A little trouble posting Monday night - looks like we're back to normal.

WE'RE BACK!

What a celebratory night. Not only does future Hall of Famer David Wright put on a fine performance in the Home Run Derby, but the House sponsored by DirecTV has a new hard drive in its computer...and though certain files have been lost (more on that later), we have the internet! So, a recap of all things going on Monday night:

HOME RUN DERBY: Wright came out guns a-blazin' in the first round of the Home Run Derby, hitting 16 homers, the third-highest total for a round ever. He only hit 2 in the second round, but it didn't kill him, because for the first time, this year, baseball went to a cumulative total in the first two rounds to determine the finalists. So Wright advanced to take on Ryan Howard of the Phillies, who also finished with 18 through two rounds. Wright seemed to get a second wind, after being very tired through two rounds, but only managed 4 homers in the final round....Howard got five before he got a sixth out. So Ryan Howard was very impressive in the Home Run Derby, but David Wright made a very good showing, and I would expect him to be invited back...and perform well in the future. Kudos too to Paul LoDuca, who was throwing to Wright during the Derby.

ALL-STAR LEGENDS/CELEBRITY SOFTBALL GAME: There's only one reason this is worth mentioning...and I'll start with a little baseball detectiving. I didn't know who would be playing in this game...and usually I get so tired of Chris Berman and the Home Run Derby that I never even see this game. But three factors led me to be interested in it - 1) David Wright was in the Home Run Derby finals. 2) Berman was tolerable Monday night, perhaps because he was offset by an increased 'Baseball Tonight' crew presence. 3) I figured with the Futures game having been in Pittsburgh on Sunday, when the softball game was taped, and with Hall of Famer Gary Carter managing in that Futures game (he led the American team to a win, incidentally), there was a good chance that Carter would be one of the legends. He was.

And he wasn't only in the game - he was the MVP!!! Classic. He hit a 3-run homer in his first at-bat, and made a very nice tumbling catch in the outfield that pretty much saved the game. I felt like I was 7 years old again watching this game. Also fun to watch - an interview between Gary Carter and Dave Parker, revisiting a play at the plate where Parker nailed Brian Downing, with the tag being applied by Carter, in the 1979 All Star Game. The interesting thing being that in Sports Illustrated's latest issue, the "Where Are They Now?" edition, Dave Parker was featured, and talked about his campaign for the Hall of Fame, in which he exclaims, "Gary (bleepin') Carter is in the Hall of Fame?!?!?!" Nice that he had to sit down and do an interview with Gary (bleepin') Carter.

LAST PLACE LASTINGS: The Norfolk Tides are back to a half-game ahead of Richmond for last place in the International League...but the minor leagues are at their All-Star break. Interestingly, somehow Milledge is not on the All Star team. The only Tide to make the team was pitcher Royce Ring.

BEAT THE STREAK: Travis Hafner got me a hit before the break, so at least when baseball resumes, I'll have one hit in the bag.

LIFE IN GENERAL: Crazy stuff happening at the House sponsored by DirecTV, brought to you by Babies R Us. The Wife and I spent the weekend in New York, attending a baby shower for The Wife. So now the family room, aka the baseball room, aka MY room, is drowning in shower gifts...baby gifts. So now I have to make a nursery appear...to get this stuff out of MY room. It's weird. But we got a bunch of Mets stuff, so that's good. Including a Mets mobile, featuring little Mr. Mets hanging over the crib. I will use that until the baby is born - it plays "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". I will post a picture of it when I have picture-posting capabilities. (Things will be progressing slowly until the computer is back in full functioning mode.)

COMING SOON: Tuesday night I'll recap the All Star game (or at least the Mets' performances in the All Star Game). Then Wednesday I'll begin my 2-day special, reviewing all of the broadcasters in the majors. I was worried I would have to scrap that feature, but I'm actually glad that the Mets have Thursday 0ff, because instead of recapping a Mets game, I'll do the National League broadcasters that night, with the AL ones on Wednesday.

Thanks for your patience through all the computer troubles, and Let's Go Mets in the second half!!

The computer problems I've talked about for so long have finally come to a head. The computer is in the shop - I won't be able to post until the end of the week....hopefully. Sorry for the inconvenience, Mets fans.

THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED

Mets 7, Blue Jays 4 (NYM: 47-28, TOR: 41-34)

I was actually looking forward to this Mets-Blue Jays series. I was thinking it would be some great baseball, and I was looking forward to watching some of it. I saw none of it, other than highlights. Friday night, I went out to celebrate the last day of school, so I didn't catch that game...a Mets win, 6-1. Saturday, the game was blacked out here because of the Red Sox' national telecast on FOX, but it's just as well - the Blue Jays won that one 7-4. Rough start for El Duque. Sunday, it was all Mets (apparently)...an early Sunday start - 12:00 - Jose Reyes set the tone a little after noon, and the Mets followed suit.

Reyes led off the game with a home run, his eighth of the year, he went 4-for-5, and stole his 34th base. Reyes is on a 32-for-57 tear, raising his average from .246 all the way to .302. This is the third time in five games Reyes has had a 4-hit game, and the second straight. He's on a 13-game hitting streak, and one of those games - the first of the 4-hit games - Reyes hit for the cycle.

Steve Trachsel had a good (not great) outing, giving up 4 ER in 5 innings, with 6 hits, and 3 walks. He won his fourth straight decision. Billy Wagner did the ol' walk-the-tightrope in the 9th, giving up 2 walks, but he did close it out for the save.

Carlos Beltran* hit his 20th homer of the season, and Jose Valentin added a solo shot. I'm very happy with the Mets taking two out of three against Toronto - they're a very good team. The Mets are one win from 16 in the month of June - hopefully they'll get a few wins this week. Next up is the big Red Sox- Mets series, at Fenway Park. I'll be at the game Tuesday night - should be Alay Soler against Jon Lester.

PEDRO*: I was wrong on one of my early-season predictions - it doesn't look like Pedro Martinez* will back out of a start in Boston. I was surprised how little the Boston media talked about Pedro* coming back...it only really started the past couple of days up here. But Pedro* is really playing it up in the papers that he expects a nice welcome when he takes the mound at Fenway. So I guess that's his angle - if he's going to start here, he'd better make the fans out to be idiots if they boo him. And really, he's right. It should be a good series.

2 PIECES OF MAIL: These have been sitting in the mailbox since Thursday and Friday - about time I got to them:

"Dear JohnnyMets,

While the Red Sox were playing the Nationals this week, I heard the Boston broadcasters talking about how Alfonso Soriano could become trade bait as the July 31 trading deadline approaches. So what do you think -- is there room for a $10 million error machine in the infield of the 2006 World Series Champion New York Mets?

Signed,
Dave"

Dave - The Alfonso Soriano thing is interesting. First of all, I think he'll be traded - and I think he might just be the biggest name that gets traded at the deadline (I don't think John Smoltz will end up going anywhere). I do not, however, think the Mets will be players. While they do have a hole of sorts at second base (Jose Valentin is filling the gap quite nicely, and Chris Woodward will be seeing time there), I think that hole will be filled by Anderson Hernandez or Jeff Keppinger, making a mostly homegrown infield in the coming years. The Mets just got rid of a big-contract block at second base, preventing the infusion of youth at the position - I don't think they'll get involved with Soriano and create that type of situation again (albeit, a productive big-contract guy, instead of Kaz Matsui). The other interesting thing about Soriano is that he's increased his value a little bit because he has played pretty well in the outfield. While he wants to play second base at heart, a team could probably get away with acquiring him and using him in the outfield for the rest of this season. Makes you wonder if a deal back to the Bronx is possible, with the outfield holes the Yankees have right now.

Also, this e-mail:

"Johnnymets -

I cannot be happier with the play of our National League leading NY Mets. However, I am very concerned about Wagner. He is being paid millions to get 3 outs a game, and not even in every game, yet he is not living up to his big pay check. What happens down the stretch, or more importantly, in the World Series? Do we give Sanchez a shot if Wagner continues to get in trouble and can't find the plate? Let me know what you think.

