The Mets were roundly mocked on the back pages of all three city tabloids today for the team’s decision to start Bartolo Colon in the season opener at Washington in two weeks.

“Same Old Mets” was the headline in the Daily News.

The Post’s main headline simply said “Buzzkill.”

And Newsday: “Old Timer’s Day.”

Colon is 41 years old and has struggled this spring. He ate 202.1 innings last season going 15-13 with 151 strikeouts. Mets manager Terry Collins said the decision to go with Colon in the opener was based purely on merit. “You earn that spot from what you did the previous year,” said Collins.

The speculation from Met camp for weeks however has made clear the organization wants to shield undisputed ace Matt Harvey from emotionally-charged contests at the season’s outset so he could better ease into his return from Tommy John surgery. Cold weather avoidance also likely played a role. By positioning Harvey’s first start in the team’s third game, he’ll have a better chance of throwing in temps that are more friendly to an arm so critical to the franchise‘s long term viability. The game time in DC for that April 9 contest is 1 PM.

If merit was indeed the main criteria, Jacob deGrom probably deserves to pitch the season opener but he’ll go in game two to line things up for the special opportunity to pitch the home opener on April 13. If things go as planned, Harvey would pitch the next game at home, which is a night game. That’s where the rub comes in.

The jaded segment of Mets Nation thinks Fred and Jeff want it lined up that way so Harvey’s home start on the second game of that first homestand would help fill an otherwise near-empty park. GM Sandy Alderson admits prospective ticket sales can enter into such decisions but he didn’t acknowledge it was an overriding factor in this instance.

I actually like the way this all sets up. I agree with the organization’s handling of Harvey to start the season even though he’s been lights-out dominant in the Grapefruit League. I’d even go a step further and agree with Francesa who says it would not be unreasonable in the first few weeks of the season to scratch Harvey in extreme cold weather. Harvey of course, given his off-the-charts competitive nature, wants to hear none of this, but has thus far gone along to get along.

The cautious handling of Harvey can fade gradually as the season goes along. He’ll demand it at some point but let’s allow the Mets to take the wraps off at a time of their choosing with the understanding we need #33 to make starts when the race heats up this summer.

A couple hockey notes:

-Henrik Lundqvist returned to Blueshirts practice this morning and is nearing a return to game action after seven weeks on the shelf with a scary blood vessel injury in his neck. The backup goalie Cam Talbot has been excellent during the King’s absence (15-3-3 and a 2.12 goals against). You’re hearing some Rangers fans on the radio raising the possibility of a goalie controversy should Hank struggle in what little time he has left to find his game sharpness before the playoffs. Assuming Lundqvist returns this upcoming weekend, he’ll only have about a half-dozen starts before the postseason opens. What happens if he’s not great? Will Ranger fans start moaning and make noise for Talbot? I would hope not. The King is the clear-cut number one goalie on the Rangers and I think you live and die with him even if he’s a little slow to shake the rust. Goalie controversies are easy to shut down. If you’re the coach, you make it known loud and clear that Lundqvist is your guy and you’re gonna ride him all the way to the Cup. If things go really bad, you can change your mind at some point but until that happens, Alain Vigneault must be very assertive in saying Hank is the goalie and there is no debate about that.

-During last night’s radio broadcast of Devils/Kings, Sherry Ross did a great between-periods interview with hockey lifer Glenn Merkosky who currently works as a scout for the Detroit Red Wings. Among the many tidbits of interesting information to emerge related to Merkosky’s mostly minor-league career and current duties with the Wings was an explanation of the process leading up to Detroit’s deadline-day acquisition of Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky. Merkosky described a deliberate scouting examination of Zidlicky that went beyond his on-ice skills. Zidlicky waived no-trade protection in his contract to allow the transaction which has a very unique contingency applied to it. The Wings will ultimately pay more for Zidlicky if they advance to the Cup finals this year. Ross joked with Merkosky that she and the Devils were rooting for the Wings in the playoffs as a result. Should Detroit make the Cup finals, the Devils would get a second-round pick in the 2016 draft. There’s a downward sliding scale of return for lesser advancement by the Detroit.

