WHAT'S NEW IN 2009

Perhaps a bit overdue, but I've been so absorbed with the Mets opening up Citi Field that I haven't talked much about what other teams are celebrating in 2009.

There's not as much as there was last year, when teams like the Giants and Dodgers were celebrating 50 years out west, and the Diamondbacks their 10-year anniversary. But a couple of teams have occasions to recognize.

Other than the two stadiums opening in New York, the biggest deal going on in baseball might be in Kansas City, where they are celebrating their 40th year as a franchise as well as the renovation of Kaufman Stadium. I'll have more on the renovation in a minute. But I also wanted to note that the Astros are wearing a patch celebrating 10 seasons at Minute Maid Park (nee Enron). I absolutely can not believe that park has been around ten years. I feel like all of these new ones were just built. Safeco Field is also celebrating 10 years this year, though it opened after the All Star break. And Pac Bell (now AT&T Park) also opened around the same time....I just feel like there's no way these parks can be 10+ years old. Time flies.

Anway, back to Kaufman Stadium. This park might just be the reason I want to visit all of these out-of-town ballparks. Growing up, I used to think there was nothing cooler than the fountains in Kansas City. (Still haven't been, incidentally.) The park got even more beautiful a few years back when they did away with the turf and put in natural grass. And now they've done a full renovation where the park looks very different - more like the new throwback parks, but it still kept a lot of its own charm.
(That's the way it looked the past few years on the left, renovated on the right. I couldn't find any really good pictures of the newer park...click to enlarge.)

Finally, there is one other significant difference that I have seen these past couple of weeks around the Majors - The Ballpark in Arlington (another new ballpark that is over a decade old) has its own new wrinkle: Its high wall in left field is now fronted by a "collapsable" scoreboard.
(Again, this was the best I could do for pictures.) It's a chain-link type fence, with the scoreboard images projected on there, and it absorbs impact. I think that's different from the one they have at the Rogers Centre in Toronto - I think this one wobbles more - I think the one in Toronto is sturdier.

Anyway, check it out if you get the chance - I love all of these little changes from year to year across the majors.

SHEA MEMORIES: MY FOUL BALL

The third in an occasional (OK, you caught me, weekly) series. I'm not going to sit here and try to defend Shea Stadium as one of the best ballparks of all time. I can honestly tell you, though, that I never walked into Shea and thought, "This place is a dump." The bottom line is, Shea is where the Mets play, and for me, it will always be special. I realize these are pretty individual memories, but I hope reading them stirs up something in your mind about some place that you may take for granted.

I've done some research and concluded the date must have been Tuesday, May 13, 1997. (The attendance that day according to the box score I found was 13,997. Think that's accurate, or someone was just having fun with numbers?)

The low attendance number also helps explain why my dad and I were able to get walk-up tickets, and sit about twenty rows from the field in the orange seats (field level), a little bit behind first base.

I was able to identify the game because of one notable thing that happened - Armando Reynoso started the game for the Mets...and he also hit a home run. I remember that very well.

What I didn't remember was that future Mets NLCS hero Mike Hampton started the game for Houston. He pitched well in that game, according to the box score (except for the homer to the opposing pitcher). We also saw John Franco notch his 11th save of the season, in a Mets 4-3 win.

But the reason this game stands out is not something you can find in the box score. And it happened during the first at-bat of the game.

Like I said, my dad and I bought tickets the day of the game. I had just come home from college, and we decided to catch the Mets...and we decided to get good seats. So there we were, 15 rows from the field, when Craig Biggio stepped in to lead off the game.

He fouled a pitch off, and it headed our way. I had been close to foul balls before, but this one looked really close. My heart started to beat faster. I put my arms up, and it was more than just the obligatory reach-out - this one I had a legitimate shot at getting.

It was a pop-up type of foul ball. So when it started its descent, it was weird - it was getting bigger and bigger, like it was coming straight down towards me. So my hands went straight up, with a crowd of other hands. And then I felt it right in my palm - stinging - and then it was gone. I missed it, I think because I was tippy-toeing trying to outreach everyone else and I wasn't focused on catching the ball.

I turned to look at my dad, disappointed. And there he was, holding the ball.

"Wow, Dad!" I said. "18 years, and I finally got a foul ball!"

"I don't think so," he said. "48 years, and I finally got one."

He still has it. And I'm glad my only foul ball opportunity happened at Shea. Hopefully I'll get another at Citi Field. Or my dad will.

FIRED UP

I like it when a ballplayer gets good and fired up. I've mentioned a number of times that's something I think this Mets team could use - whether it's a brawl or just someone getting the team to act like they care.

It's not just the Mets - it's all around baseball. Last night, the Marlins lost to the Rockies 18-17. I saw a bit of the seventh inning, when the Marlins led 17-12. Logan Kensing was brought in with two men on, and I think no one out. He had nothing. Absolutely nothing. He walked the first batter he faced, loading the bases for Matt Holliday. Then he grooved one and Holliday hit it out. And then he proceeded to give up another base hit. He just kept grooving it in there. How about going high and tight on someone? No one ever does that anymore.

So I think there needs to be more emotion. Somewhere between Willie Randolph, whose greatest show of emotion was a glare from the dugout, and the likes of Joba Chamberlain and Jonathan Papelbon, who overdo it a little bit. A happy medium would be nice.

In the past week or so, though, there have been four instances of the type of emotion you would like to see out of a ballplayer, but in the wrong scenarios and for the wrong reasons. Let me break them down for you:

Shawn Chacon - Chacon was released by the Astros after allegedly throwing his general manager to the ground and then almost beating him up. This all apparently happened because Chacon was being summoned into the manager's office...although some reports indicate that while Chacon wasn't in the right, GM Ed Wade didn't necessarily handle himself in the most professional manner. (Speaking of unprofessional - the MLB Players' Union filed a grievance over this....what a joke.)

Regardless, there's no excuse for assaulting your boss. I don't care how unhappy you are with your own performance, or how the club is handling your situation - this is not the place for this kind of behavior.

Manny Ramirez - Manny was "Being Manny" (one of the worst aphorisms [am I using 'aphorism' correctly?] since 'it is what it is') last week, shoving the Red Sox's traveling secretary in a dispute over Ramirez's ticket allotment while the team was in Houston. First of all, is there something in the water in Houston? Secondly, it's like this never happened - there has been a murmur about it, but hardly an uproar. Thirdly, this is the second internal incident of its kind involving Ramirez...but no one seems to be putting two and two together here. Remember in the game where the Sox and Rays fought, there was a dugout incident between Manny and Kevin Youkilis? All reports after that indicated that Youkilis was the one who was at fault, because he threw equipment around or something, and Ramirez asked him to stop. Well, Youkilis isn't the one going around shoving 65-year-olds.

Joe Girardi - Well, at least with this one we're getting closer to some on-the-field action. After exploding for 18 runs on Wednesday, the Yankees were shut out by the Red Sox on Thursday. And Girardi was mad. He was short-tempered with the press, but he wasn't too much of a jerk. He got really mad when one reporter (Joel - I'm not sure who that was) kept asking the same question, trying to find out what Girardi told his team in a players-only meeting, but was pretty responsive to the rest of the questions. Basically, Girardi said, he was mad about losing - no matter who the opponent is.

Jose Reyes - Finally, Jose Reyes and broadcaster Keith Hernandez had a heated argument on the team plane traveling to St. Louis last week. (Let me just say that I first heard about this from my mom - which meant I had to go and check to make sure it really happened. Sometimes she mishears things on the news. And the real story here is that she got this story 94% correct.) (Also parenthetically, the Southern Bureau had a tongue-in-cheek response to this story that's worth reading.)

Apparently, Reyes was upset about what he heard Hernandez had said about him on the air. I didn't see this play, but last week after a throwing error against the Yankees, Reyes threw his glove to the ground. Hernandez said, "Well, he's got to get over that. Enough babying going on now. He's a grown man. He's been around a long enough time. Take off the kid gloves." (That quote is from mets.com.) Reyes's defense is that when you make an error, you're supposed to be upset about it.

