The first official week of spring training wraps up today and there are a few things Mets flying around.

• How about the new headgear the Mets are sporting? I know John Olerud would not approve.

  Paul Lukas, author of the excellent Page 2 column Uni Watch, points out that the Mets are taking the newest trend in major league baseball to some horrific extent.

  The Mets will be wearing two-toned, vented batting helmets in 2006.

  These are bad, make no mistake about it. Of all the things thought sacred in baseball, batting helmets would seem to be one item that could spare a design change, but apparently not.

• Pedro’s new kicks still mean no WBC, for now.

  Pedro finally has his new Nike shoe and it looks sweet. He won’t be pitching in the first round of the World Baseball Classic which is a minor victory for the Mets. The report says that the Mets will not attempt to stop Pedro from pitching for the Dominican Republic, but you know what that really means.

  Bobby K. penned a good article about Pedro and the Mets’ pitching situation. Be sure to read the shining reviews of Pelfrey.

  The Mets have to do everything they can to ensure that Pedro does not pitch in the WBC. It was suggested around here before, that the injury may be the perfect excuse for Pedro to honorably bow out without disrespecting his home country.

• Limagate

  No, this is not about Jose Lima’s wife. Sorry.

  Another hattip to Lukas here: Lima was issued No. 42 by the Mets when camp started, but he has since switched to 99 (R.I.P. Turk). Obviously 42 is retired throughout all of baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson, but current players who were wearing 42 when the number was retired were allowed to keep it. As Lukas explains, the situation is a little more complicated for Lima.

  But unlike Rivera, Lima hasn’t kept wearing No. 42 consistently. He continued wearing it for the rest of his time in Houston, and also when he moved to the Tigers, but not when he was with the Dodgers, and not during his first or second stints with the Royals.

  And that, apparently, cost him his 42er eligibility. Or at least that’s what the Mets were told after inquiring with the MLB office (a ruling that sounds fishy to Uni Watch). So after only one day, Lima had to switch back to No. 99.

  I agree with Lukas here, this does not make much sense. MLB has been experiencing some recent issues with Jackie Robinson’s number, specifically the family of Roberto Clemente requesting that his No. 21 be retired for all of the teams, a la Robinson’s. The Robinson family has not taken too kindly to this request. Maybe MLB just does not want to deal with anything 42 related.

• Please do not pick against the Braves.

  A website that has become daily reading for me, The Dugout, tackled this very subject just the other day.

  Besides being unbelievably funny, The Dugout guys know their stuff and parody some very unlikely aspects of baseball.

  The article that they refer to in the beginning of the chat, written by Jerry Crasnick, generally a very intellectual writer, perpetuates the trend of picking against the Braves that we’ve all come to despise. Crasnick even takes it to a new level.

  But you don’t make this much noise without the accompanying burden of expectations, and the Mets have established themselves as the team to beat in the division, if not the entire National League.

  The Mets have not made the playoffs in five seasons. That should be the goal on everyone’s mind.

• Mark your calendars.

  David Wright Bobblehead day, presented by Gold’s Horseradish, is Sunday, Sept. 10. The first 12,000 kids 12 and under get one.