With apologies to The Who, I fear we are seeing much of the same we left off with last year. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran will not be in the opening day line-up. Carlos Delgado and his Hall of Fame type numbers are gone from first base and a a journeyman will open there. Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Oliver Perez are healthy but have had lackluster springs. And unlike previous seasons, we’re not sure whom will take the mound in the 8th.

It’s not hopeful.

But let’s hope nonetheless.

Jason Bay will be in the line-up on opening day as will another new leader in Jeff Franceour. David Wright will not be alone in the middle of the line-up. The two players that have vied for the centerfield job in Angel Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr have been pleasant surprises and one could be dealt to bring back pitching. Maybe the catching will be better and make a difference. Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez and Jennry Mejia look like they will be future All-Stars.

The minor league system is not barren afterall and under more effective and positive leadership than was during the Tony Bernazard regime. The Mets are embracing their past. Wally Backman’s back. Tim Teufel is the AA manager. They both look like future managers in Flushing.

But there’s still the start to this season.

If the club gets off to a poor start, the Omar and Jerry watch will begin. If it gets bad, the team will play as if they are waiting for someone or more than one to get fired.

I don’t think that Jeff Wilpon will put everyone through that. He’s made it clear that Minaya no longer has his favor. People are already in place to easily step into both positions. Wilpon won’t get fooled again and will act quickly and decisively.

Reagrding Putz further, a question should be asked at as to whether of not the Mariners were candid with the Mets about Putz’ health. That does not absolve the Mets, however, from doing their own physical exam like they did before signing Pedrom Martinez in 2004. Did they receive his medical records? If they recieved accurate ones, they should have been concerned as it would look much like Janish’s timeline. Putz was apparently hurting enough when he arrived in camp for it to be an issue during his spring training physical exam. Consideration via hindsight does not reflect well on the Mets. But the Mariners were indeed aware of Putz’ history and can be said to have knowingly traded damaged goods.

The rehabilitation for removal of foreign bodies from of the elbow is relatively short, and in hind sight a more prudent decision would have been for an arthroscopy when pain persisted. A noteworthy comparison is that a similarly injured Johan Santana is doing so well right now. I have no way of knowing why that decision was not made.

Dr. David Altcheck took over for Dr. James C. Parkes after the 1991 season. Altchek was a departure from the conservative Parkes in that he appeared to recommend surgery for players much quicker than would have Parkes. Whe Joe McIlvaine returned to the Mets as GM in 1993 he asked Altcheck why there appears to have been so many surguries. The Mets contracted their physician care out to a hospital that payed them a lot of money for a few years before they turned to Altcheck before the 2004 season.

In the cases of Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Putz there seems to be a change in philosophy to opt for surgery. I doubt that that philosophy is driven by Altcheck. Last season the Mets also clearly displayed similar hesitancy in placing these same players on the disabled list. Observers are probably wondering outloud about how long Santana was hurting before it was decided to perform surgery on him.

More telling were his quotes regarding the Mets intensity. Fans will agree with that. Darryl’s characterization of the 86 Mets’ moxie is similar to my own. It’s not so easy though. Frank Cashen referred to it as “fire in the belly” on the day he fired Davey Johnson in 1990.

By that time, a different set of players were around. No Ray Knight. No Roger McDowell. No Lenny Dykstra. No Jesse Orosco. No Mookie Wilson. A far different chemistry existed in the Mets clubhouse. A different formula for success was in place that didn’t work as well. The club didn’t play as well as it had because it wasn’t as good. Cashen unfairly took that to mean that the team wasn’t playing as hard or cared as much. Bobby Ojeda took exception to Cashen’s statement and spoke to both him and Buddy Harrelson who shared similar views.
Harrelson was gone before the end of the next season. Cashen sceeded control to Al Harazin and Jerry Hundsicker a few days later.

Essentially it has little to do with caring or intensity. Chemistry in a positive sense spawns from winning combination of players. To be sure negative influences can cause harm . See Gregg Jefferies, Eddie Murray, and Tony Bernazard.

I’m hopeful that a subtle change can occur in these Mets’ clubhouse. With the departure of a subdued Carlos Delgado, a new hierchy will emerge among everyday players. The example of intensity will come from David Wright, Jeff Francouer and Jason Bay. A healthy Jose Reyes, the lovable foil.

And if the pitchers can get enough outs we just might see some of that “fire in the belly”.

At any rate, my surprise begins with the news that the Mets never made any inquiries about Putz health prior to the trade and that the club trivialized his injury. Significant assets were committed to get Putz and now he is gone without anything resembling compensation.