Steve from Queens"

Steve - you bring up Sanchez, which I forgot to mention - he pitched on Friday night, and threw just two pitches before leaving with a pinched nerve in his neck. He's listed as day-to-day - but he's been so effective, it was unsettling to see him get hurt. Hopefully he'll come back feeling fine. That said, as good as Sanchez has been - there's no way the job's going to be taken away from Wagner. I've said this before, I think that finger thing that bothered Wagner during spring training is still bothering him. There's no other reason I could think of, besides the Mets uniform, as to why Wagner is so ineffective. I really thought he was the type of guy who blows a couple of saves early, then is consistent the rest of the year. He has not been consistent at all so far this year. But he's the guy who's going to get the ball at the end of games. Hopefully he'll come through in the clutch for the Mets through the post-season. (P.S. - you know the Mets are doing good when Steve from Queens 'couldn't be happier' with their play...those of you who read often know he's about as negative as Mets fans come.)

BOOF: It's been a while since a Boof Bonser update - but he pitched 6 shutout innings against the Cubs on Saturday, outdueling Mark Prior. Thought that was worth mentioning. Boof's ERA is still up there - about 4.68, but he's contributing to a very hot Twins team right now, and I bet he has a spot in their rotation for a while to come. The win was his second big-league win, so he's now 2-1.

**I'm having some trouble putting pictures on here...might be related to the recent spate of computer troubles we've had here....hope I can get that working again soon. Just wanted to let you know about the lack of pics lately.****

THE KID'S KIDS: What with all the end-of-the-school-year commotion, I stopped paying much attention to the St. Lucie Mets and the entire Florida State League season. It's broken up into two halves, which I'm not sure I realized (I think last year's Gulf Coast League was done the same way), and the Mets needed to win on Wednesday to clinch the first half title. They did, beating Brevard County, 5-2, finishing the first half 40-30. "I told the players before the game that our destiny was in our own hands," said St. Lucie manager Gary Carter, who didn't know the Cardinals' result during his team's game. "I'm not going to take any credit [for the title]. It was the kids, we can only motivate them. We try to pound into their heads good, sound, fundamental baseball."

You'll remember that the Kid's Kids in Rookie League qualified for the post-season last year as well. The Kid is going places. He'll also be managing the U.S. squad in the Futures Game, the All-Star Game for the best of the minor leagues, in a World vs. U.S. format. It takes place the Sunday before the Major League All-Star Game, in Pittsburgh's PNC Park, the site of this year's All-Star Game. So on Wednesday, Hall of Famer Gary Carter was on ESPNEWS' "The Hot List" with Brian Kenney to talk about that, and other things. Carter still loves to hear himself talk. There's no such thing as a short answer with him....and his goal now is to manage a Major League team, and take them to a World Series championship. Of course, I'll root for him...but it depends on the Mets' situation when he ends up taking over a team. Obviously, with Willie Randolph's success, he's not going anywhere for a long time, and with Gary Carter's minor-league success, he's going places fast. So he won't be managing the Mets. I can only hope it's a team whose success doesn't effect the Mets.

On Sunday, the St. Lucie Mets were winning 8-1 in the sixth when I decided to post this, so let's assume they go on to win, shall we? That makes the Mets 3-1 on the young second half of the season.

FANTASY UPDATE: I'm getting my rear end kicked lately, so it's not worth mentioning how the What If Mets are doing in the season's final week. But for the sake of the Southern Bureau, we'll update the What If Nationals (also with a catcher named Gary Carter, so that's a bonus), who are about to wrap up the Wild Card - a 4-game lead with 4 to play....coincidentally, all against me. I was actually considering starting Dwight Gooden every game down the stretch, to see how awesome his numbers would come out to be, but I won't do that now against Washington, lest I win all four. I'm rooting for you, Nationals!

It's a shame this season is just ending when school ends, when I could actually devote a little time to it....but then again, it wouldn't make a lick of difference if I did devote some time to it, anyway.

BEAT THE STREAK: I may have partied a little too hard after the final day of school, so Saturday I forgot to make a Beat the Streak pick, so I had to start all over on Sunday. I took Jose Reyes, and he's got me started on another streak. Monday, I'll go with Bobby Abreu against the knuckleball of Tim Wakefield (if he still starts Monday...I think he will).

We're having serious computer problems here, so I just wanted to get a paragraph written before the computer craps out again.

