WHEN LAST WE MET...

There was one thing about the 2006 season that made the Mets' loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS somewhat unsurprising.

No less disappointing...but almost as though, in retrospect, you could see 'it' coming.

The 'it', though, would have been a loss to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, rather than an NLCS Game 7 loss to the Cardinals.

And the 'it' was the fact that the Mets were beatable...nowhere more on display than during their interleague series with the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

That was the last time the Mets were at Fenway, and of course, all things considered, the season was pretty successful after the Mets were swept in an ugly three-game series in Boston. (Relatively, successful, when compared with 2007 and 2008, I guess.)

The Mets' struggles were personified in that series by Lastings Milledge, who looked lost in left field, clueless as to how to play the Green Monster.

I was at the first of those three games, and looking back, I had forgotten that it was started by Alay Soler. So the Mets' starting pitching is somewhat comparable to those days...although, I guess Livan Hernandez is a better bet than Soler.

But the point is that the past two days have been encouraging. It shows that the Mets can hang with the big boys...and the fact that they're doing it undermanned is even more encouraging.

The Mets won with Johan Santana on the mound Friday night...you hope that happens each time he takes the mound. Mike Pelfrey was in his top form on Saturday, and you hope he looks like that if the Mets are fortunate to make it into October...I'll take 2 first inning runs if he settles down like he did on Saturday - that's how he was when he was at his best beginning last July and lasting for the rest of the season. But all of what has happened so far has been without Jose Reyes or Carlos Delgado in the lineup, without Carlos Beltran in center field (he's been DH), and with the likes of Omir Santos making huge contributions.

And today features Tim Redding against Tim Wakefield. Wakefield has been strong so far this season, but the knuckleball is always dicey, so he could be hittable, and anything positive the Mets get out of Redding is huge.

But even more huge would be a sweep in Boston. It'll wipe the struggles in Los Angeles right from the slate...and give these Mets something that the 2006 team didn't have - the confidence they can hang with the best.

RANDOM STAT: I've been holding onto this one, hoping it continues...but running my baseball pool allows me to keep track of random things - like the fact that until yesterday, Detroit hadn't lost on a Saturday or Sunday all season. I'm sad that ended yesterday....but they're still 12-1 on Saturdays and Sundays.

CHECKING IN WITH THE DUCKS
It's been a while since we checked in with Hall of Famer Gary Carter's Long Island Ducks:

The Ducks have lost 7 of their last 10, and stand at 14-13, 2-and-a-half games behind Southern Maryland, in third place in their division. Some guy named Ray Navarrette, who plays third base, leads the team with 6 homers and 19 RBI. He also leads the team with 7 errors, but I guess with how he's been hitting, you keep him in the lineup.

We'll keep you posted.

2008 SPRING TRAINING UPDATE

With spring training actually starting, and events taking place that merit talking about, this seems like a good spot to interrupt the player season previews to bring a spring update (the previews through the starting lineup are complete- we'll continue with the pitching staff shortly):

-The Mets that you expect to open their mouths and stir up a pot go in this order: Billy Wagner, Pedro Martinez*, everyone else.....then Carlos Beltran. But Beltran ticked off the rest of the division, the Phillies in particular, over the President's Day weekend by proclaiming the Mets as the team to beat in the NL East. Carlos friggin' Beltran opening his mouth. I couldn't believe it when I read it. Here's what he said:

"Let me tell you this: Without Santana, we felt as a team we have a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division. I have no doubt in that....So this year, to Jummy Rollins, we are the team to beat."

Way to put some pressure on the team, Carlos. Especially considering you personally have shown a tremendous ability to rise to the occasion and not strike out with the bases loaded in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series with your team trailing by two and two outs. You should go out and put extra pressure on yourself and your team, and while you're at it, call out the guy who actually backed up what he said against you guys last year.

Listening to and reading what some of the Mets said when they heard about Beltran's comments, it seems like some of them either don't know what to make of it, or are giving it the half-hearted, "Yeah, you have to like his confidence", while what they're thinking is the same thing I'm writing - "He said WHAT?".

Of course the Mets have to think they are the team to beat in the division, with Johan Santana. But there's no reason to go out and say it. You need to play this season with a chip on your shoulder from last year...not give other teams a reason to want to come out and beat you.

-The man you usually expect to say something controversial has been relatively quiet so far this spring training. Pedro Martinez* had good things to say about the Johan Santana acquisition, and then he started talking the other day about how he dominated the game playing 'clean'. I think it's funny first of all that Pedro* talked about how good he was (I didn't actually hear what Pedro* said, I heard people talking about it on the radio), but not only that, I think he's right. His first years with the Red Sox, and his last years with the Expos, Pedro Martinez* was dominant. And that's when most everyone in the game was juicing up, and one thing about Pedro*, as I heard a newswriter put it, at 140 pounds, he wasn't juicing. He absolutely overpowered everyone, and he was clean. That shows you the kind of pitcher he was.

-Everyone connected with the Mets that I've heard interviewed so far this year believes Carlos Delgado is going to have a monster year.

-I'm also hearing a lot of 'addition by subtraction' when it comes to Brian Schneider replacing Paul Lo Duca, especially when it comes to Willie Randolph and the clubhouse.

-One of Willie Randolph's biggest announced plans for 2008 is that he wants to rest Jose Reyes more than in the past, in the hopes that when he plays, he'll play better and last longer through the season. Ruben Gotay figures to get more time at short to see if he can spell Reyes.

-I heard Mike & The Mad Dog on Monday, and they were talking about Lastings Milledge hitting two home runs on the final Saturday of the season against the Marlins, and how his comments woke up a Marlins team that then decided to show up for the final game of the season, instead of mailing it in. I still believe the Marlins wanted to knock the Mets out of the playoffs anyway, and if you remember, there was nearly a brawl on that Saturday that Milledge wasn't a catalyst for, but I think a relevant point is that Milledge certainly has some maturing to do, and needs to realize how some of his actions affect other members of a team. But that's now Washington's problem....and probably the Mets', for about 20 games a year.

-One other thing that Randolph said is that Ryan Church will have to play himself out of a job. He's going to have the chance to play everyday, unless he proves he can't hit lefties at all. Church really struggled against lefties last year, and he will be rested against tough lefties, but otherwise, he'll be in there. Either Mike Francesa or Chris Russo compared it to a Paul O'Neill situation when he went from the Reds to the Yankees. I think that's wishful thinking, but I agree with Willie Randolph's response to that (and I paraphrase) - "If that's the case, I'll be pretty thrilled".

-On the topic of Milledge and Church - the Southern Bureau posted a comment that's worth commenting on - who would you rather have - Johnny Estrada and Lastings Milledge or Ryan Church and Brian Schneider? Good question. My answer is - if you had asked me in November/December, I definitely would have gone for Estrada and Milledge. And while I still like Estrada, all that I've heard about Church and Schneider since they have been acquired has me excited to see them, and I'm happy we'll have the chance soon. While I would not have been disappointed with the Estrada/Milledge combo, I am looking forward to Church/Schneider, and at this point, I'd rather have them.

-So far it seems like most Mets have the right attitude heading into 2008 - they're embarrassed by last year, and they want to get out on the field and try to correct that disaster. That's what the fans want to hear...and see - the Mets going out there and playing the polar opposite of the kind of baseball they played in the last half of September. Hear that, Beltran? Not talking about it....just doing it.

MEET THE METS - BRIAN SCHNEIDER

A preview of the 2008 Mets, presented in the expected batting order, followed by pitching rotation, followed by impact bullpen/bench players. Today we focus on catcher Brian Schneider.

2007: .235 avg, 6 HR, 54 RBI, 33 runs, .326 OBP, 129 games

To Rick Peterson, Brian Schneider is a catcher who knows how to handle pitchers - one of the best in the game at doing so.

To Omar Minaya, Brian Schneider is an excellent defensive catcher.

To Willie Randolph, Brian Schneider is not Paul LoDuca (and that's a very good thing).

