So the Metwork had been very quiet in the offseason months... I took some finals, watched my fantasy football team suck, and eagerly awaited the 2008 season. 

October:  As I may have mentioned before, I stayed away from anything that would show baseball.  Halloween was ruined, as I couldn't dress up as any baseball character without hearing it from someone (although, in retrospect, Jose Canseco could have worked..).  When approached by a Phillies' fan about the Mets collapse, I replied with my favorite clever retort - "Yeah, well here's an interesting fact, the Mets won as many post season games as the Phillies did!"  This was usually met with sympathetic laughter, as it was not nearly as clever as I thought it was.

November:  When we all went around the table saying what we were thankful for, I said that I was thankful that Guillermo Mota would not not be a Met next season.  And that there is no way Jose Reyes could have a worse month than he had in September.  My family was not pleased at my "frivolous" priorities.  I was not pleased with the lack of home-made pumpkin pie.

December:  I asked Santa for Johan Santana and a bicycle.  Instead Andy Petite admitted to using HGH.  Not everything I asked for, but better than the Christmas I got the gift certificate for a make-over.  How are you supposed to take that??

January:  January 29 - You know what happened, I know what happened.  Finally the Mets pulled the trigger.  Santa delivered on his promise.  I really liked Gomez, I did.  I love speed, so he's my type of player.  But the fact that the Mets didn't have to give up F-Mart is beyond amazing.  Also, I skied in West Virginia.  There were mullets, but there were also $3 Miller Lights.  And a girl in front of us for the lift pass named Channel.  Seriously.  Channel.  In West Virginia.

February:  After days of making me sweat and using up all my cell minutes, Santana was signed until 2013.  That's truly all I remember about February - the rest was spent trying to recover from those 72 hours of tense horror.

March:  I went to Thailand and pontificated on the virtues of baseball over rugby to drunk Australians.  I drafted my fantasy team and managed to have no Phillies, Braves, or Yankees on my team.  I tried to forget about 2007.  That first pitch on March 31st nearly did it for me. 

Thank god baseball season is back.