SLOWLY DEVELOPING

Do you feel, like I do, that things are slow to develop this baseball season?

I understand that it's only two weeks in, but I don't feel like we know very much after seeing two weeks of ballgames played.

The Mets are an example...two full weeks into the season, and they're .500. Perhaps it's indicative of how they'll be all season, and in 23 weeks they'll be sitting at 81-81 (though I doubt it). I wish they had jumped out of the gate, a la the Marlins, and set a tone. But that just doesn't seem to be the way this year is going to go. And not just with the Mets.

Some pitchers' performances this year have been out-of-character. For every Johan Santana or Zack Greinke, there is a Cole Hamels or Tim Lincecum. I don't mind hitters being slow the first couple of weeks, but pitchers are supposed to be ahead of the batters at this point, and I feel like we're not seeing that much.

Perhaps it's too much of a 'fantasy baseball' view on the sport, because with many of these players I focus on their stats for fantasy reasons, and what I thought would be a good fantasy team is having a terrible start...but I feel like it's an overall trend to start 2009.

Speaking of trends...I think now's a good time to stop and look at the starts of 2009 and figure out what's legit and who will fade:

FOR REAL:

-You read it here first, the Florida Marlins will be a threat all year long. This 11-2 start is no fluke - they have the pitching to hang in the East and in the National League Wild Card races all season.

-Speaking of pitching, the Kansas City Royals have it too. Gil Meche and Zack Greinke shut down the high-powered Texas Rangers offense last weekend. Their 7-5 start is pretty legit - I stand by my pre-season prediction of a better-than-.500 record for K.C. this year. Greinke, by the way, hasn't given up a run in 20+ innings so far this year (he has a 34-inning scoreless streak dating back to last season).

NOT FOR REAL:

-The San Diego Padres will fade. It may be sooner, it may be much later in the season (my prediction is early July), but they are not as good as their 9-4 start might lead you to believe. I do love that they got off to such a good start after everyone predicted them to be the worst team in baseball (a bold prediction in a league in which the Nationals exist), but I think they'll sink towards the bottom of the National League fairly soon. (I'm not even going to waste a paragraph going into how "For Real" Washington's 2-10 start is...the Mets have no excuse losing to them at all this year.)

-Baltimore has already begun their fade from the top of the AL East, and Toronto will follow soon after. They're 10-4, and good for them...but too many injuries to an already-thin pitching staff has them playing with smoke and mirrors (and Roy Halladay) right now. Likewise, the Rays' basement-dwelling days, with their 5-8 start, are bound to end soon.

And I just hope everything normalizes pretty soon...because I'm feeling right now like this is shaping up to be a very abnormal baseball season.

Series Recap - San Diego Padres

April 13: Padres win 6-5
April 15: Mets win 7-2
April 16: Padres win 6-5

Mets record: 4-5


Shea it ain't so : Not exactly the best of starts at the new Citi Field. Losing two of three to the Padres? At least the opener was close - unlike the OTHER New York team.

Citi...um...Shea...um...what do I call this place? : Not everyone is on the "Citi Field" bandwagon. And you can buy a shirt if you're one of those people.

He's no Johnnymets but... : Obviously Johnnymets summed up Citi Field better than most, but Padres starter Jake Peavy seemed to like it too. He said, “The ballpark is beautiful. They did it right." The only complaint - no hot water in the vistors clubhouse.

Trade you? NEVER! : Luis Castillo has bounced back nicely from the constant off season trade rumors and "dump this bum" talk. He's hitting 385 to start the season. If he keeps it up, you'd have to think he'll be hitting second again soon.

Next up : three games vs Milwaukee Brewers - and their bench coach Willie Randolph.

- SB

CITI FIELD PART TWO

Too much to say about Citi Field to confine it to one posting:

I wanted to give you some visuals to illustrate what I was talking about yesterday. Here's the gate comparison I was talking about comparing San Francisco to Citi Field (maybe it's not entirely accurate, now that I see the pictures...incidentally, it was SBC Park when we were there. I kept calling it AT&T Park...I don't even know what it is now. And I've given you the side view of Citi - that's where these high gates are):













And then here's the field comparison I was talking about with PETCO ("Where The Mets Go") versus Citi Field, particularly with the outfield walls:















A couple of more comments about the experience:

-We parked in the lot, and were lucky enough to choose a spot near an exit (we got to the park around 3:30 for the 7:10 start, so we had our choice of spots), which turned out to be a direct shot right out the door. That was lucky.

-But it was great that we had the car there. Since we were there so early, we were waiting for the gates to open, and that's when one of the vendors right inside the gate decided to start selling the 'collector's edition' programs for the first game at Citi Field. (He kept looking over his shoulder like he was doing something wrong, selling them through the gate.) So after I bought the program, rather than carry it around all night, I was able to put it in the car and keep it in nice condition. I was excited about that.

-Interestingly, there was texting interference all night. Clearly I didn't have much trouble sending out texts, since I was able to update Twitter all night, but when I tried to send a picture of the big flag to the Southern Bureau to post on the blog, it wouldn't go through. Then, when I walked through the concourse later in the night, a bunch of texts started to pour into my phone that had been sent hours before. So if you texted me Monday night, that's why I didn't reply.

Finally, Justin in NYC sent this e-mail, which I'm not sure he meant for publication, but I will anyway. Not only is it a good point, but it illustrates how he keeps an ear to the ground for me from the NYC radio stations, which I appreciate:

"Johnny,

Lots of people were calling up and complaining to Francesa today about how they thought Citi Field tried so hard to embrace New York's national league history, that it was ignoring Met-specific history.

They were saying it looks like Ebbets Field and has the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, but none of that has any direct link to the Mets except that Wilpon grew up in Brooklyn. Your thoughts?"

I think this is an interesting point, because it's sort of what I'm getting at when I talk about the Mets Hall of Fame. At Shea Stadium, it was hidden outside the Diamond Club, which I didn't actually go into until last year, the final year of its existence. In other words, the casual fan never saw it. And I don't know where that is at Citi Field - but obviously it's not prominently displayed, because I didn't see it. I would love if it was in the Rotunda, but I don't think it is. (This is what the Arizona Diamondbacks did so well - they have their 2001 trophy front and center as you walk in - and they have zero history. It spices up an otherwise boring ballpark. In Pittsburgh, where there's a ton of history, there's not much visual evidence of it. One of the flaws of a beautiful ballpark.)

But we need to remember, when thinking about this, that the Mets represent National League baseball in New York City. The whole reason they are blue and orange is because of the Dodger blue and the Giants orange. So there is sort of a connection to those teams, and I think it's an appropriate connection to Ebbets Field.

Yes, I would have liked for there to have been a mention of the 40th anniversary of the 1969 champions (which I'm sure will be celebrated this year, but has been overshadowed by Citi Field), and I would love for the Mets to trot out the 1986 Mets every game. I also think the orange stripe around the outfield walls would look cooler on a blue wall, showing the Mets colors. But the championship banners are flying in the new park, and the exterior of Citi Field (you can see it a little bit in the picture at the top) has pictures of Mets from every era.

What history the Mets have is displayed. You just have to look for it. And there's nothing wrong with the Mets carrying the New York National League baseball torch. So long as, now that they've introduced the world to their throwback ballpark, they start putting more of an emphasis on their own history.

NEW YORK: CITI FIELD

I have a feeling this entry is going to come off in an "I didn't like Citi Field" kind of way. But it's not that at all.