OK, fine. But some people interpreted the throwing of the glove as a shot at Carlos Delgado, who I've read could have caught the ball (again, I didn't see it - I was at NASCAR). It wouldn't surprise me if Reyes was showing up Delgado, because Delgado always....and I mean always...shows up Reyes. Dating back to 2006 - if Delgado had to step off the bag for a throw, he would stare down Reyes. I guess they had a good relationship about it - but it was really ridiculous. Anyway, I wouldn't be shocked if Reyes was showing up Delgado.

The bottom line here is that Reyes should be fired up - but not because Keith Hernandez is calling him out. He should be fired up that his team is losing.

There's one thing that all four of these situations have in common. They're not motivated by the right reasons. They're all motivated by selfish reasons, which is a commentary on the people who play the game today. I think the Chacon and Ramirez situations speak for themselves. Though the Girardi situation is very close to being appropriate, the fact that it comes just after he heard from his outspoken boss and comes during the most important series he'll probably face all season (in fourth place, with the Red Sox in town) makes me second-guess the timing and the real reason for his anger.

And the Reyes thing isn't about baseball. It's about his image.

Jose Reyes is the most important player to the Mets. The stats speak for themselves (I'll probably get into it more around the All Star break). But his attitude leaves a lot to be desired. And until he acts like someone who wants to win, Keith Hernandez, a winner, has every right to criticize the way Reyes acts on the field.

PREVIEW: NL CENTRAL

For the first time in I don't know how many years, I haven't bought a baseball preview magazine. I peeked through it the last time I was in the supermarket, and the one I picked up didn't even have the Johan Santana deal. So I figure, why bother? And I also figure, why don't I just write my own. So this week I'll quickly preview each of the divisions, culminating in my playoff picks and my award winners. Today we look at the National League Central.

It's the NL Central that really compelled me to do these previews this year. Everyone - or at least a lot of people - loves the Cubs this year. I don't. I can't really put my finger on why. And I actually was surprised when I saw something about the Cubs defending their division title this year - I had to go look up to see that they won the Central last year. I forgot how close that division got at the end of the year.

The Cubs didn't win last year, though, because they were better than everyone else. They won because the rest of the division was worse than them. That won't be the case this year.

The Cubs are OK...but I don't think they're better than that. And there are some interesting storylines in Chicago - how will Kosuke Fukudome do? Will Kerry Wood add anything out of the bullpen? But the storyline that will not be addressed is will the Cubs win on the 100th anniversary of their last championship...because they won't.

Most of the rest of the division is a disaster. The Pirates, Astros, and Cardinals are all going in the wrong direction. The Pirates are a mess, and the Astros and Cardinals will be plagued by distractions all year. The Astros have the Miguel Tejada situation, and St. Louis has similar steroid accusations and implications on their team.

For some reason, I like the Reds. The past few years I think I might have even picked them to win the division. I'm not going to do that this year, but I am going to say this - I think the Reds are the next team to come out and surprise people. Like the Tigers in 2006, like the Rockies last year, I think the Reds are the next candidate to do that - maybe even this year. I'm not going to pick them, but they're a team with decent talent that plays in a weak division. They could end up winning the division.

But I think this year Milwaukee will finish what they started last year, and make it to the post-season. They're no great shakes either - a lot of pitching question marks - but they should hit their way through the season. I don't think they'll run away with the Central, but I think they'll win it. And looking through this division closely, I think I understand why so many people are picking the Cubs - there's not a lot else out there. It might not take more than 82 wins to win this division again - it was 85 last year. Here's how I think they'll finish:

1-1: Sunday was a big day for me, basketball-wise. Well, not for me personally, but two of the institutions from which I graduated. I'll start with the loss - Boston University lost to Hartford in the America East semifinals - always an exciting time of year as the conference tournaments get underway in college basketball. Unfortunately, BU couldn't get one more win and get into the championship game. I was especially disappointed because I thought they could really win this year (they got hot at the right time of the year) and then get smoked in the NCAA Tournament.

The good news, though, is that my high school, Holy Cross High School, in Flushing, New York, beat Christ the King for the New York City championship. That's their first championship since 1968. So congratulations, Knights. And here's where it all ties together: Dennis Wolff, head coach of the Boston University men's basketball team - mentioned just a paragraph ago - is also a graduate of Holy Cross High School.

WHAT A GUY

As anyone who has read my blog knows, I always tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially, for some reason, if they play a professional sport. I don't know why that has been the case - maybe because for my whole life, I've put these people up on a pedestal.

Recently, that has changed. It started probably not with the players, but with the dishonesty of the coaches, that started opening my eyes to the fact that no one in professional sports deserved the benefit of the doubt. That's why I trust the Mitchell Report's allegations more than I trust the denials of the players involved, vehement though they may be. And when individual players admit to their transgressions, it just makes me believe the Report as a whole even more.

Everyone involved in professional sports has been taken down a peg in my book. And Major League Baseball players seem to be a little worse than the rest. To see a player defend cheaters, it makes me angry. And when cheaters rank higher in a player's book than replacement players, I get even more angry. Here are the words of Brad Ausmus, as reported by Nick Cafardo in the Boston Globe this past Sunday. Ausmus is talking about whether it will be troublesome for players named in the Mitchell Report to be accepted in the clubhouse.:

"I think in the case of the replacement players way back, they had a lot tougher time blending back into the clubhouse. This is totally different. I certainly am not going to demonize a player who was on the Mitchell Report. I feel badly for all of those guys. At the very worst, if all the allegations in that report are true, we're not talking about murder here. They aren't bad people. Throughout time, and in different sports, you've always had people trying to beat the system. They didn't do it to hurt anybody else, they did it because they wanted to get stronger and better."

The part that bothers me most (besides the fact that he's giving cheaters a free pass) is the shot at the replacement players. I know I can be making enemies with this statement, and that the baseball players' union can hunt me down and kill me for writing it, but I don't blame the replacement players. These are guys trying to earn a living doing what they love. I can't say that if I was a little (OK, a lot) more talented, I wouldn't have crossed the picket line to play a couple of weeks for the Mets, and make a dream come true. And then maybe if I was good enough, I could catch on, and make a career out of it, a la Rick Reed, or Kevin Millar. But those were guys that were demonized, and ostracized in clubhouses, when they were regular guys, non-cheaters (maybe), trying to earn a living. (And I don't buy for a minute that they were 'stealing bread from major leaguers' plates' - was there ever an instance where anyone thought the replacement players posed a threat to anything the million-dollar baseball players stood for?)

I feel like in an indirect way, while Ausmus is saying people named in the Mitchell Report aren't bad guys, he is saying the replacement players were, and that bothers me.

I also realize that Ausmus was probably close with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, and will be playing next year with Miguel Tejada, all named in the Mitchell Report, and maybe he didn't want to rock any boats. But if that's the case, a simple 'no comment' would have worked wonders here.

E-MAIL: It appears I may have won some sort of Swiss e-mail lottery now.....

LEFTOVERS FROM THE OHIO TRIP

Things I forgot to mention/didn't realize:

• I was reading through the Indians yearbook (the Indians don't sell programs - they sell their yearbook for about 5 bucks, and then throw in a scorecard...the Reds sell "Reds Magazine"), and I guess new this year is an area called "Heritage Park", celebrating the Indians' history. It looks very nice, and I'm sorry I missed it. It's out beyond centerfield, and it opens at 4:30 for 7:05 games. Maybe that's why they keep the other gates closed for so long (remember, we didn't get in until 6pm). But they do not do a very good job of advertising it - there were a lot of people just waiting outside the gate we were at, and no one seemed to have any inclination to check out Heritage Park.
• The Reds have cheerleaders - I only saw them make one appearance - they did a dance about a half-hour before the game started, and we didn't see them again.
• Thom Brennaman is riding the coattails of his dad, Marty...because he seems to be very popular in Cincinnati. They have all these ad campaigns, with people with signs that say, "We love Marty and Thom!" I'm sure people just really love Marty, and they don't want to offend Marty by saying, "We love Marty, and we're quite indifferent to Thom, but we don't want to upset Marty, so we'll just say 'We love Marty and Thom!'". Luckily we went on Frank Robinson bobblehead night. Sometime this month the Reds are having Marty and Thom bobblehead night.

