As the calendar draws nearer to April, that can only mean two things to sports fans: the NCAA championship game and the beginning of the MLB season, the latter of which will start in less than two weeks.

Before the season gets underway, 30 teams share the same record and the same wishful thinking, with the goal of winning the World Series. About a quarter of those teams will get a chance to accomplish that goal, as eight of them will make the playoffs.

For the Philadelphia Phillies, the new season means trying to repeat as champions, while for the New York Yankees, it means trying to rebound from last year’s missing of the playoffs. Even the Tampa Bay Rays are ready to prove that last season’s World Series appearance was no fluke. But for another team, this season is the chance to show that what happened is in the past and it is time to move on, and that team is none other than the New York Mets.

For Mets fans, it means the optimism that comes with a new season in hopes of forgetting the past two September collapses. After the great run they had in 2006, the following year the Mets hoped to build off of and possibly win the World Series. Instead, they completed the biggest collapse in history by blowing a seven-game lead with 17 left to play. There was more hope for the 2008 season, but they blew that, too, by giving up a 3 1/2 game lead with 17 to play.

The Mets’ greatest weakness the past two years has been the bullpen, and that can be attributed to why they crumpled down the stretch. They blew an astounding 29 saves last season, which is terrible considering that if they could have won just one or two of those games, they could have made it to the playoffs.

Now it is almost the start of the 2009 season and Mets fans have the right to be confident, unlike in years past. This is due to the additions of set up man J.J. Putz and closer Francisco Rodriguez. Everyone knows that quality pitching is what wins games, and having one of the game’s best in Rodriguez is only going to help the cause. I think all Mets fans rejoiced when Aaron Heilman was traded and when Billy Wagner went on the shelf because it opened the door for the team to acquire better players at those positions, which it did.

Aside from the bullpen, the starting pitching looks solid, with one of the best — if not the best — starting pitchers in baseball, Johan Santana, who when coupled with Maine, Pelfrey and Perez can really stifle the opposition. In addition, the Mets have speedster Jose Reyes, who is the spark plug to their offense, and David Wright, who continues to shine with his outstanding play. Adding Carlos Beltran to the mix rounds out the notable offense and should be cause for concern for other teams, which is why I guarantee the Mets will be a lock for the playoffs this season. It may not be pretty, but they will get it done because they certainly do not want to be in the record books for collapsing three straight years.

As we have heard from President Barack Obama, it is a time of change, and the Mets can be a prime example of that as they enter a new season at a new stadium, hopefully with new results.