It's just that this ballpark visit was different. It wasn't a visit at all for me...it was a test run. I could make snap judgments on Nationals Park and PETCO Park ("Where The Mets Go") because they were visits. One-time deals (though some of them I liked so much that I may go back in the future).

With Citi Field, I will be going back. Often. And I had to see how it fit, so to speak. Use whatever analogy you like - I was trying it on for size; I dated those other ballparks, this one I am going to marry (that's kind of a weird one). I didn't expect to feel that way - I was over-the-top excited about going. But once I was in the park I knew it was going to be a different kind of visit.

Don't know where else to put this, so I'll do it here, I guess. If you were following me on Twitter last night (which turned into a pretty neat summary of events in the end), you read that I walked past Fred Wilpon outside the park. I am terrible when it comes to recognizing famous people. But I notice when there's an important-looking older person...and we walked past an important-looking older person that looked a lot like Fred Wilpon. So I said to my dad, "Was that Wilpon?" We walked back in the direction we came from, since the other way was a dead end, and passed him again, talking to Mike Lupica. Hence, the picture. I would like to say I barged in there and shook his hand and said, "Congratulations on this fine-looking ballpark" (or maybe I should have asked his permission to take Citi Field's hand in marriage [if it's such a weird analogy, why am I continuing with it?!]), but I did no such thing. I did snap the picture, though, which is kind of an intrusion of privacy that I usually wouldn't do. So I'm getting there.

OK. Now to the park. First of all, there's no denying the park is beautiful. When you think about Shea Stadium versus Citi Field, it's obviously no comparison. Just look at it up at the top of this post. The exterior, modeled after Ebbets Field, reminds me of AT&T Park, as I wrote the other day, with its high iron gates and the curved-window look. I've never been to Coors Field, but the light towers at Citi Field remind me of its light towers. And it's funny the Padres were in town last night, because the outfield walls/dimensions/layout remind me of PETCO ("Where The Mets Go").
What I'm not buying, and I hinted at this on Twitter last night, are some of the biggest deals people have been talking about this whole time. All I've heard about is the overhang in right field, reminiscent of Tiger Stadium. Well, it's not that much of an overhang. Yes, it juts out to the field eight feet, but only where the wall suddenly goes back in right. So it's not the entire right field overhang. No one had made that clear before. And there's been all this talk of how fans can get right up to the visitors bullpen and harrass the opposing relievers. From what I saw, that's not true - there are a lot of barriers...or else you need a ticket for that kind of access that I didn't have.

The bullpen area (that's it above, through the gate), seems to need some work. From what I could tell, it had one of the nicer-looking entry points into the park, but it was really empty. I got the impression from a couple of places that the Mets didn't quite know what to do with them yet. This was one - there are picnic tables set up, as well as the old apple from Shea (new apple also shown at right), where people can take pictures. But it was kind of empty. No concession stands...so I guess you have to carry your food to these tables.
Speaking of concessions, all anyone had been writing about was the centerfield food area, so that was mobbed (I like how they kept the skyline there above the restaurant...not sure if that's the actual skyline from atop the Shea scoreboard). Luckily, quick thinker that my dad and I are, we figured everyone and their brother was in center field...other concessions were probably empty. They were. I had a chicken sandwich, which was good...but everything was very expensive.

The opening ceremonies were nice, but I would have liked some more history. I heard there were old-timers in the building - they should have been introduced and trotted out. Seaver to Piazza was good, and I liked the continuance from the end of Shea...but there could have been more.

(Incidentally, just to throw out a prediction, I bet the Yankees do something involving the old Yankee Stadium when they open the new one Thursday. Like walking across from one to the other. It's still standing...and that has to be by design - they can't possibly be that behind schedule. I'll have some (not-so-great) pictures of those two parks later in the week. )

I feel like I'm throwing out way too much information here, but I have a lot on my mind about this park. So here it continues:

My biggest flaws with the park are:

Someday the Mets will buy out the surrounding area and put in some restaurants and make the area surrounding the ballpark an enticing place. Like Pittsburgh/Baltimore, with their fan walks. They can't exactly duplicate San Francisco's exterior because San Francisco has the water right there, but anything other than junkyards and scrap heaps would be a better backdrop.

Another problem, though I didn't look much for it, was I don't know if the Mets Hall of Fame is displayed any more prominently at Citi Field than it was at Shea. I'll look into that more over the summer.

I already mentioned that there were a couple of places in the park that seemed not-thought-all-the-way-through - the bullpen area was one, and the area above the Rotunda is another. It seems like a usable space, but not a lot is there right now. Maybe that's a good thing...it's not too crowded.

The exits were terrible. Perhaps that's because no one really knew where they were going and it was the first time 40,000+ were trying to leave at the same time - but I didn't see anything other than some crowded stairwells trying to leave the upper sections of the park.

One last complaint (for now, I guess), is that when you come out of the rotunda in the front, you don't walk right out and see the field. There are walls there (some sort of restaurant or the press boxes or luxury boxes are in the way, I think). One of the best things about the park in Houston, and Fenway Park first and foremost, is when you walk out of the tunnel and see the field. I was hoping the field would be right beyond the Rotunda, but it wasn't. You have to walk a bit to get that view at the right - and then the overhang is so low it made me a bit claustrophobic. I didn't love that.

I did love the Jackie Robinson Rotunda - very unique, very appropriate, it's something that sets Citi Field apart.

I loved that there was organ music all night long. My dad made the excellent point that at no point was there blaring music - and the organ played "Meet The Mets" before the game - nothing beats that.

I loved that the first hit at the park for the Mets was a David Wright double. I love that the Mets have a home park that people won't be making fun of. I didn't mind the billboards - people are saying it's too corporate - I think it adds a minor-league-type feel to the park. It feels more throwback that way.

I love that I'll be able to keep going back to this place and find out new things and get more comfortable there as the years go on. I love that this is the place my children will go when they go to Mets games, and I'll be able to compare it to Shea Stadium the way my dad was comparing it to the Polo Grounds for me last night.

Despite the fact that I left the park last night thinking it wasn't perfect (and therefore had no shot of living up to my expectations), I love Citi Field. Like Shea Stadium was for the first 30 years of my life, Citi Field is going to be a sort of home away from home for me. I had 30 years to get acclimated to Shea. I've only had one day at Citi Field.

I can't wait to go back.

TOO....HOT

The title refers to the weather, not the Mets, who are far from "hot".

After a 4-game sweep in San Diego, the Mets are back to two games below .500, and morale-wise, things are back to where they were before the west coast trip, which is to say, low in the morale department.

It didn't have to be this way - the Mets led Sunday's game in the eighth, before Billy Wagner came in and served up a single and then a homer to give San Diego the lead.

And I guess my question is this: Who on the Mets calls out Billy Wagner when he messes up? Seems like Wagner is the first to point fingers at everyone else when they do something wrong...I just hope there's a system of checks and balances that makes sure he gets his when the time comes.

And on Sunday, the time came.

In fairness to Billy, the homer came after a 2-2 pitch that looked an awful lot like strike three. So maybe he doesn't only stink, maybe he's a head case as well, just like Oliver Perez. I hope someone in the clubhouse points that out to the world.

I think the sun made me angry today. I have a headache. Two more days of school...

