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Mets Spring Training Link-A-Dink

The Star Ledger: Mets: Piazza is ready for the stretch

After feeling searing pain tear through his 34-year-old groin last May, Piazza knew he had to take more aggressive steps to ensure that as his body ages, it does so with more suppleness and elasticity.

Whoa, doggie. Believe it or not, this article is actually about how Piazza has a yoga guru who has helped him with his flexibility and general bodily wellness. Apparently his girlfriend introduced him to this yoga class in L.A. and Mike has invited the instructor to Spring Training to observe him. That's all well and good, but here's where it gets goofy:

In addition to the stretching and breathing exercises, Piazza is also trying to adjust his diet to reduce the amount of cooked animal products he ingests.

[...]

"I'm not doing anything radical," he said, "But I'm trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. Things that are alive breed life. Things that are dead breed death."

What the flurk does that mean? If anyone can enlighten me, please do so, because I'm at a complete loss. Reports are that Piazza is in great shape and is excited about learning a new position, let's just hope he doesn't start flaking out.

New York Post: Piazza's Glove Story

This article is less about Piazza than it is a genuinely upbeat quote-a-thon, as many Mets enjoyed their first full day of Spring Training yesterday, as rain washed out most of practice on Wednesday. The players are excited about their teammates and about the upcoming season.

John Franco on the surprisingly large fan turnout:

"It's always good to see the fans come out, especially [since] the last two years we've been kind of underachievers. And to see them come out here and support us the way they do, it's great."

Todd Zeile on the Mets new double-play duo:

"Watching Matsui and Reyes work up the middle together. That's got a chance to be something special."

Tom Glavine on those two, as well as new centerfielder Mike Cameron:

"You're going to see guys, especially early on in spring training, sitting here watching games with a lot of excitement anticipating something spectacular out of any one of those guys virtually every game."

"We saw a glimpse of it last year with Jose. Virtually every day that he played, he did something really special out there. Both Kaz and Mike Cameron are those type of players defensively as well."

Despite two consecutive last place finishes, it's hard not to get excited about this team. They have a good chance at playing .500 ball this season, which isn't going to make the playoffs but will at least keep people interested. They have a good collection of players that you may actually want to watch play baseball, as opposed to the Mo Vaughn's and Robbie Alomar's who I wouldn't get off the toilet to cheer for.