Why Is This Man Smiling?

I can’t remember a spring training day where the Mets had a split squad day … and both games were on television at the same time. This was an excuse to use the picture in picture on the television. There was a lot to keep track of. The big studs in the lineup were in Jupiter to face the Cardinals. But Dillon Gee and Rafael Montero were back in Port St. Lucie to go against the Astros. It was challenging but it was fun. Jon Niese pitched well against the Cards going four innings and giving up one run on three hits … with six K’s and no walks. David Wright had two hits and Wilmer Flores had a dinger in a 7-2 victory over St. Louis. The news there though is that Daniel Murphy was pulled after a half of an inning because of a tight hamstring, just one day after Dilson Herrera was sent to the minors.

Daniel Murphy told Collins he doesn’t think hammy issue serious, but we’ve heard that before.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) March 19, 2015

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I’m getting word now that Daniel Murphy is on the 15-year disabled list.

Dillon Gee went three and 2/3’s scoreless innings in the other game, while striking out zero and giving up two walks in his newfound path of 2015 starter. (To answer the question, that’s why he’s smiling.) And Rafael Montero looked good for another three and 2/3’s in the Mets’ 3-1 victory over Houston. Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer hit solo HR’s. I’ll be honest. I only made it through about five or six innings of the games because I had to leave the apartment briefly. Then I came back with the intent of catching the rest of the games before getting something to eat. But when I came back the first thing I heard was a hard hitting report from the field about how the Mets filled out their brackets. Then I decided “you know what … time to eat.” So I turned around and walked right back out.

I know its spring training, but isn’t there a better use of a field reporter than that? Kevin Burkhardt had to do that nonsense and now its passed on to the next generation. Field reporting has become a wasteland of birthday announcements and food eating contests anyway. If it starts to happen here I’m going to blow my brains out. Because I honestly could not care less about their brackets, their fantasy football teams, their golf handicaps, or what they dressed up as during rookie hazing day. (The last one is what twitter is for.)

So please … use the field reporter in a manner which field reporters were invented for. Not to tell us that all the Mets are picking Kentucky.