THE WAY I SEE IT

The Mets did what I wanted them to do - they got back to .500 at 44-44 (actually winning 3 out of 4 from Philly, when I thought they might just split), and they're tied with the Marlins for second place, just a game-and-a-half behind Philadelphia. They're still not playing the best baseball I've ever seen, but they're winning, and they look the best they've looked all season - which isn't saying much for the first half of the year.

Right now, the Mets are 46-44, and there are 5 games left before the All Star break. It seems like they'll go into that break better than .500.

Here's the way I look at the rest of this 2008 season.

When the Mets resume after the All Star break, they'll have 67 games left in the season (not quite the mid-way point). Using the 44-44 point as the re-start for the Mets, what I hope will have been the turning point, here's what needs to happen. I think 90 wins (sadly, it will probably be less), will win the division. That means from 44-44 the Mets need to go 46-28 in their remaining 74 games from Sunday. (They're off to a 2-0 start.)

At the beginning of the year, I would have told you the Mets could go 46-28 with their eyes closed. But obviously, that hasn't been true in practice. Here's why it's possible right now:

1) They have one of the best pitchers in baseball. Lost in this miserable start to the season has been Johan Santana's first season as a Met. There have been adjustments for sure, but he has been very good - the Mets just haven't been supporting him. Overall, Santana is 7-7 with a 2.96 ERA. He has struck out 109 in 121 innings, and walked just 32. The Mets have lost his last six starts. I expect a huge second half, just because they can't keep losing when he's out there.

2) Pedro Martinez* has found his rhythm? I can't say this for sure, but his Monday start in Philadelphia was very encouraging. It was a big game for the Mets, and he came through big. He's still not going more than five or six innings, but if he can keep the Mets in games (and get enough run support, which was probably huge for him), that will be enough. Martinez* is a battler, and wants to go out and be great - that can only be good for the Mets.

3) The offense is playing like it has been expected to. The Mets current four-game winning streak has seen them put up 30 runs (9, 4, 10, 7) and 59 hits (14, 14, 17, 14) - including Tuesday night against one of the best pitchers in baseball, Tim Lincecum - and all of the key players are getting hot - most notably Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. Let's not forget the lesson we've talked about with Carlos Beltran the past couple of years - he's a very good second-half player.

The past couple of years, the best team has not represented the National League in the World Series. It's been the team that has gotten hot at the right time. So maybe it's not important that the Mets got off to such a rocky start. Sure, it cost Willie Randolph his job, and it made a lot of people unhappy, but if all continues to go well, the Mets could become that hot team in October. And in that case, it may just prove what we thought at the beginning of the year - that they've been the best team in the National League all along.

A WEEKEND AWAY: Beginning with Thursday afternoon's game at Shea, I'll be in New York for the weekend. If anything major happens, I'm sure the Southern Bureau or Dave in Brighton will keep us posted in the comments, so you can keep checking back. I'll definitely have something to help you pass the three days (and for some teams, four) of the All Star break, so you'll get a baseball fix.

ALL STAR FINAL VOTE: I've talked about this before - but the Milwaukee Brewers have a surprisingly active fan base. I saw it when we saw the Brewers play the Reds in person in Cincinnati, I saw it when we saw them in person against the Nationals in Washington.

They turned out to vote Ryan Braun into the All Star Game, and Corey Hart is leading David Wright in the Final Vote. This is despite my best efforts - I wish mlb.com would limit how many times you can vote - I just keep doing it, and I don't know when to call it quits. I'm like one of those teenage girls holding up a "David Wright, will you marry me?" sign. But now I'm going away, and I've done all I can do for Wright.

I would like nothing better than for the announcement to come while I'm at Thursday's Mets game that the fans voted in David Wright. (I'm pretty sure I was at a Red Sox game the day they announced Johnny Damon got the final vote - I might have been working for a TV station that day...anyway, two different cities, two final vote announcements. That would be cool.) So please help. Click here to vote 100 times, like me, for David Wright.

ANALYSIS THROUGH FOURTEEN WEEKS

MOST IMPRESSIVE: Brace yourself - I'm about to sing the praises of Jose Reyes. I mentioned this the other day - statistically speaking, he's the most important player on this team. I'll break it down further next week (SNY showed a stat about Reyes' numbers in Mets' wins and in losses, which I'll try to re-create), but for now I'll say this: Reyes got his average up over .300 in Monday night's game. He was hitting around .250 in mid-May. It's no coincidence that the Mets have gotten hot again as he has turned things around.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: New Life. I can't believe that the Mets aren't buried and gone...and I think neither can they. There's a different attitude around the team this weekend, as they're on the verge of taking three out of four from the Phillies - it's like some children's storybook. The Mets lost their confidence at some point in the past couple of years in Philadelphia. Well, the first weekend of July, 2008, they went back to Philadelphia, and lo and behold there it was - the Mets are back!

LEAST IMPRESSIVE: Well, up until today I was going to comment on Pedro Martinez*'s efforts, but he might have turned a corner with Monday's start. Maybe all he needed was some run support. I could have predicted he'd find his stuff tonight, though - because I chose not to start him in fantasy baseball.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: I guess when all is said and done, I really wanted the Mets to have some representation in the All Star Game (read: more than just Billy Wagner). But like I wrote last week - they really didn't deserve it. And Wagner showed on Sunday why his selection is dicey. I find myself, though, voting like crazy for David Wright to make the team - I like to think that at the end of his career he will have a really long string of continuous All Star appearances. (Help him out - click here to vote for David Wright!)

MOST IMPRESSIVE: Just because I happened to catch it live on Sunday, Justin Upton hit a 484-foot bomb at Chase Field against the Padres. It landed in the seating area for the restaurant out behind left field. It deserves mention as "impressive".

BIGGEST SURPRISE: A step up for the Tampa Bay Rays. Instead of just being "impressive" this time around, they get the "surprise" label because they don't just lead their division anymore, they have the best record in all of baseball.

LEAST IMPRESSIVE: The Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Have you seen this stat? The Orioles won the first Sunday of the season, and haven't won since, dropping thirteen straight on Sunday. I love that type of stuff, unless the Mets are involved.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: I guess this merits mentioning here. Jeff Francoeur was recalled today, after being sent down to Double-A for three days. It was supposed to be a three-week stint. He complained, and was recalled, after tearing it up at the lower level. I think the Braves did the absolute right thing, and I think Francoeur should have dealt with it and come back after the All Star break ready to play if he was upset about it. I became a big believer in the 'sending the ineffective player' back down thing after the Blue Jays did it with Roy Halladay five or six years ago - he went all the way down to Single-A. I know it's different situations, because Halladay had less major league experience at that point than Francoeur, but he's been dominant since that send-down. Think it lit a fire under him? I do. (I think it was the right thing for the Tigers to do with Dontrelle Willis too.) Maybe the same thing will happen with Francoeur - but his whining might have messed up the process.

