Sunday afternoons were made for baseball.

Sunday nights? Not so much:

"The Mets are good."

Few would disagree. It's a bit of a subjective observation. I wish there was a way to objectively ascertain the quality of a professional sports team.


"Now they play the season to find out how good."

I think Lupica may be on to something here.

They ought to set up a system where different teams play one another, according to a schedule, and then keep track of the wins and losses. They could even split up the teams into leagues and divisions. Then, at the end of the season, the best teams could play each other in the playoffs.


"Do you make lasting judgments about anybody before 10 games have been played? Come on."

Seriously.


"In the process the Mets have reminded us that it was just three years ago, hardly a lifetime even though it feels that way sometimes, when they were seven games better than a wounded Washington team in the National League East."

The beginning of this column feels like a lifetime ago.


"Sunday night, the Mets look for the sweep against the Nationals on ESPN. Matt Harvey gets the ball, and tries to build on the five innings of one-hit, five-strikeout ball he pitched against the Phillies on what looked and surely must have felt to the players like it was the baseball version of that hockey Winter Classic they had not long ago at Citi Field. Now Harvey gets classic Bryce Harper and everybody else around Harper in the Nationals’ batting order. It will be something to see, on a night when the Mets will be the team to watch in town."

This afternoon, the Yankees will be the team to watch in town.

I think the dubious honor of a Sunday Night ESPN game is based more on the NY opponent than the NY team. The Nationals are a bigger draw than the Orioles.


" 'When pitchers pitch well,' Buck Showalter was telling me the other day, 'we all look smart.' "

Another gem.

What's your deal with Orioles manager Buck Showalter, anyway?

Is he, like, your last remaining MLB source?


"Callaway was telling me in February in Port St. Lucie about his formal job interview with Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson and J.P. Ricciardi and John Ricco.

'Going into that interview, my basic thought was this: "If I can get this job, we can win next year," ' the new Mets manager said.

It was good February talk about a regular season that really did begin in March this time and won’t end until a game against the Marlins on Sept. 30 at Citi Field. Callaway knows that the opponent in the East isn’t just going to be the Nationals. Nobody should go to sleep on the Atlanta Braves. They’re good, too. So are the Mets. New York team to watch on Sunday night."

ESPN. April. Sunday Night. I'm sure the worldwide audience will be, what? One billion viewers?