Lineup contends for mediocrity: Opening day post, No. 1

They just announced the Mets lineup for opening day, and it is not a pretty one:

1. Alex Cora, SS
2. Luis Castillo, 2B
3. David Wright, 3B
4. Mike Jacobs, 1B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Garry Matthews, CF
7. Jeff Francouer, RF
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Johan Santana, P

I know Cora and Matthews are supposed to be temporary fixes, but the fact that both are in the opening day lineup should dispel any optimism those of us rooting for this might have had. Cora is a career backup and Matthews — his lone good year in the big leagues came under the influence of performance-enhancing drugs. Throw in Jacobs, Barajas and Catillo, and you can see why I think this team will be lucky to compete for third.

Division prediction: Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Mets, National. And that is sad, indeed.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet