ANOTHER OPENING DAY

Happy Opening Day, Hall of Famer Gary Carter.

The Long Island Ducks open their season today.

And when they take the field, there might be some names and faces that look familiar to you.
Joining Gary Carter on the Ducks are former major leaguers the likes of pitchers Brad Halsey and Dan Miceli (not pictured), and outfielders Raul Gonzalez (Mets, 2002-2003) and Preston Wilson (I couldn't believe it either).

He's also got some former Mets on his coaching staff - Bud Harrelson and Kevin Baez.

The season starts at 7:05pm on the road against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. They come home Friday, May 1st, on Gary Carter bobblehead night. (I can't attend, but a free blog post to anyone who gets me one of those bobbleheads.)

We'll keep you posted on the Ducks' season.

HO-HUM, JUST ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP

This is about a week late, but Hall of Famer Gary Carter is a champion once again. He managed the Orange County Flyers to the Golden League Championship - his third championship game appearance in three years of managing, and his second championship in that span.
Just a heads-up to all those who think Jerry Manuel hasn't been much better in September 2008 than Willie Randolph was in September 2007.

All Gary Carter has done in the minor leagues is manage winners. Here's a brief recap:

Gulf Coast Mets, 2005
37-16 reg. season
Post-season: 0-2

St. Lucie Mets, 2006
1st Half: 40-30
2nd Half: 37-32
Post-season: 5-0 (2-0 1st round, 3-0 second), Champions

Orange County Flyers, 2008
1st Half: 28-15
2nd Half: 26-22
Post-season: 6-4 (3-2 1st round, 3-2 second), Champions

Overall
Regular Season: 168-115 (.594 winning percentage)
Post-season: 11-6, 2 championships in three years

Again, I know we're not comparing apples to apples with the three levels of minor league baseball, and I know that the minors and the majors are different...but the numbers convince me that Carter can have that kind of success at the big league level.

METS MINOR LEAGUES: Before last season, the Mets were among a number of teams to shuffle their Triple-A affiliates. The Mets ended up with New Orleans, which meant their Triple-A players logged lots of travel time as members of the Pacific Coast League.

Well, in 2009 (and at least 2010), the Mets' Triple-A affiliate will now be the Buffalo Bisons, back in the International League. This will cut down not only on Mets' minor leaguers travel time overall, but travel time to and from the big league team in New York (also useful for rehabbing major leaguers).

WRIGHT WATCH: Just a quick update on David Wright's assault on the all-time doubles record (and Mets single-season record):

2008: 42 (2 behind Bernard Gilkey's team record with 5 games to play)
CAREER: 183
ALL-TIME LEADER: 792

You look at the season leaders in doubles and it kind of makes you scratch your head: Guys like Dustin Pedroia and Brian Roberts have more than 50 doubles, Lance Berkman and Nate McLouth have 46 to lead the National League - that's a lot of doubles. It seems like a guy like David Wright would have more than just low-40's every year. Especially since Shea isn't exactly a home run hitter's ballpark. Just a thought. Also interesting to think about how Citi Field will play...will some of the David Wright doubles become homers? Will his assault on Tris Speaker take a hit because of the new stadium?

And let's not overlook here the statistical season Wright is having - there has been no late-season slide this year - in fact, he's having his best year all around in 2008.

CATCHING UP WITH CARTER

I read this article recently on mets.com (kind of out of nowhere - not sure why the topic came up), and it got me thinking that I really should update everyone on everyone's favorite Hall of Famer, Gary Carter, and his Orange County Flyers.

All Carter has done this year is once again lead a team he has managed to the playoffs. The Orange County Flyers won the first half division title, meaning they've already clinched a playoff berth. Still, they're leading the second half as well - by three-and-a-half games -with less than a month to go in the season. They've been the best team, record-wise, all year long.

The playoffs start out with what appears to be a best 3-of-5 series in the first week of September, so we'll keep an eye out for that.

Lest you forgot, this is Carter's third year managing in the minors (or independent leagues, I guess), and he has yet to field a losing team. Here's his brief history:

2005 (Gulf Coast Mets): 37-16, but 0-2 in the post-season
2006 (St. Lucie Mets): 40-30 (1st Half), 37-32 (2nd Half), 5-0 post-season, Champions
2008 (Orange County Flyers): 28-15 (1st Half), 27-15 (so far in the 2nd Half)

According to Wikipedia, the Flyers lost in the championship two years ago, and were very average last year (37-39)...so this appears to be another pretty good managing job by Carter. If he continues to get his teams to perform like this, major league teams can't possibly continue to overlook him....can they?

ANALYSIS THROUGH EIGHTEEN WEEKS

Sorry not to give you advance notice, but obviously I didn't write all weekend. Luckily, it's time for another bi-weekly analysis, which will allow me to catch up on a variety of things at once.

MOST IMPRESSIVE: I've been meaning to write about this for a while, and now's as good a time as any since we're starting to see the promotion of a lot of the Mets youngsters. First and foremost, 33rd overall draft pick, Bradley Holt (though he seems to be going by Brad now) - who we've written about before - is having a great season with the Brooklyn Cyclones (3-2, 2.06 ERA, 58 K in 43 IP). And the Mets just called up Eddie Kunz, a closer at Double-A. He joins Dan Murphy, Nick Evans, and Carlos Muniz, already at the Major League level. And then there's Brandon Knight, off to play in the Olympics, and Jonathan Niese, who will be with the Mets at some point this season.

It's funny - only Niese and Knight are with Triple-A - the rest are all at lower levels...and while the talent in New Orleans (AAA) is some young, mostly veteran retreads, the lower levels of the Mets system seem chock-full of talent (Fernando Martinez, their top outfield prospect, is also at Double-A.).

Why is this relevant? Well, first off, I think the Mets have better minor league arms than they're given credit for. Secondly, with the Sports Illustrated article about David Price's importance to Tampa down the stretch, and the references to what Joba Chamberlain did with the Yankees last year...is it such a stretch to think that a couple of these young arms could help the Mets bullpen heading into September this year?

We'll keep an eye on the progress of all of these guys.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: I can't believe the Mets didn't make a trade deadline move. Parts of this I'm fine with - I didn't want them to trade for Manny Ramirez. Other parts I'm not sure how to feel - I think they need a corner outfielder who has a little more experience than Dan Murphy. But with the farm system coming along like I've already mentioned, I'm going with the thought process that it's a good thing the Mets didn't get rid of some young talent.

LEAST IMPRESSIVE: Billy Wagner blew another Johan Santana win on Sunday, and now he's hurt...or, I guess he's been hurt for a while and now he's getting it checked out again. Whatever...he's hurt the Mets a lot this year - my confidence level in him is at Braden Looper-type levels heading into the last couple of months.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: The Mets battled back to first place only to go 1-5 in their last six games, including this weekend's sweep in Houston. Now they're three out, and they're behind the Marlins and Phillies in the standings. The Phillies were reeling, and the Mets didn't pull away. Now it's going to probably be a battle the rest of the way.

MOST IMPRESSIVE: I don't think I've talked about him since the first or second bi-weekly analysis, when he was just terrible, but CC Sabathia has been just the opposite since being acquired by the Brewers. All he's done in 6 Milwaukee starts is go 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Tampa Bay is still not going away, but let's also add the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins. This was supposed to be a throwaway year, and here they are leading their division the first week in August.

LEAST IMPRESSIVE: Saw the Oakland A's at Fenway Park against the Red Sox on Friday night (more on that tomorrow). They are pathetic. They're 53-57 right now, but fading fast. Frank Thomas is the only threat in that lineup.....and is he really even a threat anymore?

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: My pick to win the American League, the Cleveland Indians, sits dead last in the American League Central. They've been awful all year long.

Shifting gears.....

He's not winning himself many friends around the league, and count me out when it comes to defending Brett Favre. If he had at least considered a trade to the Jets I'd sing a different tune...but to hold a team hostage the way he's doing and only accept a trade within the division....he should be arrested.

And one more football note:

The Southern Bureau has kept us on top of a number of things in baseball and football...he's done fine work keeping the blog updated through comments when I've been away (enough so that I just realized I should give him total access to the blog, something only The Wife has had up to now). It's because of the Southern Bureau that we knew of Brad Holt before the draft...and if you're a Chiefs fan, it would have been the Southern Bureau that let you know about rookie kicker Connor Barth before he came to Kansas City.

Well, the Southern Bureau's own blog is where you can get an inside look at NFL Training Camp through Barth's eyes - it's good stuff, and he's involved in a competition for the job, too.

G.C. IN THE O.C.

I'm about a month late with this news, but Hall of Famer Gary Carter will be managing again. Carter was named manager of the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League. I won't get into why this took so long, or why he isn't with a major league team (I've already done that), but I'm happy that at least we'll be able to follow his managing progress again. (Bummer here, though, is that we won't be able to do it nightly, assuming these are night games on the west coast.)

A couple of things worth mentioning here. First of all, the Orange County Flyers play their home games in Fullerton, California, which any Gary Carter fan worth their salt knows is his hometown....or, at least, a half-hour drive from his hometown. (The facts on the back of the Gary Carter baseball cards should stick in your head: Gary Edmund Carter, born: April 8, 1954, Culver City, California). Carter played his high school ball in Fullerton. So he's going back home - although he has lived in Florida for years.

Secondly, the facts on the Orange County Flyers are: they are 3 years old, they play an 88-game schedule, and one of their part-owners is James Denton, who is on 'Desperate Housewives'. Carter is replacing Garry Templeton as manager, and of note is the fact that Charlie Hough was pitching coach under Templeton. So it will be interesting to see who Carter tabs as his hiting and pitching coach, because it looks like he doesn't have anyone yet.

I would be remiss if I didn't also repeat Carter's stellar numbers managing in the Mets' minor-league system in recent years:

2005 (Gulf Coast League): 37-16, first round playoff exit (0-2)
2006 (St. Lucie Mets)
1st Half: 40-30
2nd Half: 37-32
Postseason: 5-0 and won the championship

One last thing - January 26th, the Orange County Flyers will be holding open tryouts. Though it is tempting for me to fly out there for the day, I will not do so for two reasons:

1) That will be the weekend where the Southern Bureau, Justin From NYC, and Dave in Brighton are all gathered at the House Sponsored by DirecTV for our annual BU Reunion/Fantasy Baseball Draft. So I don't want to leave those guys flat.

2) I want the day I finally meet Hall of Famer Gary Carter to be a positive experience, not a situation where he has to explain to me why I just wasted his valuable time, don't I know he has a team to build, and just where exactly did I get off thinking I could try to play professional baseball?! So that opportunity will have to wait.

COMMENT ON THE COMMENTS: A 'Thanks for Reading and Commenting' goes out to 'Zooomabooma', who commented about Citi Field Tuesday. I looked it up, and he's right - Citi Field is two words. I never really considered it. First of all, I thought it would be like Citibank, I guess. Secondly, in my humble opinion, CitiField just looks better than Citi Field. But I guess when the corporate sponsorship gets changed, after Citi goes bankrupt or everyone involved gets arrested or whatever, it will be easier to change all of the signs if they are two separate words instead of one word. Too bad.

MAJOR CHANGES IN THE MINOR LEAGUES

The tough life of a minor league baseball player is getting a little tougher this year...for certain teams, anyway. Some minor league veterans are going through the same procedures they would have to go through if they had been traded - but they're still property of the same major league club they were part of last year. Confused? So are minor league veterans of the Yankees, Phillies, Orioles, Mets, and Nationals. They will have to go through a major transition, reporting to different teams this year in different cities, without ever having been part of a transaction.

