Nine-Lives Ollie?

It's become a Mets ritual: spring training starts, optimism is high, then it dies the minute Oliver Perez gets one toe on the mound.

For what seems like the 1000th time, the world's most unlikely $12 million man was responsible for a pitching performance that would make '62 "ace" Roger Craig look like Christy Mathewson. Minaya's Folly gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning, 2 of them on a Carlos Lee double, allowed 4 hits in total, and walked 2 more in 3 innings of work, giving the Houston Astros a 5-4 victory over the Amazin's.

Inexplicably, Perez still thinks he'll have no trouble picking up a spot in the rotation come April. "I don't have to think [about] pressure," he says. This one's half true...don't have to worry about losing when the game's already lost.

Now I'm all for second chances, but this is beyond ridiculous. If this guy gets any more chances people will think he's a cat with nine lives...perhaps that would explain why he's such a lousy pitcher. Feline house pets are not usually known to be good major league ballplayers. Except Johnny Mize. He was the "Big Cat." So was Andres Galarraga. Catfish Hunter was kinda like that but not really - he was a fish. Somehow I think we'd be better off with a fish than with Ollie.

MM