PREVIEW: NL WEST

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

You know what? The National League West might be one of the tougher divisions in baseball. The NL East has three of the best teams in the league, possibly the three best, but the other two are going to be among the worst in baseball. The American League East is similar. But the National League West, the more I think about it, has four very good teams. Last year it was the only division in baseball with four teams above .500, and don't forget that it took a 163rd game to eliminate one of the top three teams from the playoffs. I expect more of the same this year as far as competitiveness.

Let's start at the bottom and work our way up. The San Francisco Giants will be awful. Aaron Rowand was a nice addition, but, um.....yeah. Bengie Molina is their cleanup hitter. Moving on.

The fourth place team, I think, will be the San Diego Padres. And they're pretty good. They have a very good pitching staff, and I think it will be a tight 3-4 finish between San Diego and last year's National League champion, the Colorado Rockies. I think it's a step backward for Colorado, but I still think they'll finish with about 85 wins.

I think the Dodgers get the "most improved" award for the division. They were kind of hurt by injuries last year, and it's looking like they might have been bitten a bit by the injury bug again this year, but they should be good. I expect them to be more like the wild card-winning team of two years ago than the 82-80 team of last year.

But I think the Arizona Diamondbacks bounce back from an unimpressive performance in the NLCS to defend their division crown. The thing about them from last year is that they are so young, and if Randy Johnson contributes anything, that could only help. I think they'd be fine without him:

WEBB SLINGING

Enjoy this now, because it might not happen again for another twenty years. Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks is chipping away at one of my favorite kinds of records - a streak.

In this case, it's a consecutive-scoreless innings streak. Webb, after pitching a complete-game shutout against the Braves on Friday, is now at 42 straight scoreless innings, 17 away from the record, set by Orel Hershiser in 1988. Hershiser broke a record set in 1968, which broke a record set in 1947 (I think). So, this being 19 years since Hershiser, we stand a shot at seeing it broken...and I'm loving it.

Webb pitches again on Wednesday night against the Brewers, and what's nice about this streak is that it doesn't matter if Webb gets a decision - the streak will continue. For instance, if Webb uses a lot of pitches, but doesn't give up a run, and comes out after six innings, he'll pick it up in the next game. If he goes nine, but the Diamondbacks can't get him a run, it doesn't matter - he's continued his streak. It's unlike a perfect game or a no-hitter in that regard - whether or not he factors into a decision doesn't factor into the continuation of the streak.

This is one of those types of streaks that I always tried to build in video game baseball. Sometimes, if I was on a roll against the computer, I'd try to lower my ERA by having one of my pitchers get on one of these scoreless innings streaks. Even in doing that, though, I don't think I could challenge Hershiser's 59...that's how impressive this is.

Webb extended his streak in pretty strong fashion Friday night - he stopped a hot Braves offense cold in its tracks. He will need to do the same Wednesday night against the Brewers - they scored 8 on Saturday, 6 on Sunday, and 9 in beating Arizona on Monday...and they have some big bats in their lineup. Good luck, Brandon Webb - for your next few starts (so long as they don't interfere with my fantasy stats or Mets playoff hopes), johnnymets.blogspot.com will be rooting for you.

BIG WIN: The Mets blew a few leads Tuesday night against the Padres, but pulled out a dramatic win in the bottom of the ninth inning against Trevor Hoffman.

John Maine struggled, but left this game with the lead - and Scott Schoeneweis (not helped by a misplay by Lastings Milledge in right field), Jorge Sosa, and Billy Wagner all almost turned that into a loss. The Mets trailed 6-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth (Carlos Beltran did exactly what I called for him to do on Monday - he stayed hot coming back home - he had all 5 RBI for the Mets up to this point), when Milledge redeemed himself with a leadoff single. Mike DiFelice (doing great work filling in for the injured Ramon Castro and Paul LoDuca) bunted Milledge over, then pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson tied the game with a single up the middle. After a Jose Reyes bloop single, Luis Castillo continued his near-perfect play since joining the Mets with a game-winning base-hit, scoring the hustling Anderson from second.

The Mets need some wins like this - to remind them that they are the type of team that can win games like this. The Mets lineup is clicking right now.

-The Braves lost, but the Phillies won, so Philly stays 5 games back, the Braves are 6.

-I'll be in New York through the weekend, so this is the last post for a bit. I'm going to Friday night's Mets-Dodgers game, so when I'm back writing next week, I'll have an update on the progress of CitiField.

SWEET SWEEP

Mets 7, Padres 3 (NYM: 69-44, SD: 58-56)

The Mets completed their 3-game sweep of the San Diego Padres Thursday afternoon at Shea Stadium. Surprisingly, it was the first 3-game sweep at Shea for the Mets all season.

The Mets rested Carlos Beltran, Paul LoDuca and Lastings Milledge (hitting .213), but it didn't matter. Orlando Hernandez gave up 3 runs over 7 innings (just four hits), winning his fourth straight decision to even his record at 8-8.

After the Padres took a 2-0 lead, the Mets came back to get three, the highlight being Jose Reyes' 2-run triple. The Padres tied it at 3 in the 7th, but the Mets answered in the bottom half, scoring 4 times, including RBI hits by David Wright and Jose Valentin. Wright had 2 doubles, increasing his season total to 29 (he had one the other night - I might have to start up a doubles watch again, between Wright's 29, Beltran's 29, and Paul Lo Duca's 28).

That's the way the Mets have been playing during their current 5-game winning streak - any time the other team has shown hints of life, the Mets have really stomped on them and shut them down.

The Mets really have a chance at a lengthy winning streak here - they go to Washington for the weekend to take on the Nationals. Tom Glavine takes on Billy Traber (I believe he's a former Mets farmhand) in the opener on Friday (The Wife's Birthday - not sure I'll be posting), and the story with the Nationals is that if you get out Alfonso Soriano, you'll be OK. I like the Mets' chances. Let's also keep an eye out for any bad blood from earlier in the year - but with Jose Guillen on the DL, and Pedro Martinez* not pitching in this series, and explosive and angry Cliff Floyd on the DL, I have a feeling it will be a calm series, this time around.



MAGIC NUMBER: The Mets knocked one more number off here, but the Phillies were idle on Thursday, so there was no more opportunity for movement, unfortunately. So at 36 it stays, until the weekend. Interestingly, the Mets now have their biggest division lead all season - improving to 14 games over Philadelphia.

OOPS: I thought Ricky Ledee was replacing Cliff Floyd on the roster, with Floyd being placed on the 15-day DL. I was mistaken. When Floyd was placed on the DL, the Mets called up Michael Tucker from Norfolk (he played Thursday, and was 1-for-4 with an RBI). When the Mets got Ledee (1-for-4 on Thursday), they sent Eli Marrero down to Norfolk. Guess Marrero just wasn't cutting it. So much for his ability to play a bunch of positions - the Mets didn't want him at any. (Backup catcher Ramon Castro had been placed on the DL last weekend. The Mets called up Mike DeFelice rather than use Marrero at catcher, his first position.) Guess that all just shows how little value Kaz Matsui has around the Majors (as though we didn't already know).

THE KID'S KIDS: A 6-2 win for St. Lucie, but Daytona won as well, so the Mets still trail the Cubs by a game.

ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Edgardo Alfonzo was again 1-for-4, still at .239. The Norfolk Tides lost again - of note - the starting pitcher was Brian Bannister, who went 4-and-a-third innings, giving up 3 ER, 7 hits, a walk, and striking out 5. His AAA ERA is 9.64.

