Well as most of you know, I was traded to the Mets last week. I flew from Denver, where the Braves were playing the Rockies, to New York on Friday night to join my new team for two games before the All Star break. Of course there’s mixed feelings on the whole thing, me being from Atlanta and having a great four years with the Braves, but overall I am very excited. I’ll be playing in front of a packed house, in a brand new stadium, in one the country’s best sports cities. I’ve always loved the passion for professional sports that New York fans have, so this should be a great experience for me.

And rest assured, I’m in safe hands with the Mets… like the Braves, they are also a Delta team! Clearly I’ll be pulling for David Wright now in the Delta Jeter/Wright Batting Challenge.

Personally, I haven’t yet experienced switching from one big league team to another, so it’ll take some getting used to. Adjusting to new teammates, a new home field, a new city, the look of a new uniform (although, I did grow up wearing orange and blue at Parkview High School so I think that should be a comfortable adjustment), etc. But it’s a really exciting time for me, and I’m looking forward to it.

I played two games with the Mets in New York before leaving for the All Star break. I headed down to Florida to take a much needed break from a long baseball season and then dove right back in last Thursday against you-know-who…the Braves…in Atlanta! That was definitely a weird experience: using the visitor’s clubhouse and stepping into the batter’s box for the first time not in a Braves uniform. And not to mention one of my best friends, Brian McCann, was right behind me catching.

Everyone comes back fresh from the All Star break and looking forward to the second half of the season. You’ll see most guys spending time with their families over the break; going to the beach or lake, or just hanging out at home with some rare downtime.

So for the next several months until the end of the season I’ll be making the great city of New York my home away from home. A country boy goes to the big city! Thanks for all the support and I hope you continue to keep up with me and Delta throughout the rest of the season…

I’ll be here, just in a different uniform.

Jeff
New York Mets