OF ALL THE LUCK...

Doesn't it just figure that not a week after I write fondly about Mike Maroth, he's on the mound opposing the Mets?

Maroth makes the start Monday night as the Cardinals come to Shea. All Mike Maroth is to me on Monday is another left-handed starter who the Mets have to rise up and beat.

TUNE IN: A huge weekend for the Mets - tune in to my pre-game show Monday morning at 11am at www.blogtalkradio.com/johnnymets for a full recap and preview of the Cardinals series. Your calls, too, if there are any - call (646) 478-5512 between 11 and 11:15am!

3 LOUSY BUCKS

From the famed "Parents are cleaning out the house" collection...

I've been going through my old baseball cards, in an attempt to consolidate the different loads my mom keeps sending me, and narrow them down to one box. Interspersed through this posting I will put images of some of the gem cards I found - none of which looks to be worth more than three dollars right now...and I think that's if they are near mint - I doubt mine are.

I like thinking back to the fact that when I got this card, I had no idea who Chipper Jones was... and never would have guessed how much I would have disliked him.

I was never a huge baseball card collector, but I always enjoyed picking up a pack or two on my walk home from school. I never traded cards (I had a hard time even then settling on fair trades...a bugaboo that followed me into my fantasy team ownership years), so I always had a lot of doubles, sometimes triples and quadruples. I loved the checklists, because it gave me something to fill out - I always liked keeping track of things.

I didn't think about how much these cards might be worth down the road, but I had friends who did, and so I took a little extra care with my cards. So now, they're in decent shape...some have even been kept in plastic...but none are in "mint" condition.

This is a rookie card of Frank Thomas, but I think I have another one somewhere. And I think that one is worth a lot more, because there was some kind of error on it. I think there's a misprint on his jersey or something. I don't remember exactly, but I felt like it was worth keeping in a safe place back then...lots of good that does me now.

I used to like breaking out my cards during games. I don't know if I would have admitted this then, but I think it's OK to say now. I liked taking out my Mets cards, and if the Mets were playing the Cardinals, I'd take out whatever Cardinals I had. Then when the Mets were in the field, I'd put those cards out there, and whichever Cardinal was up. Then, when the Cardinals were in the field, I'd switch it up. I was a lonely kid. Another thing I liked was reuniting Mets teams from the past. For instance, with one set, I had Roger McDowell and Lenny Dykstra as Phillies - I'd gather them together, maybe with my Jesse Orosco Dodgers card, and Ray Knight Orioles card, and recreate the 1986 Mets with as many players as I could.

Two who would eventually wear pinstripes - one who wore them his entire career.

All of these memories came flooding back to me as I was sorting through the cards. Did you have a favorite baseball card? I remembered which card was my all-time favorite, and I found that I had a few of them - the 1988 Topps Gary Carter. I'm not sure what about it is my favorite - maybe it's because it was like having a mini version of the big poster in my room that was the same picture. Regardless, I love it. Here it is:
Well, I hope I didn't bore you with my trip down memory lane. There was just the rush of memories as I was sorting that I had to write about it. I'll leave you with a couple of other shots of some of my cards (my Glavine card doesn't have the autograph)...Justin from NYC should pay close attention to the one all the way on the right - it could be his fantasy team's avatar:

RADIO SHOW: I'm going to shoot for an 11-11:15 regular time, since that seems to be when The Baby takes her nap. Friday I may not be able to do one, but I'll be on the air Thursday at 11. Some people have reported problems with listening live - do your best to tune in if you can, and call with comments, or to talk Mets. You can find the broadcasts/number to call at www.blogtalkradio.com/johnnymets Thanks for your support!

TIME FOR A CHANGE...

And actually, we're going back more to the way things used to be. It used to be that this was a page solely for opinion, not game recaps, because I always felt you could get recaps in the papers or elsewhere online. This was the place you came to when you wanted to know how I felt about something that happened in a game, or just to get my overall feel for the state of the Mets.

Lately, due in part to my obsessiveness about keeping track of things, this site has become more of a daily log of Mets events - no different than, say, mets.com or some such thing. As I mentioned the other day, it was sort of an effort to have a historical log of the Mets' championship season. Well, partly because I'm finding it more and more difficult to stay up late and write after games, and partly because of my new radio venture, we're back to making this a stop for opinions only - and some game comments. Depends on the game.

The site will also feature more broad baseball-related things - if there is a huge story or something I come across, say, as my parents empty their house that merits writing about, that will be the topic.

Therefore, here are a few (anticipated) Frequently Asked Questions about the changes:

Q: Johnnymets, what new radio venture are you referring to?

A: Check out www.blogtalkradio.com/johnnymets to hear Tuesday's pre-game show. Hopefully it will be updated daily before each Mets game, and feature a preview of that day's game, a recap of the game the night before, and a look at the rest of the majors. It can also feature your phone calls, e-mails, or instant messages. Keep an eye both on this site and the above link to see when the live broadcasts are...but you can also listen to the pre-recorded ones after the fact.

Q: What about site favorites such as "Player of the Game" and "Beat the Streak"?

A: Occasionally these old reliables will pop up on the blog, but "Player of the Game", as of Wednesday, June 20th, will officially move to the radio show. My "Beat the Streak" picks will be kept to myself until I get to 20 or something games, and then I'll shout them to the world in some format.

Q: If I really want to send you an e-mail to tell you how I feel about something, will it be printed on the blog or read on the radio show?

A: That's really up to you....and if you don't make the decision, I will. You can tell me in your e-mail whether it's intended for the blog or the radio show, and I'll accomodate the request to the best of my ability. You can always comment on the blog, and that will stay on the blog. If you don't specify blog or radio show in your e-mail, I will use my discretion and see which medium it is most appropriate for.

A change/adjustment like this is sure to bring up questions in your mind...some right away, some after a day or two. Please, let me know if there's anything I can do for you to help make this transition easier. Until then, enjoy the blog and enjoy the radio show, and thanks for your continued support.

NEW FEATURE!

I just finished my first radio show - the show, for now, will be a pre-game show, and hopefully it will appear daily. I'd love to take calls during the 15-minutes or so that I'm on the air. Check out www.blogtalkradio.com/johnnymets for show times, and to listen to the first pre-game show of the season.

If the show takes off, there may be some format changes to the blog, where the blog becomes less of a daily recap, and more of a running commentary on the Mets or related topics.