BEAT THE STREAK: Miguel Cabrera stayed hot, so my hitting streak reaches two. Hope I can get to three with Mike Piazza against Andy Pettitte.

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

Mets 4, Padres 3 (NYM: 68-44, SD: 58-55)

On Tuesday night, it seemed the only thing missing from the Mike Piazza lovefest was a good old-fashioned Piazza bomb at Shea Stadium. If that would have happened, though, chances are the Mets would not have won the game.

On Wednesday night, everyone got what they wanted. Another great outing from Pedro Martinez*. Another win for the Mets. Another hold for Aaron Heilman (impressive). Another save for Billy Wagner (less impressive). And not one, but two, bombs from Mike Piazza, marking the first time (probably) a visiting player was given a curtain call following a homer at Shea Stadium.

The Piazza homers were the only two blemishes on Pedro*'s night. He gave up just one other hit, but walked four, improving to 9-4 with the win. Aaron Heilman came on after Pedro* walked two with one out in the eighth, and got the next two outs (although he did come dangerously close to giving up home run number three to Mike Piazza). Wagner closed the door, but not until after giving up a longball to Josh Barfield, making a 2-run cushion yet another Mets' one-run win.

The Mets' offense came on dinks and dunks, little basehits that drove in runs. The Mets ran a lot on Piazza Tuesday and Wednesday (a la the Marlins against the Mets in recent years...although not really that much), and that helped set up some runs. Endy Chavez was 3-for-3, filling in for Cliff Floyd in left field.

Floyd was placed on the 15-day disabled list, because of the Achilles injury that he aggravated on Saturday. Tuesday the Mets claimed Ricky Ledee off waivers from the Dodgers, he was activated in Floyd's place on the roster (and grounded out in a pinch-hit appearance). I guess Ledee qualifies as the "something new" from the headline. Piazza, obviously, is the "something old".

The best part of the night was the SNY interview with Pedro* after he came out of the game. He was asked if the ovation and curtain call after Piazza's homer threw him [Pedro*] off at all - and Pedro* gave the exact answer you want to hear (I'll use quotes but I'm paraphrasing from my memory): "He deserved it. He absolutely deserved the applause, and it's great to see the fans recognize him. I was glad to see it. I was on the other side of it, in Boston, and it was great to see the Mets fans recognize Mike for being a great player." Heartwarming stuff, really.

The Mets go for the sweep Thursday afternoon at noon, Chris Young against Orlando Hernandez. I'll be at my workshop, so I won't see the game, but I intend to update.

MAGIC NUMBER: The Shea Stadium decor helps us decipher the updated Magic Number. Retired numbers Jackie Robinson and Tom Seaver have been surpassed, we're not quite at Gil Hodges' number 14, but we are at Casey Stengel. (Just think, if the Phillies hadn't won today, we would have had to go with a generic ol' 36.) The Phillies' win coupled with the win by the Mets means the number decreases just one, from 38 to Stengel's 37.

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets lost to Dunedin, 6-2, but Daytona also lost, so the Mets are still a game back of the second-half lead.

ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Edgardo Alfonzo had 1 of 4 Tides' hits, going 1-for-4, raising his average to .239. He also had a walk.

BEAT THE STREAK: Paul LoDuca got me going again on a one-gamer. Thursday I'm going with another hot bat, Miguel Cabrera, in Washington.

WELCOME HOME, MIKE

Mets 3, Padres 2 (NYM: 67-44, SD: 58-54)

The Mets fans made Mike Piazza feel welcome, the Mets players didn't. I was thinking about Piazza's situation - you really couldn't leave a place of employment any better than he did. He's going to be given a hero's welcome every time he comes back to New York for the rest of his life - and deservedly so. (To think, I didn't like him as a Dodger.) He received a bunch of standing ovations on Tuesday night - it was really nice to see.

But it was also nice to see the Mets come up with a very clean, solid, 3-2 win. The Padres' 2 runs came on a Geoff Blum 2-run homer off Steve Trachsel. And in fairness to Trachsel, it was a fly ball to right field...that carried....and carried....and somehow carried over the wall, just past Lastings Milledge's leap.

The Mets came back quickly, scoring one run on a double play ground out, then getting a bases loaded RBI single from David Wright, then another RBI single from Wright later on to take the 3-2 lead. Carlos Beltran tied a team record with 3 doubles, scoring on one of those.

Trachsel is now 11-5, and he lowered his ERA to 5.03 with 5-and-two-thirds pretty effective innings. Royce Ring, Darren Oliver, Roberto Hernandez, Pedro Feliciano, and Billy Wagner all came in from the bullpen to close out the win.

The Mets have two more with the Padres - Wednesday night Pedro Martinez* returns to the mound for the first time since his gem in Florida, against Clay Hensley.


MAGIC NUMBER: The Braves beat the Phillies, which means the Mets get two games knocked off the magic number! It's down to 38.

THE KID'S KIDS: After Monday night's rain out (actually, I read that it might have been a power outage due to storms), the St. Lucie Mets bounced back nicely, sweeping a doubleheader from Dunedin, 5-2, and 6-0. They've narrowed the gap behind Daytona to a game (again).

ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Back at third base, another single for Edgardo Alfonzo. He was 1-for-4, raising his average to .234.

BEAT THE STREAK: An ofer for Albert Pujols, so I'm back to 0. I'm not even sure I can get a 56-gamer at this point. Maybe there are 56 games left in the year. Might be time to hang up the ol' beat the streak cleats. I'll pick a player anyway for Wednesday - Paul Lo Duca. That ought to cool him off.

SANS FRANCISCO AND DIEGO, WITH L.A. IN BETWEEN

I've been wondering when I could finally write about the West Coast Ballparks. Today's a day off for the Mets (they'll be in Atlanta this weekend), so this is as good a time as any to give a 3-park review (plus a bonus fourth park where we didn't see a game).

But first - I'm delighted Steve from New York (Queens, to be more specific) took my "write more often" advice, so here he is again:

"Johnnymets -

It appears I have let out my frustration on the Mets braintrust a bit too quickly. According to the Mets website this morning, Randolph has decided to push Zambrano back to Monday at Shea against Washington and pitch the much better and much more productive Steve Trachsel against the Braves in Atlanta on Sunday. The Mets pitching appears to give them an excellent shot at winnning the series. Hopefully, our $120 million pre-madonna will make a start and begin to earn his pay check.

- The "more optimistic than usual" fan in Queens"

First, all readers must realize that Steve is very cynical, and not usually optimistic. He's like the Yin to my Yang. Or something. So by "more optimistic than usual", I'm sure Steve means he doesn't think the Mets will be out of it by the All Star break this year, like he usually does.

Anyway, I'm hearing the same thing about Victor Zambrano - that his start won't be skipped completely, but he also won't upset Steve Trachsel's pitching schedule. So Trachsel will go Sunday, against Atlanta (an important game), on his regular rest, and Zambrano will go Monday, against Washington (a game the Mets could afford to lose...but an opponent he can beat), 8 days after his last start. So I guess Steve has calmed down a bit over that issue.

Also, by $120 million prima donna, I think Steve is referring to Carlos Beltran*. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be earning that paycheck for another week or so. I haven't heard anything about Beltran*'s health today (nor Brian Bannister's, for that matter), but last thing I heard was that Beltran* would be placed on the DL Friday to rest his hamstring, retroactive to his last action in San Diego last Friday, and Victor Diaz would be called up to replace him. A sour note here on johnnymets.blogspot.com.