WRIGHT WATCH: It's been a while since I did an update while the Mets were actually playing, which means it's been a while since we've updated you on David Wright's march on the all-time doubles record (he had an RBI double tonight, along with a homer):

ALL-TIME LEADER: 792
WRIGHT'S SEASON TOTAL: 22
WRIGHT'S CAREER TOTAL: 163

(22 doubles? That man should be an All Star! Vote here.)

BIRTHDAY WISHES TO ME: Not to toot my own horn, but I turned 30 today. And the only reason I bring that up is because you may or may not remember, but I designed an MLB-type sleeve patch to celebrate the occasion. This is probably the last opportunity I'll have to show it, so I'm showing it again.

ALL-STAR SNUBS

I was all set to do a preview of the All Star Game today, with my picks for who should and should not make it in, based on fan voting. But that's been done and done again...and I really have nothing new to add.

So I decided to take a look at some pitchers who should be chosen to the game, and I'm looking at the snubs before they happen - because you know some deserving player is going to get passed over for the All Star Game because someone from the San Diego Padres has to make the team.

STARTING PITCHERS

Without taking into account who is on the proper rest or anything like that, let me start with the starters. I think it's hard this year to pin down the best starter in each league. Can the National League's best pitcher really be Edinson Volquez? He's 10-3, with a 2.24 ERA and 113 strikeouts. His past two outings haven't been his best, but it looks like he gets the nod for the National League - his ranks in wins, ERA, and K's are 3, 1, and 2 in the NL - you come that close to the pitching triple crown, I think you deserve an All Star start.
For the American League, I think Cliff Lee will get the start, even though I feel like he will fall apart in the second half of the season (but that doesn't factor into what he has done the first half of the season). Joe Saunders of the Angels is having a great year, and Justin Duchscherer of Oakland, a converted reliever, is having a great season without the wins to show for it, so they both deserve spots on the team, but Lee probably starts.

I'm not sure how the politics will work here either - Terry Francona will be managing the AL team - does that mean he shortchanges the Yankees (in Yankee Stadium no less), or puts a couple of Yankee pitchers on his team to save his Red Sox arms? Either way, I think Mike Mussina deserves a spot on this team, and if I had to choose between him and Andy Pettitte, I'd go Mussina. Mariano Rivera makes the team as a reliever, and the Yankees pitchers will be well-represented on their home mound.

Interestingly, I don't think too many pitchers will get snubbed, because of injuries. Shawn Marcum and Felix Hernandez will both probably get named to the team, but both are hurt, and won't play - so two people should take their spots. I think that results in a well-earned nod for Zach Greinke of the Royals, and maybe Matt Garza, the second Rays pitcher, after Scott Kazmir, who I think will get named despite an early injury that limited his innings.

I also want to take this opportunity to note that despite a 9-1 record and 3.21 ERA, Daisuke Matsuzaka has not pitched like an All Star this year - those are very deceptive numbers. I don't think he deserves to be on the team - again, we'll see how Francona approaches that.

I think the National League gets dicey, and to be completely honest with you, I feel more knowledgable about it, so I'm more comfortable naming the snubs here. I'll start with the Mets - if no Met made the team, I'd say no one got snubbed. That's how bad they've been - no one has been stellar either. Billy Wagner might be the only player to merit a spot, but he's been spotty. If you twisted my arm, I'd say David Wright and Jose Reyes have earned a spot, but I don't mind seeing them sit out a year as punishment. Even Johan Santana hasn't been super-special...but I guess that's a product of the way the team has played.

The one guy I'm kind of campaigning for, and built this entry around, is Jon Rauch. He should be a set-up guy for the Nationals, not their closer. But when Chad Cordero got injured (again), he stepped up and has been pretty reliable all year. I don't know that anyone else on the Nats gets the automatic bid ahead of him, so he probably will make the team, but I think he's the most deserving.

For the most part, the voters have the positions right (in both leagues) - and the players who are on the fringe will most certainly get the at-large selections (I'm thinking Ryan Braun, 4th among outfield voting, or anyone in the AL DH voting, over the undeserving [this year] David Ortiz).

The Giants will see a pitcher get snubbed - Tim Lincecum will be the player selected from their team, but you can make a case for Matt Cain as well - his 5-6 record will cost him, even though he has a 4.13 ERA and is third in the league with 107 strikeouts. Their closer, Brian Wilson, leads the league in saves with 23, but I don't think he'll make the team - he has a 4.41 ERA.

There will be a couple of closers who will get left out - I bet Brad Lidge gets in at the expense of someone like Kerry Wood. Or vice versa. Or they both make it, and Jose Valverde of Houston gets left off because Lance Berkman already made the All Star team representing Houston.

Speaking of first base, which should (deservedly) go to Berkman - Adrian Gonzalez is a deserving member of a spot from San Diego. He should be their lone representative - I don't think he'll get snubbed (at risk of a plethora of NL first baseman - one can DH, I guess), but if he doesn't make the team, that would be a snub.

Selecting the team must be a hard job, making sure every team has representation while trying to make sure all of the deserving players get recognition. There are certainly going to be good players watching on TV next week...I'll let you know who the others are when it's not such an abstract concept as making these predictions is.

SNUBBED!!

SMy opinion is increasingly insignificant these days, but here's who I think deserved to be on the All Star teams, and whose place they should have:

1) I have to start in the American League, because the biggest crock is that Manny Ramirez made the team over someone like Kevin Youkilis. The most amazing thing to me is that any manager would select Ramirez to the team in a good year - he doesn't want to be there....and Ramirez is NOT having an All-Star caliber year. Youkilis is. He's outhitting Manny in every category - trailing him only in homers, and that's by two...where Manny should be outhomering Youkilis right now by about 10 or 11. Does the American League really need 8 outfielders? This is absolutely unacceptable - I was out of the loop when the teams were announced...I don't know the reasoning here, but this is a horrendous job by Jim Leyland.

