SPORTS
The Mets play division rivals Atlanta, Miami and Washington
in a 16-game home schedule that includes six weekend
games and two weeknight games against World Baseball
Classic teams from Nicaragua and Venezuela.
READY TO START PLAYING BALL
St. Lucie Mets General Manager Traer Van Allen and his
staff of 12 are more than ready.
“Everything is trending the right way,’’ said Van Allen,
starting his 23rd year with the Mets organization and 10th
as general manager. “We’re eager to get things started here; I
can’t wait to start.
“There seems to be a general buzz and interest in tickets
and I attribute a lot of that to the idea that this is going to be
a normal spring training more so than any of the others,’’ Van
Allen said. “Yes, the team’s good. Yes, there’s a lot of buzz
around the team, which is great, but mostly, it’s people are
just excited to be able to come to spring training again and
see the Mets.’’
Van Allen, a native Southern Californian who grew up a
Los Angeles Angels fan, likes the Mets’ off-season moves.
“That’s where you put your fan cap on and just be excited
for what it can be,’’ Van Allen said. “And that’s the excitement
about spring training, too. I always tell people whatever
team you’re a fan of, you owe it to yourself to go see spring
training and witness it firsthand because of the looseness that
you see from the players.
“Obviously, you can’t get any closer than you can during
spring training; you can’t do that in the regular season, no
matter what city you’re in,’’ Van Allen said. “This is where
you’re gonna be able to see these guys up close. You’re gonna >>
ERIC DESALVO
A grandfather takes his young grandson to his first-ever Mets spring training
game at Clover Park after the 2022 MLB lockout ended.
Port St. Lucie Magazine 9
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