Now, onto the trip:

SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND
AT&T is the bonus park I was talking about. I showed you the pics the other day - we didn't go in, but we walked the perimeter of the park, and looked in the gates. There was also a big gate open because the grounds crew was working on the sod after about a month straight of rain in the Bay area. The park looks great...but I'll be going back.

I should explain how these trips work for me...because I'm a little obsessive sometimes. We have to go visit a park (we is the wife and I - she's in for the long haul now, because she's made all the trips with me so far. Other people who accompany us are interchangeable - but it's always nice to have company.) during a game that counts. An exhibition game, for example, is no good. I want to be there for an official game. Any post-season games are OK, too. But exhibition games don't count - unless we're talking about Doubleday Field in Cooperstown. I've also decided if I could visit a park during the World Baseball Classic, that might count - but I'd miss some of the home crowd atmosphere, which I think is important. So a real game is criteria number one. Then, we have to get there early, so I can check out what's around the park. Then, we have to take pictures for the scrapbook - hopefully I get most of these out of the way before the game (although I do take a couple during), so that I'm not worrying about them throughout the game. Then it's the souvenir stand - a drinking glass for the bar (tough to find out West - just got one at San Diego), a program, and maybe a shot glass. Maybe a shirt or hat for the wife. Then the food stand, with a souvenir cup. Then enjoy the game.

So the trip to AT&T Park didn't count. But it was a nice scouting trip. Nice-looking inside, and it definitely looked like there was a lot to do around the outside of the park. I'm sure it's a fun place to be, with McCovey Cove and everything, before and during a ballgame. We'll be going back.

McAFEE STADIUM
The small ball fiscal mentality you see on the field with the Oakland A's extends to their off-field business as well. There is cost-cutting even at the food stands. I got the worst souvenir cup at Oakland from any stadium ever (I hate to see what Kansas City offers - it's probably paper). They also didn't have lids for the drinks. Sticking with food, the hot dogs were very good - they also had sesame seed buns, which was different...and good.

I also figured out why Raiders fans are so ornery - they pee into a trough. The stadium's men's rooms have troughs instead of urinals. Now, I never saw this before - but the wife says this is the way it used to be in Fenway Park too. I don't know how the wife knows about the men's rooms at Fenway, but I vaguely remember hearing about this. It occurs to me that I've never been in a bathroom at Fenway. I have a very strong bladder. But I digress.

The atmosphere is OK - the fans wear a lot of green, which is neat - but their biggest reaction came from the dot races on the scoreboard rather than game action. There were only 21, 256 there - and the whole upper deck is closed off this year to prevent it from looking empty - capacity is about 34,000. Big kudos, though, to the fact that the ushers hold back all fans walking around until an at-bat is through.

The concourses are dank, the stadium looks awful from the outside, but when you're sitting in your seat watching the game, it's not a bad place to watch a game from. Here's another good picture from that game - Cameron Loe delivering to Eric Chavez:

I told you Huston Street blew this game for the A's - the Rangers won it.

DODGER STADIUM

*yawn* Bland team, bland stadium. Old stadium. *yawn* I really disliked our trip to LA.It's kind of an intimidating city, and I'm a proud New Yorker, who loves Manhattan. It's just such a big city, and everything is spread out, and you can't get anywhere except by driving. So I got off on the wrong foot with this whole trip. And I guess I was predisposed to not like Dodger Stadium. But, first of all, I'm glad we got it out of the way. And second of all, it wasn't all bad.


Everything about Dodger Stadium seems old. The bathrooms (interestingly enough - troughs again), all the concrete....it really looks like it does on TV. Which is to say, there's not a lot to it. It was comfortable to watch the game there, with good sightlines - in part due to the fact that the Dodgers installed new seats (every seat in the ballpark is new) in the offseason - the first team to do a full seat replacement in the offseason. The fans were into the game - but there were a surprising number of Cubs fans at the game - almost seemeed like more Chicago fans than L.A. fans.

The Dodger Dogs were good (apparently, you HAVE to have a Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium), but weren't anything to scream about. They're grilled, so I guess that's why they're different. And they come out of the package HOT. One of mine was covered in ketchup because I burned my hand holding it under the ketchup dispenser because it was so hot. Also, an added bonus was the organ music - not only the fact that there was organ music, but it was pretty good.

The scoreboards stopped updating out-of-town scores, which was frustrating for someone trying to run a pool. (But the most awesome thing about the West Coast is that the 7pm games are finished by the time these games get underway. I like the time change.)

And here was the number one good thing about Dodger Stadium - open concourses. I didn't even realize it at first. But for an old ballpark (outside of Wrigley, this is the oldest ballpark in the NL, and fourth oldest in the majors), the open concourses really add to the park feel. It's something I really appreciate, since Shea's concourses are closed, and you can't watch the game from behind the stands. It was a really nice part of Dodger Stadium.

As for the game, this was the game where Derrek Lee got hurt. We left right after that happened, in the bottom of the 7th. I had had it with LA. I was not in a "THINK BLUE" frame of mind.
The Cubs came back to beat the Dodgers in this game.

PETCO PARK
I've saved the best for last.
The first thing you need to know about PETCO Park is how strange it looks from the outside. It looks like a shell. Or a secret compound. It's strange. I can't really describe it. But from the highway, it doesn't really look like a stadium. The light towers are the only thing that give it away - otherwise, we wouldn't have seen it from the road. But that's the only negative thing I'll say. PETCO is up there with my favorites. Actually, it probably is my favorite, edging the former Enron Field in Houston. There's more to do at PETCO - so much more to do that I'm pretty sure we didn't see everything there is to see, and we have to go back. We barely even made it around to the right field side.

I'm kind of obsessed with this park. Especially the Warehouse in left field.I just love it. And what I didn't know is that the warehouse houses the Padres' team store on the ground floor. We went there, but apparently, you can step out of the team store onto the field behind the left field fence. I will definitely be doing that the next time we go...I found out about that too late last week.
This ballpark is beautiful (on the inside, anyway). It's like a resort. A huge resort. There's about a zillion employees, one stationed at each entry ramp, and they're all very, very friendly. It was awesome. They, too, held back crowds until at-bats were over. (Another complaint - we were sitting in a section where they had waitresses/waiters bring food orders to you. It defeated the purpose of holding back the crowds, because the woman taking orders was always standing in the way. Also, PETCO is not in a very nice area. That's another complaint. And it's expensive. Food and drink and souvenirs. That's all. I still loved it.)

Interestingly, one of the ballpark's flaws was the closed concourse. I think it's so big that they just couldn't have open concourses. They make up for this, though, by having monitors EVERYWHERE on the concourse, so you don't miss a thing. This was the game that went 14 innings, when the Mets lost 2-1, and after the last out, as we walked out, we could watch the replay of the winning run scoring, and what I insist was a bad call by the ump, all the way through the concourse to the exit.


The food was good, the atmosphere was good. Even though the Mets lost, I loved it. That probably says it all.

We have an uncanny knack of rooting for the losing team on these trips. We saw the Mets in Houston and Philly. They lost both times. (Also in San Diego.) We were rooting for the Dodgers and the A's, and they both lost. We went to Yankee Stadium, and the wife wanted to root for the Red Sox, and they lost. The Mets also lost in Arizona. It's awful. I'm seeing the Mets in Boston in June - they'd better break the streak. At least someone will win that day - the wife's Sox or my Mets.