I was watching 'Around the Horn' today (truth be told, I don't like that show, but I like keeping ESPNEWS on as background noise when I get home, and that's what they air at 5:30...or maybe 6). Anyway, one of their "Buy Or Sell" topics was the Mets - do you buy or sell them? And all of the "panelists" (read: glorified newspaper writers) agreed that the Mets are the best team (only good team) in the National League. Not all of them were sold on the Mets being the best team in the majors - one said the White Sox' pitching depth put them over the top, another believes the A's have a big run in them. But it's nice to see the national attention the Mets are getting.

The Mets are really putting on quite a road show right now - 6 straight, and it's being done in dominating fashion. Unfortunately, they just rolled out the tarp in Philadelphia, in the bottom of the 4th, with the Mets up, 7-2...so it's not an official game yet. David Wright has a homer, and the Mets were just destroying the Phillies - so they'd better resume this game and not call it.

Thursday is a day game before the Mets come back home for interleague play.

(The computer is behaving OK right now, but I'm not going to push my luck. With a day game tomorrow I'll do a full road-trip wrap, and hopefully not have the threat of a computer failure looming.)

FIRST TO FORTY?

As I write this, with the Mets up 9-4 in the eighth inning, it looks as though the Mets will be the first National League team to 40 wins. (Uh-oh - it's now 9-7 - I think Heilman just gave up a 3-run bomb). The balls are just flying out of Citizen's Bank Park tonight (8 total).

The bad news - Tom Glavine couldn't make it through 5 innings - getting knocked around (and falling victim to the long ball) in 4-and-a-third innings, and giving up 4 earned runs while throwing 110 pitches. Chad Bradford got the Mets out of the inning after Glavine left in a big jam. The Mets are playing the total opposite of the way they've been playing when Glavine was on the mound for them in past years. His first year with the team, he was the problem. But since then, he's been pitching well, and getting absolutely no support. This year, he's getting plenty of support - evidenced by his 9-2 record. And even when he gets banged around, the Mets have been scoring runs - tonight, too, but Glavine couldn't hang around long enough to get the win.

The Mets jumped right back on top, too, after Glavine left. Future Hall of Famer David Wright crushed homer number 12 on the season (and 53 in his career) as the Mets scored 5 times in the sixth, breaking a 4-4 tie. Earlier, Carloses Beltran* and Delgado went back-to-back with bombs (Delgado's reached an upper deck) to give the Mets a lead. Beltran* now has 18 homers (he had 16 all of last year), and in a similar vein, Jose Reyes walked twice Tuesday night, bringing this year's total high enough to surpass his season total of all last year.

OK - I have to stop writing - big computer problems at the House Sponsored By DirecTV. Hopefully there won't be a slugfest tomorrow, and no computer problems, and I can give a good summary of the game.

JUST HOW GOOD WERE THE METS OUT WEST?: Here's a great stat from the Mets' 4-game series in Arizona. The Mets jumped out to a lead in the first inning of each game, so they led in the first half-inning of each game. And they never looked back. The Mets became the second team in history to lead in every half-inning of a game in a 4-game sweep on the road - the only other team to do that was the 1943 Dodgers. Pretty impressive.

THE KID'S KIDS: Palm Beach completed the 2-game doubleheader sweep of the St. Lucie Mets on Monday, turning the 9 game winning streak into a 2-game losing streak pretty quickly. I have no info right now on Tuesday's game, so I'll update that tomorrow, but the Mets still have a 2-and-a-half game lead in their division.

FANTASY UPDATE: An e-mail having to do with the What If Mets:

"Dear Johnnymets,

More than 10 percent of your readers are wondering how many games are left in the What If Mets season. What is your record? Where does the Southern Bureau stand after his hot start? What is your record since you ditched Pedro?

Signed,
Dave in Brighton"

Honestly, Dave, you couldn't have written this at a better time. The What If Mets just took 2 out of 3 from the Braves (following up the sweep with the division-leading phillies). So the record stands at 60-63. I'm just 3 games out of the wild card - trailing none other than the wild-card leading Nationals, run by the Southern Bureau. And guess who I play next? Thaaaat's right...Big day tomorrow. Big day.

