CINCINNATI — Except for leaving 12 runners on, the Mets probably couldn’t imagine a better way to start 2009 than yesterday’s bullpen-fueled, 2-1 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Colleague Mike Vaccaro writes that the revamped bullpen is a breath of fresh air for Mets fans after last year’s relief debacle.

In the notebook, Daniel Murphy certainly got off on the right foot with a homer, both Met RBIs and a Frank Thomas comparison from Jerry Manuel.