To Mets fans, none of this matters. Brian Schneider (who will forever be paired with Ryan Church in this regard) is the .235-hitting catcher that was acquired in exchange for top trading chip Lastings Milledge.

I guess it's no harm, no foul, since the Mets traded Milledge to the Nationals and were still able to acquire Johan Santana from the Twins. But the fact remains Milledge was out there for years, and could have brought the Mets a big catch....but he brought Brian Schneider and Ryan Church. And that has the potential to be a tough thing for Schneider to live down...or live up to.

Personally, I think I'm going to like Schneider. I keep hearing great things about the kind of catcher he is, and any offense he adds at this point looks like it'll be a bonus. That said, I don't think he'll hit .235 again - he's more of a .260-.270 hitter, and the Mets will be able to give him plenty of rest, with Ramon Castro seeing plenty of time off the bench in 2008, I'm sure.

Paul Lo Duca might give you a .300 average, but his emotions could cloud his judgments (and also did a number on relationships in the clubhouse, from what I hear). If Brian Schneider is hitting less than .300, but keeping the Mets in games by keeping his head on what's happening in the field, that's an improvement for the Mets. The Mets have a few pitchers who could use a heads-up catcher - Oliver Perez in particular, and guys like Aaron Heilman out of the bullpen. Maybe that's where Schneider proves his worth.

Catcher was a very strange position this off-season. The Mets went from a possible free agent signing of Yorvit Torrealba (or Jorge Posada to a lesser extent) to an actual acquisition of Johnny Estrada, to finally settling with Brian Schneider. If he can contribute in any way offensively, while living up to the defensive standards that will now be expected of him, Mets fans will be fine with Schneider ending that game of catcher roulette as a Met.

MEET THE METS - RYAN CHURCH

A preview of the 2008 Mets, presented in the expected batting order, followed by pitching rotation, followed by impact bullpen/bench players. Today we focus on right fielder Ryan Church.

2007: .272 avg, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 57 runs, 3 SB, .349 OBP

I am not ashamed to say that I know next-to-nothing about Ryan Church. So let's learn about him together.

Church is a lefty-throwing, lefty-batting, 6-1, 200-pound outfielder. He'll be thirty when the season ends (October 14), and has been in the majors for four years now, all with Montreal/Washington. Last year he played in the most games of his career - 144, putting up the numbers you see above. The numbers aren't bad, but one that's a little alarming, which you don't see, is the 107 strikeouts. He seems to strike out a lot, although at least last year his strikeout rate dipped (in 2006 he struck out 60 times in 71 games!). I would have thought he was speedier than his numbers indicate - but he doesn't steal many bases at all, so I guess not.

Church will see plenty of playing time this year. He will be the Mets' starting right fielder, and won't really see platoons, because the next option is Endy Chavez, who also hits lefty. But what will happen is there will be many times when both Church and Chavez will be in the lineup because of either an injury to or rest for Moises Alou. The key to the Mets' outfield situation this year will be the health of Chavez and Church, because they are the ones who will need to go the distance in order for the likes of Alou, and to a lesser degree Beltran, to be rested and most effective (with Beltran, there's a chance he'll miss about 20 games because of an injury, not so much that he needs the rest).

And I think I'm OK with Church playing that role. Church has a little bit of pop - he hit a career-high 15 homers last year, and ten the year before in half as many games. Maybe the Mets see something in their scouting that indicates Church is poised to break through. I don't know. They seemed content to get him along with Brian Schneider in exchange for Lastings Milledge, leading you to believe they would rather have Church in right than Milledge.

Here's what I'm going to believe about Ryan Church - he's Eric Valent if he had the chance to play every day. I've always liked Valent, and he made some contributions to some pretty poor Mets teams earlier this decade as a pinch-hitter. I'll start out the season believing that comparison is accurate. And maybe Church will prove me right, and I'll become a Ryan Church fan. If he turns out better than Valent, all the better for the Mets. Let's just hope he's not worse - because the Mets will be facing Milledge a bunch this year, and I'm sure he'll remind them with his hitting of what they traded to get Church.

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

I can't believe the Mets just made this trade. I really don't have a lot of information to go on right now, but thanks to the Southern Bureau for some ESPN Insider information. Heres' what I know: the Mets traded Lastings Milledge for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.

Umm...what?

Players like Johan Santana are on the trade market, the Mets are dark horses in that chase because they have limited prospects as it is, and the Mets REALLY need a starting pitcher.....and they're trading one of their top trade-able players for RYAN CHURCH and BRIAN SCHNEIDER!?!?

I can't believe that the Mets would make this bad of a deal. It's a bad deal. Awful deal. And Lastings Milledge stays in the division so that he can haunt them 19 times a year. You better believe right now that Milledge will have a Chipper Jones-type career against the Mets for the rest of his career.

The only rationale I can make is that the Mets are working on something huge. Or the Nationals are working on something huge. Or the Mets and Nationals together are working on something huge, which required Milledge to be Nationals' property before he was dealt. I have to believe, following the Johnny Estrada deal, that the acquisition of another catcher is the set-up to a whole other deal. I have to believe that because if I don't, I'll cry.

The Mets could have gotten a number of different players for Lastings Milledge over the years. His value has dropped a little since he was a minor league prospect, but he still had a solid showing last year in the majors. There's no way his stock has dropped so far that he is only worth RYAN CHURCH and BRIAN SCHNEIDER.

One or both of these players better not be on the Mets' Opening Day roster.

I just had to give an immediate weigh-in on this potential disaster. (The only reason it's potential is that there's a chance the Mets can move some of these guys and get someone of value.) I heard it on the car radio on my way home from school and nearly drove off the road. I heard the guy say, "And the Mets trade Lastings Milledge...." in the last line of his update, and I thought, "This should be higher up in the update...this is a big deal." And then when I heard who he was traded for I felt sick. Seriously. I guess I do care quite a bit about the Mets.

I'll probably update more over the weekend...hopefully as future deals develop.

SUNDAY THOUGHTS

It's a good thing that the Mets took 3 out of 4 from the Reds, but I'm not thrilled. I guess it's because of the way they lost the one game they lost...with John Maine giving up 4 runs before he got an out on Friday. The Mets could have very easily swept this series. All I've asked, though, is for the Mets to dominate the rest of the way, and if they play .750 ball the rest of the season, I guess they'll be OK.

It's also a good thing that Oliver Perez looked so good coming back from his back injury. Really, he wasn't hurt - he was reportedly just a little uncomfortable. If it was a different part of the season, he would have played through it. But he had about two weeks off, and came back and pitched very well on Sunday.

Perez did serve up a Cincinnati highlight, though - a bomb to Adam Dunn - I think it's the longest home run I've ever seen at Shea Stadium. Dunn hit the right-hand side of the scoreboard, which has the out-of-town scores, and hit about three scores up. He damaged it too - too bad it wasn't a night game - there probably would have been some fireworks. If you get a chance to see a highlight of the homer - check it out. The good news was it was a solo shot, and the Mets still won...so I can appreciate the homer even more. Click here to watch it now.

Lastings Milledge had a good game on Sunday...and has played well so far in his return from the DL. He was 1-for-3 in the Mets' 5-2 win, with a 2-run double. But what I've liked about Milledge in these past four games or so has been his opposite field power. His double was to the right-center gap, and even some of his outs have gone a long way the other way. Some nice hitting...whether or not scouts from possible trading partners are noticing that is another story.

TOUGH TRIP: The Mets will really show us something with their next 7 games. The Reds are/were terrible...though they had played well coming into the All Star break. Now, though, the Mets go right out to California, with no day off, and play three at San Diego and then 4 at Los Angeles (their second trip to LA - the first one was a disaster). There could be a little revenge worked into this trip, and hopefully some pride. The Mets need to establish themselves as the team to beat - because that is not what they've been the past month and a half or so.

