I May Be Wrong, But…

·         Word from camp is that there is now a major change for fans attending either the pitcher/catcher reporting dates, or any part of spring training through March. The gen-pop is now allowed to walk the back fields and watch workouts.

·         Talked to 3B Brian Harrison. Simply put, his luck has been all bad so far as a Met. He finished the 2010 season in Savannah, just down the block from his home in Hilton Head, S.C.  He then came out of the 2011 ST injured and wound up behind Aderlin Rodriguez in the pecking order. Some feel A-Rod is the best pure bat in the system but he plays third base like Betty White. Now, the rumors are Rodriguez will return to Savannah in 2012 which would freeze out Brian again. Brian was optimistic:

“I'm excited to get down to Spring Training and have high expectations and a lot of optimism. My shoulder and legs are feeling great. I'm looking forward to showcasing my hard work during the offseason, including my speed that has not been 100% in a while. My goals are to simply work my tail off during every drill, at bat, and groundball to earn a starting spot on a full season team. I hope to show off some versatility and would love the opportunity to play many different positions. I look forward to continuing to learn the game, both from a general perspective and fundamental standpoint. Another goal is to log some serious reading time in out by the pool! I've got a pretty good book lineup for that month in Port St. Lucie.”

·         What has happened to the art of communication?

I emailed two professional bloggers recently and asked for them to either call me, or give me their phone number so I could call them about something “professional”. Both declined saying they were too busy. What was interesting was the fact they still had time to tweet the same hour to their “fans”.

Have we lost the ability to communicate with each other or is it just me they’re trying to avoid?

·         Kevin S. Anderson asked - I remember a couple of years ago that the Mets signed a Japanese teenager out of Julio Franco's academy but I haven't read anything about him since. I found his name on a quick Google search, Taiki Kawasaki but there is nothing else about him except that he signed. Do you have any information on him? (I remember him mainly because it happened around the same time as the Juan Urbina and Steven Matz signings - I thought 3 young lefthanders was always a good idea.) Thanks.

Mack – I remember him. They had a video about him also. I checked with Jay Horwitz and he said he’s get back to me once he arrived in Florida.

Update:  He did and confirmed that the only Kawasaki with the Mets is an ATF in the grounds crew shed.