Terry Collins made a few announcements following the Mets 3-2 loss to the Cardinals yesterday—

1. David Wright is OFFICIALLY finally named the captain of the New York Mets. Terry said that it was pretty obvious once Wright dedicated himself to the team this offseason with his giant contact (making him a Met for life) that it was time to give him the honor. Wright has nobly declined to wear the ‘C’ on his jersey (much to my disappointment). But you could expect nothing less from the less-than-flashy All-Star third basemen. He leads by example and doesn’t need to show it on his uniform. This was a great decision and really shows how much the organization and players respect David’s leadership role on the team. Wright joins a short list of Mets captains following in the footsteps of John Franco, Keith Hernandez, and Gary Carter. He also joins the Yankees’ Derek Jeter and the White Sox’s Paul Konerko on the short list of active MLB captains. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW CAPTAIN! He has some good company! (:: Side Note:: With David’s slight injury, he may not definitely be starting on Opening Day. That’s very upsetting considering I’ll be in the stands April 1st cheering them on!)

Here are some comments from yesterday when Captain America became Captain Wright:

“This is probably one of the proudest days of my career so far. I’m honored and very proud to be on that short list of guys that have been considered captain of this franchise. For me, it’s a dream come true, to say the least.”–David Wright

“I don’t think David needs it. I don’t think that fits his personality. He’s not somebody who is a captain in title alone. It’s really about the substance underneath the title.”– Sandy Alderson on Wright not wearing the captain’s ‘C’

“I have been around David long enough to know that he is the perfect guy to be the captain of the Mets,“–Keith Hernandez

“There’s nobody better to choose as a captain…He’s a professional on and off the field.”–Ike Davis

Check out the video of David Wright accepting his Captaincy honor from Mets.com here.

2. And the second announcement coming out of that same press conference declares JON NIESE THE OPENING DAY STARTER! It’s not much of a shocker and even though Sandy Alderson refuses to admit it, Johan Santana will most likely be on the DL to start the season. I’m comfortable with this decision. Niese has shown that he has grown as a pitcher and a professional over the past few years and his performance this spring has been phenomenal! He leads all National League pitchers with an astonishing 0.71 ERA. And with his comments from yesterday’s conference, you can really see he is ready to take on this leadership role. His confidence is extremely reassuring! CONGRATULATIONS TO NIESE! (I won’t hold my breath on when to expect Santana back…)

Check out the video of Niese’s comments following the announcement here.

INJURY REPORT– Shaun Marcum received what he calls a “precautionary” cortisone shot in his shoulder following some tightness and a notice of a drop in velocity during a game against the Marlins. He says it’s nothing new, he knows how to deal with it, and he will be ready for the season. I’m praying that’s true because we can’t afford to damage our already shaky rotation. With Santana likely on the DL, the starting rotation once the season starts will probably be Niese, Marcum, Harvey, Gee, and Jeremy Hefner (who pitched a pretty good game yesterday against the Cards).

ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT UNTIL OPENING DAY!!! WHO’S READY FOR SOME BASEBALL?! LET’S GO METS!

R.A. Dickey is about to appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” following his shutout inning in the All-Star Game last night. (He definitely should have been starting! He earned it! But he represented the Mets well- even in relief) Can you believe it? I doubt Dickey can even believe it! I’m so excited to see him show his corky personality off the  field. Of course everyone is going to love him because EVERYONE LOVES DICKEY!!!

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE!! The National League pounded the American League last night 8-0. So essentially the Mets just gained home field advantage in the World Series? Oh, if only that could happen! (My life’s dream!!)

#REALLY?! – Did you see the players tweeting during the game from the MLB Social Media Room? I thought that was such a great addition to the game. Social media really connects the players to their fans. It was a great idea for the MLB to become a part of that world especially during a game that has such a diverse fan-base. Matt Kemp became the first player to tweet during a game and was followed by others such as Stephen Strasburg and R.A. Dickey.

SOUR NOTE: Dillion Gee is slated to have possible season ending surgery after a blood clot was found in his arm. It is reported that he could resume throwing 6-8 weeks following the surgery, but the Mets don’t want to push him to return. What does this mean for the Mets as the trade deadline approaches? They will probably have to get into the difficult task of finding another starting pitcher. It’s such a setback! The bullpen was a major concern, but now we have more problems! I don’t know what Sandy Alderson is going to do before the trade deadline, but I hope whatever it is can fix the team up enough to keep us in the race for the playoffs.

I really had no desire to blog about that terrible loss Sunday because it just gets me angry. It was my birthday yesterday (my 21st birthday–woohoo!!), so who wants to be upset on their birthday? HAHA There were missed opportunities to score and it looked like they didn’t come to play. On the bright side, Wright made two awesome defensive plays- one of which he made over the railing in foul territory! (*cough* MVP *cough*) Take a look! But everyone has to shake it off and relax this All-Star weekend because once it’s over, it’s back to business and working their butts off to make a real run at the playoffs.

AGAIN?!– Prince Fielder won his second Home Run Derby title last night, winning a title in both leagues!

REALLY?!!– Of course, the Mets get the short end of the stick this year. Statistically, both David Wright and R.A. Dickey should be starting this All-Star Game, but that’s not happening. Tony LaRussa went with Cain to start for the NL instead of Dickey. Even though he’s disappointed, Dickey handled himself with his normal professionalism and said he respected the decision. I, however, am not a pitcher for a MLB team and do not have to be professional in front of the media so I will say what every Mets fan is thinking– WHATTTT THE HECKKKK?! (well, that’s the nice version)  The two players are still very excited about tonight’s game. Check out this video from mets.com of David and R.A. on their ASG experiences. You can’t help but love these guys! I can’t wait for Wright and Dickey to show everyone exactly what they missed out on in the second half of the season.

Don’t forget to tune in to see Wright, Dickey and all the All-Stars in the 2012 All-Star Game tonight at 7:30 EST on FOX.

GET WELL SOON!! Dillon Gee has been hospitalized for a blood clot in his arm. Let’s all send him well wishes and a speedy recovery! Get better soon Gee! Hopefully, we’ll see you back on the mound soon enough.