The merry-go-round started with the New York Yankees, who switched their Triple-A affiliate last year from the Columbus Clippers to Scranton Wilkes-Barre (formerly the Red Barons). The Red Barons' contract with the Philadelphia Phillies was up as well, and the Phillies had come to terms with the Ottawa Lynx. That team had been vacated by the Baltimore Orioles, who took over the Norfolk Tides, made available when the Mets made the New Orleans Zephyrs their Triple-A affiliate. The Nationals, who had been with New Orleans, took the team made available when the Yankees started the mess, moving their operation to Columbus.

So the teammates haven't changed, but the uniforms, stadiums, and cities have. Minor leaguers are used to change - they jump from Single-A to Double-A to Triple-A sometimes in a matter of months, and some go from Triple-A to the majors so often they are compared to yo-yo's. But it must be a weird sensation for many to have to relocate without having been part of any personnel changes.

Then there's the business end. "You don't realize how much stuff you have with the Mets logo on it until you have to switch to the Orioles," says Ian Locke, director of media relations for the Norfolk Tides, the new Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Locke mentions letterheads, envelopes, websites, group info brochures, and schedules as among the items that now need updating. It also changes the off-the-field personnel. "I have to get acclimated with the new people in Baltimore, as opposed to who to call in New York. I'm not sure who to call in spring training - I used to know who to talk to. The little things are different, but it's been a positive switch overall."

The Orioles and Nationals are taking advantage of their new affiliation, and taking their relatively new geographic rivalry on the road. Both Norfolk and Columbus will host an exhbition game at the end of spring training featuring the major league clubs in the minor league stadiums. There are other benefits for Baltimore - all of its minor league clubs are now within driving distance of the major league city - a benefit that Philadelphia now loses, moving from in-state Scranton (125 miles away) to out-of-country Ottawa (447 miles away).

For the Mets, they lose a long-time affiliate, but get to establish a new relationship with a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. They've already started the goodwill, donating money to the city and its playgrounds. And Mr. Met seems happy about his new friend as well:

For the Mets, their affiliate did not just switch cities - they are now in another league. The Zephyrs are in the Pacific Coast League, where they play in the same division as teams in Texas, Oklahoma, Albuquerque....and a schedule which will take them further west. The Tides are in the International League, playing teams like Buffalo, Pawtucket, and Richmond. Whether all that extra travel will have an affect on the players who are called up remains to be seen...but one thing seems sure - a minor league affiliation switch rarely affects just one baseball team.

NOTE ON THE ARTICLE: I started to write the above over February break (oh, how long ago that seems, when I had such great intentions, and wrote a blog entry every day), and actually made some phone calls to try to put together a really good article for some magazine. A few non-returned calls later and back to school, and I lost all momentum. But I didn't want to waste the idea, and the one interview I did, so there it is. I got the idea when I bought my baseball preview, and there was no mention of all the affiliate changes, which I thought was one of the bigger deals of the off-season. It's an article I would have wanted to read.

NEW FEATURE: I think I'm going to add a "Player of the Game" feature this year. Just a thought that popped into my head tonight.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: With the NCAA tournament coming up this week, I'm glad I got a chance to post tonight - because I can't make any promises that I'll be updating during the basketball games. I will get my season picks up before the season starts - that's about the only promise I can make. Mets-Cardinals is just 23 days away to open the season!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE CHAMPION ST. LUCIE METS!!

The Mets beat Dunedin on Sunday night, 6-2, to sweep the Florida State League Finals, 3 games to none, and win a championship in Gary Carter's first year at the helm. Something just struck me. I was about to write "...first (and only) year at the helm". But then I was thinking, "Where would he go? Would someone in the majors actually hire him so soon?" And it all came together in my head.

