This is the seventh in a seven-part Mets Spring Training preview. Last up: Camp begins.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- They poured forth by the hundreds, flowing into the Mets' Tradition Field complex early Friday morning and staying there until the last players ducked back inside. They hung over chain-link fences and yelled out words of encouragement. They clustered for autographs and begged for pictures. They applied sunscreen. They tugged on each other's sleeves, pointing to the "National League Champions" logos painted on various surfaces across the grounds. They reapplied sunscreen.
This was the largest crowd -- over 1,500 faithful -- in the Mets' 29-year history at Port St.