I've started to make so many moves that I decided not to keep track of records since I dropped certain guys. I don't even know if I have a winning record since I dropped Pedro. I wish I could help you with that stat...but I can't.

BEAT THE STREAK: Vladimir Guerrero ended my season-high 12-game hitting streak with an 0-for-4 against Bobby Keppel and the Kansas City Royals Monday night (for the record, Keppel didn't look bad - but he was far from impressive). Shea Hillenbrand started a new streak for me Tuesday, and I'll take one of the hot-hitting Mets, Jose Reyes, Wednesday night. I get nervous at 12 games - I wonder if I'd have heart palpitations or something if I actually threatened a 30-, 40-, or 50+ - game hitting streak.

I'm really mad right now...my whole weekend recap was erased when I tried to publish. I'm not re-writing it, to spite blogger. So frustrating.

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets made a nice little recovery after their little slide late last week. They've won 3 in a row, with John Maine on the comeback road, getting the win on Saturday, and beat Vero Beach in 10 innings on Sunday. Hall of Famer Gary Carter's team is 28-21, 2 games up in their division.

LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Hmm...It's finally happening. Norfolk is making their move out of the basement. The Tides came back from down 5-0 on Sunday to beat Pawtucket, 7-5, and Richmond lost...so the Tides are no longer in last place. We'll see if they keep this up - then I'll consider changing the name here. New acquisition Dave Williams got the win, Lastings Milledge was 2-for-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. He's hitting .284.

FANTASY UPDATE: I won two out of three on Sunday, but the big news is that I made a couple of high-profile moves. Edgardo Alfonzo (1999) and Nolan Ryan (1971) were on the waiver wire, and I couldn't pass them up. I dropped Mookie Wilson (a huge disappointment) and Pedro Martinez (very overpriced) to pick the two new players up. Ryan is already 0-1, but the team is 1-1 since the move (Alfonzo is hitting .125). The biggest repercussion of this move will be the financial flexibility it allows me when a true closer hits the market.

BEAT THE STREAK: I'm up to a 2-gamer, after Jeter got a hit Saturday, and David Wright got me a hit on Sunday. I don't love anyone on Monday, but someone's got to get a hit - I'll go with Craig Biggio...no real reason...with a 2-gamer, why not?

COMING THIS WEEK: Monday is the big trip to Pawtucket to see Lastings Milledge and the Norfolk Tides, so I'll give a full update Monday night, with a Mets-Diamondbacks update possible. Then I need to go away from Tuesday to Friday with my class - but The Wife is taking over. She'll be doing daily (hopefully) updates on the site all week. It's bound to be entertaining.

First of all, a big HELLO to all my new fans in the greater Wilmington, North Carolina area. Welcome, and thanks for coming. Sorry I haven't written in a while - I've had computer problems.

A lot has happened in the two weeks since I've last written. Including Saturday's 4-3 win over the Cubs in 11 innings, so that's where I'll start.

I couldn't watch this game, since the Boston area got the Angels-A's matchup. But the Mets won a game that I would classify as very encouraging. First of all, this was pretty much the Norfolk Tides against the Chicago Cubs, and the Tides won in dramatic fashion. After being shut down all day by Mark Prior, the Mets broke through in the ninth inning, first against Ryan Dempster, then against LaTroy Hawkins. Victor Diaz, who I'll talk a little more about in a bit, hit a 2-out, 3-run homer to tie the game at three, then in the 11th, Craig Brazell hit the game-winning home run. The youngsters came through, and I should also mention Aaron Heilman, the starter, who kept the Mets in it early, giving up 2 runs in five innings. All the Mets have left is to play spoilers, and Saturday's win could very well have contributed to ruining the Cubs' season.

So, I now present to you the guide to the major leaguers, who until very recently were minor leaguers:

3B David Wright: He's a future Hall Of Famer. Enough said...but just because I like to write about him, here are his stats, through 61 games - Wright's hitting .293, slugging .515, 12 HR, and 35 RBI. For good measure, he's also stolen 5 bases.

SS (yes, SS, not 2B) Jose Reyes: He has a long way to go (health-wise) before he gets his GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED tag back. But the Mets are clearly a better team when Reyes is in the lineup. That's why when he plays in just 45 games (like he has so far this year) it hurts so much.