SWEET ENDING: Thursday night's Astros-Braves game was pretty awesome. I turned it on in the seventh inning, and the Braves were up 9-5. With a man on first, there was a grounder to short, and Edgar Renteria turned his ankle bending down to field it (this part wasn't satisfying - Renteria was placed on the DL on Friday). What was satisfying was that when Renteria left the game, Chipper Jones was moved from third base to short, and Willie Harris moved from the outfield to third base. Naturally, the next player hits it to third, and Harris boots the grounder, so the bases are loaded. Pinch-hitter Mike Lamb then hits a grand slam. 9-9. Turned out the Astros took an 11-9 lead in extras, but the Braves tied it, then the Astros finally won in 14.

NL EAST/NL CENTRAL CHALLENGE: The Mets did some damage to the Brewers by taking two out of three, and now have a chance to help Milwaukee against Chicago. The Mets beat the Cubs in a good win on Friday afternoon, scoring 4 in the ninth to break a 2-2 tie...too late to support El Duque's great start - he got a no decision - but a good win nonetheless. Meanwhile, the Phillies, after playing the Cubs, swap with the Mets and now take on the Brewers. The Cubs and Brewers are tight in the Central race - the Mets are still keeping their distance from the Phillies and Braves.

INJURY UPDATE: Pedro Martinez* has thrown a simulated game, but the Mets are apparently being very cautious about his return: if and when it will be. It's sounding a little too cautious to me...it seems like the date for his return is getting pushed back further and further, and now the information is vague. Hopefully he comes back and is effective...

BIRTHDAY NEWS

Saturday was a big day for me. Not only was it my birthday, but it was pretty much THE birthday I've been looking forward to since I was little. 7/7/07. It's a small consolation for being born a year too late, in my opinion, which would have had me born on 7/7/77. I'm jealous of those people who have that birthday. But we celebrated during the day Saturday (Justin from NYC tells me he threw a huge, worldwide concert in my honor of my 29th birthday - and the codeword was to substitute "John" for "Earth". I had just read in the paper all about this "Concert for the John". He's a great guy.), and then on Saturday night, watched most of the Mets' big 17-inning win against the Astros (and watched Carlos Delgado homer at 7:07 [Central time] on 7/7/07...I love it!). And it got me thinking...how often did the Mets do well on my birthday? How often have they even played on my birthday?

As a kid, my birthday parties usually revolved around the Mets - we'd have cake at my house, then pile into a car and my dad (God bless him) would take a bunch of little boys to a baseball game at Shea. But this rarely happened on my birthday - either it was the All Star break, when no one played, or the Mets were not playing at home. So I decided to actually look up the information, and found out some great stuff (this is only since 1978, on the day that I was born):

• The Mets are 13-11 all-time on my birthday ...2-9 at home, 11-2 on the road.
• Including Saturday night, there have been 3 extra innings games, with the Mets winning all three.
• The Mets have had 3 3-game losing streaks on July 7th's, and have never won more than two consecutive years, which they've done six separate times.
• Gary Carter went 1-for-8 in two games on my birthday (1985, 1986).
• Todd Hundley homered three consecutive years on my birthday (1994, 1995, 1996).
• Andy Benes pitched a one-hitter against the Mets on my birthday in 1993, and the Mets' loss that day was one of the hard-luck Anthony Young losses that year- it dropped him to 0-12.
• In 2000, I remember watching the Yankees beat the Mets 2-1, on what I believe was a Friday night. El Duque outdueled Al Leiter. The next day, Roger Clemens beaned Mike Piazza. That was the angriest July 8th I've ever had.
• How about Sid Fernandez, the official pitcher of my birthday - he pitched in 1985, 1989, 1990, and 1992! In the 1992 game, El Sid got the win, Anthony Young came in for the save.
• And then there's Saturday, which I couldn't make all the way through - I conked out in about the 12th inning. But it'd be tough to beat as an all-time July 7th (into the 8th) classic. David Wright and Carlos Delgado homered in the first nine innings, then it was scoreless for the next 8, until Carlos Beltran drove home the winning (go-ahead) run. Beltran also saved the game defensively with a Mays-esque over-the-shoulder catch going up the hill in center field with two men on and two out in the extra innings.

ALL STAR BREAK: Not sure what I'll be posting this week - I'll try to do an All Star recap, since there are some Mets implications...but I do have some work this week, Monday through Thursday. So there's definitely not going to be a radio show this week.

BEAT THE STREAK: An update - I'm taking a 9-gamer into the break. That's fun.

ASTROS ARE ONE-HIT WONDERS

Astros 2, Mets 1 (NYM: 84-51, HOU: 67-70)

The Mets gave up just one hit to Houston on Sunday afternoon, but the Astros managed to make the Mets pay for 9 walks, and took advantage of the Mets resting some regulars to win, 2-1.

Roy Oswalt pitched a great game - he was perfect through 6, until Jose Reyes led off the seventh with an infield hit, and the Mets only scored when Carlos Delgado hit a 2-out homer in the ninth inning off Brad Lidge.

The Astros scored their runs on a bases-loaded squeeze play, and a sacrifice fly (on a nice running catch by Endy Chavez, who started in place of Carlos Beltran - more on him in a minute).

Orlando Hernandez pitched very well for the Mets, despite giving up those 6 walks - he pitched himself out of every jam he got himself into in his 5-and-a-third innings. Guillermo Mota turned in another great relief outing - he's been great since joining the Mets.

The Mets rested David Wright along with Beltran, and the offense suffered - mustering just 4 hits - all after the sixth inning. I still haven't seen the catch Beltran made on Saturday, but I keep hearing that it was an amazing, game-saving catch. And Beltran definitely hurt his knee (I wrote on Saturday that he might have hurt his knee), but I haven't heard much about it on Sunday other than the fact that it's not as bad as it originally looked.

The Mets return home Monday for a series with the Braves. Unfortunately, with the Magic Number not at 6 or below, the Mets will not have a chance to clinch the division against the Braves. But they can send one final message to Atlanta before being crowned division champs - and then when they visit Atlanta in the final week of the season, the Mets will be division champs. Steve Trachsel pitches for the Mets on Monday, and he has a chance, believe it or not, to become the National League leader in wins. That's just awful.

MAGIC NUMBER: The Braves had a real chance to help out the Mets, but blew it. Atlanta scored three times in the top of the ninth of game 1 of their doubleheader with Philadelphia, then gave up the game in the bottom of the ninth. The Magic Number could have gone down by as many as three Sunday, instead it went down 1, as the Braves thankfully won the nightcap of the doubleheader in 11 innings.

Hopefully the Braves suffer major pitching repercussions from these back-to-back doubleheaders as they come to New York (it wouldn't hurt if the Phillies lost a lot this week, too, because of the amount of baseball they've played this weekend!).

It should be noted that we should be watching the Marlins in the coming days too, because the Phillies are now just a half-game ahead of Florida in the standings, and that could have an effect on the magic number.

Stay tuned for the Magic Number Final 10!!!

MONTHLY BREAKDOWN: I forgot to post this Saturday, but the Mets finished the month of August with their best record yet:

April: 16-8
May: 16-12
June: 15-12
July: 16-9
August: 19-9

August was a good month, and I don't expect the Mets to do as well in September, what with all the new faces that are bound to be playing after call-ups, but it sure would be nice to see this team reach 100 wins.

THE KID'S KIDS: Vero Beach swept a doubleheader from St. Lucie on Sunday, ending any hopes the Mets had of winning the second-half title. But the Mets are the first half champs, so there will be some post-season baseball - I'll let you know when it is, when I figure it out. Minor league post-seasons are complicated.

Remember, last year with the Gulf Coast Mets Hall of Famer Gary Carter won the regular season title, then lost the championship series to the Tampa Yankees. Hopefully he does a better post-season job this year.

ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Another 0-for-3 for Edgardo Alfonzo, he's now hitting .246, and I fear, with 1 game left for the Tides, there is only one game left for Alfonzo as a member of the Mets organization. Although, I guess there will always be room for him as a coach, considering almost every other member of his family is employed by the Mets.

****YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE: Please note that there was a Saturday posting (a rarity, that's why I want to draw your attention to it), and I don't care if you read the whole post or not, but I'd like you to at least sign up for the football pick 'em league on yahoo!. The information is in either the post below or on the Jets site. Thanks.