Dusty Baker is getting fired. Joe Girardi will be allowed to leave Florida and go to Chicago. What better situation is there for Florida resident Gary Carter than the Florida Marlins - a young team - he has proven he can manage young guys, and he has ties to the organization from its infancy when he was a broadcaster. So, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first - Gary Carter will be the manager of the Florida Marlins, beginning in 2007. (Also, one time this summer the Florida TV announcers mentioned Gary Carter's Florida State League success - meaning someone in the organization is keeping tabs...and he really wasn't that far away anyway, in St. Lucie.)

So for now, this picture is from Sunday night's championship - but I can easily see it being repeated at the Major League level with the exciting Marlins in the near future:

CRAZY EIGHTS

Cubs 8, Mets 6 (NYM: 59-41, CHI: 39-60)

The Mets have lost three games in a row, and the common denominator in those games is 8 - as in runs scored by the opponents. That's a bad stretch of pitching. I hadn't watched much of Sunday's game, or Tuesday's game, but I saw most of Monday's (Trachsel). Tom Glavine, on Tuesday, gave up 5 earned runs (8 total) in 6-and-a-third innings - and gave up 3 homers - to Aramis Ramirez, Phil Nevin, and the pitcher, Carlos Zambrano. Glavine needs to pitch better if the other Mets' pitchers are going to struggle like they are now. (On Sunday it was Mike Pelfrey with a poor pitching performance, suffering his first Major League loss.)

Still, the Mets had a chance in the bottom of the ninth (stressing the importance of those last couple of runs that put this one out of reach). They loaded the bases, and if it wasn't for a good defensive play at second base by Neifi Perez, would have tied the game, and possibly went on to win it. The Mets scored just once in the ninth, and their rally ended when Paul LoDuca popped out to second to end it (not the good defensive play - just another out recorded by Perez in the inning).

Carlos Beltran hit his 28th homer of the year in the first inning, and Endy Chavez homered in the second, staking Glavine to a 4-2 lead - which he promptly lost, giving up 4 runs to the Cubs in the third.

Some observations about the team right now:

-Paul LoDuca is really banged up. It's reminiscent of Mike Piazza behind the plate in late July - he has a thumb problem that's bothering him, and every night is taking a bad foul tip somewhere off the body.

-Pedro Martinez* NEEDS to come out on Friday and shut down the Braves. He needs to inject some life into the ballclub right now - the Mets seem mired down a bit, and they need a little spark. It would be awesome if it came against the Braves, from Pedro*.

That brings us to a mail note (thanks for e-mailing, Dave - the comments section has decreased the number of e-mails we receive...as well as increase SPAM - I had to delete that comment, so maybe the Southern Bureau's note seems slightly out of place):

"Dear JohnnyMets,

I know that the Phillies don't scare you, and based on their performance so far this season I could see why.

But what about the Braves? They're 12-4 this month (as of this writing), 12.5 back of New York in the division (but 5 GB for the wild card) with about 64 games to play, including this weekend's three-game set against the Mets at Turner Field. Thoughts?

Dave in Brighton"

I have to tell you, I don't think the Braves are a major threat. I'm not going so far as to say they don't scare me, because I've lived through the past 8 seasons or so (I've also seen them play for the past 15 years), but I think they're making this run too late in the season. I think they'll run out of steam real soon and drop out of the wild card hunt. That would be an added bonus of the Mets catching fire again this weekend - it could really hurt Atlanta.

Wednesday has the potential to be one of my greatest days of summer vacation. The baseball games are laid out in ideal fashion - the Mets have a 12:00 noon start (as well as 2 other games). There are a couple of 2 o'clock games, then 3 in the 3 o'clock hour. There's 3 in the 7 o'clock slot, and 3 in the 8 o'clock slot, and for good measure, a 10 o'clocker. Maybe I'll go pick up some beer.