2) Yes, I understand the Mets got a few All Star starters - David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran (the only one who doesn't deserve the nod). And I know Billy Wagner also got named to the team. But John Maine also deserves a spot on the team. It's hard to pick someone who should be out, so that Maine can be in, but my finger points to Cole Hamels. I like Hamels a lot...more than I should like a member of a rival team. But I don't think he's having a better year than Maine, and it's not like the Phillies are under-represented (they have Chase Utley and Aaron Rowand). Quick comparison - Maine: 9-4, 2.74 ERA, 84 K in 102 IP. Hamels: 9-4, 3.87 ERA, 116 K in 111 IP. Maine has given up 79 hits, 38 walks. Hamels - 107 (!) hits, 29 walks. Seems to me that's the wrong call.

3) I can not believe Erik Bedard is not on this All Star team. It makes me really sad for him. What more can you do as a pitcher? Brian Roberts, deservedly, made the team, as the only Orioles representative. I'm having trouble finding someone who should not have made the team instead of Bedard - but I think I'd put Bedard ahead of Youkilis, and send Ramirez home for Bedard. The most ridiculous thing is that Bedard didn't even get put on the extra five-man ballot for the fans' extra vote. Too bad...I guess his poor start to the season did him in.

Those were the ones that jumped out at me and made me a little mad. I've been off the All Star Game in recent years - but I was kind of into it last year, and I'm going to try to pay attention this year. It will be great to see Jose Reyes and David Wright playing in it this year - remember, last year, on my birthday actually, the Friday night before the game, Reyes slid headfirst into first base against the Marlins, and hurt his hand...and couldn't play in the game. So it will be nice that there are Mets who can make a difference - and maybe force Games 1 & 2 of the World Series to be played at Shea Stadium.

INJURY UPDATE: Jason Vargas started for the Mets in Colorado on Tuesday night, as Oliver Perez was placed on the 15-day DL. He joins Jorge Sosa, who was placed on the DL Sunday. Mike Pelfrey replaced Sosa on the roster. A bit of an injury bug biting the Mets right now, but it's mostly so that the team is healthy in the second half. Willie Randolph says if it wasn't approaching the All Star break, or if the Mets were playing more important games, he would have asked Perez to fight through it. It seems this is working out well for everyone involved.

As for me, I am almost fully recovered from my injuries. The shoulder is still sore, but we'll get there. There was almost an emergency room scare with the leg on Friday, but we avoided that. The interesting thing is that I think I pulled my quad, or at least strained it. That's what has been bothering Moises Alou, who hasn't played since early May. I know I've got about 12 years on him, but I would have been ready to go again after my injury in about a week, maybe a stint on the 15-day DL. Just saying, for comparison's sake.

IN PRAISE OF ERIK BEDARD

Quick - do you know who leads the majors in strikeouts? You can probably guess, based on the topic of this entry. Erik Bedard, like Mike Maroth, is just one of my guys. I don't know why, I just think he's a very good pitcher, on a not-so-good team, and I always try to get him on my fantasy team. Unlike other players, Bedard turns out to be a move that I could have made with my head instead of my heart....he is quickly becoming one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The past couple of seasons, Bedard has gotten off to slow starts...this year, for instance, after his first 5 starts, he was 3-2, but had a 6.11 ERA. We'll throw his sixth start, a no-decision, into the "rocky" category, though the 4 runs he gave up in six innings lowered his ERA to 6.09. Over his next five starts, Bedard began a string of absolute dominance that continues straight through to today...and he went 0-1 in those five starts, giving up 2, 0, 3, 1 and 2 earned runs. He was just getting no support from his teammates.

Bedard won his next outing, shutting out the Royals over eight innings, and then his June went like this:

at SEA: 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 K (no decision)
vs. COL: 5 IP, 2 ER, 8 K (loss)
vs. ARI: 7 IP, 2 ER, 9 K (no decision)
at SD: 6 IP, 2 ER, 9 K (win)
Last night vs. NYY: 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 hits, 8 K (win)

The only flaw in Bedard's game is that he gets so many strikeouts, which forces him to throw a lot of pitches, and ends up leaving a lot of games early...not sticking around to the late innings. He'll go 6 or 7, 8 innings, rarely. And with the Baltimore bullpen, that gives them a few innings to blow leads, and that leaves Bedard with a lot of no decisions. He also has given up 11 homers on the season - that seems like a high total to me.

Bedard's numbers on the year right now, after Wednesday night's win against New York:

17 Games Started
107 Innings Pitched
129 Strikeouts (Leads Majors)
6-4 Record
3.36 ERA
94 Hits
32 Walks

Part of this entry is to make a case that Bedard deserves a spot on the American League All Star team. But it's also to draw attention to someone who is mired away on a team that hasn't done well, and has an awful bullpen, which affects his win total.

Bedard is 6-4 right now. He could easily be 12-4. That would have gotten him some attention.

MY ALL STARS

On Sunday, Major League Baseball will announce the rosters for the 2007 All Star Game, to be held in San Francisco. I submitted my first and only ballot today, and it looks like every vote counts (in the game that...this time....again....counts!) - there are a couple of very tight races. What follows are my votes, along with their stats (through Monday), a brief explanation where applicable, and the current leading vote-getter at that position.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

C - Jorge Posada (.341 avg., 9 HR, 44 RBI) - I could make an argument that some of his other All Star appearances were not deserved...this year he REALLY deserves it. Current leader: Ivan Rodriguez (in a very close race over Posada, Joe Mauer, and Jason Varitek)

1B - David Ortiz (.319, 13, 47) - I'm kind of sorry I gave Ortiz my vote. I was tempted to use my write-in vote here for Kevin Youkilis, because I think he deserves it the most, and I think this position should go to someone who plays first, and since it's in an NL ballpark, the DH's are just out of luck...but I voted for Ortiz. Current leader: Ortiz

2B - Brian Roberts (.324, 4, 22, 24 SB) - Roberts is getting no love from the voters, but he's having a very good season, and I've always personally liked the way he plays. In real-life, this is a 2-way race between Placido Palanco and Robinson Cano. Current leader: Polanco

3B - Alex Rodriguez (.333, 28, 77) - Yes, he hasn't been as great over the past two months as he was in the first month (or maybe he has - what do I know), but he still leads the majors in homers and RBI. Current leader: Rodriguez

SS - Derek Jeter (.342, 5, 36) - He already has 100 hits on the season, one of only five in the majors so far...just barely beating out Orlando Cabrera, who actually has 102. Current leader: Jeter

OF - Ichiro Suzuki (.359, 5, 37, 22 SB), Magglio Ordonez (.379, 13, 68), Reggie Willits (.337, 0, 23, 18 SB) - Ichiro is having another great year while no one notices the Mariners, Ordonez has been the Detroit offense, more or less, and I really like the underdog, so I threw my write-in vote Willits' way, over teammate Vladimir Guerrero. I always notice his numbers in the box score, and it always seems as though Willits is getting a hit. I figured my vote's not going to make a whole lot of difference here, anyway. So Willits it is. (My only problem with Willits was that when I went to pick him up in the non-East-Coast-Only fantasy league, the Southern Bureau already had him.) Current leaders: Ordonez, Suzuki, Guerrero