The rest of the trip was quite relaxing.
We even went to the San Diego Zoo. An added bonus in San Diego. This gorilla must have seen a game at Dodger Stadium, too.

THE KID'S KIDS/MINOR LEAGUE REPORT:

The St. Lucie Mets have another game Thursday night against Jupiter, who they had that big comeback against last night. The standings are still the way they were after last night's game: the Mets are 13-6, a half-game up on Brevard County, and 1 up on Palm Beach.

The big news in the minors, though, is Delmon Young. If you haven't seen the video of him throwing his bat at the ump, which I mentioned last night, check out ESPNEWS soon, or come over, because I have it on TiVo. He should be suspended indefinitely, and that indefinitely should last a very long time. He chucked the bat. And it was a direct hit. It's a good thing the ump was wearing a chest protector.

Big weekend series for the Mets in Atlanta this weekend. I'll have full coverage.

PADRES 7, METS 4

After dropping two out of three to the Braves in New York, the Mets split their 4-game weekend series with the Padres in beautiful San Diego. I need to go to bed, but there are some things I want to say, so I'll throw them out there, and then hopefully I'll be back by either Monday or Tuesday night (the Mets' West Coast swing is going to make it hard to do regular nightly updates):

GIANTS/ROCKIES: This Jose Mesa thing is ridiculous. Omar Vizquel wrote a book a few years back in which he called out Mesa for blowing the save for the Indians in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Mesa's response is that he said if he faced Vizquel 10 more times on the field, he'd hit him 10 times. They last met in 2003, and Mesa hit him (shortly after the book came out, I think). Then they faced each other Saturday night, and Mesa hit him. Vizquel calmly took his base, but on Sunday Matt Morris of the Giants hit two of the first five Rockies he faced. Mesa needs to cool it. Or at least Vizquel should charge the mound and face Mesa so they can settle this. But then Vizquel would be dead. So that probably wouldn't be the best solution.

THOME: I can't believe the season Jim Thome is having in Chicago. I thought he was washed up. He scored a run in the team's first 17 games (among other things). That streak ended on Sunday, as the White Sox won their eighth in a row, but that's impressive. That's making things happen. Forget about my Mike Lowell pick for Comeback Player of the Year (which is also looking pretty good) - it's going to be Thome in a runaway if he keeps this up.

I have much to say about my West Coast trip, but it's going to be a rough week sleep-wise, so I'd better get a jump on the sleep and go to bed now. I'll try to post regularly this week as I recover from the longest game in PETCO Park history.

A quick post tonight, because I want to go into the other room and watch 'Scrubs'.

I'll start with something I've been forgetting to mention the past few days. What with the new look of the site and all, I've added a new feature. There is a spot to comment on my daily postings, at the end of each days posting. You just click where it says "comments" and write what you're thinking. You don't have to, and I still hope people e-mail the site, but if something strikes you immediately and you want a say, go for it. You should know, if it's something inappropriate, I do have the power to override comments. Also, if the comments thing doesn't take off, I'll get rid of it. It's something I thought I'd try....for some reason, I opted not to do that when I first started the site...we'll see how long it lasts.

As for e-mail, don't forget that once a week we dive into the e-mail-bag (sometimes more than once a week!). The e-mail address is johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com

WEST COAST UPDATE

A couple of things struck me, out of spring training in Arizona:

GIANTS IDOL: The San Francisco Giants held a "Giants Idol" at their spring training complex Tuesday morning. From what I could tell, it was Giants team members competing in a singing competition in front of judges. Among the judges, Barry Bonds dressed in drag, as Paula Abdul. Now, I dislike Barry Bonds. Strongly. But for him to come out in a tube top and wig, and to play the part with some humor - it bodes well for Giants' team chemistry. He earned my respect for a minute, at least....probably a little longer with his teammates. Still, to hear his teammates talk about how good it was for Bonds to participate in something like this, it gives you the impression of what a bad teammate he usually is.

PADRE PIAZZA: I also saw an ESPNEWS feature on new San Diego Padres catcher Mike Piazza. I'm glad he's not in the East, because I love rooting for him - I hope he does well out in San Diego. I don't expect he'll put up big power numbers, but I hope he's able to bring his average back up and drive in some runs. The ESPN piece didn't mention this, but it sprang to my mind while watching - Funny that the Padres, managed by Bruce Bochy, are the team that took the gamble on Piazza, allowing him to be an everyday catcher. Bochy, a former catcher, probably is able to relate to Piazza. Hopefully for him, it's not living vicariously through Piazza for some unachieved dreams.

I think that's it for tonight - nothing else major came out of Port Saint Lucie today, anyway. Time for 'Scrubs' - I love that show.

BIG LOSS

Padres 2, Mets 1 (SD: 58-56; NYM: 58-56)

The game is almost an afterthought after something like the collision between Mike Cameron and Carlos Beltran* in San Diego. That was ugly. If you didn't see it, you will - it will probably be played ad nauseum this weekend. In the bottom of the seventh inning, David Ross hit a blooper into shallow right center field. Both Cameron and Beltran* ran full speed after the ball, and both players dove (dived?) head-first in an attempt to catch it. Neither one did. They collided head first. Cameron is already on the DL, suffering a broken nose and multiple fractures in his cheeks. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and is being held at the hospital overnight. Beltran* walked away from the collision, but looked like he was having trouble lifting his left arm, holding his shoulder, and he suffered a mild concussion. He was said to be OK, but I don't expect him to play much this weekend.

The runner ended up on third, and ended up scoring on a single two batters later. It was a rotten way to end the three-game series in San Diego, because the Mets looked really good on Wednesday night bouncing back from the bad loss Tuesday. Tom Glavine pitched a very good game, and the Mets couldn't come back in the top of the eighth to get him off the hook.

The Mets made wholesale changes after the collision, so Jose Reyes, scheduled to have a day off, led off the eighth, and walked. After Jose Offerman (in Beltran*'s spot in the lineup) struck out (an at-bat during which Reyes stole second - he started the steal slowly, because it was supposed to be a hit-and-run, and then when Offerman swung and missed he turned on the speed, and still beat the throw - it was something to see), Cliff Floyd was hit by a fastball in his knee. He went down in a heap, and it looked like the Mets lost their entire outfield in the span of an inning. But he managed to get up and go to first, only to have David Wright hit into a double play to end the threat.

I was listening to Steve Somers on WFAN Thursday night, and he probably put it best. He said we could have seen the Mets' summer end out in San Diego with that play, but it all depends on how the Mets respond. They could stew over the collision and let it affect the rest of their games, and just pack it in for the season, or they can battle through it and inspire themselves to play better ball. We'll find out when the road trip continues in Los Angeles Friday night.

The instant Cameron and Beltran* collided I thought of a game back in 1986 or 1987 at Shea Stadium. I don't remember who the Mets were playing, but I know Lenny Dykstra was in center and Mookie Wilson was in left. I remember I went with my friend Steven, and the big draw was that the Mets were giving out Spider-Man comic books, and before the game there was a big ceremony - Spider-Man married Mary Jane on the field. It was thrilling. But during the game, on a fly ball into the left-center field gap, Dykstra and Wilson collided. It was the ugliest collision I had ever seen (probably still is, even after Thursday, because there was lots of blood visible - Thursday's blood wasn't visible to me). Wilson and Dykstra banged faces, and Dykstra's mouth was open, and Wilson's nose got hit with Dykstra's teeth. They were both OK - I think Wilson needed some stitches, but that was a bad one. I expect we might see some replays of that one this weekend too. Just remember- I was there. I wonder if I'll find that scorecard. I think I drew a picture of the collision on the scorecard. It was probably good therapy.