KINER'S KORNER: I think the Mets did a really good thing Saturday night by honoring Ralph Kiner before the game. Unfortunately, the game was on local TV, so I had no chance of seeing the ceremony. But Kiner has been a fixture for the Mets, and it's nice that they took some time out to give him his due. The best thing about it is that right now, Ralph Kiner needs the Mets a lot more than they need him. And the Mets still give him some appearances on SNY, they take care of him and look out for him, and that's spectacular. They're definitely doing the right thing when it comes to Ralph Kiner. (They've also made it clear that Saturday night's celebration is in no way a retirement...just a celebration.)

I've said this before, but it's worth saying again - he's still got it. Kiner has made a lot of progress since he was struck by Bell's Palsy a couple of years ago - his speech is much clearer now. And every time he's in the booth, he makes me laugh. He tells the same stories he's been telling for years, but they're still entertaining, but he also shows he's still in touch with the game, by bringing up relevant details about contemporary players. Say what you will about Kiner's on-air mistakes and missteps throughout the years, and what you can attribute them to, but I'm glad the Mets are keeping him around, and I'll miss the day when he's gone. And that day will not be because the Mets asked him to leave - I'm sure of that.

IN OTHER BROADCASTING NEWS...: From an announcer I love to one I don't love. I had to watch the Cincinnati feed for Sunday's game, which means I was lucky enough to listen to Thom Brennaman. How about this one: In the first inning, Oliver Perez walked Norris Hopper. With two outs, he kept throwing over to first base, trying to pick off Hopper. Brennaman: "That's not a good move. Actually, that's a downright awful move." (about Perez's pickoff move). Two throws later, Perez picks off Hopper. Great call, Brennaman!

GO PIRATES: I was watching a little of the Pirates-Braves game on Sunday. They have some sort of special coming up on their success from 1990-1992. It's been far too long since the Pirates have been competitive. I want them to do well...it's a real shame. They have a beautiful ballpark and a great history - and right now they mean zero to Major League Baseball. What a disaster. I don't know why - maybe it's because I read that Roberto Clemente book last year, or because of all the Ralph Kiner attention lately, or maybe because yellow is my favorite color...but I want the Pirates to be a winning ballclub again. (In the American League it's the Royals...and part of it is because I like their ballpark too - I've always loved their fountains.)

SHAKEUP

The Mets had a busy day back from the All Star break - here's the breakdown:

RICKS - Down (far left) is out, Henderson (near left) is in. Rick Down was fired as the Mets hitting coach. The Mets have not yet named a replacement. Rickey Henderson is the newest Mets coach, but his specific role has not been announced. The speculation is that Howard Johnson will become the new hitting coach - he was a hitting coach in the Mets' minor league system, and was the hitting coach for the Norfolk Tides when David Wright came through (and possibly at other levels with Wright). That's the speculation. If that happens, does Henderson assume the first base coach role? Would anyone understand a word he says if he does become first base coach? Lots of questions from this move...some of the answers should come on Friday.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE YOUNG - The Mets released Julio Franco (far left) in order to make a roster spot available for Lastings Milledge (near), back from the minors and an injury. At first the thought occurred to me that after a day or so the Mets would give Franco a coaching job, but I read on mets.com that Franco would have asked for his release in a week or so, because he has been disappointed with his playing time over the past year and a half. He wants to play until he's 50 (he'll be 49 in about a month and a half), and he needs more playing time, he says, to be ready for that. I wonder if there was some truth to the rumor that Franco was stirring up some discontent in the clubhouse. He was not upset that he was released...I haven't heard reaction from his teammates.

FALLOUT - I heard an interview with Willie Randolph before Thursday's game - he didn't seem too happy with the firing of Down, one of his guys.

Just throwing this out there...but might one of my guys become the hitting coach? Maybe bring in Gary Carter...and that's why he hasn't been working this year? Maybe the Mets knew someone like Down was on a short(ish) leash, and he's on standby for a job? This is more wishful thinking on my part...but there's some logic there.

I don't know how the team will react to the Franco release. I know lots of players understand the business aspect of the game - but one of the reasons Franco was here was to be a mentor to the young part of the team. How will those young guys react?, I wonder. The other piece of Julio Franco's release is that Ramon Castro will now get more pinch-hitting appearances. With Sandy Alomar, Jr. up, as a possible injury replacement at catcher, the Mets can spare Castro.

HISTORY IN THURSDAY'S GAME: Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay led off the first inning for the Mets with back-to-back homers off Reds starter Bronson Arroyo - the first time in Mets history that has happened.

Speaking of leadoff men...Scott Hatteberg hit leadoff for the Reds. That's weird.

INJURIES: Oliver Perez should be back to make his start on Sunday.

How about this - I heard Gary Cohen report on SNY that Ruben Gotay started on Thursday because Jose Valentin hurt a finger trying to break up a fight over the break. Wonderful. He's already battling a sore knee...he is in really bad shape and shouldn't even be playing...but he's got incentives to meet in his contract and is trying to battle through the injuries.

BEAT THE STREAK: FYI - I'm at 10 games through Thursday. I'll highlight the milestones.

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.

ONE-TRACK MIND

Honest to goodness, when it gets this close to baseball season I have a one track mind. I'm able to shift my focus to schoolwork during the school day...but almost every other second it's "MetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMetsMets." Really, it is. I even talk to The Baby about the Mets, like she gives a hoot. But that's the reason I created this here blog - so I can spare the ones I love with these types of verbal assaults. So here's what's on my mind right now:

-Jose Reyes, aka THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED - I keep forgetting to mention this, but I need to change my NL MVP vote from last week in my season predictions. I have to go with Reyes. The guy is getting all sorts of national recognition now, and people know how valuable he is to the Mets. If he stays healthy and has another year like he did last year, and the Mets need him more this year than last year, because it will be a tighter race...Jose Reyes will be the NL MVP. (I had said Ryan Howard, which isn't a bad thought, but Reyes might get it this year.)

-Duaner Sanchez - Sanchez's comeback from last season's shoulder injury, suffered in an off-hours taxicab accident in Miami, took a big hit. Sanchez might not be back now until August, after feeling/hearing a pop in his shoulder while pitching the other day. I would not expect Sanchez to be effective this year. Also, I get the feeling this might be very, very serious, and possible career-ending...or at least, ending Sanchez's career with the Mets. He's in Willie Randolph's doghouse, after reporting overweight, and this injury just keeps getting worse, it seems.

- Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins - The other day I mentioned that both of the former Padres, who the Mets got in exchange for Royce Ring and Heath Bell, could open the season in the minors. Well, Adkins has no options, so he might be dealt before the season opens. Johnson might get the chance to start the season on the Mets roster because of an injury to......

-Lastings Milledge - he hurt his hand the other day, and it's still causing him pain, so he might not be with the Mets come Sunday night. Too bad, because he worked hard this spring and deserved to break camp with the team. But Ben Johnson might keep his roster spot warm (which was only keeping Mike Pelfrey's roster spot warm until the Mets needed their fifth starter).

-Scott Schoenweis - The last thing that I spend some time thinking about during the day is the Mets' newest reliever. I always liked watching Schoenweis pitch with the Angels...although his numbers haven't been the greatest...I look forward to seeing him contribute with the Mets.

AND AWAY WE GO

Mets 6, Cubs 3 (NYM: 54-36, CHI: 34-55)

The Mets began their march to the post-season with a second-half-opening 6-3 win on Friday in Chicago. Steve Trachsel won his seventh straight start - it seems like ever since I called him out he's responded...but I still need to see him win games in late September (actually, those might be meaningless this year) and October (very meaningful). Trachsel improved his record to 9-4, working six good innings - one inning coming after a 45-minute rain delay. He gave up just 2 runs on three hits.

Cliff Floyd is coming alive - I've been writing it I think even before my computer died - Friday, Floyd was 2-for-3, raising his average to .255. Unfortunately, Floyd was also drilled again - after taking his base, he stole second, and slid hard into second base...there's going to be a brawl, and it's going to center around Floyd being hit...I'm telling you. Future Hall of Famer, All-Star, and Home Run Derby Runner-up David Wright was 1-for-4, with a key RBI.