NATIONAL LEAGUE

C - Russell Martin (.293, 8, 49, 13 SB) - Note the 13 steals. Martin has the best numbers of any National League catcher...despite what the Mets may be selling. Truth be told, Johnny Estrada might have an edge on Lo Duca too. Current leader: Martin

1B - Prince Fielder (.283, 27, 62) - If he keeps this up, he'll have a lock on this position, over some good competition, for years. Current leader: Fielder

2B - Chase Utley (.320, 12, 58) - Just a good ballplayer, having an All-Star year. He deserves to start. Current leader: Utley

3B - David Wright (.286, 12, 40) - I know, not the greatest numbers...but actually the best of the NL third basemen. And really turned it around after a rocky start. Current leader: Wright

SS - Jose Reyes (.319, 3, 33, 38 SB) - Best player in the game right now...and I'm not exaggerating. A true game-changer. Current leader: Reyes

OF - Matt Holliday (.354, 13, 60), Aaron Rowand (.315, 10, 39), Eric Byrnes (.313, 12, 42) - I like giving my outfield spots to the folks who might go unrecognized. These three guys are, unlike Willits, having the best seasons among ALL the outfielders in the NL - and in the case of Holliday - the majors. Holliday is second in the majors in hits, to Ichiro. These are the three who deserve the spots - none will probably get the starting nod. Current leaders: Carlos Beltran, Ken Griffey, Jr., Alfonso Soriano

STARTING PITCHERS

I'm having a bit of a hard time making a decision here. I'm down to Danny Haren and Josh Beckett in the American League, and Brad Penny and Jake Peavy for the National League. I'll say this right now - I would be OK with any combination of those four as the starters. Here are the numbers:

Haren: 9-2, 1.78 ERA, 89 K, 111 IP

Beckett: 11-1, 3.07 ERA, 79 K, 91 IP

Penny: 10-1, 2.04 ERA, 70 K, 105.2 IP

Peavy: 9-2, 2.14 ERA, 113 K, 105 IP

I think after looking at the numbers I'll say it should be Penny and Haren...but again, it's close. I'll also say that I had no idea Brad Penny was doing so well this year. He did the same thing last year, I think, starting the All Star Game, then did not have as good a second half, if I'm not mistaken. Haren has gotten a few no decisions. Too bad for him. Erik Bedard, incidentally, is king of the no decision right now - he should make the All Star Game, and maybe I'll write a little more about his plight soon.

So there's my two cents as far as starters. I'll play Tony LaRussa for a second, and give nods to deserving Mets for reserve spots. Consider I don't know the scenarios that play out, whether the roster will allow these Mets to make the team, because who knows if the one Washington National that makes the team takes a position away from a Met...but I say:

Oliver Perez, John Maine, and Billy Wagner all deserve to make the team, and hopefully LaRussa acknowledges that when he makes his final selections.

And hopefully the Mets involved are playing for their home field advantage in the World Series. Remember last year, in Pittsburgh, David Wright and Carlos Beltran did their best to get that home field advantage...and then Trevor Hoffman blew the save.

SPLIT DECISION

Marlins 3, Mets 2
Mets 17, Marlins 3 (NYM: 52-36, FLA: 38-47)

As much as the first game of Saturday's doubleheader was a disappointment, the second game was fun. The Mets only mustered three hits in Game 1, scoring twice on bases-loaded walks, while the Marlins hit 3 solo homers off John Maine to take a 3-2 win. The most excitement for the Mets in this one came in the eighth inning, when Cliff Floyd was hit with a pitch (AGAIN)...then in the top of the ninth, Duaner Sanchez drilled MIguel Cabrera, and Cabrera fussed a bit, as did Miguel Olivo, and the benches sort of emptied.

(As an aside, Floyd was hit two games in a row against the Pirates, and then the pitcher who hit him on Thursday kept trying to pick him off first, forcing him to dive into first base. Floyd was really ticked. So after the game, Floyd talked about how the Mets play the Pirates once more, September 15-17, and he wanted retaliation. He said, "Hopefully, Pedro* is pitching in that series." Prediction: The Mets will be involved in a brawl this season. I just hope when it happens, no one gets hurt. The Mets now have simmering fueds with the Nationals from early in the season, the Marlins from today, and the Pirates from this past series.)

Anyway, the Mets made up for that lack of offense in Game 2, blowing up for 17 runs on 16 hits to back a shaky Mike Pelfrey in his Major League debut.

Pelfrey didn't pitch great - 5 innings, 5 hits, 4 walks, 3 runs, 2 earned, 3 strikeouts, on 104 pitches - but it was neat that the Mets left him in for the 5 innings to get the win, with the big lead, and that he had tons of run support. I heard most of this game - saw a bit on TV, but I heard he threw in the mid-90's. It's exciting to have a young guy like this coming up. Hopefully he'll have a solid career, and be able to help out down the stretch here this year. Also looking to contribute is a guy named Henry Owens, who has flown under the radar, with all the attention focused on Pelfrey. He throws hard too, and was promoted from Binghamton when Pedro* went on the DL. He's pitched the past couple of nights, and has been effective. I get the feeling that his promotion was a little more to keep Pelfrey company than because he was ready for the majors, but he looks ready to contribute now too. The fashionable thing to say on New York radio right now is that maybe the Mets don't need to go trading for an arm at the deadline, because of the youngsters coming up right now.

The Mets got off to the early lead thanks to two early bases loaded situations. In the first, Jose Valentin hit a grand slam, and in the second, he tripled to clear the bases. Other things of note - don't look now, but in between getting hit by pitches, Cliff Floyd is swinging a very hot bat. He's starting to look like he did early last season. He was 3-for-4 in Game 2 (with 5 RBI), raising his average to .248. Carlos Beltran* hit his 25th homer in Game 2 as well.

The Marlins are a decent team, so it's not the worst thing in the world that the Mets lost 2 in a row to them....but it's not the best thing either. Hopefully the Mets hit the All-Star break on a winning note with a win Sunday, and get another win for Tom Glavine to boot.

