Batter Up, or New York’s Not So Finest

The New York Mets aren’t so much a baseball team as a case study in the hilarious and sad things that can happen to a franchise that is (or was) equally rich, incompetent, and unlucky. The Mets, naturally, fancy themselves on the same level as the New York Yankees, and as such, they’ve spent like the Yankees over the past five years, signing players like Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana to outrageously expensive contracts. Unfortunately for the Mets, nearly all of their big-money signings have gone awry at some point, be it because of age, injury, lack of talent, or all three. And because the Mets aren’t the Yankees and partly because they got fleeced by Bernie Madoff to an estimated tune of $1 billion, they haven’t been able to recover from bad injuries and worse signings, and as such, they’ve finished in fourth place in each of the past two years. A new season represents a chance at redemption for the Mets; for the rest of us, it’s probably going to mean more laughs. The Amazin’s face the Florida Marlins on Saturday at 7 p.m. and could learn something from the frugal Fish. The Marlins kick off their last season at Sun Life Stadium (2269 Dan Marino Blvd., Miami Gardens) with a typically stacked rotation and a bevy of talented yet unproven young bats. If you like a little rap with your baseball, check out Pitbull in concert after Saturday’s game, which starts at 7:10 p.m. Tickets begin at $12. Visit floridamarlins.com.
Fri., April 1, 7:10 p.m., 2011