More encouraging news - in his first game after the break, Aaron Heilman had a very solid outing - working a quick, perfect inning (the 7th), throwing 12 pitches, 9 of them for strikes. He really limped into the break, and the Mets need him in the second half. Jose Valentin also had an impressive game - 3-for-5 out of the leadoff spot, with 2 stolen bases.

On Saturday, quite a pitching matchup - Tom Glavine versus Carlos (the good) Zambrano. Glavine has been winning, but he hasn't been great recently - I'd like to see a strong start from him.

GULP*: No sooner did I declare to Dave in Brighton, via text message, on Tuesday night, during the All Star Game, that I was going to remove the asterisk from Carlos Beltran's name, then he hit the first base bag awkwardly hustling out a ground ball to third base. I made the asterisk decision because Beltran had a great first half, and played the All Star Game like he knew it would have an effect on the Mets' fortunes. I figured, to heck with superstition - I'll still keep the asterisk on Pedro Martinez*'s name, because he's slightly injured, but I'll remove it from Beltran.

Well, Beltran seemed to recover quickly on Tuesday, leaping over a ground ball, advancing to second, but being stranded there for the NL. Then he came out on Friday with a 1-for-3, driving in a run, looking no worse for wear. But he didn't come out after the rain delay, reportedly due to soreness in his knee. Uh-oh. If he's hurt, and is out for an extended period of time, I take full responsibility. But what are the chances - right when I remove the asterisk? And you wonder why I'm superstitious?

REYES/PEDRO*: Jose Reyes didn't play Friday, may not play all weekend, still suffering from the stitched up pinky finger, injured when he dove headfirst into first against the Marlins last Friday, aka on my birthday. The injury forced Reyes to miss the All Star Game (although he still traveled to the game, Manny). I haven't commented on this yet, but obviously, Reyes has to stop doing this - and he says he's going to try. So I'm not going to criticize him or others who dive headfirst into first. I'll save that for if he continues to do it. But I will say that I think the most powerful lesson for Reyes is that he was hurt enough because of that act that it prevented him from taking part in the All Star Game. I don't think for a young guy like that, there could have been a worse punishment. Especially after he was voted in. It hasn't cost the Mets much (Jose Valentin has filled in ably as a leadoff man - even though I prefer seeing Endy Chavez in that spot), so it's also a well-timed lesson for Reyes - he'll be back for the stretch, with a lesson hopefully learned.

As for Pedro Martinez*, he was supposed to come off the DL on Wednesday, July 19, but might miss that start because he suffered food poisoning/stomach flu symptoms the other day. I don't know why this would affect him half-a-week off, but it will - Steve Trachsel will start Wednesday (on regular rest), and Pedro* will be delayed. Something smells fishy to me here...Is he injured worse than we think? Is he taking an extended All-Star vacation? Who knows. As long as he pitches effectively the rest of the season, I'll forget all about the missed All Star Game, DL stint. But another delay and I'm going to get really suspicious.

CUBS BROADCASTERS: I've seen about all I need to see with these guys (Len Kasper and Bob Brenly - and the whole Comcast production crew, really). I watched about 15 minutes of their pre-game, before the ESPN coverage started, and it was bad. First of all, negative points for the Cubs when I realized that Chip Caray (even though he has strikes against him because of his lineage) and Steve Stone had been canned by the Cubs after they were critical of the team in the booth. So that reflects poorly on Kasper and Brenly right away. Then there was the fact that before the game started, twice, Kasper says, "We're ready to go", while the ESPN broadcast wasn't even close to taking the air, and Comcast twice went to commercial, came back, and went to commercial again after he said that. So, no, Len, you weren't even close to being ready to go. That bothers me a lot.

Then there was the production aspect - The Cubs guys were spotlighting David Wright, and Brenly says, "About the only 0 you see on his stat sheet is under sacrifice bunts!". So what. He meant it to be funny, but said it like it was a relevant stat. Then when they showed the Wright graphic, they showed him hitting .310, when he was hitting .316 before the game started. Unacceptable stuff. GRADE: F

MY THOUGHTS ON TRADES: I've been sitting on this for a while, because it struck me strongly when I didn't have computer access...don't know that the weekend is the best time to write it, but oh well. There are all kinds of names being bounced around in trade rumors for the Mets, with the trading deadline nearing. I want to mention a couple of names I think the Mets should NOT trade, along with others I think might be expendable.

People are always looking for left-handed relievers, and the Mets have a supply of them right now. There's Pedro Feliciano and Darren Oliver, as well as Royce Ring at Triple-A (having a very good season - he was an International League All Star). Now, this went under the radar a little, but after the Mets had their little losing streak before the break (against the Red Sox and Yankees), Feliciano criticized Willie Randolph, and the way he uses the bullpen. Randolph worked this out with Feliciano behind closed doors, but the fact that Feliciano vented through the media prompted Randolph to say something to the effect of, "I've been around plenty of winners, and that's not what winners do." I've heard Randolph and management have been happy with Feliciano - but if he's going to mouth off, I'd rather see him shipped off. Things are going too well for the Mets for him to mess it up (chemistry-wise as well as on the field). So if the Mets are going to deal a lefty, get rid of Feliciano. I've heard the Mets might use Ring's good year as trade bait- but I'd rather see Feliciano dealt, and Ring brought up - I just feel Ring has more upside. Oliver has done a great job in his role this year too - but I don't feel like he'll keep it up, even through the end of this year. So I wouldn't mind seeing him shipped while his value is high, too.

Aaron Heilman's name has been tossed around too, because of the fact that he's unhappy with his position as a reliever. I agree Heilman is unhappy, but it would be a big mistake for the Mets to trade him, then see him have a huge year somewhere else. I think the Mets finish the year with him in the role he's in now, then let him start next year. Then, I think he becomes a free agent, and he's gone if the Mets don't allow him to start...if he is a starter, maybe he'd consider staying with the Mets.

As far as position players, I don't see many deal-able players. I think Lastings Milledge is here to stay, despite his little mental lapses. I think he got his taste of the big leagues, and the Mets are hoping he earns a spot up for good as Cliff Floyd's replacement next year. I also think if the Mets are going to trade an outfielder, it will be Victor Diaz - with the way Xavier Nady has been playing, Diaz is very expendable. Look for a Milledge-Beltran-Nady outfield for the next 5+ years.

So that's my two cents - the Mets are going to add a pitcher at the deadline - there's no way they'll sit idly by. I just hope they don't deal a guy like Heilman, or Ring, in order to get someone else.

THE KID'S KIDS: The Mets won Friday night, 4-2, their second win in a row following a 5 game losing streak (part of which was due to the absence of manager and Hall of Famer Gary Carter). I think the ship has been righted again - in the second half of the season, the first half champions are 12-8, two-and-a-half games behind Daytona.

BEAT THE STREAK: I tried to ride Mark Teixeira's coattails, after his big 3-homer night on Thursday, but to no avail. He was 0-for-1 with a couple of walks. Darn. Back to the drawing board....I have Derek Jeter on Saturday.

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!!

RED SOX A LOT, METS A LITTLE

(game's not over yet, so I don't know the final score)

I think the Mets are making too much of this series. I know it's a big series, what with Pedro Martinez* making his return to Fenway Park and pitching against his former team for the first time. And it's also the best team in the National League against the team that's tearing up the NL during Interleague play. But I think the Mets are making too much of that, and they're not showing the team they really are. This is just ugly. The Mets are playing bad baseball - they're making errors (looking at you, Milledge), they're not making smart plays (Pedro*), and they're doing bad elementary baseball like missing cutoff men. That's not the stuff that's gotten them to 47 wins thus far.

That's not to take anything away from the Red Sox, though - they're playing some really good baseball right now. Really good. They're a good team - but I don't think they're this good - they're just clicking all around right now, which is too bad for the Mets. (It doesn't help, though, that the Mets aren't pitching well - Pedro* got rocked tonight, and Alay Soler threw as many ball as strikes on Tuesday night - so it's a little bit of bad pitching to go with the great hitting.)

