Giddy like a school girl, baseball is almost here!

I can smell it now.

The hot dogs rolling on the grill. The pretzels spinning on their racks. The popcorn popping away in the kettle.

All that, mixed with the smell of Flushing, New York and to sound of balls cracking off a wooden bat, and I can almost imagine myself at Shea Stadium.

Baseball is almost here. Right now, it is March 20th, and a mere 11 days stand between us fans and real, meaningful baseball. I don't know about you, but I already catch myself clapping for nice plays in the field, getting pumped up for strikeouts, and screaming at umps for making a close call going the other way.

11 days away from the Mets opening up in Florida against the Marlins, and starting the calendar where wearing my plastic Mets helmet is semi-acceptable. That helmet has taken a beating over the last two season, getting tossed around and pummeled like an old punching bag. Still, it stays uncracked and resilient, usually facing forward while the Mets are batting, and backwards in the field. It's usually like that because sometimes the mojo just isn't working, and I need to switch things up a bit.

Anyway, what I'm really trying to convey here is that real, live, wins and loses count, major league baseball is so very, very close.

I've never been this excited for a Mets season to begin. With all of the offseason acquisitions, how can you not be ready and raring to go for this season? If you still have a dismal outlook on the team, you need to pack up your Mets gear, send it to over to me (seriously, if you want to send me something...anything Mets related...and have it appear on this blog, just e-mail me).

Think about it: The Mets landed the best pitcher in the majors, got one of the best pitchers ever back for a full season, upgraded defensively at catcher, picked up a big bat in right field, have the left side of the infield reaching their primes and settling down into a serious, baseball focus, got 4 new knees between the second baseman and the center fielder, and even could consider the bullpen a strong point!

What more can you want from a team?
A new stadium? Well, wait another year.
Cheaper tickets? Get real.
Easier parking? In your dreams.

How about a World Series ring? Of all years in recent memory, this Mets team is the best talent I can remember, and I've never seen a buzz about the team like this. This year is going to be special, I can feel it already, and we're all ready to go along for the ride.

So maybe, Mets fans. Maybe this is our year.