I had a really special musical experience Saturday night while visiting David Blaine’s The Steakhouse in the heart of Bushwick. DBTS is a residential space for several prominent young musicians who occasionally open their home to visitors of all ages for rock and roll shows. The lineup Saturday night included Bellows (pictured above) who were playing their first gig at the unique venue.

In deference to the somewhat off-the-books nature of the place – and to respect the notion that the future viability of DBTS probably hinges on maintaining a limited shroud of mystery as it relates to the show-going experience – I’ll omit a few details from the recap. Rest assured, it’s an amazing place and I love the spirit and mission of it.

You wouldn’t know there was a loud rock show full of life happening inside when you’re standing outside the building DBTS occupies. It was dark and quiet on the street as I stood there unsure of how to enter. The door was locked from the outside and a panel of doorbells offered no hint about which one corresponded with DBTS. I only learned of the building’s address by doing a little digging on the web. A few write-ups on previous shows indicated you could bring cold ones in so I bought a 25-ounce can of Bud at the lively deli down the street.

A couple minutes passed as I waited for someone to either exit or enter. Nobody did – and I wondered if I was at the right place. Next thing you know, Bellows drummer Felix Walworth came out of the door that was locked. I said hello and told him I was unclear about how to get in. He graciously offered assistance and pressed one of the buttons on the grid of doorbell options. I was buzzed in. It’s a little tricky navigating the path leading to the performance space but I found the main entrance and immediately noticed that LVL UP drummer Greg Rutkin was one of two guys working the door. Admission was five bucks. Rutkin was very warm and welcoming in a way that made you feel like a special guest at a party.

The band Pocket Hercules was playing already. Center of the Room sounded nice and I settled in. There’s a hang-out space one floor above the stage but I spent my time at stage level which includes a functional and clean restroom for visitors. The next band was Normal Person making their live performance debut. Fronted by Bernard Casserly, Normal Person included Rutkin on guitar and LVL UP’s bass player Nick Corbo on drums. Casserly has wonderful stage presence and howled beautifully on the great tune 1,000,000 Times. I had heard that song in advance via Bandcamp and wondered if his vocals were perhaps manipulated via the recording process but they definitely weren’t. Casserly reaches deep from the throat and has a naturally intense voice on that particular song reflecting on difficult life circumstances. I’ll be anxious to see Casserly and these guys again. Casserly’s song Scorched also sounded awesome. The only blemish on the evening came midway during Normal Person’s set when a couple guys standing near me heckled Casserly in terms that seemed to go a bit beyond good-natured ribbing.

Bellows was on after that and they were fantastic. Their usual bass player Henry Crawford is in the middle of a tour with his primary endeavor Small Wonder so Jonnie Baker covered his spot with aplomb. Walworth (on drums) uses the rim to great effect on several Bellows songs which on Saturday night came primarily (if not exclusively if I remember right) from their latest record Blue Breath. Singer/guitar player Oliver Kalb at one point expressed concern about the level of output from his mike which indeed seemed kinda low. Still, it was a memorable performance at a place that deserves major kudos for its very unique and hospitable set-up. Where is a show of this quality, at this price, with this vibe happening if not here? Maybe nowhere. There’s a few places. Shea. Maybe down the street at Silent Barn? I haven’t been to Palisades yet. The Knit hosted an Epoch heavy lineup a few months ago but really there’s a transition happening now what with the closure of the two great places down by the river.

It certainly must be a sacrifice for DBTS’s residents to allow a crowd to walk into its space and leave a mess but the clear return is cultivation (or carving out – in steakhouse terms) of a movement and spirit outside the restricted realm of entertainment venues limited in their flexibility to host such an event. In sum, TSR gives a rating of five steak-knives out of five to DBTS.