Now, Carlos Delgado has just homered, and things can't get much worse defensively, and it's still early...so maybe the Mets can make a comeback here. But the truth is, both Tuesday's game and Wednesday's game have been dreadful. (OK...later on in the game, I'm realizing a comeback isn't happening.)

I'll touch on Tuesday's game a minute - I took zero pictures. I just didn't feel like taking out the camera. Before the game the Red Sox honored their 1986 American League Championship team - and on the scoreboard it said something like "Welcome 1986 Champs". They didn't say AL...so that would be the Mets. I still think that ceremony should have waited for the Angels to be in town. I will say, though, that the Red Sox made a very classy move by putting a video tribute on the board for Pedro Martinez*, spurring a standing ovation for him in between innings. That was a really nice move, and it set the tone for Wednesday night.

Back to Wednesday's game...a big disappointment. But that's what I expected (except I expected a Mets win in the deal). I didn't think it would live up to the hype...I thought Josh Beckett would get rocked in the Beckett-Martinez* duel. Instead, Pedro* got killed, Milledge didn't help, and Pedro* didn't help himself by prolonging the first inning by making a mental error, getting just one out instead of two. It could have been a whole different game there. And it cost Pedro* the opportunity to win a game against the Red Sox - which would have made him one of a very few players (I forget how many have done this) to get a win against all 30 Major League teams. That doesn't look like it's going to happen.

I really think the Tom Glavine-Curt Schilling matchup on Thursday will live up to the hype...and I really hope the Mets can come away from this series with a win, heading into a weekend series against the Yankees. I think they need to relax a bit, and not play so tight. Loosen up and play like they've been playing all year.

ANNOUNCER SWAP: Ron Darling spent an inning with Don Orsillo on NESN, while Jerry Remy visited SNY. I was under the impression it was going to be the full game...I was wrong. Darling did a nice job. We have SNY blacked out, so I don't know what went on with Remy, but I'm sure it was awesome. NESN showed him in the SNY booth - and he brought his little Wally in his Adirondack chair with him to the SNY booth. So that alone is awesome.

Also - I wonder if this is part of NESN and SNY trying to develop a comfortable working relationship, in advance of a possible post-season meeting (not just Mets-Red Sox - even something Red Sox-Yankees). Not only did they swap analysts, but the SNY open had some of the exact same treated video of Pedro* in their open as NESN did in theirs.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP: I know he's pitched well, but I just love that Roger Clemens is 0-2 after two starts. I hope he loses them all.

Jae Seo was traded again - the Dodgers sent him to the Devil Rays on Tuesday (along with Dioner Novarro for Mark Hendrickson and Toby Hall). That's a decent trade for the Dodgers, because Hendrickson has been pitching really well lately. I saw Seo pitching for Tampa tonight - not sure if he was starting or not - but he's wearing uniform number 98. Not sure why. That's an odd number, though.

FUN & GAMES: The Wife spotted Mr. Met in the background of a shot in the first inning, walking around Fenway Park with Wally the Green Monster. Good eyes by her. But it reminded me that I forgot to mention a couple of weeks ago that Mr. Met was in Kansas City to help their mascot celebrate his birthday. So he's really making the rounds.

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets haven't played in a while - after being rained out on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday's games were all postponed because of wet grounds. Lots of weather problems in Florida - we'll see if they get tonight's game in.

FANTASY UPDATE: The What If Nationals are facing elimination - down 2 games to none in the Wild Card playoff round to the What If Reds. I wouldn't mind them losing the next game so I never have to visit that site again.

BEAT THE STREAK: Nothing to cool off the hottest player in baseball, Jose Reyes, like me taking him in Beat The Streak. Thursday I'll go with Carlos Lee to hit a bomb off of Mark Prior.

WEST COASTING

OK, it's only the bottom of the first as I write this, but if things continue like this, the Mets are on their way to a 27-0 win. They're already up, 3-0, after a leadoff homer by THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, and then a two-run homer by Carlos Delgado. Delgado has been slumping lately, so a homer in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium (snore) is a good sign.

I would love to see a solid outing from Alay Soler tonight.

This week isn't going to be great, because of the late starts out west...maybe I'll pull out some of my old scorecards and play the ol' "Recap Games I Went to Years Ago" game. Not sure if that was popular when I did it last year. We'll find out, I guess, if I do it again. This year I can add pitcures of some of the old players.

LASTINGS IMPRESSION: Apparently our boy Lastings Milledge is making a bad reputation for himself. Milledge drew the ire of some of the Giants on Sunday after hitting his game-tying homer in the 10th inning, and celebrating a little bit too much. After the Mets finished batting that inning, Milledge slapped hands with some of the front-row fans on his way out to right field. Willie Randolph reportedly talked to him about that after the inning, saying something like, "People will know who you are, you don't have to draw attention to yourself." In his own defense, Milledge said something like, "I was just sharing the excitement of my first major league homer with the fans." I don't think I have a problem with Milledge being enthusiastic with the fans. I haven't seen video of this or anything, but it seems harmless to me. I think it's a good thing that he's establishing himself with the fans. If it comes off as pompous when I see video of it, I may change my mind, though. The Giants seemed to think it was self-serving.

AROUND THE MAJORS: I just saw Carlos Zambrano lose a no-hit bid in the eighth inning at Houston. Too bad. It's been a while since the last no-hitter in the Majors. That was Randy Johnson's perfect game versus Atlanta. It happened on my honeymoon. Best part of being in Hawaii was the time difference - nothing like waking up at 7am and watching a 1pm East Coast baseball game. It was over, and I still had the whole day in front of me. That was a Blue Jays-Twins game - I think the Twins won it in their final at-bat. The perfect game was later in the day.

But speaking of Atlanta - they lost to Washington tonight - their fifth straight loss at home. Tough times for the Braves.

THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie won on Monday, 11-1. The game was called in the seventh inning. Either there's a new mercy rule, or it was raining...or this was a part of a doubleheader I wasn't aware of....but the Mets won...so that's good.

FANTASY UPDATE: Lost two out of three again today. Things are getting bad. I'm a game under .500. Three important games against the Pirates on Tuesday - they're in the wild card hunt too. I have some weaker opponents coming up after that, though - maybe I can make up some ground. I picked Jae Seo up off the waiver wire, and got rid of 4-11 Jerry Koosman. He didn't live up to his good numbers, I'll tell you that.

BEAT THE STREAK: Now we're talking - Carl Crawford got me to a 6-game streak. I have Miguel Tejada on Tuesday, because the Orioles are hitting against a Blue Jays pitcher named Ty Taubenheim. If Tejada doesn't get a hit off Taubenheim, I may just give up on this game forever. I didn't even bother looking at other matchups.

A HAPPY CAMPER

Except for the rainout in Queens on Friday night, everything went well this week. Everyone made it back from our camping trip in good shape, the Mets did OK while I was gone (another no-decision for Pedro*?!....ugh), The Wife did a great job filling in, and I didn't get eaten by a bear....not even this one:

I didn't exactly have to rough it - we did stay in cabins, like the one you see on the left (that's my bed) - but the closest I got to seeing anything baseball related was the kickball games during free time back at the campground.

Still, this was one of the biggest adventures of my life - and I lucked out, because I only had to miss two Mets games, even though I was gone for most of four days.

I am very surprised the Mets called up Lastings Milledge. I thought they were going to go the entire year with him at Triple-A, so as not to put much pressure on him. If Nady were to be disabled, I would have thought we'd see Victor Diaz come up. Either Diaz is running low on options (to be honest, I'm not sure how that works, exactly), or the Mets are taking this opportunity to showcase Lastings Milledge to the A's in the hopes of landing Barry Zito. Or maybe they're just giving teams a taste of what Milledge could do in the majors. I'm not sure. It's strange though.