2B (yes 2B, not SS) Kaz Matsui: The first year is done. Maybe he is less nervous next year and plays to his capabilities in the field. I wasn't too upset with his offense - he was one of the best Mets hitters this year when the game was on the line.

RF Victor Diaz: I've only seen Diaz in a couple of games so far this year, and it looks like he's a bit of a hot dog. I hope he has a level head. Diaz came from the Dodgers organization in the Jeromy Burnitz trade last year. His biggest concern, it seemed to me, after he hit the game-tying homer on Saturday, was that he stuck it to the Cubs, who passed over him in the draft, rather than the fact that he helped the Mets win. Maybe that's just my interpretation, but seeing some of Diaz's body language (not hustling out of the box) during his call-up makes me think he might have a bit of an attitude problem.

1B Craig Brazell: Brazell has been in the Mets organization for a while, and just got his first opportunity late last year. He's got some power, but hasn't shown it much at the major league level. I don't really know where he's going to fit in if Mike Piazza's going to be playing first base next year.

P Aaron Heilman: Heilman has had two solid starts in a row, since he's gotten another chance to pitch late in the season. Maybe he's put his disappointments behind him, and maybe Rick Peterson has worked magic yet again.

P Tyler Yates: Yates is working on a modest scoreless streak right now - 8 and a third. It's a start. Maybe his niche is in middle relief.

Some other thoughts on a wasted season:

Kaz Matsui says he'd like to try a couple of games at second base before this season ends...but Art Howe is worried about Matsui getting hurt (a la Joe McEwing). The funny thing, though, is that what does Howe care - he's not even going to be around to suffer the consequences.

Which brings me to the tease portion: Coming soon to johnnymets.blogspot.com - Who should replace Art Howe as manager of the Mets? I already have an idea...stay tuned.

Scott Kazmir knows I'm watching. He knows this is the first time I've been able to watch him since the Mets traded him to the Devil Rays for Victor Zambrano. He's been saving his best effort for tonight, because he knew I'd be watching very carefully, ready to write about what a crappy trade this was if he pitched well.

It was a crappy trade. What a crappy trade. Scott Kazmir is shutting out the Red Sox through six innings right now...pitching the best game of his short, short career. He's got 9 strikeouts, no runs, and he's given up just three hits. I really thought the Red Sox would knock him around - a lot. It remains to be seen at this writing if Tampa Bay holds on to win the game, and get Kazmir his second major league win...but Kazmir was very impressive on Tuesday night.

Other impressive nights - Kris Benson (so far) and David Wright. As I write this, Wright is 3-for-3, with his 12th homer of the year, and Benson has shut out the Braves through five innings. Back-to-back good starts for Benson - he knows free agency is right around the corner.

One e-mail to get to, which I'll print now since I don't know when I will get to a computer again (if you've been checking out johnnyjets.blogspot.com, which I know you have, you know my computer was stolen):

"Dear johnnymetsmail,
That cheesesteak story was disgusting. I just feel sorry for your wife having to sit next to you for that whole game. I loved the pictures from Philly, but I wish there were some of your beautiful wife.
The website is a great resource for Mets fans and extremely well done and up to date. However, seeing as how you live in the Boston area, I think that you should address the needs of Red Sox Nation also. Some Red Sox related features would be much appreciated.
What is you take on the Sox this year? Do they have what it takes to finally win it all. What did you think of the Nomar trade? Did it make the Red Sox better or worse? Wouldn't they have been better off to get some pitching in return? Additionally who do you see the Sox resigning in the offseason and who will leave? Who do you see those players signing with? Furthermore, what offseason moves could the Sox make to become a better team? Is Roger Clemens coming back next year?