HOUSTON, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM

Mets 4, Astros 2 (NYM: 84-50, HOU: 66-70)

With such a huge lead in the division (16.5 games), the Mets are finding ways to stay motivated in the season's final month, with each series presenting a unique opportunity for creativity. For this weekend's series in Houston, it represents a chance for the Mets to knock the Astros out of the playoff picture, thereby letting the Mets rid themselves of a potential playoff problem - the strong 1-2-3 pitching punch of the Astros.

So far, the Mets have done what they wanted to do. On Friday night, they survived a rough return to the rotation by Tom Glavine, outlasting Houston, 8-7. And on Saturday, the Mets got a great start from John Maine, and again, some very good bullpen work, beating Houston, 4-2.

Saturday night also saw another player return from the DL - Cliff Floyd (also see his work in St. Lucie below), and he contributed right away. He had 2 RBI, going 1-for-3 in the win. I didn't see this game (it was on local TV in both New York and Houston), but read about it, and it appears Carlos Beltran made a great catch in center in the 9th inning, but hurt his knee, and had to leave the game, walking off the field "gingerly". I expect the Mets would rest Beltran as much as possible with everything well in hand - it's trouble whenever Beltran's legs are involved.

David Wright was 2-for-3, with an RBI - the trips to hitter-friendly Colorado (it's still hitter-friendly for the Mets) and Houston have really broken him out of his slump. And as much as I wasn't crazy about the deal, the slump break-out really seems to coincide with Shawn Green's arrival, and the fact that he's been hitting behind Wright. Now with Cliff Floyd back, Wright should be seeing plenty of good pitches to hit. His average is back up to .305.

With Floyd, Green, and Beltran all in the outfield, Endy Chavez finds himself as the odd man out. (unless Beltran's injury keeps him out, and Chavez fills in at center). Willie Randolph says he will continue to find playing time for Chavez, and he did Saturday night, resting Green, and resting Jose Reyes, batting Chavez leadoff, and starting Anderson Hernandez at short. Randolph will surely be putting some interesting lineups on the field what with the September call-ups and the clinching imminent.

The Mets go for the road sweep on Sunday with Orlando Hernandez going against Roy Oswalt.

MAGIC NUMBER: The Phillies split a doubleheader with the Braves, so the one loss coupled with the Mets win knocks the magic number down 2, from 14, to 12. The Phillies and Braves play another doubleheader on Sunday, so there's a good chance we can be down to ten before Monday!

RING, BELL FOR BULLPEN HELP: The first September call-ups for the Mets were Royce Ring and Heath Bell, the yo-yo's of the year, now up for the rest of the year. (This was only worth noting because I wanted to use that headline.)

FOOTBALL: I posted a quick note on the Jets site about the fact that this will be a tough year to keep two blogs going. But I also posted some instructions on joining the pick 'em pool, so we can pick games against each other this football season. It's at fantasysports.yahoo.com, join the private group: Johnnyjets Group, and the password is: jetsfan. This way we can pick against each other, all 6 readers!

THE KID'S KIDS: Cliff Floyd helped the St. Lucie Mets to a win Friday night, hitting two home runs in a rehab start as the Mets won, 6-1. On Saturday, St. Lucie beat Vero Beach. With Daytona's game rained out, the Mets are a game better than Daytona, but still a half-game behind Palm Beach for the second-half division title.

ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: The Tides had four straight games rained out, so I didn't miss anything from Alfonzo's comeback. On Saturday, they played a doubleheader against Durham (the other rainouts were cancelled games, with only a few days left in the season), and Edgardo Alfonzo played both games, going a combined 0-for-5, seeing his average drop to .252. There are reports that Alfonzo will not be a part of any September call-up for the Mets.

TOE WATCH

I'm still not worried about Pedro Martinez*. Tom Glavine's schedule has been shifted in case he has to make the Opening Day start, which does worry me a little bit, more on that in a minute. But I'm not worried about Pedro*. He will pitch the first week of the season, even if it's not Opening Day. I just think Pedro* had an out from the WBC, and pushed it a little too far, not realizing he might not be ready for Opening Day of the Mets' season. Pedro* will pitch to batters soon, and maybe in a game following that. He's behind schedule, but he'll be OK.

Tom Glavine, though, worries me a bit. He got rocked in his spring training start Monday. Not a huge concern, but a little one. He wasn't crazy about shifting his schedule to accomodate the Mets, in case of problems with The Toe. But he did it, reluctantly. And now I think it's in his head a little bit. I think Tom Glavine is a great pitcher, but I don't think Tom Glavine adjusts to changes very well. This is what I've come up with. It took Glavine about a year and a half to pitch well in New York - the first major change in his life in 16 years. Then this week it comes out, in John Scheurholz's new book, that Glavine regretted agreeing to a free agent deal with the Mets, and the day before he was supposed to sign it, went to Schuerholz, asking what he should do. Glavine doesn't deny the story, he just says he wished he was asked permission for it to appear in the book. So that supports my thought a bit.

Now Glavine is being asked to change his schedule, something he doesn't want to do. At all. And the early returns, 4 runs in 4 innings, are not great. Just something to watch for. Hopefully Glavine will adjust.

MATSUI: I haven't heard much about Kaz Matsui in the New York papers. Could be because he's actually doing well, and we only hear the negative. He had three singles and three RBI on Monday, and drove in two runs with a hit in the Mets' 11-4 win on Tuesday.

EMBARRASSING: Driving back from New York on Sunday morning, I was able to listen to Ed Randall's "Talking Baseball" on WFAN, which is always a good listen. But there was a very unusual (for his show) and uncomfortable (for any show) moment.

Randall had (and this shows the respect most ballplayers have for Ed Randall) former players call into his show after arriving in Minnesota for Kirby Puckett's funeral. Don Baylor and Gary Gaetti called in after their planes landed. Baylor was first, and it was a little awkward, but nothing very noticeable, when Randall asked him about Game 6, and what it was like when Kirby Puckett told the team he was going to carry them on his back to win that game. Baylor, I guess, spun the question around to mean Game 6 of the 1987 World Series, in which he was a teammate of Puckett's, and in which Puckett went 4-for-4. (And until this moment, I didn't realize Puckett was 4-for-4 in that game - it's Game 6 of the 1991 World Series Puckett is remembered for...and I think Randall was asking about, as you'll see below...and in 1991, Baylor was no longer a baseball player.) So I guess the Baylor situation wasn't that uncomfortable....but.....

When Gary Gaetti came on, Randall asked him the same question, to describe the scene before and during Game 6, then what it was like to watch Puckett go out there and play a great game, with the catch and the homer. Gaetti's response was, "Ed, I hate to tell you this...but when he made that catch, and hit that home run, that was 1991. I wasn't on that team." (Gaetti left the Twins after the 1990 season - he was a teammate on the 1987 championship team.) Randall, after about 3 seconds of silence (a lot on the radio), said to Gaetti, "But Puckett was really a genuine person, on and off the field, wasn't he?" It was very awkward. But let me stress here, this wasn't a case of an ignorant reporter - it was just an uncomfortable moment for a quality broadcaster who made a mistake.

ANOTHER BALLPLAYER CALLER: Incidentally, Jeff Bagwell also called into Randall's show, and it was a very good interview. Bagwell talked about his situation in Houston this year, and he was very candid. First of all, Bagwell is definitely one of the good guys in sports. I like listening to/watching his interviews, because he always comes across very well. He talked about being traded from the Red Sox back when he was in the minors, and said Butch Hobson told him. Bagwell walked into the clubhouse, Hobson had hung up the phone, and was throwing stuff around, and told Bagwell he was pissed because Bagwell had just been traded. Bagwell also said, with the situation the Red Sox were in then, he would have traded himself for Larry Anderson, too. He also says Larry Anderson apparently has a good sense of humor about being part of one of the worst trades ever, telling Bagwell whenever he's in a slump, you'd better pick it up, or else people are going to forget who I am. I thought that was funny.

Anyway, the big news out of this interview came when Randall asked Bagwell if he feels disrespected (the Astros don't want Bagwell to play this year, because if he's too hurt to play, the Astros get back by insurance 15 of 17 million dollars owed to Bagwell) by the team he's played for his whole Major League career. He hesitated for a long time before answering the question, then said he understands the business side of baseball a lot better now than he ever did. He still doesn't have a lot of hard feelings towards the organization.