THE KID'S KIDS: Another loss for St. Lucie on Tuesday night. After a win on Monday night ended the Mets' 3-game slide, they've now lost 4 out of 5 after losing to Sarasota, 6-3. The big showdown with first-place Daytona is coming up at the end of the week.

ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: 0-for-3 for Edgardo Alfonzo on Tuesday, dropping his average to .231.

MINOR LEAGUE UPDATE: I forgot to mention in my last post that another Mets' affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones, was involved in a 26-inning game last week. Just FYI. The game was an early afternoon start for campers, and it went on for 6 hours, 40 minutes. (Relatively quick - it was tied at 1 for a long time.) The Oneonta Tigers beat the Cyclones, 6-1, in the longest game in NY-Penn League history.

BEAT THE STREAK: This is getting exciting now - Jimmy Rollins gave me a 5-game streak, I'm going with Bill Hall Wednesday afternoon for a 6-gamer.

These Steve Trachsel starts take a lot of energy out of me. Honest, they do. It's like watching a Yankees game from start to finish once every five days...and I don't even sit through the entire Trachsel games. I get up and do stuff...for instance, I'm writing my blog right now, and Trachsel isn't even pitching anymore.

I'm just feeling right now that if I waited until the end of the game, I wouldn't post afterwards. I had a busy weekend, I'm feeling a little run down, I actually have things to do Tuesday, a rarity on my summer vacation, so I want to get this out of the way and get some sleep.

The Mets are trailing the Cubs right now, 8-4, so it looks like we'll have to wait another day for win number 60. But keep in mind that the Mets ARE playing the Cubs, who they are capable of scoring 11 runs against in an inning...so perhaps this one's not over yet.

PEDRO*: Finally, Pedro Martinez* appears set to pitch Friday at Atlanta. We'll see....

THE KID'S KIDS: The Mets are 16-13 in the season's second half, three-and-a-half back of Daytona. They're riding a 3-game losing streak right now. Perhaps the boys have their minds on the post-season, and not on the regular season...and some big-time managing is going to be needed by Hall of Famer Gary Carter.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT: Here's your rare full Mets minor-league report...we just mentioned St. Lucie. A Binghamton pitcher threw a no-hitter against Portland on Sunday. So that covers Binghamton (it was just a 7-inning no-hitter, so I won't even mention the guy's name).

Regarding Edgardo Alfonzo's comeback - he didn't play on Monday, but after an 0-for-3 on Sunday, he's hitting .261. That's not going to be enough.

BEAT THE STREAK: After an all-Ichiro weekend (3 hits), A-Rod got me a hit on Monday. So I have a 4-gamer. It's Jimmy Rollins on Tuesday - a .500 career hitter against his opposing pitcher, Miguel Batista.

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.

NO SWEEP

Phillies 5, Mets 3 (NYM: 28-18, PHI: 24-22)

The Phillies averted disaster by beating the Mets during an afternoon game at Shea. The Phillies jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first against Jeremi Gonzalez, the Mets tied it at 3 in the second on a 3-run homer by the suddenly powerful Jose Reyes, and then Pedro Feliciano gave up two runs in the seventh to let the Phillies win it. Gonzalez pitched OK, but he'll be sent down, as El Duque will take his rotation spot on Sunday. Heath Bell pitched well - and he's been pitching very well at Norfolk - I wouldn't be surprised if Bell takes Jorge Julio's bullpen spot.

Brett Myers pitched very well. The Mets are allowed to lose one out of every three to the Phillies - I'm OK with that. Now a three-game series at Florida - the Mets need to sweep. Simple as that. And Pedro* needs to get a win against the Marlins - finally breaking his string of no-decisions.

I didn't get to see much of Thursday afternoon's game - but I made it home in time to see the bottom of the ninth. And it should be noted that the Mets again managed to get the tying run to the plate against Tom Gordon. Even in a game where it didn't seem likely that the Mets would win, they had a faint threat of tying the game. Good signs, when that happens.

