debut, and his teammates all say he looked great. Pedro* himself says the toe didn't bother him at all. He said with his new shoe he felt very comfortable, and he didn't even think twice about his toe. He says if it felt like this all season, he could go with no problems at all. Awesome news.

POSADA: The news out of Yankees camp is that Jorge Posada doesn't expect to miss Opening Day, after breaking his nose about a week ago. I forgot to mention this when it happened...and frequent readers know I don't care much for Posada's catching skills. He broke his nose while playing catch with a teammate. He's a catcher, ladies and gentlemen. And I think he's one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball. No one drops more pitches. And, apparently, it's a good thing he usually wears a face mask.

That's all I have for today. I really could have done a lot better with that Posada thing. There are rumors in Port St. Lucie that Victor Diaz is going to make the club - meaning the Mets would carry one less pitcher...meaning Aaron Heilman will most likely be in the bullpen...meaning the Mets wouldn't have to carry as many lefthanders in the pen as they were originally thinking (because Heilman pitches well against lefty batters). Lots of things to discuss when the final roster is decided.