THANKS: The computer is still down, so I don't know when I'll be able to post again (this is a rare Saturday night posting from the parent's house in Queens). But many, many thanks to good friends Dave in Brighton and Kevin in the JMDBSDC Southern Bureau. Your updates have been invaluable in my absence. I hope they've been as appreciated by the few other readers of the site (in case you haven't seen them - they're in the 'comments' section). Also, The Wife is going to try to do occasional updates on the site during work until the computer's back.

INTERESTING NOTE: My dad heard an interesting comment regarding the Scott Kazmir trade while watching the Yankees game on Friday night. Al Leiter was commenting, and said that in spring training one year, he and John Franco were on the treadmills, and Kazmir walked into the room, and took it upon himself to change the radio station. Leiter says he and Franco took Kazmir aside to set him straight - in the backwards world of major league sports, rookies can't do stuff like that. Well, the rumor became that Leiter and Franco got Kazmir traded. That's pretty ridiculous. I had heard that Leiter and Franco were responsible for Bobby Valentine getting fired, but I hadn't heard this about Kazmir. Stupid.

MOVIN' ON UP: It's common knowledge by now, but David Wright and Jose Reyes are on their way to the All Star Game for the first time after Sunday's game. Wright will definitely play, as well as participate in the Home Run Derby Monday night, and Reyes says he will still make the trip, despite the seven stitches in his hand. He says, smiling, "You have to go, right?" I guess he doesn't talk to Pedro Martinez* much. Anyway, they'll be joined in the game by Carlos Beltran* and Paul LoDuca, as well as Tom Glavine. Pedro* might be legitimately hurt, but his comment after being put on the DL was, "It's disappointing (regarding missing the All Star Game) because I really did want to go this year." Come on, Pedro*. You're not fooling anyone.

Oh, the Movin' On Up title refers to Wright. Not only is he now an All Star, but The Wife informed me he'll be on Letterman Wednesday night. So he's getting that national attention that's been bound to happen for a while.

BEAT THE STREAK: Beat the Streak has been a disaster for me lately, what with no computer and all. I need to get a 56-gamer going now, though. After I write this, I'll pick about a week's worth of players, and hopefully when I get computer access back, I'll have a 10-game streak going, and I'll be on my way to a cash prize, and World Series tickets, or whatever prize they offer.

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE: I was working on this big article rating the broadcasters across the Major Leagues, which I was going to release over the All Star break, but with the computer going down, I haven't finished the article, nor do I know if I'll be able to print it. Hopefully I'll get it on an off day or even before the end of the break - the Mets have the extra off-day after the All Star break this year (which I hate, but I guess I'll live). Also, it looks like I'm losing a lot of stuff because of our broken hard drive, so I think I'm going to have to re-download some graphics for the site. I tell ya - this is a disaster. Keep checking back, hopefully we'll be back and running for the Mets-Cubs series....and an All-Star Game recap.

REDS IN THE FACE

Reds 4, Mets 2 (CIN: 38-32, NYM: 43-26)

Really, the Mets shouldn't be red in the face...they have nothing to be embarrassed about. They were flat-out beaten by a good pitcher Monday night. Bronson Arroyo is having a great year - and he handled the Mets.

Orlando Hernandez pitched very well for New York - that's about his third great start in a row now. So that's big. The bullpen let some runs in late, and it was 4-1 before a ninth inning homer for the Mets...Arroyo went the distance for Cincinnati. The bad news is that the Mets had jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead, but couldn't build on that.

This is just one game. The Mets had won all of their series openers at home until the last home series before the West Coast trip with the Giants, and then the Orioles series, and now the Reds. They lost that Giants series, they were almost swept by Baltimore...I'll be very happy with a split with Cincinnati. I don't mind if the Mets don't play their best here against the Orioles and Reds...if the Mets are going to slump, I'd rather see it now than when they play the cream of the AL East - the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Yankees - all three of whom are coming up next.

A big start for Steve Trachsel on Tuesday night (aren't they all big starts for Trachsel?).

ALL-STAR VOTING: Some big doings in the NL All Star voting. THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, is finally getting his due - he's now 80,000 or so votes in front of David Eckstein for the start at short. He's not having his best season - but he's lifted his average to .270...and his co-Player of the Week award last week couldn't have hurt.

His co-Player of the Week, one Future Hall of Famer, David Wright, is starting to run away with the third base vote, Wright has topped a million, well ahead of Scott Rolen.

The Player of the Week for last week, Carlos Beltran*, has climbed to the top of the outfield vote. He now deserves it...and right behind him, deservedly, is Alfonso Soriano. The outfield race is tight.

Finally, at catcher, it looks like Paul LoDuca will be starting for the NL. Not a bad representation for the Mets.

THE KID'S KIDS: They're still playing in Florida, and the Mets are trailing Brevard County, 2-0, in the 8th. I'll update that tomorrow.

FANTASY UPDATE: The What If Mets are heading in the wrong direction. We're now tied for last place...and I forget - we're either 7 or 8 games out of the wild card. All 3 games to the Cardinals today were losses. So it's pretty much over. Unless the Mets are planning an Amazin' comeback...but I don't even think the best Mets team ever is that Amazin'...the worst thing about this is how bad my bullpen has been. They have ERA's of about 7.00 each. Just been brutal. I've lost about 10 games in the opponent's last at-bat. It's very frustrating. That's the difference right there.

BEAT THE STREAK: Carlos Beltran* hit a 9th inning homer for the Mets, so I have a one-game hitting streak. Tuesday I'll take Alfonso Soriano against Tim Wakefield, and Wednesday, since I'll be going to the Red Sox-Nationals game, I'll take Mike Lowell (I like taking guys I'll be seeing live). Thursday it'll be David Wright. Just getting a jump on it - I don't know how much I'll be able to post this week - it's the last week of school - my mind may be elsewhere.

The aftereffects of the week in New Hampshire with my class is that I am so darn tired this week. I probably won't be up too late for tonight's game...but it features 2004 Red Sox teammates Derek Lowe versus Pedro Martinez*. That should be fun. And hopefully the Mets can finally get Pedro* a win.

The MLB draft was held today (I know, who really cares), and the Mets' first pick was the 62nd overall, and they took a pitcher out of Villanova. It's worth noting that the Mets didn't have a first-round pick because of the Billy Wagner signing - their first-rounder went to the Phillies.

As for Wednesday's game, (The real) Jae Seo has been moved out of the Dodgers' rotation - he's struggling, apparently. He's now in the bullpen, so Odalis Perez gets the start against Tom Glavine on Wednesday.