MEDIA CORRECTION: Since I was out all day, I was going to TiVo this game, and I said yesterday Mike & The Mad Dog were going to broadcast it on SNY. Turns out I forgot to TiVo the game, but as I was driving home, faintly I got WFAN on the car radio - and Mike and the Mad Dog were broadcasting the game on WFAN (which makes sense, since that's where their radio show is, and since YES carries it on TV, not SNY). So I ended up hearing a little of their play-by-play. It was OK. They did it for charity, so I guess I can handle that. But since it's always been my dream to do play-by-play, I still get a bit jealous when guys get these chances that would never in a million years fall my way.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DEAL: Omar Minaya said Wednesday after he traded for Orlando Hernandez that he had other deals cooking. He proved himself Thursday, when he traded minor leaguer Robert Manuel to the Reds for pitcher Dave Williams. Astute readers will remember I've mentioned Dave Williams before. (In case you're too lazy to click the link, here's what I wrote:

"BEAT THE STREAK: Back to taking it seriously, after vacation. I'm on a modest 3-gamer, after a Jimmy Rollins hit tonight (actually, 2 hits, I think). I took Alfonso Soriano for Tuesday, against Dave Williams of the Reds (formerly with the Pirates). He is bad.")

He is bad - he's been sent to Triple-A, probably to learn how to pitch. The Mets didn't give up much - Manuel was in Single-A...with decent numbers, but who knows what he'll turn into. Minaya says you can never have too much pitching. We'll see what else he's got going on.

WRIGHT IN SI: David Wright is the subject of a story in this week's 'Sports Illustrated'. Everything you hear about Wright is positive. He and Derek Jeter are two of the best people ever produced by a New York city farm system (actually, you could probably throw Bernie Williams in that category too....maybe even Mariano Rivera - although I don't know much about him as a person). Wright is just such a good person - everyone raves about how humble he is, and has stayed, even with his success. I just hope it lasts - and based on the type of person he is, and was raised to be, I think it will.

THE KID'S KIDS/LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Both St. Lucie and Norfolk entered Thursday's action with just a game difference between themselves and their next-closest competitor. The Tides were just a game away from tying for last place, and the St. Lucie Mets were just a game up on Brevard County for first place.

St. Lucie was playing too late for this writing...I'll update them over the weekend.

Norfolk is really close to leaving last place - they beat Syracuse again on Thursday, 7-2. Milledge followed up his 3-for-6 in last night's game with a 1-for-5 on Thursday - and it was a solo homer. He's hitting .291.

FANTASY UPDATE: The Southern Bureau, owner of the What If Nationals/Expos, e-mailed me to say, "What's going on with this what if league? I win 12 in a row, lose 8 in a row, it's the same team! Nothing has changed...why are they so streaky?" I agree. Wholeheartedly. A day after winning all three of my games, I've lost all three of my games. I just had a feeling it might happen. What a pain. I go back and forth between liking this game and HATING it. Right now, I hate it. But I'm still 5 games out of first, tied for second.

BEAT THE STREAK: Ichiro didn't get a hit - Rodrigo Lopez picks today to throw a gem. Wonderful. Back to 0 again. This is the most frustrating part of 'Beat the Streak' - trying to get a streak past 9 or 10 games, so that you can actually care about it. Maybe this will be the streak that gets me going. I'll take Jose Reyes against the Marlins, since he's swinging a hot bat these days.

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.

The Mets pulled out the win last night, thanks to a bad play by Nationals pitcher Gary Majewski. But it looks like they're headed for a split with the Nationals, with the Nats leading 6-1 in the 7th. I didn't see much of Tuesday night's game either...here's the deal. Tuesdays in the spring are tough, because the wife watches "American Idol". So we TiVo it, but she has to watch it eventually. Tonight, I'm cutting my losses, and she's watching it now, while the Mets are down by 5 late.

