Mar 26 2019 02:46 PM
What is the deal with me?
I mean, I signed with the team back on January 16 for two years and $20 million, I pulled the jersey on (see above) and proclaimed I was all happy and excited to be in the Mets' unlit locker room with the ugly drop tile ceiling:
But I haven't been seen in a Mets shirt since, and in the one shot of me in a hat, I look decidedly UN-happy.
A strained knee, they tell me. Didn't they do a physical on me before the contract was finalized? I'm not sure they did. Maybe they just asked a bunch of civilians to put on white coats, prod me, and ask questions. Maybe it was a special perk for luxury box owners.
I don't want to be one of those putzes who gets hurt his first spring and never catches up, like Swarzak or ... I don't know ... Putz, I think. I have a pretty slender body for a guy definitely on the back nine of his career, so my knee hasn't taken the beating of a lot of other vets, but my age is my age and there's only so much you can do about that. The Mets have some good players to cover for me, but having been in the American League almost my whole career, I was hoping to use Spring Training to get a good look at the Senior Circuit pitching. Having the Nats, Marlins, and Braves in steady rotation, that might have really helped. Now that idea is gone. Faded like the snows of winter.
I'll be out there, and I intend to be ready when I go. Second, third, and short. I'll be like a light-footed Wilmer. If this damn knee cooperates. I'm taking calcium, doing my PT, easing into the quick cuts in my workouts, and soon I'll be ...
What? What will I be? In 2019, it's a mystery, and I need your help.
