first off, let me start by saying that i'm a diehaaaahd red sox fan. that means i really hate the yankees and don't really like any team or person hailing from new york. (okay, so i got a couple friends from ny, but i only hang out with them because they have a more annoying accent than me, which in turn makes mine less annoying, even though i know new york and boston accents are both equally annoying). so, this is not a "Go Mets!" post, but more of a "Go Mets...make it to the world series so my team can pay you back for 1986" post.

that being said, the mets have the best team in the national league, so they should get to the world series, right? Wrong! Last year the Mets had the best team in the national league and they didn't even make it to october. i thought for sure last year the mets and sox were gonna face off again.

so, what went wrong with the mets last year? everything. it was a total collapse.

so, what's gonna be different this year? everything. carlos delgado will probably hit behind carlos beltran and david wright, taking some of the pressure off him and putting it on the young guys, who seem to thrive on it. john maine will step it up into the ace that everyone wants him to be.

yup, and they got the ace that everyone wants. johan santana. the best pitcher in the majors. if he starts 36 games, with the best lieup the NL has ever seen, he could win 24 of those games, depending on his bullpen mates.

the best addition to the pen? matt wise was a good pickup and he's a solid pitcher, but the best addition to the bullpen was santana, himself. he goes deep into games even though he gets a lot of swings and misses.

pellfrey and heilman are also one year older and look for them to be a big part of the success, or lack-there-of, of this 2008 new york mets club.