I don't think I could "bear" it if they traded Milledge, though. My only response would be, "Oh, Deer."


I can't believe the wife actually kept all of these features going while I was away - she was under no obligation to do so. (But I'm pleased that she did.)

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets have seen their lead over Brevard County be cut to just a half-game. They lost to Tampa, 14-8, Thursday night. I don't have any info yet on Friday night's game.

FANTASY UPDATE: Maybe I'm doing something right with the "What If" Mets when I tinker with the lineup, because while I was away, they tanked. They've lost 7 out of 9, including all three on Friday. I'm back to just a couple of games above .500, and I'm about 9 games out of first, but I'm still within a game or two of the wild card leader.

BEAT THE STREAK: Mike Lowell got me up to three games on Friday. With the Mets' doubleheader on Saturday, I'm taking Jose Reyes. (All he needs to do is get a hit in one of the games to continue my streak - hits in both games don't count as two streak games - still just one.)

THE WIFE TAKES THE REINS

JohnnyMets is off camping for the next few days, so you all are stuck with me, The Wife. For those of you who know JohnnyMets personally, you can join me in a chuckle as you picture him camping. This is the city boy whose biggest outdoor challenge so far has been mowing our lawn, and who still gets freaked out with all the "wildlife" (i.e. rabbits and the occasional deer) in our neighborhood.

You can also join me in another chuckle, because JohnnyMets is away on the day that he's been anticipating all season. Yes, he is going to be royally P.O.'ed because the Mets called up Lastings Milledge from Norfolk! Granted it's only for 2 weeks while Xavier Nady recovers from an appendectomy, but this is his real chance to prove himself as a big league player. And John is nestled in a sleeping bag wondering what that strange noise was outside the cabin.

Because of this development, I am renaming the "Last-Place Lastings" daily feature and calling it "Lasting in the Majors?" I'm not sure if JohnnyMets will approve of this ... however, he's not here to argue, and as The Wife, I always get my way anyway, right? So, it will be called that at least for the next three days and then The Husband can reassess.

So the Mets won last night 7-6, with a walkoff hit by David Wright in the bottom of the ninth. Speaking of David Wright, tonight is "Dog Day" at Shea Stadium, and they had some video on SNY of David holding two puppies. Sigh. Is there anything better in the world? David Wright and puppies? Given his hit last night, I think even John would agree with me.

Reaching into the mailbag, Dave from Brighton assures that someone is reading this blog while John is away:


"Dear Mrs. Johnnymets,

Do you look just like Johnnymets, except with a pink bow, a la Pacman and Mrs. Pacman? For your sake I hope not.

I'm interested in getting a fresh outsider perspective (i.e., a perspective different than that of the hopelessly optimistic Johnnymets) on three Mets and Mets-related questions:

1. Tom Glavine looks great this season. Do you think he'll get to 300 wins?

2. Sometimes Mets fans are really tough on Carlos Beltran. But he's got 14 homers, including last week's game winner, and seven steals. Is he worth all that dough?

3. I know you've followed Pedro for a number of years. Do you think he'll 'hurt' his big toe right before the Red Sox series at Fenway?

3a. If he does pitch against his former team, how do you think he'll do? My money is on 7 IP, 3 ER, 10 K (3 by Ortiz), but a ND courtesy of Billy Wagner.

Signed,
Dave in Brighton"


Dave-

I guess you could compare JohnnyMets and me to Pacman and Ms. Pacman. Except I'd wear a pink Mets (or Red Sox) hat instead of a pink bow. That's really the only difference between us. That, and I'm pregnant.

Getting to your other questions-

1. Tom Glavine does look great this season. I do think he'll get to 300 wins -- but not this year. That would be awfully tough. He'd have to win 17 more games. As well as he's pitching, I don't think he'll have that blockbuster of a year. Let's get realistic.

2. I'm slightly encouraged by Carlos Beltran's performance as of late. He's really picked up his game and is finally starting to deliver. But no way is he worth all that money. For $119 million, I'd expect Albert Pujols numbers. Carlos is heading in the right direction, but he still has a ways to go.

3. I don't think Pedro will hurt his big toe before the Fenway road trip, but I also don't expect to see him take the mound either. I think the Mets will "conveniently" schedule Pedro to pitch right before the Sox series and right after. It's all stupid, though. Sure, some people would boo Pedro, but I'd clap for him. And I'd bet that most Fenway fans would too. I don't think Pedro thinks that way though -- thus, we won't see him pitching here.

3a. On the off-chance that I'm wrong, I say 7 IP, 4 ER (3 of them in the first inning), 8 Ks, but Beckett will out-pitch him.

Thanks for your mail, Dave. Always appreciated. On to the regular features:

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets are playing the Vero Beach Dodgers tonight. I'll let you know the outcome tomorrow. I did find out some interesting stuff about Gary Carter last night though, that even JohnnyMets didn't know. I'm reading this book called Marley & Me, which is about a crazy yellow lab named Marley and all of his hijinx. I learned that back in 1993 or thereabouts, Marley played himself in a movie called The Last Home Run. You probably haven't heard of the movie -- it went straight to video -- but it was about a 79-year-old guy who lives in a nursing home and he becomes a 12-year-old for 5 days and gets to play Little League ball. Marley was cast as the dog of the Little League coach -- played by none other than Gary Carter. You can bet Mr. and Mrs. JohnnyMets will be renting this movie.

LASTING IN THE MAJORS?: Lastings Milledge has been up to bat twice as of this writing. He received quite an ovation from the Shea fans, and followed that up with a bullet of a hit -- unfortunately, it was right to the shortstop. Second time up, he grounded out to third. However, the SNY announcers astutely pointed out (with help from their research department), that Milledge and Daryl Strawberry were the exact same age (21 years and however many days old) when they were called up to the majors. Strange coincidence... let's hope Milledge can live up to the Strawberry comparisons.

FANTASY UPDATE: John didn't give me access to the What If? League, so I have no updates. However, I'll make it clear right now that I think this what if stuff is bull. I told John from the outset that I don't trust a league that's all based on scenarios and not REAL matchups and/or statistics. Even though he's now in second place, I think he now understands my concerns. What If he just stopped playing? I think we'd both be much happier.

BEAT THE STREAK: John has Paul Lo Duca tonight (currently 0 for 2) and I have Manny Ramirez (0 for 1 right now). So we both need big hits tonight.

FOOTNOTE: John just called in from his camping trip. Good thing they have cell phone service up there. I updated him on the Lastings situation and his response was "HOLY COW, THEY CALLED UP LASTINGS!" He was in a bit of disbelief. I'm sure he'll have much more to say about it when he's back.

RAINING IN NEW YORK

The Mets are off to a great start in their game against Arizona - but it's shaping up to be a long night. It's 4-1, Mets, after 2, but thunderstorms in New York delayed the start of the game, and have now delayed the game after two innings. So I'm not going to be able to blog after the game.

First of all, I hope they finish the game. It's looking like a win (despite how early it is), and the Mets' bats are hot. Paul LoDuca extended his hitting streak to 13 games, and has 2 doubles. Cliff Floyd ripped a double, continuing the good hitting run he's been on (he'd lifted his average to .219 entering the game), and David Wright walked in his first at-bat, but he's now hitting .333. The Mets need to be able to get their at-bats in tonight. Carlos Beltran* is 0-for-2 before the delay, but he's been hitting the ball too - he hit his 14th homer on Sunday - he had 16 all of last year! Willie Randolph has kept Jose Valentin's bat in the lineup, too - he's playing for Kaz Matsui again.

So I won't be up for the end of this game - and I won't be back until Friday, due to an overnight school trip - Tuesday through Friday. But don't fear - The Wife will be running things here for the next few days. I guarantee it will be entertaining - she does a very nice job whenever she fills in for me. I just hope this doesn't turn into Red Sox central. If you have questions or comments for The Wife, send them to mrs.johnnymets@gmail.com

THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie had Monday off - they're still two games up on Brevard County, at 28-21.

LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Monday was the big day where we got an up-close, live look at Lastings Milledge and the (tied for) last place Norfolk Tides. Milledge and the Tides beat Pawtucket 11-1, and stayed tied with Richmond, who also won, for last place, so the name sticks for now. Milledge was 3-for-6, with 3 RBI, and now is hitting .291. The most excitement in the game came in the sixth, when Milledge hit one into the right-centerfield gap with the bases loaded, driving home the three runs, and then getting thrown out at third. It was a double, but it showed off Milledge's hitting ability, and showed that he doesn't have the best speed in the world...because it very easily could have been a triple. I liked what I saw from Milledge, and Jeff Keppinger at the plate. Evan MacLane was also pretty impressive on the mound for the Tides. I brought a camera to take pictures, but, alas, the battery was dead. There are a couple of pictures that may be posted next weekend....if I deem it still worth putting on the site.

FANTASY UPDATE: Another 3-0 day - the What If Mets swept the Cardinals. Needless to say, I'm loving this game again right now. If the season ended today, I'd be the wild card - in fact, I'm two games ahead of all wild card contenders. So I'm in pretty good shape right now, about halfway through the season. There are 3 games against the woeful Cubs, then the All-Star break. Unfortunately, that's only a demarcation in the entire season - there's no real break. And that means I miss 12 games, being gone Tuesday through Friday, and not being able to adjust my lineup...hopefully I'll still be loving this game when I get back.

BEAT THE STREAK: Another streak killing by Craig Biggio. Don't know why I keep picking him. I need to pick four players for the next four days - I'll let you know when I get back whether any of them got me started on a 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.

ALAY-ING SOME FEARS

Mets 5, Phillies 4 (NYM: 28-17, PHI: 23-22)

It's getting to the point where we might not have to worry about the Mets rotation anymore. It didn't look like that would be the case early on in Wednesday night's game....but by the end of the game - it's like the Mets are a whole new team.

Alay Soler, Cuban Defector, started for the Mets, and walked the first three batters. (I forgot to mention this in my posting Tuesday - but 5 of 7 batters the Mets walked through the first nine innings on Tuesday scored. The three Soler walked in the first inning Wednesday, scored.) They all scored (helped by a bad error by second baseman Chris Woodward), and it looked very, very bad for Soler. But he settled in VERY nicely, and gave the Mets six innings, walking only one more batter, giving up 5 hits, 2 ER, and striking out 5. I can't wait for his next start, when he won't be nervous from the get-go, to see what he can do.

(Speaking of Cuban Defectors, the Mets acquired Orlando Hernandez on Wednesday, trading Jorge Julio to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hernandez is not having the greatest season, statistically, but this is going to be a great trade for the Mets. Historically, it takes Hernandez a little while to get comfortable in a new place...and he's already comfortable in New York. That's one thing. Secondly, the true value in this trade will come in September and October, when Hernandez really shines. Thirdly, although I liked the direction Julio was heading, I feel a little better thinking about the Kris Benson trade, and seeing the Mets net a starter out of that trade. John Maine, the other man acquired in that trade, is due back soon from his injury - I wonder if he now heads to the bullpen to replace Julio. Either way - looks like Jeremi Gonzalez heads back to Norfolk.)

Unfortunately, Soler did not get the win, because Pedro Feliciano served up a late homer to Met-Killer Pat Burrell, which tied the game. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Mets started cutting into that 3-0 lead very early. In the first inning, Carlos Beltran* homered, making it 3-1. Later, Future Hall of Famer David Wright hit career homer number 49 (8 on the season), making it 3-2. A bloop single tied the game, and a sacrifice fly later gave the Mets the lead.

After Feliciano blew the lead, David Wright came through in the clutch again, lining a single to left with men on the corners to give the Mets the 5-4 lead. And "The Closer" looked good in the ninth, closing the door for the save. (Full Disclosure: I actually went upstairs to watch the final minutes of American Idol to see who won in the bottom of the eighth, and missed a little of the top of the ninth. Oops. But it was worth it to see the cutaway to David Hasselhoff, who looked like he was wiping a tear from his eye after they announced the winner. HA!)

The thing about the Phillies, which we all know, is that they don't scare me. And I don't think they scare the Mets. It doesn't look like the Mets ever feel like the Phillies can slam the door in a game they play - no matter what the score is. So even if Philly takes a 3-0 lead in the first inning....it's worth watching to see how quickly the Mets even things up.

Jeremi Gonzalez starts Thursday afternoon for the Mets. This will most likely be his last Mets outing. The Mets now lead the Phillies by 5 games...a sweep would really do some psychological damage to the Phillies, I think, especially with the bad news they got Wednesday. Their phenom, Cole Hamels, who was supposed to start Wednesday, was placed on the DL after hearing a 'pop' while playing catch. That's not good. I know I say a lot of bad stuff about the Phillies, but I hope the kid is OK. I would hate for a young star like that to be seriously hurt. He has real potential - the veterans on the staff were pointing to this kid they just called up and saying he was their new number one starter. That's high praise. They're a team on the ropes right now - the Mets can really hurt them on Thursday.

TUESDAY NIGHT LATE EDITION: Just to wrap up the 16-inning game from Tuesday, which ended at 12:22am, and would have ended at 11pm had Steve Trachsel not been the starting pitcher, that was a great win. For the Mets to come from behind so often, and then not win would have been a shame - so to go on to the 16-inning win was huge. And for Carlos Beltran* to finally hit a game-ending homer as a Met (if he's done it before, I don't remember it)...he's really starting to put last year behind him...and most Mets fans.

There was never a point Tuesday night, when the Phillies led, where I didn't feel like the Mets were NOT going to come back. That's a really good sign.

LINE OF THE NIGHT: This was really good - I had to repeat it. Ramon Castro started at catcher Wednesday night, spelling Paul LoDuca after the 16-inning game. In the early-going, Soler shook off a few of Castro's calls, and Gary Cohen says, "That seems about right, the Cuban defector is shaking off Castro." (I hope that translated OK from aural to written form.)

MEDIA: I forgot about this, until they showed the radio booth during Wednesday night's game on SNY, and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo was there, and Gary Cohen said, "There's tomorrow's broadcaster with Howie Rose!" I think tomorrow Mike & The Mad Dog broadcast the Mets game on SNY. I wasn't going to TiVo the game, but now I think I have to, just to see what that's like.

MINOR LEAGUE NEWS: Before I get to the Mets-related stuff, I noticed something that involves a player I love watching, but who's been cursed the past couple of seasons. Rocco Baldelli began a 20-game rehab stint with the Durham Bulls Tuesday - and hit a game-winning single. So good news - hopefully Baldelli makes it the whole way back without getting hurt. I like him a lot.

THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie's lead in their division is down to a half-game, after a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Yankees. This is where Hall of Famer Gary Carter really needs to show off his managing skills, and get that team to believe in itself again!!

LAST-PLACE LASTINGS (AND MAIL): This, from Dave in Brighton:

"Johnnymets,

Will you rename your Last-Place Lastings feature if the Tides overtake Richmond to get out of the basement of the International League's South division?

Signed,
Dave in Brighton"

I guess I would probably have to, Dave, but I don't know if that will happen. I will acknowledge....it's getting very close.

The Tides were also working extra innings on Tuesday, beating Syracuse 3-2 in 11, winning the game on a Lastings Milledge double. I gave Milledge's numbers Tuesday night, but didn't have the details of the game.
The Tides are on their way to another win (and taking another step towards getting out of the basement - they're leading the Sky Chiefs 10-3 in the ninth. Milledge is 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored - his average is now .289.

A couple of things of interest - I'm starting to wonder if there will be suspensions from the brawl the other day, and hopeful that Milledge won't be suspended for Monday's game. Also - Monday is five days from today, meaning tonight's Tides starter should start Monday's game, meaning we should get a look at Evan MacLane, someone who I don't know anything about. Former Met Matt Ginter should be pitching for Pawtucket that day.

