By Christina Kelly
“Hope springs eternal” is a phrase that truly described the atmosphere yesterday at the New York Mets Spring Training Camp in Port St. Lucie Florida. Hundreds of fans lined the fences with cameras and baseballs, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get up close to their favorite players.
After the collapse of the franchise last season, there was some doubt that the fans would come to Florida to support their National League contenders. The fears of the club seemed to subside as fans came out in record numbers on the first official day of spring training 2008.
At the camp, many fans found reason to hope that maybe the 2008 Mets team would be able to surpass 2007 and bring the team a World Series Championship, or at the very least a playoff spot.
“We’ve been bruised, but that’s the beauty of being a Met fan, you learn to bounce back,” said Donald Quast, 76 originally from Brooklyn New York was enjoying the trip to Port St. Lucie with his children and grandchildren.
One of the main sources of this sense of hope for the fans came in seeing the newest member of the team, Johan Santana. Santana, a two time Cy Young Award winner, is arguably the best left handed pitcher in baseball. As he took the field on that balmy Florida morning, the excitement of the fans was contagious. The fathers pointed out the superstar to their children, the rookie pitchers tried to keep their cool when he walked past, even the front office members of the club seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of him.
“Look, it’s the savior,” Donald Quast said as many other fans nodded in agreement.
While Santana’s quiet confidence attracted many fans to the park, there were still the returning All-Stars that a large number of the crowd looked forward to seeing. Players like third baseman David Wright, shortstop Jose Reyes and veteran pitcher Pedro Martinez ran onto the field with quickness in their step that wasn’t there the year before.
“The way we went out last year just makes us hungrier this year,” said Met’s Third Baseman David Wright while speaking to Sports Anchor for NBC news, Len Berman.
As the team continued their routine workouts from batting practice to fielding ground balls, the feeling of determination and pride in the ballclub radiated from not only the players but also from the fans who despite the relentless sun, seemed to become more energetic as the day wore on.
While the Mets have a lot to prove to the rest of baseball in the upcoming season, their fans seem to have confidence in the team that the team doesn’t yet have in themselves.
As General Manager Omar Minaya walked past a few fans he said, “We expect great things this year.”