MONDAY'S RECAP: That was just about what Mets fans wanted on Monday. I mentioned the Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Mets got a much-needed solid performance from Alay Soler as well - one run over 7 innings, along with 7 strikeouts for his first Major League win. The 7 innings allowed the Mets to rest their key bullpen cogs - Pedro Feliciano and Chad Bradford closed the game out for the Mets, so the bullpen had a little time to recover from the marathons over the weekend.

MEDIA NOTE: If you caught any of the live Roger Clemens pitching in the minors stuff on ESPN, that was Ed Randall of WFAN's Sunday morning "Talking Baseball with Ed Randall" doing the broadcasting with Billy Sample. Just thought I'd point that out.

ALL STAR BALLOTS: Here's my two cents on the way the National League All Star balloting is going so far. (My two cents on the All Star balloting system, by the way, is that it's nothing more than a popularity contest...but if any Mets get in based on popularity this year, the fans will have gotten it right - because most of the Mets deserve All Star bids).

C - Paul LoDuca leads Mike Piazza. It really is pretty slim pickings at catcher in the NL. Has been the past few years.

1B - Albert Pujols is light years ahead of anyone else - 1 million votes to 300,000 or so. Second place belongs to Carlos Delgado. Pujols' injury won't affect this race...nor should it, really. Pujols' numbers so far are better than some people's seasons.

2B - No Mets here.

3B - David Wright trails Scott Rolen by about 37,000 votes. Mets fans need to step up here and get Wright in as a starter. It needs to start this year and continue until roughly the year 2020.

SS - Same here. Jose Reyes is third place, behind David Eckstein and Edgar Renteria, although, truth be told, Renteria deserves this spot.

OF - Here's the screwy part. Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran*, and Ken Griffey, Jr. are the leaders right now. Jim Edmonds is fourth. While Beltran* is having a better year, it's still not really All-Star caliber. And none of these guys deserve to be there more than the number five guy - Alfonso Soriano.

The Mets should also see Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez* in the All Star game this year as well. Maybe even a guy like Duaner Sanchez or Aaron Heilman - but I doubt that. The problem is, I don't practice what I preach. Once I might vote for All Stars on-line, but not often. And rarely even when I'm at a game and they hand me ballots will I vote. I should start taking that initiative...can't complain if I don't do anything to try to change it. I encourage you to vote as well.

COMMENTS ANSWERED: I guess I'll put to rest the "Revisiting Games I Went To When I Was Younger" - The Wife said it wasn't too good last year, and if I interpret Dave in Brighton's comment correctly, I don't think he liked it, either. But I'm not quite sure what the dustbin of history is. Maybe it's a good thing - maybe he means let those games sit, become more historic for another year, and share them then. I should let you know, though, Dave, that you're no longer a third of the readership. We have at least 8 regulars now. So you're down to about 12-and-a-half percent.

HOCKEY JOKE I JUST THOUGHT OF THAT IS MAINLY INTENDED FOR STEVE IN QUEENS AND JUSTIN IN NYC: Wouldn't it be funny if Craig MacTavish wore a helmet when he was coaching?

THE KID'S KIDS: I'm not sure what's going on with the St. Lucie Mets. I'm reading one summary that says they split a doubleheader with Palm Beach, and the second game was an 11-1 win. But I thought that was Monday night. Unless they won again, in 6-and-a-half innings, 11-1. Which seems unlikely. Maybe I'll let the dust settle and figure things out tomorrow.

FANTASY UPDATE: God bless Dwight Gooden. He stopped the four game losing streak in Tuesday's last game, with a 4-1 win. Now come the weaker opponents. I'm 50-52, with 9 games against basement-dwelling Houston, St. Louis, and Chicago. I seriously need to win all 9 games. (The What If) Jae Seo gets his first start tomorrow.

BEAT THE STREAK: Miguel Tejada singled up the middle in his first at bat against Ty Taubenheim, so now I have a 7-game hitting streak. I'll admit, I thought he was going to hit a 600-foot homer every at-bat against the guy named Taubenheim, but I'll take a chopped single. I don't really care what he does the rest of the night. Wednesday I was going to take Ichiro, because he's been hot, but he's going against Boof Bonser, and I don't want to mess with that. I'm having trouble picking someone - I don't like the Mets' numbers against Odalis Perez....I'm going with Bobby Abreu, who seems to own Russ Ortiz, pitching for Arizona.
**LATE NOTE**: Apparently ESPN.com was not on the ball, and Ortiz came off the DL and pitched for Arizona Tuesday, not Wednesday....but I'm sticking with Abreu against whoever pitches for Arizona Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, ISHII (it sounds like D.C.)

Mets 5, Nationals 2 (NYM: 41-41, 9 GB; WAS: 50-32)

The Mets should be embarrassed that they didn't take two out of three from the Marlins this weekend, and they should be especially embarrassed about their performance on Saturday. They played uninspired baseball on Saturday, and it carried over into Sunday, when the deck was already stacked against them with Dontrelle Willis starting for the Marlins.

That said, the Mets should be very proud about their performance on Monday against Washington. This game was very boring. The Nationals pitchers took forever to throw a pitch, and the weather was (reportedly) unbearably hot. Top that off with the Nationals coming off an emotional win in extra innings on Sunday against the Cubs, with the Mets coming off their lackluster weekend, and the Nationals take an early 2-0 lead on Kaz Ishii. Sounds like the game's over, right?

Willie Randolph shook things up on the Fourth. He led off with Mike Cameron, hit Carlos Beltran* second, and slid THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, all the way down to the 7th spot in the order. The players responded. The Mets drew even at 2-2 in the seventh inning - Future Hall Of Famer David Wright delivered a big double to knock John Patterson out of the game, and sending Marlon Anderson to third. Reyes singled, bringing home Anderson, and was on third base when Cameron came up. Cameron broke a bat, and singled to center, tying the game.

Then in the top of the ninth, it was Reyes, ironically, setting up the big inning. He grounded a ball up the middle that Junior Spivey got to, but had no chance to throw out Reyes streaking down the line. Then Reyes stole second (it's moments like these why he is THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED). Jose Offerman, my nemesis, pinch hit, and actually did something right (I feel dirty writing bad things about Offerman...I feel....Shaughnessy-ish). Offerman singled past the shortstop, Reyes blazed in from second, and Offerman took second on the throw. Then Mike Cameron doubled home Offerman, and Carlos Beltran* brought home Cameron with a single, answering my prayers for insurance runs for Braden Looper.