Bagwell says he feels pretty good at this point....so we'll see what happens over the rest of spring training. And hopefully this is the last Astros report for a while...why does it feel like I'm always writing about the Astros?

BONDS: My schedule's been a little jammed, and I realize I haven't had my say in the Barry Bonds deal - so hopefully I'll get around to that later in the week.

CONTRIVED CONTROVERSY

I think Pedro Martinez* is going to make his Opening Day start. I really do. It's too early right now to start shifting the rotation so that Tom Glavine can be available on Opening Day. (The big story in the papers Tuesday.) Glavine says it's 50-50 that he will be switched into the Opening Day start, and he sounds like he'll be mad if it ends up upsetting his schedule. I think I'll start panicking next week, if Pedro* gets off his schedule (he's supposed to go two innings on Monday, I think, which is the big milestone to watch for), but for now, this is a media-contrived controversy, because with the WBC, there is really not a whole lot going on at Mets camp.

METS BEAT THE ASTROS, 7-1: Notable from this game - Kaz Matsui had two hits, including a 2-run triple. He broke his 0-for-9 start to spring training (0-for-12 if you count the Puerto Rico exhibition game). I'm telling you, though - I'd be surprised if the triple gets much play in the New York papers - they're going to play up the 0-for-9/12 streak more. There was no mention of Matsui's good at-bat, where he moved the runner up, against Puerto Rico - just the fact that he was 0-for-3.

DELGADO FALLS: So apparently, Carlos Delgado took a backwards tumble off a dais on Monday during a Puerto Rican press conference for the WBC. Come on, why have I not seen video of this? Mets star risking injury or not, anytime someone falls off a dais, I need to see that. Thankfully, Delgado was not hurt.

USA: The U.S. WBC team shut out Mexico 2-0 in their first game. It was fun to watch some baseball - even if Chipper Jones was a major contributor to the win.

MORE ON KIRBY: A dip into the mailbag for another reader's take on Kirby Puckett, who died Monday of a stroke at age 44:

"i can not help but respond to what you wrote about kirby puckett. You say most people will remember him for 1991 and for the sexual abuse allegations.
In my opinion, it is absoloutely neccesary to mention the allegations.
That SI article was shocking when it came out, not just because of the one allegation, which he was ultimately legally cleared from.. but because it was apparently a pattern of behavior.
When his wife divorced him, she sited sexual and physical abuse.. and he had the lovely habit of whipping it out in mall parking lots in front of strangers. and he was kirby puckett.. the most famous man in the state. Imagine that scene. a lady gets out of her car because she needs to get something at sears, and she sees kirby puckett, and for a split second she thinks "oh my god, kirby puckett.. i can't wait to tell my husband and sons. he's their hero".. but suddenly her thoughts change to, "why is he showing me his weiner?" How does she go home and talk to her kids and her husband?

Basically for the last two days, all i have heard about is what a great guy he was because he was short and fat and single handedly won a world series. That's all true (though i don't neccesarily think he was such a shoo in for the hall of fame).. but i have heard some ridiculous statements. Even my hero peter gammons spoke about him as if baseball talent and a smile is all that rates... and harold reynolds made the most ridiculous statement i have ever heard in my life.. "if anyone can beat this, its kirby puckett". So, clearly he went to the same medical school as bill frist (check that out.. a political tie in. dave will get it, kev will not). But that statement is inherrently retarded. because he ran fat despite being a fatty... beating a stroke should be no problem? that's just dumb.

thank you for listening,
justin"

Justin, thanks for weighing in on the Puckett situation. I was starting to regret what I had written, because everyone - everyone - speaks so glowingly about Puckett, and it's just a footnote that he had all of these allegations against him. Until I read his obituary in the paper today, I barely heard about the allegations. So I was starting to feel like I was disrespecting the dead in some way. But you're right - there was a pattern and a history of this type of behavior. And mix in a frustrating end to a career that was the only thing Puckett ever really knew, a weight problem spiraling out of control, it's hard for me to imagine Puckett had a peaceful final few years....nor was he the "perfect/great/honorable" person everyone is making him out to be. A tragic figure? Yes. A hero? No way.

I never got around to the Mets season summary (perhaps that will come), but I had to put in my two cents about last night's NLCS Game 5 between the Cardinals and the Astros.

Due to my current teaching life, I no longer stay up to all hours of the night playing video games and watching whatever sporting event that is on TV (like the old days of Arena Football, on the crappy ESPN2). Therefore, I went to bed last night with the Cardinals still winning in the seventh inning, 2-1. That's when the Astros came back, on a Lance Berkman homer, I hear, to take a 4-2 lead.

They took that lead into the ninth, with their invincible closer on the hill, Brad Lidge. All we've heard about this post-season is how Lidge didn't blow a lead for the Astros all season until the final Friday of the regular season. He looked a little shaky on Sunday, but got one of the best-turned double plays of all-time to end the game with the tying run on third, so that had to make him feel only more invincible.

So Lidge strikes out the first two batters of the ninth, then goes to 3-2 on David Eckstein. Eckstein rolls a single into left field. Then Lidge walks Jim Edmonds. Then Albert Pujols launches a bomb to left field, the Cardinals take a 5-4 lead, and go on to win. Now the series shifts to Saint Louis Wednesday and Thursday (if necessary), and everyone thinks the Astros are dead and buried.

I hate to promote the guy, but Bill Simmons wrote a very good article about how the Astros and their fans must feel right now on ESPN.com. (I don't like Simmons because I'm jealous - there, I've said it, OK. I'm jealous at what he does for a living.) Simmons knows the pain, because he is a Red Sox fan, and his comparisons between this game and Game 6 of the 1986 World Series are dead-on.

I'm not so sure that the Astros will collapse, though. I still am not totally sold on the Cardinals - I don't know that they'll be able to close this out. But they really have a home field working for them - the Cardinals fans are going to be nuts about having at least one more, and possibly two more, home games this post-season, and the Astros are facing a very tough go the next one (or two) nights. I do feel, though, that they're capable of putting Monday night's game behind them and closing out the series on Wednesday. We'll see.

I worry, though, about Brad Lidge. His situation too closely resembles Donnie Moore, and we all know what happened to him. I don't think Lidge will do anything drastic personally, but I wonder how this will affect him professionally. He was so dominant this season (and even last year) - I wonder how he handles this type of adversity, on such a big stage. I don't know anything about him, so I don't know his makeup - but I want to root for him to come back and pitch well.

So I should talk about the way I found out about this, just so I can answer those "Where were you when....?" questions. I was sleeping. We talked about that already. But when I woke up, and turned on ESPNEWS, the bottom right corner didn't say "Astros advance to first ever World Series", so I figured the Cardinals won. I was more surprised when I saw the Indianapolis Colts' score. But I waited for the NL spot on the crawl, and saw the final score was 5-4. Still didn't think much of it, other than the fact that it didn't end 2-1. Then it says, "Pujols GW 3-run HR", and I'm doing the math, and thinking "Wow." Then they show the highlights, and the situation was just - and I'm going to use a word here that is so overused today that it has lost some meaning, but here it is applicable - UNBELIEVABLE. This is unbelievable, people. Other stuff that gets tagged "Unbelievable" is really quite believable. It needs to be used less.

Anyway, I love hearing stuff about the 1986 World Series and how the champagne was all ready to go and the podium for the trophy presentation was all set up for the Red Sox in Game 6, and then it had to be all torn down. I'd like to hear about the stuff that went on at Minute Maid Park on Monday night - at least they had another half-inning to get things done, since the Astros had to hit in the bottom half.

At the very least, this NLCS just went from insignificant to somewhat exciting. I'll try to write about it on Thursday.

NO WHEELIN', NO DEALIN', JUST REELIN'

Mets 9, Astros 4 (NYM: 53-52, 8 GB; HOU: 57-48 - Wild Card Leader)

From June 30, 2005, johnnymets.blogspot.com:

"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."

Well, here we are. Another month, another 13 losses. In July, that means 14 wins, but a wasted, wasted opportunity at the end of the month. The Mets lose two out of three in Colorado and then three out of four in Houston. They are now 3 games behind Washington, which is better than where they were at the end of June....but Washington is now in second place, 5 games behind the Braves! That leaves the Mets in last place in the NL East, 8 games out. And the Braves aren't going to collapse like the Nationals did.

