Sports

INSIDE TRADING

Great suggestions about the Mets lineup. I think Willie Randolph should check in here daily, I know Bobby V would. And you got me thinking. The best thing about this for the Mets is that they finally have options to make changes in the lineup – and good arguments can be made for so many of the options.

The vote was just about 50-50 and there were plenty of good arguments made on boths sides. I said yesterday that David Wright should bat second in this lineup instead of fifth, but I also agree with those who think it could be done on occasion and then see how it all shakes out.

Batting Wright third as Santiago6 and Wally suggested is an idea I like too because you have two speedsters in front of the heavy hitters if you put Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran in the first two slots, something’s always about to happen.

After talking to Beltran a lot this spring, I get the sense that this will be his breakout year for the Mets, quite possibly an MVP season and to me, he best fits as a No. 3 hitter. He just seems to be that classic type of hitter.

But I can buy the argument that having Reyes and Beltran on top is an absolute nightmare for opposing pitchers. The bottom line here is that no matter how Randolph decides to go, the Mets are the most intimidating lineup in the National League.

After today’s game, a 6-5 win by the Mets Bomb Squad – the B team — David Newhan, who is going to be the new Chris Woodward/Joe McEwing went as far to say that this is an “AL East’’ lineup. That’s impressive.

Here is what was really interesting about Newhan’s big day today. I’ll let you in on what I saw before the game and how it paid off for Newhan. He singled in the ninth to tie the game, tripled in the first and had three RBI. This is one of the great things about being at spring training and watching everything closely.

Even though this was a reserve squad the Mets sent to Jupiter you had some veteran leadership in the middle of the order in Julio Franco, Ruben Sierra and Sandy Alomar, batting back-to-back-to back. The AARP Squad is here to teach as well.

About an hour before the first pitch, Sierra grabbed Newhan in the Mets dugout, after Newhan had taken some BP swings and was working with him on “loading up’’ his swing – getting his weight back so he could transfer – showing Newhan to do all this at the same time the pitcher was rearing back to throw.

“When the pitcher goes back, you go back,’’ Sierra said. Sierra then demonstrated exactly what he meant. Newhan had heard this before, of course, but Sierra demonstrated it in a way and physically was pulling Newhan through the exercise and you could just see how Newhan understood what the veteran slugger was saying.

It was an interesting teaching moment out of sight of the cameras.

Only the home games are SNY-ed. Newhan then went out and tripled in his first at-bat.

This is how a team becomes a team, everyone helps each other. And that’s what the Mets are doing. Anymore lineup suggestions let me know.

The next question is how does this bullpen shake out now that Joe Smith is making his move? Let me know.