FANTASY UPDATE: The What If Mets have won three in a row - I wonder if I've done that before, where I've won all my games in one day....it doesn't seem familiar. Anyway, I won one against the Braves, and two against the Nationals/Expos. I'm now alone in second place, but I'm still 3 games out of first. It's the Blue Jays and Dodgers tomorrow.

BEAT THE STREAK: Vladimir Guerrero continued his massive hitting streak versus Texas with a weak 1-for-5 on Wednesday, upping my hitting streak to 4. I'll take Ichiro to keep it going on Thursday against Rodrigo Lopez and Baltimore.

A NIGHT OF COMEBACKS

But it's not over yet. The Phillies just retired the Mets in the bottom of the ninth, and I need to go to bed.

This was one of the best games the Mets have played all year (from an offensive standpoint). Whenever they play the Phillies, I get the feeling that they're never out of it, no matter what the score is. It seems like, eventually, the Mets will get back even with Philadelphia - it's just a matter of when. Sometimes it doesn't happen, most of the time, the Mets at least threaten, Tuesday night, the Mets did it three different times.

Cliff Floyd is really, really swinging the bat well - he homered again on Tuesday. And Julio Franco had a key pinch-hit, getting the game to 6-5. (Full disclosure, I missed the Franco RBI double - I was watching a live in-dugout interview with Boof Bonser on the Twins' telecast.) Chris Woodward also had a big pinch-hit. And David Wright hit career homer number 48 to get the Mets' scoring started.

The negative - not a good start for Steve Trachsel. He gave up the Phillies' first 6 runs - but in fairness, could have been out of a jam tied at 2 - Endy Chavez had Pat Burrell nailed at the plate, but Paul LoDuca dropped the throw. That led to a big 4-run inning, when it should have been 3 outs. But Trachsel still gave up a 3-run bomb - he's still too inconsistent - he pitched into a lot of tough situations Tuesday.

Interesting note - the Phillies are 17-0 this season (as of this writing) when they led after 7 innings. The Mets came back on them in the eighth...when THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, hit a game-tying 2-run homer, with 2 outs.

It's 8-8, top of the tenth, and I need to get some sleep. Or, more specifically, watch the rest of the game in bed, and not blog afterwards.

MAIL: Guess who this is from?

"Johnnymets -

Pedro would have had 4 days rest and would be available to pitch Thursday against the Phillies. However, Willie has decided to give Pedro another day of rest and start him against the Marlins on Friday. This makes no sense to me. I understand that Pedro needs a few extra days here and there. But, do you think it makes sense to give him that extra day against the Phillies. What if Thursday's game turns out to be the rubber game, or worse yet, a game to avoid a sweep? Is Willie thinking clearly that Jeremi Gonzaliez should get the start at such an important game? Don't you think Willie should push Gonzalez to Friday against the mostly Triple A Marlins? What do you think?

Annoyed Mets Fan from Queens"

The "Annoyed Mets Fan from Queens" always keeps me grounded when things are going well for the Mets. He'll always find that dark lining on the cloud...but he makes sense here. The thing is, Pedro* pitches very, very well in Florida. And I bet that Willie Randolph is considering the fact that Pedro* needs to get another win, not another no-decision, just to keep things upbeat in the clubhouse. So that should come against Florida. I bet that's a factor....finally getting Pedro* to 6-0.

The other thing is, Jeremi Gonzalez has to start either Wednesday or Thursday. He's not really up for debate. Up for debate is the fact that Alay Soler, the Cuban defector, is going to start one of the games against Philly (I don't think the Mets are sure yet whether he's going Wednesday or Thursday). But I think they have enough confidence in Soler that they feel he is the best arm to go for them in this series. I am pretty excited to see Soler - he's a big guy. About 6'1'', 240 pounds. In summary, I give Randolph the benefit of the doubt here.

***Update after I wrote this...Soler will definitely start Wednesday, with Thursday's start going to either Gonzalez or Darren Oliver. Apparently, Gonzalez has been battling the flu.

THE KID'S KIDS: The big rivalry started Tuesday night - the St. Lucie Mets taking on the Tampa Yankees. Too late for me write about it here - but the Mets still have a 2-game lead in their division, entering Tuesday night's action.

LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Apparently last place is getting to Milledge and the Tides. I didn't realize this in yesterday's posting, but Milledge sparked a benches-clearing brawl with a slide that spiked Richmond's third baseman - the son of Atlanta GM John Scheurholz. (Curiously, this isn't mentioned on the minor league website I'm checking for results.) I wonder if he's going to get suspended for that - he didn't spike the guy maliciously, it seems it was on a slide.

On Tuesday night, a big win for Norfolk, with an 11th-inning run giving the Tides a 3-2 win over Syracuse. (They're still in last place.) Lastings Milledge had a big game - going 3-for-6, with 2 doubles and an RBI. He is now hitting .286 on the season.

FANTASY UPDATE: I'm mad - the What If Mets' bullpen blew a 4-0 9th inning lead (hmm...sound familiar), and went on to lose in 11. So I've lost two straight to the Braves. I'm still 3 games back of the phillies, two behind the Nationals, and 2 ahead of Atlanta. I need to take game 3 Wednesday morning, then at least split with the Blue Jays - they're one of the toughest in the game right now.

The Wife is getting tired of the What If updates. "What If you stopped telling me about those games?" she said Tuesday night. I think it's that pregnancy, making her cranky.

BEAT THE STREAK: Of course Vlad got a hit against Texas Monday night...and he already homered early on in Tuesday's game. So I'm working on a little 3-gamer...one more night of Guerrero against the Rangers, who just can't get him out.

KINGS OF NEW YORK

Well, maybe just for today. I need to write quick, because tonight is the finale for 24 (it's just a season finale...but I'm never watching another season - it's too addictive. So for me, it's THE finale.). But I wanted to address another finale - the finale of the Mets' 3-game series with the Yankees on Sunday night.

The Mets didn't explode offensively - they just had one good inning. Tom Glavine wasn't great, but he was good enough for six innings. The bullpen wasn't great, but got key outs when they needed them. "The closer" (I forgot the quotes yesterday) was OK, but the fact that he was able to locate the strike zone was a step in the right direction.

All told, it was a good win for the Mets, and it was a great win when you consider Saturday's circumstances. It sure feels better to have the Mets heading into a series with the Phillies having won two out of three games against the Yankees than having dropped two out of three (even if they came very close to sweeping the series).

It's the Phillies for three starting Tuesday, then the Mets go to Florida for three. This could be a very good week.

E-MAIL: From Dave in Brighton:

"Dear JohnnyMets,

Boof is available in my fantasy league. Should I drop Houston's Wandy Rodriguez to pick him up?

Signed,
Dave in Brighton"

The whole reason I am not playing regular fantasy baseball this year (the only fantasy baseball I am playing involves only teams from the AL and NL East) is because I make decisions with my heart, not my head....and therefore I am very bad at fantasy baseball. That said, I say absolutely, positively, grab Boof Bonser. He's a star in the making.

THE KID'S KIDS: The Mets look for a split with Fort Myers Monday night, having lost two games so far in that four-game series. The Mets are still atop the division with the 25-17 record.

LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: The Norfolk Tides have Monday off - but it's worth mentioning here that while I'm going to Pawtucket to see the Tides' centerfielder (Milledge), the wife and our companions, Dave and the fiance from Brighton, might get a treat and see CoCo Crisp in center field for Pawtucket. He might begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A real soon. Wouldn't that be funny if our first look at Crisp is in Pawtucket instead of at Fenway.

FANTASY UPDATE: My 5-game winning streak ended in the evening game Monday, but the What If Mets are now 30-27, 3 games back of the Phillies, with whom I have another game in the morning. I would love to take 2 out of 3. The Nationals are just a game ahead of me - they've lost 8 in a row. Streaky team.

BEAT THE STREAK: Jose Reyes had a hit last night, so it's a one-gamer for me. It's Vladimir Guerrero the next few nights.