James over at Hot Foot points out that former Mets infielder Edgardo Alfonzo has joined the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.

According to the Ducks website, Alfonzo's rights were acquired from the Bridgeport Bluefish in exhange for the rights to infielder Bucky Jacobsen and pitcher Pat Mahomes.

I remember Carlos Baerga and others have attempted to resurrect their MLB careers with the Ducks with little success.  Perhaps Fonzie's stab at it will be more fruitful.

In an article for the Journal News, John Delcos notes that David Wright is worried about his friend, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady, and plans to give him a call.

Nady has been ill with an intestinal inflammation that put him in the hospital for two days last week and reportedly will be tested for Crohn's disease.

Delcos also discusses Mike Pelfrey's lack of concern over his recent control issues and notes that the best-case scenario for Orlando Hernandez is that he'll get back on the mound by end of the week.

This year, the Mets decided to go with a ticket lottery for Opening Day and Yankees home game tickets, forcing fans and the seedy ticket brokers to register for a chance to buy tickets for those games. In years past, when tickets went on sale, fans could flood the phone lines, or more admirably wait on line at Shea Stadium to purchase tickets.

I have waited at Shea, and not only is there a fun sense of camaraderie, (damn cold though as the red nose in my pic with Ron Darling illustrates) but you know that you're there with real fans who are getting tickets fair and square.  Now, anyone sitting at home in their PJs with 15 different e-mail aliases registered for this new lottery has a better chance than the fan on the street. Even when fans could call up, the fan who "worked" hardest to get tickets, usually would.

True, I am disgruntled because I did not "win the lottery" but even if I had, knowing that so many people didn't would make me still hate this new system.  People like myself who were planning on getting Opening Day tickets, perhaps even as a post-holiday gift from someone, feel "grinched" unless I want to buy them for way too much money on some website.  I still got a sweet video ipod for Christmas, but experiences like Opening Day which have recently become a tradition will be no more.

Not only are lotteries unfair, but they dangle the chance of winning over your head only to yank it away at the last minute leaving you feeling like you're absent of something you never actually had. They prey on your faith and create unhealthy competition. Who knows if the way they pick winners is even random?! This new Mets policy reminds me of the short story/Twilight Zone episode where there is a lottery to determine who will be sacrificed in order to save the world.  Well no one dies in this scenario, but I was still left with a feeling of loss. I was angry over something I never even owned. Should I let it go?

It's hard to when I shelled out $800 for two Sunday game plans, I buy the merch and the concessions, and I even have a blog that supports the team.  I feel we were all treated unfairly, even the winners. Everyone should have an equal shot at purchasing tickets for the games they want to see, especially when they cost so damn much to begin with.