Opinion

As a Mets fan I've been wondering five things throughout the offseason and spring training:

When will they release Oliver Perez? Done.

When will they release Luis Castillo? Done.

Who is going to play second base? To be determined.

What's going to happen with the most dynamic leadoff hitter in the game, Jose Reyes? To be determined.

It seems like an eternity since Major League Baseball finally got around to admitting it had a problem of the performance enhancing variety, but in reality it has barely been a half a decade.

Players once thought to be first-ballot Hall of Famers are struggling to garner more than a pittance of support from sports writers and fans alike as the sport carries on the best it can.

With Opening Day nearly a week away, the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff is still the top topic of preseason predictions. On paper, the Phils should easily pitch their way to the World Series, but so many things can happen over the course of the season that nothing is certain.

Roy Oswalt's frightening experience on the hill on Wednesday proved that seasons can be altered in the swing of a bat.

In one of my previous articles, “New York Mets and the Power of Belief: Will It Work For Sandy Alderson's Team”, I talked about the fact that Alderson and his crew firmly believe that they can make this organization into a winner, despite all of its internal and external issues. You would have to think so, otherwise they would not have taken the job.

Tim Lincecum was the king of aces during the Giants' 2010 postseason run. 

Going head to head with the best aces in the league, he was 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA over 37 innings.

Felix Hernandez in pinstripes is something that a lot of people still see as a possibility, even as early as this season.

A lot has been ballyhooed about the reigning Cy Young's status with the Mariners, his no-trade clause and whether or not the Mariners should consider shipping off their ace for a true king's ransom.

When Cliff Lee decided to re-join the Philadelphia Phillies in mid-December, the first thought racing through the mind of every Phils' fan rotated around a star studded rotation that would help the team get the revenge they declared they would seek following a bitter ending to the National League Championship Series.

When Josh Beckett was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2006, it was assumed he would be an Cy Young candidate and an ace for years to come. He was 25, an absolute hoss, and seemingly the reincarnation of Roger Clemens: a hard-throwing intimidator and strikeout king without fear.

New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis burst onto the scene last year en route to having a successful rookie campaign.

After Daniel Murphy’s injury in spring training 2010, Davis appeared to be the likely successor. However, the Mets opted to use veteran Mike Jacobs at first.

That experiment flopped, which allowed Davis to get his chance.

With one year under his belt, Davis is poised to have a breakout year in 2011. He may not put up Albert Pujols-type numbers, but then again, not many first basemen can.

Over a year ago, the New York Yankees were World Series champions, an honor every team in baseball strives for each year. 

To become the best team in baseball, like the Yankees have been considered many times before, it takes hard work, dedication and composure on the field. All of these characteristics and more were seen by the Yankees in 2009, which resulted in their victory.  

Unfortunately, the Yankees were missing all of those qualities last season, which deprived them of another World Series title.