Beltran to Right; Valentine to Own?
What could have been a season-long controversy and distraction ended quietly in Port St. Lucie on Monday — Carlos Beltran ceded control of center field to his protege, Angel Pagan.
After two weeks of trying, it became clear to Beltran that he just couldn’t make it in center, and that his surgically-repaired knees would be better off in right. He approached Terry Collins in the morning and to make it official.
“In my heart, I still feel like I can play center field, but based on the situation with my knee, it’s better that Pagan be the center fielder,” said Beltran.
For his part, Pagan had mixed feelings about taking his fellow Puerto Rican’s spot.
“He’s a big mentor for me, and I wanted him to be 100 percent and be able to play center field,” Pagan said. “But now that he has given me that opportunity, I’m really grateful to be next to him. I feel really fortunate to be passed this torch to the player I have always looked up to.”
This does not mean all is well with Beltran. He’s still working on strengthening his knees, and isn’t scheduled to play in an exhibition game until next week at the earliest.
*****
This could be the best news Mets fans have heard in a while — Bobby Valentine could end up in the Mets owners box.
ESPNNewYork.com is reporting that Valentine has spoken with financial backers and is considering a bid for the stake of the team the Wilpons are offering.
Valentine kind-of sort-of confirmed the report.
“I’ve talked to a number of people interested in purchasing part of the New York Mets, but I’m not formally with any group that is actively pursuing this venture,” Valentine said.
Even though he would be a minority partner and would not have final say, having Valentine’s voice in the front office can only help the Mets. He is one of the top evaluators of baseball talent you’ll ever find. Let’s hope this comes to pass.
Date: February 28, 2011


Snider hit 40 home runs in five consecutive years — neither Willie nor the Mick did that. In fact, the only other players to do it in more consecutive years were Babe Ruth (seven), and Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez (six), the latter two with a little alleged help from PEDs.
One of the biggest question marks for the Mets entering the 2011 season is the rotation. It looks pretty weak now, but if everything goes right it could end up to be a major strength.
The Wilpons’ insistence that they didn’t know Bernie Madoff was running a Ponzie scheme is getting support from the man himself. In a prison interview with The New York Times, Madoff said his old friends Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz had no idea Madoff’s dealings were a scam.
Then the Queens native spoke in the third person, indicating he’s gearing up for an entrance to the world of sports where everyone talks in the third person.
“We talked about where did he feel he could help us most,” Collins said. “He’s raring to go. He said he feels great and is determined to put the last couple of years away. He said, ‘I want a chance to make this club as a starting pitcher.’ I said, ‘You’ll get that opportunity. If it’s not working we’ll talk about it as we get into camp and we can always make the switch.’”
People seem to forget that the following four seasons were injury free, missing just 15 games over that span. 2009 was of course a lost year. Last season he missed the first week with that thyroid problem, but then he was relatively healthy the rest of the year, missing some time with various injuries that are not uncommon to a baseball player over the course of a grueling season. He ended up playing 133 games — fewer than everyone would have liked, yes, but certainly enough that it should have to dispelled the feeling that he is constantly on the mend.
Jews have a certain obsession with finding out if other people are Jewish. I once read a good explanation as to why this is so: unlike other minority groups (like blacks or Asians, for example), you can’t tell if someone is Jewish just by looking at them. Hence asking the question: I wonder if he or she is Jewish? As a baseball fan and a Jew, I was no doubt thrilled when I received as a Christmas gift (oh, the irony) the book “The Baseball Talmud,” with the tagline ” The Definitive Position-by-Position Ranking of Baseball’s Chosen Players” by Howard Megdal.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman, who usually writes good, insightful stuff, on Wednesday
Always a welcome sign — Mr. Met carrying bags of baseball equipment out of the Mets clubhouse the dead of winter. It can only mean one thing — spring training is near. Indeed it is.
Trustee Irving Picard said Jeff Wilpon, Saul Katz and Fred Wilpon (left) made some $300 million in “fictitious profits” from the Bernie Madoff scandal. The lawsuit unsealed on Friday doesn’t say how much money he wants them to repay, but a