A Mets statement somewhat contradicts Putz:

We were aware that [Putz] had a bone spur before the trade,” the statement said.

“He had the same condition in 2008 and was able to pitch with it. J.J. underwent an exam during spring training and an additional exam and MRI before he was cleared to play in last year’s WBC [World Baseball Classic]. Unfortunately, the spur did flare up again in May and he missed the rest of the season.”

Putz seems to be overatating his problems with the Mets as the Mets did an MRI on Putz before they let him go the the WBC. Putz said nothoing of this is his interview. To say the Mets mishandled or mistreated him is false. They took a chance on Putz elbow would be a non factor and probably relied on much of what they Mariners were telling them.

Pitchers frequently pitch with spurs or chips present within the elbow’s hinge joint. Unless problems begin – meaning pain – they are allowed to pitch. But when a pitcher begins hurting, it’s shut down time. As in Putz case and from the timeline that Janish provided, it appears that the bone spur that Putz developed is something we see quite frequently. To make a comparison, the development is similar to that of heal spurs after years of plantar fasciitis on the bottom of a foot. We often inject painful heal spurs with some success.

Unlike a shoulder where a bursa sack can be injected, the elbow does not provide such an effective target for costisone. Putz received and injection last year in May last year likely intended to decrease the spur.

The easiest path has been to jump in another public Mets beat down and I would have if the medical staff hadn’t done an MRI prior to Putz going off to the WBC. A larger issue that provides much more interesting dynamics comes up when one notes the large number of Mets whom participated in the WBC suffered season ending injuries last season. The list include Putz, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana, and Oliver Perez. All of these injuries can be categorized as being of the over use variety.

The Mets don’t seemed to have publically advanced this theory as it could cause them considerable political problems within the industry. Having said this, it will intersting to see how the Mets handle the issue in the run up to the next one in 2013.

I kind of liked having Brian Stokes around as he seemed to be a bit of a staff saver, but they Mets needed to do something about center field and they got a veteran in Matthews. In the event Beltran returns successfully, Matthews provides some fair depth.

I think that Pagan is a better player right now and that Matthews seems to have alreay had his best years. But certainty in CF defense at Citi Field is important. Hence the understandable trade.

Give Omar Minaya credit for taking care of a need quickly. I just hope that they were multi-tasking and looking to get a starter at the same time.

What now?

Jon Garland, an excellent option for Citi Field, seems to want to pitch on the west coast. That leaves Ben Sheets and John Smoltz, both with significant health issues. It was clear that the Mets were offering competitive salaries to both, but weren’t willing to go the extra mile to get either. Unless they can somehow get Garland, they should gamble on Sheets. The Mets only appear to have interest in Smoltz as a reliever, but the future Hall of Famer may be looking to start. He left Boston last year because they wanted to use him in the bullpen after he failed as a starter.

Word this morning is that the Mets will be making a hard push for Ben Sheets. In the event they sign Sheets, it could tun out that that they backed into the best guy. Potentially lightning in a bottle, Sheets has the the ability to emerge as a co-number one with Johan Santana.

Its the kind of move that make the Mets a contender. A healthy Sheets could turn around the energy lost from Carlos Beltran’s absence.

“What took so long?”

With the 2009 season clearly lost, why wasn’t Beltran just shut down completely? If the criticism of the Mets that they allow players to dictate their own care too frequently is accurate, then they erred in not choosing the consevative option. I have a hard time believing that much of what Dr. Steadman found inside of Beltran’s knee was not already there last summer.

Second question:

“Why did the Mets continue to call Beltran’s injury a bone bruise?”

I’m not in the loop, but as an informed observer my first thought was to ask, “what’s that?” I’ve never heard that description for a knee injury. Some communications then began that indicated Beltran had a microfracture. This made more sense, as the use of this diagnosis makes it easier to justify Beltran’s long term absense and a hesitancy to do surgery. The technique that Dr. Steadman fathered to deal with microfracture is still an unknown as we just haven’t had enough case studies for certainty. But word is that Steadman did not perform surgery for microfracture. So what gives?

Third question:

Why did the Mets seem to be upset with Beltran when he opted for surgery?

Even if they had reason to, they should have kept their mouth shut. Whatever it is with Beltan’s knee, I cannot blame him for growing weary of it hurting. He’s proved his toughness throughout his tenure with the club. Beltran played the entire 2005 season on a painful quad injury and came back last season.

