METS SIGN SHEFFIELD

I guess it's time to get away from the previews and become reactionary.

And I'll say up front - I don't love the move the Mets made, signing Gary Sheffield.

I do think Sheffield has something left in the tank. It's funny this happened - yesterday I was all set to write about the team that acquires Sheffield...but did another preview. Here's what I would have written:

A couple of weeks ago the Boston Globe did a small profile on Sheffield, and how he was fired up this year and ready to put last year's disappointing season behind him. I bought in so much that I made him a last-round pick in my fantasy draft. I figured once he hit homer #500 and put that behind him he'd have a good season.

Then, after what I didn't realize was a pretty poor spring, the Tigers released him, and I heard a couple of rumors about where he would end up - mostly Cincinnati or Philadelphia. And that didn't make sense to me - as much as Sheffield was willing to suck it up in Detroit, he said he wanted to be an outfielder, but I think it's pretty clear everywhere that he would be better off as a DH at age 40. So a National League club didn't seem like a good fit, not to mention the damage a Gary Sheffield could do to your clubhouse. So I was partly rooting for him to infect Philly...and I held back from writing what a good missing piece he could be for the Reds (the veteran bat the very young team needed in their lineup) because I thought the negative influence he'd have on the players would offset the positive.

Now he's the Mets' problem. I find it disruptive - they have Daniel Murphy in left, Ryan Church in right, with Fernando Tatis spelling either/or. Sheffield, defensively, would be a step back from any of the three. Sure, I still think there's pop in the bat...but I worry because Sheffield has worn out more than one welcome. And I don't think Jose Reyes needs another person like Sheffield as a teammate - he doesn't seem to handle those guys too well.

I'm willing to give Sheffield a shot and the benefit of the doubt. But I wish I didn't have to.

METS OPEN CITI FIELD: Notwithstanding the fact that I didn't realize the Mets-Red Sox exhibition game tonight started at 6 instead of 7, and NESN has had technical difficulties most of the night which have prevented me from seeing everything....I love Citi Field. It looks really good. I can't wait to go there in a little more than a week! It does look weird to see the Mets in their home whites and not in Shea.

COMMENT ON THE COMMENTS: I thank "Total AL East Homer" for reading and making their comment - but my point isn't that the three teams atop the AL East will be competing for the division and the wild card with their 95 wins - it's that the other two teams in the division will be 20 games back. In the AL Central, I think top to bottom it has a chance to have everyone in contention until the final days of the season. Unlikely, but I think that's the most competitive division in terms of ALL of the teams battling it out.