JUST THE FACTS....BUT ALSO SOME OPINIONS

I have no idea why the Mets traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. I'm hoping it's part of something bigger, where someone will be swapped due to that move being made, but I have no idea.

(A part of me thinks this deal is Omar Minaya's way of responding to the critics who accuse him of racism [or ethnicism, I guess] by acquiring only Hispanic players. I can imagine him saying, "You want some white players? Here are some white players. Guess what? They suck! Hispanic players are better. Do you see my point now?")

That said, there are some pieces to this off-season puzzle that I have firmly in my grasp, that I want to make sure I get out there, on what has turned out to be a quiet day baseball-wise.

First of all, and I haven't had a chance yet to mention this, Omar Minaya came out on Thursday to say that the Mets would not be trading Jose Reyes. Of course, the cynic in me wants to know when someone has ever told the truth in that situation, but I sort of believe it. So maybe Reyes is sticking around...or at least being held for a different blockbuster.

I don't think the Mets are getting Johan Santana. I'm not sure who is at this point, but it seems like the Twins want young pitchers that the Mets just don't have. I also wonder whether or not Santana is going to be traded this far before the trade deadline - by trading Matt Garza, the Twins left themselves a hole in their rotation - would they trade Santana too? Or if they did, they need a major-league ready pitcher, which the Mets can't offer....or the Twins don't want.

On that note, the Mets look to be kind of set for themselves in the young pitcher department, with Philip Humber and Mike Pelfrey. I still think these guys will turn out to be solid, effective pitchers. Nothing spectacular, but they'll provide pitching depth. The problem with Pelfrey and Humber is that they are not going to land the Mets any big trading fish...because no one likes them as bait. They are the Mets' two best pitching prospects...but no one really thinks too highly of them.

Who do the Mets have that they could trade? The big name right now that would be part of a deal for a pitcher for the Mets is outfielder Carlos Gomez. He's speedy, and had a good start to his major league career with the Mets before breaking a bone in his hand. He is part of what the Mets imagine their outfield of the future to look like...but he might not be around for long. Also, it looks like the lefty-hitting Brian Schneider will stay a Met, to platoon with righty Ramon Castro...while Johnny Estrada will be shipped.

So if Santana is out of the question, who might the Mets land? This is where it gets good. How about Erik Bedard? If he's a Met come April, I'll be thrilled. I'd also be happy (but to a much lesser extent - you know how I feel about Erik Bedard) if the rumors about Dan Haren are true. He's a good pitcher. Joe Blanton is a big drop-off from those two names, and the Mets are also interested in him....but if you asked me which of the three would be most likely to be a Met in the spring, his name would come up.

One more thing - I'm not sure how I missed this, but I guess Rickey Henderson is no longer with the Mets. The Mets' record wasn't awful after he joined the team, but individuals, most notably Jose Reyes, saw their performances decrease after his arrival. The reason I noticed he's not coming back is that Tom Nieto, the Mets catching instructor, appears to be the front-runner for the job. Hmm...again, no Hall of Famer Gary Carter. Might he be in line for a catching instructor job?

That's where we're at right now. There's a lot going on on the hot stove - I'll do my best to keep updating through the winter...especially with the Winter Meetings just getting underway.

FANTASY? MORE LIKE A NIGHTMARE

I hate to bore you with an update on my fantasy baseball season, but it's the day after the All Star Game, and this is the only game in town.

I am not a good fantasy baseball player. I play with my heart, not with my head. I have mentioned this a few times. I've also mentioned that the past few years, I have been in a different type of league, where there are only 4 players, and the baseball players can only come from the NL and AL Eastern divisions. So that narrows down the player universe a little bit, and allows me to go more with my head than heart. (It does not eliminate the Mets, however, but I try to limit the number of Mets on the team.) We also use some non-traditional stats, like walks allowed by pitchers.

This year I also did another league with the boys, but there was an automatic draft, I quickly fell into the bottom third of the standings, and I've been less invested in it (the goal now is to try to get as many guys to appear on my 'team log' as I can - I might as well shake up the team since it's done so poorly).

Anyway, I'm doing very well in the first league I mentioned, "East Coast Bias". So well, in fact, that my team (General Mills) has been in first place, fairly comfortably, since the opening weeks of the season - say, mid-April. But I'm not happy about it. Usually I'll jump out to a lead, get surpassed quickly, and then try to play catch-up all year. I've held out longer this year...and it's just stretching out the inevitable. This year, I wake up every morning with a sense of dread, ready to check the standings with the understanding that "Today is the day I'm no longer in first place." I fear that day will come soon, especially since the players right behind me, let's call them, I don't know, Justin in NYC and the Southern Bureau, have shaken up their rosters and are gaining ground.


I am not giving up hope. I'm going to fight tooth and nail to win this league. I have an ace in the hole, quite literally, in the person of Pedro Martinez*, who might help propel me to victory in the final month. I just hope I'm still in it by then. There's a lot at stake:


Last year I had a last-chance desperate push on the final day of the season, where I needed about 7 pitchers to have complete game shutout wins in order to catapult into first (instead, I dropped from second to third. Needless to say, I didn't get the shutouts.). I can't wait until the last day of this season. If for no other reason than the fact that I need a good night's sleep.