At any rate and whatever injury it is, it’s clear that Beltran needed surgery. And any player has the right to select opinions and doctors. The never was any question that the Mets were not going to pay for the surgery.

With respect to the Mets, I find myself agreeing this morning with Michael Baron:

Why the Mets are acting incredulous is puzzling as player’s can get second opinions, choose physicians and elect to have surgery. There must be something more. Perhaps there is a philosophical difference of opinion between that of Mets’ MD David Altchek and Dr. Richard Steadman who pioneered the technique for this obscure, yet serious microfractures in the knee. Is it that Altchek had little confidence in the surgery? Or, as the article seemed to imply, did Scott Boras played a self serving role?

What was the thinking on the table last year when it was clear the season was lost and that the focus should clearly have been on Beltran’s long term health?

The baseball people are understandably frustrated in that the scheduling of the surgery came at the worst possible time. The Mets reaction seems to imply that the ball club might have been recommending surgery last year, but that Boras won out. And now they are looking at having Beltran being a question mark again for the entire season.

The calm and hope that came from a steady off-season by the Mets has suddenly changed to one of uncertainty.

How many people have expertise about Citi Field? I believe the Mets were spooked by the field last season. Perhaps if Carlos Delgado had remained available and hit two or three more to the bridge beyond the seats in right-center field, Citi would have been tamed a bit and not developed any mystique. The place is bigger than some parks, but it’s a fair park. Sluggers hit home runs in fair parks.

Ralph Kiner, who knows a thing or two about home run-hitting and pitcher-friendly parks — Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, where he played, was so big that the batting cage was left on the field in left-center — doesn’t consider Citi’s size insurmountable. I’m sure Adam Dunn and Mark Reynolds don’t either. Reynolds might hit it out of the place if he plays one more series there.

If Luis Castillo can reach the second deck, David Wright can hit 12 home runs there. I wouldn’t been stunned if Wright, Bay, Carlos Beltran and Jeff Francoeur combine for 50-55 at home.

Like all the injuries, David Wright’s power drop-off was an aberration. Beltran and Jose Reyes have got to be ok, though, for the offense to be ok.

This is the hand that the Mets are forced to play. The ambiguity of the season-long injuries to Beltran and Reyes leave a big uncertainty in the future of the Mets. There just wasn’t any way around it in the ability of the Mets to plan over either the shot term or the long haul.

If Minaya is able to bring in more talent that improves the club, the big questions next month will be about the health of Beltran and Reyes. It is with these two – and not in the uncertainty of the rotation – does the season success depend on. The Mets just won’t be able to win without Beltran and Reyes in the line-up everyday.

Now on to Reyes, but first an admission. I have no inside knowledge and have spoken with no person in the know. I will be making my comments based on published feedback and a simple time table.

Reyes was disabled on May 21, so by a realistic estimate Reyes has been out 8 weeks. For a hamstring injury of significance – like Reyes’ – this is not out of the ordinary. Keith Hernandez missed the same in 1988 for the same injury. After the first game back, he said he was sore. We naturally gave him the next day off.

Rehabilitaion and reconditioning techniques today are more eloborate today while having a better pool of knowledge. I’m sure Reyes’ hamstring has been MRI’d which gives the medical staff a visual of the area we would not have had available years ago. Importantly after 20 years of looking at these, we are far better at reading them. Essentially, they’ve got very good “looks” at it.

But a “look” is far different than what the patient tells you. Reyes tells the staff that he experiences tightness and that the tightness usually occurs after a few days of rehab. As running the bases for Reyes is the most important thing – different than it was for Hernandez – naturally he’s hesitant. So is the staff, as an aggravation now might doom his season.

Still, I’m confident that staff has already put through some tests which involved extreme “eccentric loading”. This is a lengthening of the muscle after shortening. In Reyes’ case its likely to have been a variety of jumping and landing drills. If the staff is attempting to get him to run the bases, Reyes has probably passed these eccentric loading tests.

To sum it up, he’s close. The next step will be for Reyes to run the bases successfully. His starts – both out of the box and on tha bases are the benchmarks that Reyes himself is gauging.

If I were involved with Reyes’ rehab, I would tell him what I would expect to see. And that is, he will find that he is able to do what he wants on the bases, albeit not at the level he desires right now. It may feel a little tight at times, but that’s to be expected as your muscles aren’t at the 110 % you want them to be. The tightness means you are working the area that needs to be worked. You will be sore tomorrow. And it will be something we expected.

I’m certain that the Mets’ staff is operating similarly.