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By the time I pulled into the complex at Clover Park for my sixth and final day of covering Mets Spring Training, the place felt almost civilized. No 6:00 a.m. cattle call. No players stumbling in before sunrise for picture day obligations. The press room didn’t open until 9:45. The clubhouse doors welcomed us at 10. It felt like baseball had hit the snooze button. And honestly, after a week of controlled chaos, it was kind of perfect. The room itself was quiet. Not tense qui

Spring Training has a rhythm to it. The crack of the bat. The thud of a fastball into leather. The hum of golf carts. And apparently… the gentle click of chess pieces. Day 5 began in the clubhouse, and what jumped out immediately had nothing to do with radar guns or exit velocity. It was Sean Manaea holding court with Jonah Tong, teaching him chess as if he were channeling Bobby Fischer rather than former Mets pitcher Jack Fisher. Manaea wasn’t just explaining moves. He was e

By the time the Florida humidity announced itself before breakfast, Clover Park was already humming. Clover Park was already humming. Spring Training coverage Day 4 began early — locker room doors open at 8 a.m. — and if you’ve been around this game long enough you know that’s when the real stories tend to wander in, usually wearing spikes and carrying a cup of bad clubhouse coffee. I made the rounds, hopping from locker to locker — speed dating for reporters, where the goal

There are very few two word phrases in the English language that, when spoken together, instantly bring a smile to your face. I do. Game 7. Spring Training. Opening Day. So yes, I am smiling.( You maybe able to see it in the picture above, but take my word for it) Everything worked out. The 6:45 a.m. flight from Islip to West Palm lifted off on time. Wheels down at 9:45. I was in the rental car by 10:05 and on the back fields by 11:15. Not bad for a February morning that bega

There are certain sites and sounds in spring training that signal baseball is officially alive again, the pop of a fastball in a catcher’s mitt, the sound of a fungo bat, and the unmistakable cadence of a manager standing at a podium explaining, in calm baseball speak, why everything is both encouraging and cautiously monitored. On Friday, Carlos Mendoza stepped into that role, delivering a wide-ranging briefing that touched on pitching health, roster development, defensive p

There are a handful of rites of spring that never change. The sun comes up over the back fields, someone insists this is the best shape of their life, and reporters ask a newly arrived star how it feels to be somewhere new. On Thursday afternoon, that star was Bo Bichette the Mets’ freshly imported infielder with the family pedigree and an All-Star résumé, and now, a new glove destined for third base. And if you were expecting grand pronouncements, chest-thumping or a Power

The Mets' flurry of activity this past week has awakened our two curmudgeons from their winter hibernation and prompted them to weigh in: John Coppinger:  So we were told there was a plan, and that we needed to wait for it to take shape. Well in three days, we have a definite shape with the additions of Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr. and Freddy Peralta.  I guess we can start chronologically with Bichette, and I’ll jump in by saying that I really like this move. Bichette was the

There are two truths in life: The sun rises in the east. Mets fandom much like today's political climate is a house divided, with the dividing line usually running straight through Thanksgiving dinner. I know this because I run KinersKorner.com, a digital family room where Mets fans gather daily to agree on one thing that everyone else is wrong. Which brings us to David Stearns. Let me preface this by saying I have been a believer in David Stearns’ long-term vision for this

If you were looking for subtlety at Citi Field on Monday afternoon, you were very much in the wrong building. This was not a depth signing. This was not a hedge. This was the Mets standing at the podium and telling you exactly who they think they are right now. Bo Bichette is a New York Met, and from the opening remarks to the final breakout session, the message stayed remarkably consistent. This was about winning, work, and a willingness to embrace change in pursuit of somet

The Mets lost Kyle Tucker and then, almost immediately, found Bo Bichette. Which in Queens qualifies as whiplash, progress, and possibly growth. Here’s how fast it happened. One minute the Mets were at the grown-ups table, pushing a truckload of money toward Tucker and saying, “What if we paid you roughly the GDP of a small island nation…per year?” The next minute Tucker was packing for Los Angeles, where the Dodgers continue to collect All-Stars the way kids collect Pokémon