Looper pitched a pretty good ninth. This win was huge for the Mets. After they finally strung together a few hits, it was like nothing could go wrong - you got the feeling that the Mets are about to start a big streak. I hope so, anyway. Three out of four is a must against Washington for the Mets to get back into the divisional race - a sweep would be outstanding. The good news is, the weakest link was strong today, with Kaz Ishii pitching five-and-a-third innings of five hit, two run ball. He didn't factor in the decision, but he was very good. Pedro Martinez* pitches on Tuesday, against the best the Nationals have to offer, Livan Hernandez. That should be a good one - too bad I'll be at work, only able to follow it on GameCast. But I'll do a write-up, that I can promise.

I watched another very exciting (actually, just an exciting game - not another one, because the Mets game wasn't exciting except for the top of the seventh and the top of the ninth innings) game Monday night - the Marlins and the Brewers. I started watching when it was 2-1 Marlins late, then saw the Brewers scratch out another run late in the game. 2-2, top of the ninth, Brewers have a runner on third, they ground it to shortstop. Alex Gonzalez makes a great play going to his right to snare the hard grounder. He gets up, throws a strike to Paul LoDuca, and Trent Durrington should be nailed at the plate. But Durrington slides, feet-first, and knocks the ball clean out of LoDuca's glove. The Brewers go on to beat the Marlins 3-2, earning Ben Sheets a win - he pitched a gem. Oh by the way, the last out of the game was a great sliding play by Rickie Weeks, fielding a ground ball in the hole at second, then getting the out at first.

But what I wanted to point out was the Brewers' hustle. First of all, Durrington pinch runs for the catcher, who got a hit, then steals second, so he can be bunted to third by Ben Sheets on a sacrifice. Then, he's off when the grounder is hit, and even though Gonzalez makes a great play, and has Durrington nailed at the plate, Durrington doesn't give up - he goes into the plate like he knows he's going to be safe. So you have players like Durrington, hard-nosed hustlers - and by the way, this is a category where you find players like Jose Reyes and David Wright, and then you have guys like Beltran* who don't run out pop-ups. At spring training, Beltran* would hold tutoring sessions with Reyes. I think they need to reverse roles. Reyes might have trouble getting on base lately, but when he's on base, the Mets are darn near guaranteed a run - except when Beltran* is messing things up on him.

The All-Star teams are set (barring injuries and/or dropouts), and Pedro Martinez* was selected to go as a pitcher, joining starters Mike Piazza and Carlos Beltran*. Piazza we've talked about - good for him - this is probably the last time he'll go. Beltran* is a joke - Cliff Floyd deserves to be the first Mets outfielder to go to the All-Star Game since 1989. Pedro* still might not go - he is pitching the Sunday before the All-Star Game, and Mets management might not want to risk Pedro* getting hurt (as astutely pointed out by Dave from Brighton in this very space late last week), so he might not go. But then again, there's a part of Mets' management who want Pedro* representing the Mets in Detroit. So we'll see what happens there. Either way, he's the one part of the Mets' contingent who has earned his spot since Day 1 this season.

THE KID'S KIDS: After a 10-5 win over the Marlins on Monday, Hall of Famer Gary Carter's Gulf Coast League Mets lead their division by three games with a 7-2 record.

DOING FINE AT 39-39

Mets 5, Phillies 3 (PHI: 40-39; NYM: 39-39, 8 GB)

Despite the ups and downs so far this season (and there really have been a bunch), the Mets are at .500 through June. They went 11-13 in April, 15-13 in May, and finished June 13-13. The Mets have 27 games in July, so a 13-loss month would leave them at 53-52 heading into August. I'd take it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I just find it interesting that the Mets have lost 13 games in each month so far...if they're going to catch the Nationals, they're going to have to have a better-than-one-game-over-.500 July. I'm not starting to believe in Washington, they've just jumped out to a big enough lead that if they start struggling right now, the Mets still need to play very good ball to catch them.

The Phillies are vanishing...fast. The Mets took 2 out of 3 from Philadelphia, 8 out of 12 so far this season, and will probably pass the Phillies in the standings this weekend. In so doing, the Mets would be beating up on the Marlins, which I believe they can do, and can thus be in third place for next week's 4-game series in Washington, beginning on the 4th of July. Then the Mets go to Pittsburgh (as does johnnymets.blogspot.com - ROAD TRIP!!), before the All-Star Break.

Pedro Martinez*(asterisk could be gone after the All-Star break) earned the win in the 5-3 win over Philly on Thursday. Pedro* was good, not great, throwing too many pitches in the first couple of innings, so he only lasted six, giving up 2 ER, and striking out 6. He's now 9-2. A decent job by the Mets' relievers, pitching out of jams - Heath Bell, Royce Ring, and Roberto Hernandez, got the Mets to Braden Looper in the ninth, for a very uncharacteristic 1-2-3 inning.

After the Phillies took a 1-0 lead on a Jimmy Rollins homer, Chris Woodward hit a 2-run single to give the Mets the lead in the second inning. In the fourth, the Mets got the rest of their runs. After another Woodward hit, this time a double, the Mets had runners on second and third, and THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, lined a triple to the wall in center, making it 4-1, then Mike Cameron singled Reyes home, making it 5-1.

Interesting lineups in this one. The Phillies had Kenny Lofton leading off, and Jimmy Rollins hit fifth! for the Phillies. I found that strange. The Mets continue to keep David Wright in the 6th or 7th spot in the order. I just don't understand it. Marlon Anderson hit sixth on Thursday, and Wright 7th! I don't get it. I know Willie Randolph must have a reason he's keeping Wright low in the order, I just haven't heard it yet. Maybe I missed it. But it can't be to take the pressure off Wright anymore...he's such a good hitter. He should be hitting second, in my opinion. Heck - he's producing more than Carlos Beltran* - maybe he should be moved down to 7th in the order.

Interesting note for me. I just realized, as I watched Heath Bell give way to Royce Ring, that the Mets have a young righty-lefty combo coming out of the bullpen with great names - "Ring Bell", "Bell Ring". I call dibs on marketing rights.

A bonus for this game: Ted Robinson wasn't doing the TV coverage. I haven't been watching Wimbledon, and unfortunately I haven't watched much of the Mets lately: I wonder if Robinson is on assignment. Anyway, it was just Fran Healy and Keith Hernandez in the booth. Healy was his usual dopey self, but Hernandez was ON. He was great. First of all, Healy and Hernandez called out Sammy Sosa, saying they were glad the Mets didn't make the Sosa-for-Floyd trade that had been talked about last year. Then they started talking about how thin Sammy Sosa looked...then they mentioned Ivan Rodriguez (hadn't noticed his physical difference), and Ryan Klesko ("like night and day", they said, and I agree) all losing weight. Hernandez said - "You're seeing it all over baseball - it's pretty clear what's going on." Talk about saying it, without really saying it. But there was more from Hernandez: a crowd shot showed a little kid with ice cream all over his face, and they were making fun of the kid, and then at the top of the screen, some dude with a tattoo on his arm walked through the shot, and Hernandez started talking about how ugly the tattoo was. Not as entertaining as I write this. Hernandez also said he loved when fans did the wave at Shea. I must admit, when that place is packed, like it used to be, the wave did look cool. I always thought the players wouldn't like it...but it's nice to hear Hernandez did. I feel like I contributed to something by taking part all those years ago.

