photo: LA Times
Rich Bauer from Port St.Lucie
Bet you didn’t know that as of 2015 the city of Pt. St. Lucie surpassed Ft. Lauderdale in population. The city has approximately 165,000 residents and one of the most visible and popular figures in the community from January through March is Mets manager Terry Collins.
From the staff at the Legacy and PGA golf clubs, to the wait staff at Tutto Fresco’s and to local folks who have crossed paths with Collins, they all say the same “what a great guy” with a big smile. I would second that from a baseball perspective. The Mets skipper has done everything the organization has asked of him and more since arriving in 2011. He is the perfect fit for this team on and off the field.
Watching Brandon Nimmo handle himself around the batting cage with the veterans like Wright and Cespedes, I say this guy has plenty of exciting baseball years ahead of him. You can tell he loves playing the game. Nimmo plays hard, with a passion and, man, is he fast. Don’t be surprised once given a full-time role you see him as a 30 home run, 30 stolen bases guy.
I am hoping that Neil Walker can stay injury free this season as I see him picking up and improving on where he left off last year before his back problems shut him down. He has shown some power early, he is fluid as usual in the field and is putting in extra time every day with his conditioning program.
Mets popularity remains strong as more and more fans pour into town which is great in many respects but let me tell you, if you don’t have dinner reservations plan on waiting up to an hour for a table.
What a big win for Seton Hall men’s hoops this weekend overcoming a 10 point deficit on the road to beat Butler. That win should lock them in to an invite to the big dance. If I didn’t have 3 tee times and 3 ballgames this week I would be at Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament, always a great time!