Is there a time of year worse for the diehard baseball fan than the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl? The airways will be filled with over analysis and over reporting on the most over hyped game in all of sports. Had the Giants or Jets (yeah, right) made it, I would have some interest but to be honest, I could not care less who wins.

For me, and I’m sure for many of you, the focus remains on baseball, specifically the Mets. So what do we do to occupy what little free time we have on our favorite past time?

Here’s a list of baseball related things to keep an eye on.

The MLB Network – thankfully, we now have a 24 hour baseball channel, for those of us lucky enough to get it. Each weeknight, the MLB Network airs a one hour hot stove show. It’s a great way to keep current on what is happening with player movement. And if you miss the live broadcast at 7:00PM Eastern, you can catch a replay later in the evening or the next morning. Tonight at 9:00PM, the MLB Network will air a brand new show on the Negro Leagues narrated by Dave Winfield.

Mets Hot Stove – SNY will continue to telecast their weekly Mets off season show on Thursday evenings at 7:00PM. The show, hosted by Kevin Burkhart, features many interesting guests and segments. SNY also airs many classic Mets games from the past. You can catch about four to five games a week to get you through when the baseball shakes become to horrible to bear.

Citi Field/Shea Stadium – The website Stadiumpage.com continues to provide many great photos of Citi Field’s construction and Shea Stadium’s destruction. There is also a photographer who goes by the moniker of citi_field on WebShots.com who has provided a ton of slide shows of the Flushing sites. The latest one is posted below.

Caribbean - Live baseball is currently being played in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Puerto Rican winter leagues are currently in their respective post seasons. The champions of these four countries will compete in the Caribbean World Series the first week of February. This year, all games will be televised live on the MLB Network. MLB.com has a site devoted to Caribbean Baseball. There are many major league players competing.

The World Baseball Classic – beings in March. This year, the US looks to rebound after being bounced out in the semi-finals in 2006. And if you think the WBC is a glorified exhibition, guess again. It has been reported by many that players on the US squad are already working out and are taking the series very seriously. MLB Network has a WBC roster special this evening and they will carry many of the Classic’s games. Sixteen countries will be competing. Japan won the first WBC in 2006. David Wright will play third base for the American team and Carlos Beltran will play on the Puerto Rican squad. Johan Santana would like to play for his native Venezuela but his knew recuperation may not allow it. Other Mets are involved in the Classic as well.

And if none of this stuff can hold you over, you only have to wait 24 days till Mets’ pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie.

The latest slide show from Shea Stadium…