Sox Fan From Shrewsbury"

Thanks, Sox Fan. First of all, get over the cheesesteak. Everyone needs to get over the cheesesteak. Sometimes, you just make a bad food choice when you visit a new city...and you have to deal with the consequences. But it's time to move on. As for the Red Sox questions, I think you have johnnymets.blogspot.com confused with "somecrappyredsoxwebsite.blogspot.com". This is a quality Mets site, and you should really respect that. However, considering that 100% of my readers are Red Sox fans, I will indulge you:

I think the Red Sox are quite good this year, however, I think they will fold at some point, whether it's over the final weeks of the regular season or in the post-season. I have no evidence to support this theory, because the Sox are a very good team, but they didn't do it last year, so they never will do it. That's how I feel. That team is cursed bad. The Nomar trade was great, because Nomar is a @#!$&!? #(!@##?>!. They're a better team without that jerk. Pitching in return would have been good, but the defense is improved, which sort of helps out the pitching anyway. Is it coincidence that since the trade Derek Lowe has been pitching a lot better (probably, since I think Mientkiewicz has been hurt, and Cabrera can't be making that much of a difference when Lowe's on the mound). As for the off-season, I don't know who the Sox will sign - I forgot to ask Theo the last time we spoke. But I'm 99% sure Carl Pavano is signing with the Yankees. I do think Varitek and Lowe are gone. I think Varitek will sign with Milwaukee, and Lowe will sign with the Tigers (random guesses - I have no friggin' clue). For the Sox to become a better team, there's really nothing they can do. They had a great team this year and last year, but they are just fated to never ever win. It's sad, really. And Roger Clemens is a jerk. I don't care whether or not he comes back next year. I hope someone throws a shattered bat at him.

Thanks for reading, Sox Fan in Shrewsbury, and everyone else. We'll see when I can access a computer again, but I'll try to do something again before the end of the week. I'm posting early, but the Devil Rays are on their way to a win, and the Mets are up 7-0. David Wright is now 3-for-4.

Sorry about the lack of postings over the weekend. My home computer has a virus. I couldn't log on long enough to write anything. Very frustrating...kind of like Friday night's Mets game. They can't blow 5-0 first inning leads. Then Saturday, a Brian Giles home run was the difference in a 3-1 loss. And yesterday, Tom Glavine (4-1) turned stopper again, getting the Mets a win on the way back east. So the Mets finish up the road trip 3-3 (3-6 overall). They struggled against the then-Central-leading Cubs (0-3), before taking 2-out-of-3 against the then-West-leading Dodgers. The Padres had a 6-game winning streak before the Mets beat them yesterday.

There are some positives to take out of these last few games. The starting pitching is still doing great (notwithstanding Tyler Yates' performance on Friday). Mike Stanton and Braden Looper have been lights out. The offense is starting to hit, and Cliff Floyd and Ty Wigginton are coming back (whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen - but at least it adds depth).

And here's another good thing, as I segue into the division update - everyone else in the division is slipping, with the exception of the Phillies. So here's a look at the NL East:

Florida - 15-10
Atlanta - 12-12, 2.5 GB
Philadelphia - 11-12, 3 GB
Mets - 10-15, 5 GB
Montreal - 6-20, 9.5 GB

The only thing I'll say about Montreal is this - one week ago in this space I wrote they'd be lucky to win one game on their 7-game west coast swing (look it up). They lost their first six games before winning yesterday. I nailed that one.

The Phillies are sort of streaking. I say sort of because they've won 4 of 6, and aren't really dominating, but they're doing much better than they were. And they're still ahead of the Mets, so we have to account for them.

The Braves, on the other hand, are stumbling - playing like the Braves team that the Mets saw in the first couple of weeks of the season. They're 5-7 in their last 12, alternating losses and wins in those games. They got their lunches handed to them in Colorado yesterday, 13-4.

Florida is still the team to beat, and that's looked like more of a reasonable task recently. (It's important to note - the Mets are still just five games out!! Don't lose hope.) The Marlins lost three straight over the weekend to the San Francisco Giants, giving up 12, 6, and 9 runs. So it looks like Florida's pitching has come back down to earth. The only bad news coming out of that losing streak is that it might give the struggling Giants confidence heading into their series with the Mets this week.

The Mets open up a homestand against the Giants tomorrow. Then they play the Milwaukee Brewers before heading west again. It's a six-game homestand, the Mets have to perform better than they did on their last homestand. San Francisco is worse than they've been in recent years, Milwaukee is better than they've been in recent years. The Mets have to win at least four games.

Notes: I finally got my '86 Mets book on Saturday. At this point, though, I think I'll just save it to read on the honeymoon. A full report will be given when I return.