ALL STAR GAME NOTES: Of all the luck. Yesterday I hoped Tony LaRussa would be able to use Billy Wagner in a save situation...he went with him in the 8th, and Wagner gave up a 2-run homer that proved to be the difference in the game. I just hope that doesn't come back to haunt the Mets.

I went to bed right after the homer Wagner gave up (in fairness to Wagner, I have been watching a good deal of the Indians lately, and Victor Martinez has been 1) clutch, and 2) hot...so that's a tough matchup). The National League, apparently, threatened in the bottom of the 9th, scoring two to make it a one-run game, then loading the bases (all with two out) before the final out was recorded. Too bad.

-To bring this conversation full-circle, I'll go back to fantasy sports, but incorporate the All Star Game. I always thought that it would be neat if you were rewarded somehow for having the most All Stars on your fantasy team in your league. I don't know what would happen - maybe an extra point in the standings - but I always like watching the All Star Game and pointing out which guys were on my fantasy team.

BASEBALL BACK THURSDAY: Each year it seems like more and more teams are off the day following the All Star break. Slowly that break is becoming four days instead of three. There is just one National League game on Thursday, and thankfully, it's the Mets. The Mets host the Reds at Shea for four games coming out of the break...and the Mets need to get on track and just blow away these National League teams in the second half.

-FYI - I haven't mentioned this on the site - Carlos Gomez broke his hand when the Mets were in Colorado...he's out until September. So the revolving door in left field swings once more - and Lastings Milledge might finally be healthy enough to rejoin the team. It'll be interesting to see if he earns himself a job, or showcases his talent just in time for a trade deadline deal.

-Remember you can always get the latest Mets news by going to the feed on the right, which has the 5 latest Mets articles from mets.com.

OLIVER PEREZ: STOPPER

Mets 2, Yankees 0 (NYM: 37-28, NYY: 33-32)

That's more like it. In the first game I feel like I've been able to watch in more than a week, the Mets again looked like the team they were a little more than a week ago.

Oliver Perez put an end to the Mets' 5-game losing streak with 7-and-a-third innings of shutout ball, giving up 5 hits and just three walks, with 6 strikeouts. He got the win to improve to 7-5 - and he has a 2.93 ERA. The Mets didn't just beat anyone either...they stopped the hottest team in baseball, ending the Yankees' 9-game winning streak. And they beat Roger Clemens, which is always a nice added touch.

The Mets didn't solve all their problems in one night - Carlos Delgado struck out 4 times, and the 4-through-8 hitters combined to go 0-f0r-19. Carlos Gomez in the 9 spot was 2-for-3. The Mets did, though, play some outstanding defense all night long. The outfielders (Carlos Beltran and Gomez, specifically - I'm itemizing only because Shawn Green was his usual not-covering-a-lot-of-ground-self) turned a lot of fly balls into outs, and made some tough outs look easy at Yankee Stadium.

Jose Reyes was the main producer for the Mets (see below). Willie Randolph is trying to shake the Mets up a bit - with the offense struggling, he's changed the lineup a lot the past week. David Wright hit third Friday night (something he has been doing here and there), Carlos Beltran was hitting second, and Paul LoDuca was hitting fifth. The players have been changing in and out, starting in Detroit last weekend, and playing in the American League ballparks, with the DH. It continued through Los Angeles, and Shawn Green came back to the lineup, and it is still happening. I've said it a couple of years ago, and I'm saying it now - I like Carlos Beltran hitting in the two spot. And now that David Wright is hitting again, put him anywhere - I don't care. Wright has another long hitting streak going - he's hit in 16 straight after a 1-for-3 on Friday. FYI - his batting average is up to .287.

MTA johnnymets.blogspot.com Player of the Game: Jose Reyes gave the Mets a big kick in the pants Friday night with the way he played - 3-for-3, a homer, and both runs batted in for the Mets. He also stole 3 bases for 35 now on the year.





NBA FINALS: No one asked, but I'm sure you were wondering how I felt about the Spurs beating the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. It was about all I could have asked for in a league I care very little about - a new championship matchup, and it only took 4 games to decide. I'm glad it's out of the way.

SUITS AND TIES: I'm pleased that the NFL has lifted a tiny piece of its controlling tendencies to allow Mike Nolan to wear suits when he coaches 49ers home games. I think it's nice, and something more people should do. Here's the baseball tie-in (pun intended) - some say it's ridiculous that baseball managers wear uniforms...I'm indifferent. But if they started wearing suits, I think that would look equally ridiculous in the dugout.

Anyway, the point I wanted to bring up is that I came across a picture of Nolan, and he's wearing a tie clip towards the bottom of his tie. I have a tie clip, and for the past three years, since I wear a tie to school, I've been wearing the tie clip around the middle of my tie. I feel like I've been making a fashion faux pas for three years now. Below you see the comparison - who's wearing it correctly? Or is there no right or wrong way? (Maybe Nolan's only wearing it low because of all the headsets and stuff an NFL coach must wear...or he's miked for sound.)