So a month ago I said I'd take the Mets 53-52 at this point. I'd even say I would have taken it at the All-Star break, when the Mets headed into the break losers of two out of three in Pittsburgh. But not now. I think they should have been 55-50 right now, at least, after the way they ended their last homestand. Now it's an uphill battle. The Mets host Milwaukee, and the Brewers are playing very well right now. Then the Cubs come to town, and first of all, the Mets struggle against Chicago, and second of all, the Cubs are a desperate team, which makes them dangerous. After that it's a West Coast trip, which is baaad news. The Mets couldn't even handle a middle-of-the-country trip...and they're not a very good road team, apparently. So a West Coast trip doesn't bode well.

Here's a positive. The Mets won on Sunday, 9-4. They pounded out 17 hits, one a home run by Cliff Floyd. Maybe the offense will get going now, although if it didn't get going in Colorado and Houston, it's unlikely.

Now, more negative. The Mets did nothing to improve themselves at the trade deadline. Yes, having Manny Ramirez would have been a big headache, and I would have hated to see Aaron Heilman go. But, man, would I have loved to see Mike Cameron go. And I'd be willing to put up with the Ramirez headaches to have his bat in the lineup instead of Cameron. It would have been an awful trade for the Red Sox, smart move by them not making it. I almost think Red Sox management let out wind of the Manny trade to see how Red Sox Nation really felt about trading him. I think after the boos Friday night, they wanted to see how the fans really felt, so they got the deal going, leaked the deal, got the response they wanted which was, that's an awful deal, showed fans they couldn't really get the value for Ramirez that would make people happy, and then pulled back out of the deal. I think that's how it went down, but enough about the Sox. I guess there wasn't much out there for the Mets to do - they needed to improve first base, and nothing was available at a reasonable price.

I think if the Mets get off to a strong start in August, a deal will be made within a week. If they start losing against Milwaukee and Chicago, see ya next year. Unless they start trading away guys (I'm talking waiver deals here, by the way), not important guys, but guys like Cameron, to build up the farm system some more. I'm also glad they haven't gotten rid of Lastings Milledge. He's good, and he has a great name.

Monday's an off-day, then it's Mets-Brewers Tuesday night. Hopefully the wins start coming again.

ELTRAN*'S: HOLD THE PHONE!! A multi-hit game for Carlos Beltran*!! Talk about an awful road trip - he was booed every time he moved in Houston, and he stunk it up in Colorado (maybe anticipating a rough reception in Houston). He'd better not expect a warm welcome in New York either.
18-66 (.273 AVG.), 2 HR, 11 RBI, 7 Runs, 3 SB

WRIGHT WATCH: The one positive through this past week has been David Wright's assault on the Mets record books. Another double on Sunday...watch out Bernard Gilkey.

SECOND HALF: 6 SEASON TOTAL: 28 TEAM RECORD: 44

DAVID WRIGHT NEEDS 16 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 57 GAMES.

THE KID'S KIDS: No games on Sunday. I didn't see the Hall of Fame Inductions in their entirety, but I'm sure Hall of Famer Gary Carter was in Cooperstown. His Gulf Coast Mets are now 22-10, good for a 6-game lead. We're entering the final month of the season - that six-game lead is looking pretty good. I'll let you know what the playoff picture is when I find out if there even are playoffs at that level.

'STRO-ING IT AWAY

Astros 3, Mets 2 (HOU: 55-47; NYM: 52-50, 6 GB)

This is not good. I'm mad. The Mets are wasting chances. They had their shot at the division lead, and they blew it. They had a huge chance to make up ground, and they ended up falling further back. And they wasted a great outing by Pedro Martinez* on Thursday night in the game they needed to win against Houston. None of these next three games is going to be easy - they needed to win with Pedro* on the mound.

The Mets dropped two out of three in Colorado - just awful. Granted, the Rockies have played a lot better at home than on the road - but that's not going to stop the Phillies from taking two games this weekend - probably even three or four. The Mets blew it there. Now they have four games in Houston - the Astros have the best record at home in the league.

Thursday night's game was very frustrating. The home plate umpire - I'm not sure who it was - had the tiniest strike zone I've ever seen. It worked both ways, the Mets were getting calls that should have been strikes called balls too, but the umpire forced Pedro* to throw a lot more pitches than he should have had to. In all, he threw 117, and left after 8 innings, with 8 strikeouts. He left a 2-2 tie, Roberto Hernandez pitched the ninth, and gave up a single, sac bunt, and then a gapper to score the winning run.

The problem is, it never should have gotten to that point. The Astros started Zeke Astacio (picture a guy named Zeke....that's exactly what this pitcher looked like. Seriously. He looked like a Zeke.) The Mets loaded the bases against Zeke with no one out in the first. They scored A run. One run. They had the chance to blow the game open early, and didn't. It cost them. Mike Piazza had a good day at the plate, David Wright had a good defensive game, but they both couldn't come through in that first inning. Cliff Floyd, at least, had a sacrifice fly, scoring Jose Reyes (it wasn't even a deep sac fly, the only reason the Mets got that first run was THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED'S SPEED). Miguel Cairo was the one who took advantage of the short left-field porch to give the Mets a 2-1 lead with a solo homer later on. Piazza, Wright, and Cameron better hit some homers in Houston before the weekend's through.

Pedro* didn't get hit hard. He gave up the two runs, one on a solo homer, then the second on a squeeze bunt by Brad Ausmus.

The Mets need to get the bats going. Carlos Beltran* is becoming a serious problem. I'm starting to think it's a little psychological. I think he knows people are expecting him to have a huge second half, and he's feeling as much pressure as he did to start the season. Just a thought. Cliff Floyd has cooled way off...so much so that he's probably not even going to finish in the top 15 of the Greatest Seasons Ever By A Met. Mike Cameron (I alluded to this earlier in the week) is the least clutch hitter of all time. I wrote that, I think, on Monday. Tuesday night, he struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning in Colorado, with the Mets down by a couple, then made the last out with Jose Reyes on second base and the Mets trailing by one in the ninth. That was part of a 4-strikeout night, by the way. Just can't perform in the clutch. He's the last person I want up with the game on the line.

Jose Reyes and David Wright are playing out of their minds right now. Wright has a 15-game hitting streak, Reyes an 11-gamer. They're setting the tables, but no one's finishing the job. I think it's time to throw Cameron down in the six-slot in the batting order, put a decently-performing Mike Piazza back at number five, and put David Wright second. I think Wright's a lot like Michael Young in Texas - and the two slot works well for Young.

Something's gotta happen. The Mets have to start winning games they should be winning. I'm starting to wonder if they even deserve the high expectations I have of them right now. The San Diego Padres team they swept last week is clearly not good - they've lost 9 out of 10, and I think they're now a game below .500 (but still in first place). The Mets need a first baseman. Marlon Anderson is a great pinch-hitter. He is a good infielder. He is a bad first baseman. Jose Offerman is worse. Chris Woodward isn't a lot better. Make up your mind about Doug Mientkiewicz - either use him for his defense and hope he improves on offense, or make a trade. We can't go on with this disaster at first.

I need to go to bed. I'm very upset right now. But I have a couple of other things to mention. One is that I have decided I hate 9:05 pm start times. It only happens, I think, in Colorado. It's too in-between. With the West Coast 10:05 start times, you know what you're getting - a late game. It's 7 o'clock out West. With the 9, they fool you into thinking it's a little early, because it's earlier than 10, but man, those games go late. And they take you (me) out of your (my) game-watching rhythm. Sometimes I forgot to change it back to the Mets when I'd switch around during commercials. Just a very tough thing to get used to. So perhaps that's why I haven't seen a lot of Rockies games this year (or perhaps it's because they friggin' SUCK). But all that said, I have to say, they have a great broadcast team. I really enjoyed watching the Mets-Rockies games on the Rockies feed. Drew Goodman and George Frazier. They were outstanding. I'm going to try watching them some more. They were amusing, but not goofy, they knew their baseball...it was very refreshing.

That's it for tonight. I'm dreading Sunday. Kaz Ishii versus Roy Oswalt. The Mets need another strong outing from Kris Benson Friday night, because we all know he's not going to get a lot of run support.