I forgot to mention David Wright's catch Tuesday night against the Padres. If you haven't seen this yet, you haven't been watching sports channels. Wright dove out towards shallow left field, and caught a pop-up with his bare hand. It was a great catch. I don't know that it ranks as one of the all-time great catches, though. MSG replayed the great highlight of Ozzie Smith back when he was with the Padres, one of the only great plays we ever see of him when he was with San Diego, where he dives for a ground ball up the middle, but the ball hits something and bounces back towards Smith's right. He grabs the ball bare-handed, still diving up the middle, and then makes the throw to first to get the out. I think that's the greatest play I've ever seen - at least by an infielder.

The play did draw some national attention to Wright, though. Ironically, it was for something defensive when he's been struggling defensively, and lighting it up offensively. But it won't be the last we hear of that kid, I'll tell you that.

A couple of e-mails in the inbox:

"You miss a Boston University hockey game for Lion King. Now you miss a Mets game for Momma Mia.

Johnny….what’s happened to you??

kevin
JMDBSDC Southern Bureau"

Kevin - first of all, it's Mamma Mia. Not Momma. Secondly, it's all the wife's fault. Speaking of which, Happy Birthday, wife. Also, speaking of which:

"Dear JohnnyMets-

Doing some catching up on my blog reading... I noticed a while back you lamented the fact that I call TV ads "ads". As you know, "ads" is short for "advertisements". I consulted Merriam-Webster and found the following entry for "advertisement":

Main Entry: ad·ver·tise·ment Pronunciation: "ad-v&r-'tIz-m&nt; &d-'v&r-t&z-m&nt, -t&-sm&ntFunction: noun1 : the act or process of advertising 2 : a public notice; especially : one published in the press or broadcast over the air

Note the "broadcast over the air" part of that ... I believe you owe me a public apology?

Sincerely,
Your Wife"

You owe me a public apology for not reading that entry until yesterday. That's from 10 days ago!! Geez. Also, yes, all COMMERCIALS are advertisements. But not all advertisements are COMMERCIALS. The public notices broadcast over the air have another name - they're called COMMERCIALS!!!! Think about that for a bit. No public apology from me. And again, happy birthday.

ELTRAN*'S: This might be the last Eltran*'s for a little while. He's talking like he's coming right back, but I find it hard to believe he'll be playing Friday, at the least. Before leaving the game, Beltran* again showed some signs of life, despite an 0-for-2. He scored a run and stole another base.

27-for-99 (.273 AVG.) 3 HR, 15 RBI, 20 Runs, 6 SB

WRIGHT WATCH: 0-for-4 on Thursday, but Wright did ground into a double play. Thanks to Dave in Brighton for pointing out that double plays sounds sort of like doubles!

SECOND HALF: 8 SEASON TOTAL: 30 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 14 DOUBLES OVER THE TEAM'S FINAL 48 GAMES TO TIE!!

THE KID'S KIDS: Wow. A 10-4 victory for the Gulf Coast Mets over the Nationals. They're 29-13, with a 10-game lead. There are just 13 games left, so they have to be close to clinching something. I might call down to Port St. Lucie to get the scoop on the Gulf Coast League post-season.

Mets 9, Padres 1

I'm a little more tired after the West Coast game than I thought I'd be, so I'll make this quick. First of all, I'm back from NYC, so the postings should be more consistent...and Thursday is a day game, so I'll have a full recap.

The Mets bounced back huge from Tuesday night's disappointing loss - Pedro*'s awful start. Kris Benson went eight-and-a-third innings, taking a one-hitter into the ninth inning, and the Mets beat up on San Diego, 9-1.

Future Hall of Famer David Wright had four hits, finishing a triple shy of the cycle, and he tied a career high with 6 RBI. Wright hit career homer number 31 (17 on the season), and added a double (more on that in the Wright Watch).

Carlos Beltran* is slowly showing signs of life - he stole home on a double steal.

This was a good win, coming off a very bad loss. Hopefully the road trip yields more of the former than the latter.

ELTRAN*'S: 27-for-97 (.278 AVG.), 3 HR, 15 RBI, 19 Runs, 5 SB

WRIGHT WATCH: Big double on Wednesday.

SECOND HALF: 8 SEASON TOTAL: 30 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 14 DOUBLES OVER THE TEAM'S FINAL 49 GAMES TO TIE.

THE KID'S KIDS: The Gulf Coast Mets beat the Nationals 6-5 in 11 innings. They are now 9 games ahead (!) in the division, at 28-13. They have the best record in the Gulf Coast League.

WRIGHT ON, PADRE!

Mets 12, Padres 0 (NYM: 49-46, 4.5 GB; SD: 50-46)

The Mets wanted a hot streak, they went out and got themselves on a hot streak. Now they need to keep it up.

Thursday afternoon's game was never in doubt (OK, that's sort of a lie - Kaz Ishii started, so it wasn't a guarantee). But Ishii pitched himself out of a few jams, and the Mets got to San Dieo ace Jake Peavy...in a big way.

You knew it was going to be a good game for the Mets when the first bats to get going were Doug Mientkiewicz and Ramon Castro. Mientkiewicz opened the scoring with a solo homer early on, and Castro added a two-run laser in the fifth. The Mets broke the game open with seven runs in the sixth, including two hits in the inning from future Hall of Famer David Wright.

Wright was celebrating his first year in the majors. He was called up on July 21, 2004, in a game against the Montreal Expos. Wright's numbers over that year - in 161 games he hit about .290, with 28 homers, and 87 RBI. The Mets announcers said those numbers compared very favorably with current (within the past 15 years or so) superstars in the majors - actually ranking Wright fourth statistically, behind Vladimir Guerrero, Mike Piazza, and Nomar Garciaparra. I think all of those guys hit over .300...and Wright's numbers were better than current young stars like Miguel Cabrera.

The Mets not only had a huge sweep against the first-place Padres, but also picked up big ground on the Nationals - now just four-and-a-half games out of first place. The best part about this is that now I'm not the only one who thinks the Mets have a shot at winning the NL East - now the Mets are starting to think that way too. The Nationals lost to Houston Thursday night, and the turmoil continues to build in Washington, D.C. The latest saga involves Livan Hernandez, who said Wednesday night after he lost his start that he was going to have season-ending surgery on his troublesome knee, and said he was mad about something, which he'd fill reporters in on after the season was over. Hernandez came back on Thursday to say that he would NOT shut it down for the year, in an expletive-filled tirade to reporters. He apparently said he was misquoted too. I doubt it, for some reason. The Nationals, by the way, are still trying to talk Barry Larkin out of retirement. And, at the top of their worry list - they are no longer alone in first place - the idle Braves moved into a tie for first with the Nationals' loss.

Hopefully the 12-0 win was a sign that the Mets bats are alive and well - they need to keep up that offense...especially when Kris Benson is pitching. He's been the hard-luck pitcher of the year - pitching very well, but getting no decisions or tough losses. Another good sign out of the Padres series is that Cliff Floyd has gotten hot again - he had cooled off right before and after the All-Star break..but looks good again.

The Dodgers are in New York for a weekend series - with the way the Mets pitching lines up, this too is a very sweepable series.