Here's part of why Fran Healy is a dink (but a harmless dink - like I've said, I'll take him any day over Robinson). During Wednesday night's game, Cliff Floyd sent a hard grounder through the first/second base hole, but since the Phillies had the shift on, it wasn't a base hit - it was a groundout. Healy says, "That should be illegal!" No it shouldn't, Fran. If you're a good hitter (and not stubborn, like Ted Williams), spray the ball the other way, and get yourself a base hit. Thursday, Floyd dropped a bunt down the third base line against the shift, and got a base hit. Healy didn't talk about how the shift should be illegal when it was exploited.

Also mentioned during the game on Thursday - Mets PR man Jay Horwitz celebrated his 4,000th game with the Mets. That's something. He's awesome...and very funny. He told Matt Laughlin he spilt his 3,400th Coke during the game. The Elias Sports Bureau said Horwitz had seen 2,010 wins, 1988 losses, and 2 ties (I guess games called due to rain and never made up?). Horwitz has had some low times when he's had to represent the Mets to the media (I'm thinking 1993 with Vince Coleman's firecracker, Bret Saberhagen's chloride, and more recently, with Grant Roberts' pot, but there have been many more), but he's also been with them for some good ones. Hernandez said the 1986 Mets all voted to take a cut of their Championship checks to give something to Jay because he wouldn't get a World Series check. I hope Horwitz is around for a while more...he's a Mets establishment.

CARTER COUNT: The minor league baseball website doesn't do the Gulf Coast League much justice...but so far as I can tell, the undefeated season in Hall of Famer Gary Carter's mangerial debut is over. The Gulf Coast Mets are now 5-1, so I can only assume they split their doubleheader with the Nationals today. Still, the Hall of Fame managerial career of Carter is off to a great start.

***We're not going to do a running commentary on whether or not Mike Piazza deserves the starting nod at catcher in the All-Star Game, but I just wanted to point out, first of all, that Piazza got another hit (and was robbed of a second by Kenny Lofton) on Thursday, going 1-for-4. Secondly, I don't think my numbers on Piazza added up to his current numbers. The homers are what I'm talking about...but the average, runs and RBI should be right. I think I confused my doubles and home run columns when I was looking up his stats. The bottom line is that since May 26th, Piazza has been playing very well, and is much more deserving of an All-Star nod than his numbers would indicate. Now, whether or not he deserves that nod over, say, Paul LoDuca or Ramon Hernandez is debatable. But he still has more power than LoDuca, and Hernandez is hurt. So there. Beltran* is another story - he'll be starting in the All-Star Game undeservedly, but I still think he'll finish the year with some good stats. "He's a great second-half player", so they say....

Mets 6, Yankees 5 (41-39, 2 GB)

SWEEP!! Wow, even I didn't think that would happen. But that's huge. That was number 3, 4, and 5 in the rotation...and now Tom Glavine and Al Leiter start off the four-game series against the Phillies. There's a very good chance the Mets could be in first place by the All-Star Break. Consider - the Mets have been blasting the ball the past couple of games - and Mike Piazza hasn't been part of the home run barrage. He's well overdue for a homer. And now the team heads to the launching pad that is Citizens Bank Park. If they keep hitting the ball this way, everyone will homer in this series.

Steve Trachsel did exactly what I hoped he would do on Friday night. Hopefully his bad starts are behind him, and he'll pitch consistently the rest of the season like he did in the first game of the Yankees series. Matt Ginter is in trouble - he might have lost his rotation spot with Saturday's performance. But the Mets were still able to pull out a win, which was big too. Then Jae Seo - I'm telling you - somehow he comes up big in big games. He's kind of like the Masato Yoshii of this Mets team - he has some real klunkers out there, but when it comes down to it, he gets the wins when it really counts (or in Sunday's case, he puts the Mets in position to win).

I saw Sunday's game, but didn't really see much post-game. (Although I was subjected to Yankees/YES coverage at my Yankees-fan aunt's and uncle's house.) Anyway, I never got a rule interpretation, but I don't understand what all the fuss was about when Jorge Posada got hit with the ground ball. I understand if the Yankees thought Piazza deflected the ball and then it hit Posada. Then he shouldn't have been out. But if the argument was that Posada got hit with the ball after it was past Piazza, I don't get it. I was always under the impression that if a grounder hit a runner, no matter where the fielder was, that was a dead ball, and the runner was out. Because what's the rule? Is it still a playable ball? I wouldn't think that's the case...but who knows. That could be why the Yankees put the game under protest. But I think I heard that the umpires ruled the second baseman (Ty Wigginton) could have had a play on the ball. So that would make the whole argument (and the Yankees' protest) moot.

So, what's next? The Mets play the first of four at Philadelphia on Monday night. The Marlins are home against the Pirates, also at night. In the NL East, the Mets are now tied with Florida, 2 games back of the Phillies. Florida's won just 2 of their last 10. The Mets are very capable of beating Philly here in these next four games. And then if Florida is still reeling after that, the Mets have a very good chance of taking that series. I really feel that the Mets will build off the momentum of this Yankees series and run off a bunch of wins here leading up to the break. They're playing great baseball right now. This should be a fun week.

ALL-STAR NEWS: Mike Piazza will be the starting catcher for the National League, voted to the All-Star team by the fans. Tom Glavine was named to the squad by Marlins manager Jack McKeon. Braden Looper also probably deserved to go, but I think the team is pretty fair, because a lot of other closers are having big years. Armando Benitez, Eric Gagne, Danny Kolb, and Danny Graves are all very deserving. So it'll be Glavine and Piazza representing the Mets in Houston next Tuesday. Not bad. Next year will be interesting to see whether Piazza makes the team as a first baseman...and it'll probably be the first All-Star appearance for THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes.

WRIGHT WATCH: Bad weekend for David Wright. He went 1-for-10 for the weekend, with 2 walks, and three strikeouts. His average dropped from .355 on Thursday to .319 on Sunday. He'll still be called up after the All-Star break, though.