ELTRAN*'S: 0-for-4 on Thursday, in his return to Houston. He was booed all night. He'd better not expect a much nicer reception at Shea, unless things turn around.
14-55 (.255 AVG.), 2 HR, 10 RBI, 5 Runs, 1 SB

WRIGHT WATCH: 15-game hitting streak includes another double on Wednesday night.
SECOND HALF: 5 SEASON TOTAL: 27 TEAM RECORD: 44

THE KID'S KIDS: I don't know when the record improved, but the Gulf Coast Mets are now 20-9, 5 games up in the division. It looks like they got rained out again on Thursday...but I'm not sure.

SWEET SWEEP

Mets 4, Astros 3 (NYM 4-5, HOU 4-4)

I didn't see much of the game last night, but I did see the end and got to see my husband happy about the Mets for the first time in a long time. I also know that the ball game was won by THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED after he beat out a dribbler, stole second and made it to home on an error.

John's back this weekend (hopefully -- let's hope the phone line is fixed), so this is my last mail bag before signing off. Oh surprise, it's from Dave in Brighton:

"Dear KathyMets,

Here is the Dave in Brighton saves analysis. According to ESPN's 2004 regular season statistics, there were 533 saves last year, in 726 save opportunities. That makes for 193 blown saves, and a successful conversion rate of 73 percent. (Obviously, this figure does not include the 2 biggest blown saves in the history of baseball, those being in games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS.)

So far this season, there have been 23 saves recorded in 45 opportunities, making for 22 blown saves and a succesful conversion rate of 51 percent.

It would seem that JohnnyMets' theory about there being more blown saves so far this year than some years in total is wrong, unless you counted the years before saves were counted as a stat.

No worries, though, I know to discount almost all of the statistics Johnnymets provides on the blog.

Signed,
Dave in Brighton"


Dave-

I'm glad you realize that JohnnyMets is full of B.S. I had to accept that long ago, and even still married the guy. JohnnyMets is very perceptive though, in recognizing that percentage-wise, this season is incongruous with other seasons. Continuing at the same rate, I would estimate that at the end of the season, there will be 350-400 blown saves. Of course, we know that won't happen, but is an interesting point.

OK - that's it for the wife's say. Have a good weekend folks.

THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED PULLS THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH

Mets 1, Astros 0 -- 11 Innings (NYM 3-5, HOU 4-3)

Tension was building at the House Sponsored by DirecTV last night. Yes, the Mets were on. Ishii was pitching a great game; Clemens was pitching a great game. (I confess, I only saw from the 8th inning on.) John was pacing the room, nearly pulling his hair out. Let me tell you, I give my utmost thanks to THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED (Jose Reyes), who blooped a hit in the bottom of the 11th to win the game for the Mets.

I don't have much more to say than that, because from my point of view, it was a great win, yay, shut off the TV. Whereas from John's point of view, the game warrants endless paragraphs of muckety-muck analysis. I'll leave the analysis to him for next week.

I will say that the Mets are making a respectable comeback from their dismal start to the season. Let's hope they can keep it up.

Also, John tells me that I need to issue a mea culpa for dissing Pedro* in yesterday's blog. Apparently, Pedro*'s comments about not wanting a ring were "taken out of context". Which to us fans in Boston, we know that means that Pedro* opened his big mouth and then later realized he shouldn't have and backpedaled. So Pedro* apparently says he wishes the Sox luck and he doesn't know when he'll get his ring, and something about the Sox being champions and he's a champion too. Champion might not be the word I'd use...

Sorry for the short blog today, but there's work I should be doing and I have few comments except for "Yay, the Mets won last night!"

THE WIFE, PART II

OK - so upper management of JMDBSDC has told me that I am NOT allowed to turn this into a Red Sox blog for the week. I must discuss the Mets. Hmm ... that's a toughie. So I'll turn to JohnnyMets himself (since that's why you read anyway) and get his thoughts.

1) John says he's going to be really p.o.'ed if he can't watch the Mets tonight. As you recall, John hasn't seen the last two Mets games, which they've won. As you may also recall, the House Sponsored by DirecTV needs a working phone line to get full reception, which we don't have right now. However, John insists that we can get some of the games, and hopefully the Mets will be one of them. I'd better hope so, else I have one grumpy husband tonight.

2) The Mets square off tonight against Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros. This should be one exciting game, which is why it's even more important that we receive the game tonight. Will there be a beaning? A fight? Tune in to JMDBSDC tomorrow for details...

3) And here's John's insight at its best. He thinks that in the first week and a half of this season, there have been more blown saves than there have been in some entire seasons. Latest victim: Armando Benitez, who blew a 3-run lead last night. Funny, I wasn't even watching that game. For those of you who don't know the story, I am the official Armando Benitez jinx, and he blows every game I watch him play. As you can imagine, that was not a good thing when he played with the Mets. Dave from Brighton, I expect you'll do some numbers-crunching on John's theory and get back to us on that.

OK - now for the mail bag:

"Dear KathyMets,

That's too bad about the sadly misnamed House brought to you by
DirecTV. One of the most frightening perils of homeownership is being
responsible for fixing problems like that one. I hope you take good
care of the 'blog. Maybe you can spice it up with some vitriolic
anti-Mets views. Or some pictures.

Since you specifically requested some "Around the League" Sox talk...

--Is it too early to say "Renteria, gimme a break." They should change
his number to 643.

--I say Wells ends up with a 5.35 ERA. Do you take the over or under
for entertainment purposes?

--And on the Sox WS rings... Not enough bling, too much, or just right?

Signed,
Dave in Brighton"


Dave-

You raise several points. I hope I can address all of them. First of all, I am not going to fill this space with vitriolic anti-Mets views. You see, marriage is all about supporting your spouse, even if you think they're going to be disappointed every year by the teams they root for. I'll leave it at that, because if I say more, John is going to get mad. Not good for the marriage.

I'm looking into the picture thing. I'm just getting used to this blog thing, so pictures are asking for a lot. But I'll try.

RE: Renteria. It's probably a bad thing to sign the player who makes the last out for the opposing team, letting you win the World Series for the first time in 86 years. But I'm willing to give him a chance. It's only April. Early May, I'll reassess.

RE: Wells. I was vehemently opposed to signing him in the first place. What kind of drugs did Theo take after that Championship?? Signing on an overweight, 41-year-old, drunken man who gets into bar fights is not cool. I say he ends up with OVER a 5.35 and at least one barstool thrown in his face.

RE: rings. Beauties. I love 'em. Just enough bling for me.

OK - our next writer:

"John/Kathy....

Seeing the ring ceremony yesterday was great. It was good to see Lowe and Roberts come back...because they were such key parts of last year.

But a player who was a key part of the franchise is set to get a ring too, and I wonder if they'll do a ring ceremony for him...or give it to him in private. I'm talking about Nomar.

Nomar is the one that brought the fans back to Fenway when the team wasn't very good. He was the one who all the kids bought jerseys of. He's the one that made the Red Sox cool again....remember...for a long time...they were bad...and that stadium was far from sold out.

Then he got hurt...the media soured on him....then skewered him...then traded him....and you know the rest.

Fact is...he still gets a ring because he was on the 2004 team. Question for the house....should the Red Sox have a ceremony for Nomar at Fenway before a game?? Or...should they give him the ring in June when they play each other at Wrigley in front of the Cub fans?? Or....just ship it FedEx??

I would like to see the Fenway faithful get to say "thank you"....but I don't think that will happen.

kevin
JMDBSDC Southern Bureau Chief"

Kevin-

I sadly don't think that will happen either. I think the situation with Nomar and the Red Sox is just too bitter right now. It would be cool for the Sox to give the ring to him at Wrigley, but I think it will really come via DHL sometime this week. (Yes, not FedEx. The Sox made a big point during the telecast that the rings were shipped via DHL.)

Also, my final comment for the day: I used to be a Pedro* fan. I cheered him when he knocked Zim to the ground and threatened to pop Posada in the head. However, the fact that he says he doesn't even want his ring makes me mad. Just friggin' take it and be happy that you won the World Series! Pedro*'s whole shenanigans make me hope he stinks with the Mets. (Sorry, John)

That's it for the day - hope you're enjoying the blog this week. (Though I also hope you're looking forward to the return of JohnnyMets next week.)