ELTRAN*'S: Carlos Beltran* was 0-for-3 Thursday, but he did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. In the 2nd half, he is 7-for-27 (.250-ish) with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 runs, and 0 SB.

WRIGHT WATCH: Wright was 2-for-4 on Thursday, with both hits coming in the sixth inning, and one of those hits was an RBI double. SECOND HALF: 2 doubles SEASON: 24 TEAM RECORD: 44

THE KID'S KIDS: The Gulf Coast Mets are now 16-8, losing to the Nationals, 8-6 on Thursday. They still have a 3-game lead in their division.

WOODWARD AND UPWARD

Mets 3, Padres 1, 11 innings (NYM: 47-46, 6.5 GB; SD: 50-44)

I really think things are going to start going the Mets' way here. I know I'm usually optimistic anyway, but there's a few reasons I feel this way moreso now than usual.

The first is that things in the division are starting to break their way. The Nationals are not playing like a first place team. They're playing like a team that has been exposed, and is desperately trying to cover up. Evidence - they're panicking. They made a good move getting Preston Wilson, but on Tuesday night, Cristian Guzman and Vinny Castilla were both taken out of the starting lineup (Castilla for injury reasons, Guzman for performance reasons). And now ESPN is reporting that Jim Bowden, the Nationals' GM, is trying to talk Barry Larkin out of retirement and into shortstop for Washington. That just reeks of desperation. The Nationals did win on Tuesday, but things aren't looking great for them right now.

Now the reasons the Mets actually control. Before Tuesday's game, the Mets were talking about how they needed to go on a streak. They've had enough of the .500 stuff, and want to go on a winning streak. The biggest talker was Cliff Floyd, and he put his bat where his mouth is on Tuesday night.

It didn't look good early. Kris Benson again pitched great, and again was left with a no-decision. Benson only surrendered a Khalil Greene solo homer, and five hits, in seven innings. It was 1-0 Padres into the fifth - and the Mets were being no-hit. But Cliff Floyd put an end to that with a bomb off Brian Lawrence to tie it at 1. (It's not like Lawrence was overpowering - the Mets tagged a few balls, but Dave Roberts had an excellent defensive game in center.) The game stayed tied into the 11th - and the Mets left a lot of men on base. They had plenty of chances to win this game.

As ineffective as the offense was, though, the bullpen was great. Dae-Sung Koo, Roberto Hernandez, and Braden Looper shut down San Diego the rest of the way. (I missed this game - I was at work, following it on GameCast, and Looper pitched two great innings. I'm kind of glad I didn't see them, though, because he makes me so nervous.) In the bottom of the 11th, after a David Wright flyout, Mike Piazza singled. Chris Woodward pinch hit for Looper, and homered to left, and the Mets had a 3-1 win.

This is a big win, because San Diego is a first place team. The Mets have to feel good about it, and hopefully it carries over into Tuesday's game...and hopefully Tom Glavine pitches as well on Tuesday as he did in his last start.

Another note from this game - David Wright batted fifth, and Mike Piazza hit sixth. Willie Randolph got angry with reporters who asked him about it - but he's getting closer to putting Wright where he belongs. The numbers support Randolph's decision. It's the first time Piazza has hit sixth since May of 1993.

ELTRAN*'S: After an 0-4 Tuesday night (when he had a couple of chances to win the game for the Mets) Carlos Beltran* is 6-20 (.300) in the second half, with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 Run, and 0 SB.

WRIGHT WATCH: Continuing the quest for the team doubles record, future Hall of Famer David Wright was 2-5, with a double. So, in the 2ND HALF: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 23 TEAM RECORD: 44

THE KID'S KIDS: The Gulf Coast Mets won again, 6-2, improving to 15-7 on the year, 3 games up in their division.

Padres 10, Mets 3 (59-67)

Well, if you're gonna get swept, you might as well get SWEPT. Boy, did things go downhill in a hurry. Sunday afternoon, the Mets had a chance to get right back in the thick of the wild card race. Here it is Thursday, and the Mets haven't had a sniff of a win since.

10-3. What an embarrassment. There was one good thing that came out of the past two games, at least. The Mets put David Wright into the three hole. So he's getting the experience hitting third. That'll help for next year. Wright went 0-for-2 Thursday afternoon, but he did walk twice. He is a great 2-strike hitter, just FYI.

Danny Garcia is a good little player. I don't think he should be a starter in the majors, but he is an excellent utility guy - he should definitely start next season at the Major League level.

I heard an excellent point on WFAN the other afternoon. Someone (I think it was Mike Francesa) made the point, what is the Mets training staff doing?!!? Why is it that everytime a Mets player gets hurt, he's out forever? It's a good point. And just the fact that Jose Reyes can't stay healthy is exhibit A. Cliff Floyd doesn't count because he couldn't stay healthy before he came to the Mets. Mike Piazza gets more fragile every year, but he's also getting old fast. But the point is well taken by me...do these people know what they're doing when it comes to treating injuries? Perhaps the Mets trainers are the same guys that scout Japanese shortstops. Just a thought.

OK...here it is...the big debut!! I urge you all to switch over to johnnyjets.blogspot.com for the first day of the Jets page (for real today). And keep coming back to the Mets site - we have lots more to come - post-season predictions, awards predictions, and more on the Mets!! Thanks for reading!

Padres something, Mets something less (insert crappy record here)

Blah blah blah blah blah blah Mets. Blah blah blah blah blah blah future Hall of Famer David Wright. No one blah blah blah blah for the mailbag. So blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah season blah blah blah blah over. Blah blah injuries, blah blah blah blah unbelievable.

Blah blah signed outfielder Brian Buchanan. That should really blah blah blah blah blah blah like a hole in the head.

In other news, the softball team played potentially its last game of the season. It was very likely the last game for me on the team. We came into the game 8-2, and were playing a team that had beaten us earlier in the season (I missed that game due to school - but had heard that the opposing team was very unsportsmanlike - they really crushed us, apparently). Anyway, we jumped out to a 12-2 lead, then held on for a 12-10 win. Did I mention this team was also undefeated before this game? I forgot. And they didn't take the loss easily. What a bunch of sore losers. My goodness. I don't know that I'm going to play in this league next year - I just didn't enjoy it the way I should have. But it felt good to beat this team, even though they were sore about it.

Well, it's time for the big johnnyjets.blogspot.com debut (it actually existed for about six months...but now's when it gets updated regularly). Switch over there, but also tune back in for the mets blah-g. We'll start to address the down-the-road issues here. And we'll still take your mail........if there is any.

Padres 3, Mets 1 (59-65)

Due to my being on assignment for the Jets site, I did not see Tuesday night's Mets game. I didn't miss much.

I wonder if anyone even still reads this space, since NO ONE HAS E-MAILED ME YET FOR THIS WEEK'S MAILBAG!!! That's OK. I'll postpone it one more day if you have something urgent to say. Otherwise, we'll bag it for the week.

After my "on assignment" for the Jets (which will probably get posted for Thursday, so stay tuned for that), I took in a Huey Lewis and the News concert in Westbury, New York. It was awesome! The first time I saw him, and it was great - I'm going to try to go again. Just outstanding. He played all the songs you'd hope he'd play, and they were all great. So that's why I didn't watch the Mets. And also because they are frustrating, and not very good. Scott Kazmir is 1-0. With a 0.00 ERA. Victor Zambrano is hurt. But football season's a-comin', and I have now attended a Huey Lewis and the News concert.