Respect the Elder Statesmen

Another day, another win. Yes, it's early, but winning the first two games of the season sure as hell beats losing the first two games doesn't it? Both games were started by old men, Tom Glavine pitched wonderfully in game 1, and last night, El Duque outpitched Glavine, shutting down the Cardinals.

For all the ink and paper wasted about how the Mets needed to be concerned about how Glavine and El Duque would do, did anyone stop to think that maybe, just maybe, a veteran pitcher (or two in this case) who has had success, might know something the experts don't? It sure doesn't seem that way. Both Glavine and Duque pitched extremely well. In Glavine's case, it is more expected, since he did well last year, so there was little to be concerned about, save for the numbness he experienced last year possibly returning.

For El Duque, the questions were a little more valid. He did not pitch great last year. He had a good season, pitching some wonderful games, but also having a few, shall we say, senior moments. Then of course came the calf injury, causing him to miss the playoffs. And then in the spring, the arthritic neck. So the ammunition was there for the pundits. But El Duque has been fooling batters for quite a few years now, and is now fooling the writers as well.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and say that the two of them are going to win 20 games each based on one start. I do think Glavine will win at least 15 games. Duque will probably win 12, and will more than likely end up on the DL at some point, it is in his history. But for now, we get to enjoy two masters of their craft.

Another older guy needs to join in the fun now, Moises Alou. He was brought in to replace Floyd as David Wright's protection in the lineup. So far, he has not done much. Last night he left 6 men on base. If he keeps doing that, Wright is going to draw a lot of walks. I still like the signing, and Moises did have a couple of hard hit balls last night, so I think he will turn it on, but if not, we may soon hear the chants for Milledge in left as opposed to right.

There were a few good signs last night. Jose got on base and disrupted Kip Wells, leading to a first inning run. Beltran stole a base. The defense was tight again. Aaron Heilman looked sharp against Pujols. And Billy Wagner had a 1-2-3 ninth inning, which was good since I used up my supply of Tums on Sunday and had not replenished, so thanks for that Billy.

One more game tonight against the Cardinals, as John Maine faces Braden Looper. This will be Looper's first start in the majors. Now of course, the Mets histopry with new starters is not that good, but lets hope Looper is the Looper we all know and loathe, and the boys treat him like a rented mule. I would love nothing better than for a Jose walk to lead off, followed by 2 stolen bases. Stick that chant somewhere Braden.

Then onto Atlanta for three games. Let's put a little early distance between us and Larry and the boys shall we?