Astros 5, Mets 4 (53-59, 11 GB)

Well, so much for the new plan. The Marlins lost, but the Mets also lost, and the Braves, Phillies, and Expos all won. So the big experiment lasts just one day. We'll have to figure out a new scheme for the Mets to make the playoffs on Thursday.

The Mets really didn't deserve to win Wednesday night. But they almost stole one, which would have been good for a team that hasn't caught many breaks this year. According to form, though, after a wild pitch allowed the Mets to score two runs to tie the game at 4, they went on to lose the game in 10 innings. This, despite the best efforts of future Hall of Famer David Wright, who led off the 10th inning with a single, and advanced to third base before Jason Phillips ended the game by flying out to center field. He can't do it by himself folks...although if anyone was capable of that, it would be David Wright.

Matt Ginter pitched very well against the Astros for the second time this year, filling in for the injured Tom Glavine. He had to leave the game, though, after the long rain delay in the sixth inning.

It should also be noted, The Greatest Ballplayer Who Ever Lived, Jose Reyes, pinch-hit in this game and doubled, before leaving for a pinch runner. Reyes limped off the field. He's gotta stop getting these leg injuries.

Speaking of injuries, Mike Piazza is on the DL with inflammation in his knee. Of course, the knee injury wasn't suffered as a catcher, it was suffered with Piazza at first base. I swear, the Mets have won two World Series in their 42 years of existence, but you want to talk cursed? It's all or nothing with this team. At least the Red Sox contend, the White Sox contend, the Cubs, well, they've contended the past two years. But the Mets...they have a young player (Reyes) who has the biggest upside of anyone in the league (some would argue more than anyone who's ever played the game), and he can't walk without tweaking a hamstring. Then you have the greatest-hitting catcher in the history of the game, who can't even switch positions right to help save his career. Then they go out and grab allegedly one of the best Japanese players out there (Kaz Matsui), and he doesn't know how to field or throw a baseball....not to mention two Hall of Famers (legitimate Hall of Famers - Roberto Alomar and Mo Vaughn) who fall off the face of the Earth when they come to the Mets. I'll keep it at that...but there are plenty more examples. I don't want to throw around any words like "Curse"...but something ain't right.

The Mets and Astros turn right back around and play Thursday afternoon at 12.

Mets 7, Astros 3 (53-58, 10 GB)

OK, new plan. If the Mets win every game from here on out, and everyone else in the NL East loses every game the rest of the way, playoffs, here we come! The Mets beat the Astros Tuesday night at Shea Stadium, and the Braves, Marlins, and Phillies all lost. (The Expos won, but they're so irrelevant, unless they're beating the Mets 19-13.) Anyway, that's what we'll cling to now. I know the season's over, but they're not called the Miracle Mets for nothing. Let's see what they can pull from their rears this year, these Miracle Mets. FYI, the Mets are just 7 and a half games out of the Wild Card, trailing just the Cubs, Padres, Giants, Phillies, Marlins, Astros, Reds, and Brewers. That's like the entire National League.

So, lots of highlights Tuesday night. It was actually a pretty good game to watch, or at least the first hour and 45 minutes was, which was all I got to see. I left the house after the Mets took a 4-3 lead in the 4th. David Wright had a huge game, 2-for-4, with a homer, and 2 RBI. (That's now 4 homers, en route to 755+, and 12 major league RBI for the future Hall of Famer.) Wright drove in the go-ahead run with a sharply hit single up the middle, following up the exact same thing by Mike Cameron one batter before.

Let's just briefly talk about Tom Glavine. As poorly as he pitched last year, 2004 has to be the worst year of this guy's life. First of all, he's pitching great, but can't catch a break because the Mets don't score runs when he's on the mound. He's 8-10, with a 2.92 ERA. That's just wrong. Then, there's what happened to him yesterday. His cab gets into an accident right outside LaGuardia airport, and he goes to the hospital with stitches in his cut lower lip and no more two front teeth. He's out of the hospital right now, but will miss Wednesday night's start. Just a bad year for Glavine. And now the johnnymets connection: For those of you who attended the big johnnymets wedding, you may remember my sister had a cast on her wrist. She broke that wrist in a car accident right outside LaGuardia airport. From what I hear about the Glavine accident, the accidents happened in pretty much the same spot. So I'm basically like Tom Glavine's brother at this point. (FYI, my sister is recovering. The cast is gone now. And she still has her two front teeth.)

Well, it's Wednesday, which means it's time to check the mailbag.

This e-mail comes from someone calling himself Scott, who would be my former roommate who tried to steal $600 from myself and Kevin from Wilmington. But being that I hate the man, I don't believe it's really him. But let's see the e-mail, shall we:
"John...
Does it bother you that the future "ace" of the Mets pitching staff has a girl's first name?? Check it out....Kris is short for Kristin!!! I have a girls last name...and I can tell you, its never been a problem for me. I mean...look at my life. I was a success in college, success as a roommate, and now...well, if you only knew what I was up to!! Anyways...girls first name on the ace....bother you?? Scott Salley - parts unknown"

Well, "Scott", it does bother me actually, that Kris is short for Kristin. This is an unbelievable development, folks, which I'm very grateful to "Scott" for pointing out. He refers to the ESPN player page for Kris Benson, and sure enough, that page shows his name as Kristin James Benson. There's no doubt, though, that Benson is all man. He is, after all, married to a former Penthouse model. So I guess Kristin can slide.

Well, speak of the devil - if it isn't Kevin from Wilmington. Here's what Kevin writes:

"Johnny.... Big time fan of your site. Keep up the great work. Anyways....I don't want to say "its over"....but "it don't look good" after this weekend's sweep. So....Let's look ahead to next season. With Hidalgo and Benson both free agents...will the Mets keep both or either or neither?? Will they make a run at Carlos Beltran?? What do you see the Mets lineup and rotation as for next season?? I'll hang up and listen. kevin - Wilmington, NC "

Wow. A legitimate e-mail. Well, Kevin, to be honest, I've been so focused on this season that I haven't been looking ahead too much. But next year is promising....and a little unsure. I think the Mets definitely keep Benson. Hidalgo, I'm not so sure about. As Steve from Manhattan points out every time I speak to him, the Mets wouldn't pay for Vlad Guerrero, why would they pay that much money for Hidalgo? It's a good point, but the way Hidalgo is playing for the Mets right now, they would probably hate to let him go. As for Beltran, I don't see that happening. I think everyone's happy with Mike Cameron in center field, especially lately. So here's what I'm seeing for next year:

2B Kaz Matsui
SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
1B Mike Piazza
RF Richard Hidalgo
LF Cliff Floyd
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Phillips
Pitching Rotation: Tom Glavine, Kris Benson, Al Leiter, Steve Trachsel, Victor Zambrano

It's a pretty good-looking rotation, my only worry is that Leiter and Glavine might be having their last good years in 2004. But we'll have more on this in the season preview here on johnnymets.blogspot.com in March. And, yes, I do believe David Wright will be batting third in 2005. Speaking of the future Hall of Famer, Dave from Brighton writes in again:

"With David Wright on track to spend a half season with the MajorLeague club, will he be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors. If not, would he still be eligible next year, even though he'll have a half season of experience under his belt?
While we're on the topic, what would you project for him next year, stats-wise. If he can have a 6 RBI game every day, that would put him on pace for approximately 1,000 RBI. Is this impossible, or just unlikely?"

Dave, Dave, Dave. That's just stupid. Everyone knows 1,000 RBI in a season is just unlikely, especially when we're talking about Wright. As for Rookie of the Year, David Wright is going to have to go gangbusters for the rest of this season in order to add that award to his Hall of Fame resume. The rules, I believe, are a player can't have 130 major league at-bats or 45 games on a major league roster and still be considered a rookie. So Wright's a rookie right now...and won't be in 2005. As for a projection of stats, I would say he's going to be a consistent .300 hitter, 30 homers, and 130 RBI. What else would you expect?

One final note: The Mets are wearing patches on their left sleeves for the rest of the season simply saying "Bob Murphy", written around the outside of the Mets emblem. Very classy. And before Tuesday night's game, the Mets honored Murphy with a video montage - it was very good. Well done by the Mets. And on Wednesday at 2PM at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, there is a public memorial for Murphy. Just FYI.