Keyboard Quarterbacks

By Mike Casey

At last! This is the year for the Mets. . .

Right?

Mets fans have been waiting since the late 90s for a team with this much good karma and talent to come together. On paper, and in the reckoning of most sports experts, the Mets are favored to end the Braves' 14-year reign of NL East titles. Naturally, many fans are bubbling over with excitement. Inexplicably, many more are approaching the year with apprehension.

Why the reluctance to embrace a team that for all the world seems a legitimate playoff contender? I'll attempt to explain.

First, you must understand that Mets fans are conditioned to losing. We are quasi-proud of our MLB record for most defeats in a season. We traded Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Jeff Kent. We had a potential dynasty fall apart in the mid-80s, a championship-caliber team flub its way to a World Series ouster in 2000, and more recently, a supposedly dominant lineup completely flop in 2002 (remember Mo, Robbie, and Jeromy Burnitz?) It's only natural that we feel the need to offset optimism with an equal or greater dose of negativity. And there is plenty of that to go around.

Think about this:

The Mets have an untradable can't-miss Japanese shortstop who did miss -- and is lost at second base.

We have a $119 million centerfielder who batted .266 last year and had only four times as many home runs (16) as sacrifice bunts (4).

We have a first-base slugger who didn't want to play for us a year ago, and created more unease with his political stance on "God Bless America."

We have a stud pitcher -- maybe the best in baseball -- who hopes he can make it through the season with the help of a special shoe. (Can you hear Forrest Gump? "Magic shoes!")

We have a pair of golden boys in the infield -- David Wright and Jose Reyes. One worries us with his inconsistent fielding. The other makes us cringe every time he slides feet first into second or third.

We're crossing our fingers with Anderson Hernandez. We're praying Tom Glavine has one good year left. We're hoping Jorge Julio isn't the bum Yankees and Orioles fans keep telling us he is. We're hoping Billy Wagner stays healthy. We're hoping Aaron Heilman doesn't ask to be traded (again). We're hoping Leo Mazzone doesn't turn Kris Benson into John Smoltz. And why in the name of Victor Zambrano did we trade Scott Kazmir?

You can see what's going on here. It's part panic, part neurosis, part fear, and part utter foolishness. But that's what it's like to be a Mets fan. To admit the possibility of success is only to guarantee failure. Which is why I will now drop the biggest jinx of all by declaring:

METS FANS, GET EXCITED! THIS TEAM WILL BE GOOD!

Thousands of orange and blue clad pennant-wavers just whacked their foreheads with their palms. I don't blame them. It's true the Mets to have a history of falling short of expectations. It's true there are concerns. But there are just as many reasons to be optimistic:

Pedro Martinez pitched much of last year in pain, and he still managed to finish with a 2.82 ERA and a 15-8 record. Beltran is better than he played last year, and this season he is going to prove it, by stealing bases, scoring runs, and slapping doubles and home runs. Delgado is the ideal replacement for Mike Piazza in the cleanup spot. Jose Reyes will walk more. David Wright will prove he's the best offensive third baseman in baseball not earning $25 million.

Willie Randolph, a full year into his managerial job, will make smarter decisions and continue to be among the best skippers at engineering the multiple personalities in his clubhouse into a unit with a common goal. Omar Minaya will add a solid contributor or two -- and people will finally stop talking about the Mets' bias towards 'Latin' players.

Concerned about the starting rotation depth? Well, remember to take into account the possibility of Aaron Heilman joining the starters in mid-season, or the possibility that Victor Zambrano -- gasp! -- could actually have a decent year. Xavier Nady and Victor Diaz provide pop in right field, and Anderson Hernandez, Brian Bannister, Mike Pelfrey and Lastings Milledge give hope for the future.

Feeling better now? . . . I know, I know.

Take a deep breath.

The Mets haven't won a World Series in 20 years, and they haven't had a team this good in at least that long. This is the year they begin their rise to a lengthy perch alongside the upper-echelon teams in baseball, including the Mighty Yankees.

Please don't hate me later for saying "I told you so."