Cameron can do

[BuckFoston]

It must feel good to be Mike Cameron right now, although it sure didn't look like it after yesterday's game. He was wearing a wrap on his surgically repaired left wrist, plus a larger one on his left thigh.

Nevertheless, the Mets' right fielder has to be feeling better about himself.

As recently as a few weeks ago, as Cameron was rehabbing and Victor Diaz was starring, it looked like Cameron might be unwanted upon his return from the disabled list. Now, as he collects home runs and multihit games on a near-daily basis, new teams join the lengthy list of trade suitors at seemingly the same pace.

The Yankees, Padres, Angels and Astros are all now rumored to be interested, plus the Orioles. Not that this concerns Cameron.

"That's what them dudes in suits do over there," he said.

What Cameron does, at least through his first nine games this season, is hit like a reborn player. He went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and a walk in the Mets' 4-2 loss to the Cardinals at Shea.

Although the defeat dropped the Mets to .500 (19-19), the long-term news for them was good, as Cameron continued to enhance his trade value.

At this point, he's probably be too valuable to move. The Orioles are a natural trade partner, with Sammy Sosa and Luis Matos on the disabled list, but if setup man Jorge Julio is the best they can offer, the Mets can probably do better.

Perhaps the best thing the Mets can do for now is ride this unexpected surge of production. Cameron is batting .452 with three homers and improved the top of the Mets' lineup, from the No. 2 spot.

Coming back from the wrist injury, he says, has changed both his hitting approach and his general mental outlook. He has always been durable, having played at least 140 games every season since 1998, but at 32 he isn't indestructible.

"I've always been a guy who just goes and goes until I can't go anymore," said Cameron, who wound up missing the first month of the season after initially holding out hope for Opening Day. He also has had to adjust to his new position in right field.

"The best thing for me," he said, "was I couldn't go any more."

At the plate, he also said he is trying to be less of a free swinger.

"My injury kind of took away from that and put a mental passage in my mind saying that, 'Don't take any crazy swing,'" said Cameron, who has averaged one strikeout per 3.6 at-bats over his career. (He has seven in 31 at-bats this season.) "Just try to focus in on hitting balls in the zone."

So far, the voice in Cameron's head seems to be telling him the right thing.

"I've taken it in stride," he said when asked whether he feels vindicated. "When you've been playing for so long, you kind of learn the ups and downs. You go through tough times and you go through some good times." http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...p-265224c.html

[BuckFoston]

I would not mind to see Mike as Yankee. With Bernie decreasing. We could send Matsui back to Left and Womack back to second and then send Cano back down or keep him as a back up to Tony.

[joek]

Cameron sucks, and he ain't coming to the YANKEES.

[yhova]

I would not mind to see Mike as Yankee. With Bernie decreasing. We could send Matsui back to Left and Womack back to second and then send Cano back down or keep him as a back up to Tony.

Cano ain't going nowhere the way he's swinging the bat

[Veovis]

I'm not sure we have prospects we want to use to get Cameron. Who do we send? Wang? Too valuable. Duncan? No way. I just don't see what we have in our system that we would want to use to get Cameron, who can plummet into the crapper at any moment.

[love_that_reefer]

The Yanks have nothing the Mets need. Tons of other teams are looking at Cameron.

[joek]

How about some WS rings.

[RLA68]

I am not sure I would tinker with the lineup we have. I certainly would not give up any more of our youngsters for a possible "lemon".

We are fine. If he is there this winter, I would take a look.

[love_that_reefer]

That was really not clever Joek.

[joek]

For you to respond, it was clever enough. More importantly, it was accurate.

[love_that_reefer]

Actually it was inaccurate to the discussion

[Hammer]

I'm with joe... Cameron is clearly not a WIN METHOD player.

[joek]

You got it Hammer.

[General]

The arrogance of the Yankee fans continue: "Cameron can do" No offence to anybody, but saying that the second best defensive CF in baseball with a pretty hot bat "can do" is just beyond me.

[Hammer]

Aren't you a Yankee fan? Or are you a Brave fan today?