On the heels (pun intended) of the Mets acquisition of Johan Santana, a nearly as exciting announcement is the release of Nike “Dunk Low” NY Mets “House of Hoops Exclusive” sneakers.

Hat tip to MetsToday reader archeress for the scoop.

Here’s a shot of the new sneaker:

Also, hat tip to my wife, who points out that you can customize Chuck Taylor sneakers with any colors you like at the Converse website. Choose the “Make Mine Red” link and start customizing a pair of Chucks!

In addition, after you waste away a weekend afternoon customizing your Chuckie T’s, it will actually help someone else — 15% of the net sale goes directly to The Global Fund, which helps fight AIDS/HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Since I’d rather help fight deadly diseases than support a company that bankrolls scumbags such as Michael Vick, you can guess which sneakers I’ll be wearing to Shea next year.

In case you missed it, Johan Santana signed a six-year, $137.5M contract extension with the New York Mets. The contract includes an $18.5M club option that could keep Johan in the orange and blue through 2014.

Santana will take a physical today (Saturday) to officially complete the deal.

Braves catcher Brian McCann responded to the Santana acquisition thusly:

“I just know he’s 29 years old and he’s got two Cy Young Awards. I know he’s elite,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said. “We’ve got guys who are elite, too. You’re going to have to go out and play it out. It’s going to be fun.”

I agree with McCann — it IS going to be fun, and Santana IS elite. Not sure about that middle sentence.