According to the NY Post, Pedro Martinez is trying something crazy during training. He’s pitching occasionally with his eyes shut. He explains:

“It’s to get the feel of your body doing things naturally,” Martinez said. “It helps you mentally. Once you throw with your eyes closed and have no idea where it’s going, it makes it easier to hit the target [when your eyes are open].”

Martinez will be joined this year by Johan Santana, making for a World Series quality team of veteran all-stars. This line-up is expensive, giving them a payroll that may be over 140 million this year. But the great team line-up should prove good for Mets tickets sales which are currently 10 percent above last year.

Expectations are clearly high. With the building of the new stadium, huge salaries on contract, it’s time for the Mets to prove what they’re made of. It’s time for them to have the kind of season that every team is shooting for, but they seem particularly set to achieve.

“We expect to be in the playoffs, and deep into the playoffs,” said Mets CEO, Fred Wilpon. With those kinds of expectations, huge salaries, big ticket sales, this will be a fun season to watch.