Doesn’t it suck how nothing is official until every little detail is taken care of?  As much as I want to say, the Mets OFFICIALLY have Ollie back, we’re not quite there.  Nevertheless, it’s pretty much a done deal that Ollie will remain in blue and orange for another three years.  Now if he’ll only start buttoning up the top of his uniform (always a pet peeve of mine)!  Seriously though, I’m glad to see that we have a full rotation.  I’m really hoping that Ollie will find a little consistency and pitch the way he was pitching against the better teams last year.  If he does that, I’ll be very glad that we’ve kept him.  If he turns in the same inconsistent performance, I’ll be left with that “what if” feeling regarding the other pitchers we could have signed instead.  Still, it’s nice that Mets fans (and I’m sure this applies to the players and coaches too) have a good sense of what the opening day roster might look like.

I realized yesterday, as I walked back to my dorm after a study group hoping to not miss the ever important “first commercial” of the Super Bowl, how little I care about football.  True, I cheer for Notre Dame (and I say this with a hint of embarrassment!) but that doesn’t make me a football fan.  I’ll watch a game, and have an idea of what’s going on, but no serious interest in who wins or the strategy involved.  Baseball, on the other hand, I could watch every day and no matter who is playing, I am captivated by the thought and care that goes into every action of the game…what pitch to throw, where to stand in the outfield, where the relay throw goes….it fascinates me.  Now, I’m not saying that this is a unique aspect of baseball, but baseball is the only sport that interests ME in this manner.  As you can expect, this made last night a very exciting night!  Yeah, whatever, Arizona lost to Pittsburgh (the whole state of Pennsylvania has been screwing me over lately, so I found myself rooting against the Steelers, but not actually upset when they won), but the exciting part came when the clock ticked down to zero: BASEBALL SEASON!  Yeah, games don’t start up for another 63 days (my countdown has officially started), but it’s time for baseball to take the spotlight and Spring Training starts up and the World Baseball Classic begins…all within a month!  Yeah, there are other sports still going on, like hockey and basketball, but aside from March Madness, they don’t really have BIG final tournaments.  I have been suffering baseball withdrawal ever since September 28th, and it’s time that my thirst be quenched and baseball return!  Plus, it’s a great way for me to push through the last half of the semester when I can taste summer vacation.

Quick note on my buddy, Aaron Heilman–how funny he was just saying how excited he was to be in Seattle and two days later, he was traded.  I like this trade for a couple personal reasons: first off, Aaron currently lives in Chicago, so this is probably a great fit for his wife and himself.  Also, Aaron grew up in Indiana, and as I have learned over the past couple years, Hoosiers normally cheer for Chicago teams, so he might have been a Cubs fan growing up.  Also, Aaron is now joining fellow Notre Dame alum Jeff Samardzjia (relief pitcher) and I just think that’s cool!  And now I’ll get to watch his games on TV when I’m at school and unable to watch my Mets (still gotta wait and see how expensive the full season of MLB.tv is…chances are, out of my price range:( ).  And is anyone else a little curious to see Aaron face the Mets?  Because I am.

Think about it baseball fans: 63 days until Opening Day.  And if you’re really eager, 31 days until the World Baseball Classic….we’ve almost made it!