Tomorrow night she'll probably watch the results on another TV, so that works out well....although I suppose I could always use that other TV....

Anyway, I would've counted the Mets winning tonight as a bonus. This was Brian Bannister's next scheduled start, and since he's on the DL, the Mets called up John Maine to make the start. As far as I can tell, Maine did OK. (Ooh - I was just looking for some numbers from the game, and I saw on espn.com that Willie Randolph was ejected.)

OK - now some play-by-play on the ejection. (God bless TiVo.) So David Wright got called out on strikes on a low strike three (but not an awful pitch...and the announcers said the low strike was being called a strike all game). So Wright goes back to the bench, and there may have been some jawing going on from the bench. And the home plate umpire (Jeff Nelson) keeps looking back at the dugout. You could hear the Mets bench calling out "Watch the game, watch the game", telling Nelson to stop looking back at them, and Nelson ran Randolph. Ron Darling, analyst on SNY tonight, said that's what irks managers - when umpires pick fights by not letting something go, and following a player to a dugout, or looking for a fight. Nelson didn't physically follow Wright to the dugout, but a pitch had been thrown to Cliff Floyd in the next at-bat when he turned his attention back to the dugout.

Anyway, a little fire out of the Mets in what appears to be a losing cause. Maine gave up 4 ER in 5 and a third, but he struck out 6. That's notable because he's not a strikeout guy, from what I've heard. Mike O'Connor of the Nationals held the Mets to 2 hits (one a homer by Paul LoDuca) - apparently their offense was frustrated.

Here's a good note from the game - Carlos Beltran* stole third base. It appears it might have been as part of a double steal...but he had said we'll know his hamstring was feeling better when he starts running. I'm taking the steal as a good sign.

I have a feeling the Mets offense gets going again tomorrow night, when Pittsburgh comes to town for 2. That's why David Wright will be my Beat the Streak person....Jose Reyes doesn't have a hit yet tonight, I don't know if he'll be up again.

THE KID'S KIDS: No word on Tuesday night's game against Palm Beach, but the Mets beat Brevard County Monday night, 1-0, behind Cuban Alay Soler. He's now 2-0, with a 1.64 ERA. (He'll probably be put up in AA soon.) St. Lucie is now 15-9, one game back of first, one-half game ahead of third. OK - I swear I just read this after I wrote about Monday night's game...there's no way I can prove it, you'll have to believe me. I read just now on the Mets official website that the Mets promoted Soler to Double A.

MINOR LEAGUES: Also of note Tuesday night: Boof Bonser started against Norfolk, the Mets' Triple A affiliate, in Norfolk. (It must be noted here that Norfolk has been just awful so far this year.) Bonser didn't get a decision but went 7 innings, giving up just 2 hits and walking one, with one ER. He also struck out 7. The Twins have to be noticing Bonser and his 1.47 ERA. They have some awful pitching right now, and I would have to think he'd make his Major League debut soon. He's not some minor league retread - he's only 24 - we might be onto something here.

FANTASY NOTES: The much-anticipated "What if Sports" season starts on Thursday, May 4th. You better believe I'll keep you updated on how those Mets do.

UP NEXT: Pedro Martinez* looks to improve to 6-0 (en route to a potential 29-0) when he starts Wednesday night at home against Pittsburgh.

11TH - OURS

Mets 9, Giants 7, 11 innings (NYM: 14-7, SFG: 11-10)

The Mets came back, took a lead, blew a lead, then took a lead again on Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco. In the end, they headed to Atlanta (after an off-day Thursday) with a win, but it could have been costly.

Brian Bannister gave up 3 runs in five innings, and also drove in two runs during a 2-for-3 afternoon at the plate. But it was after he doubled in the top of the sixth, when he was running home to score the go-ahead run, that he came up lame, barely able to make it down the third base line with the Mets' 4th run, with a hamstring injury (big credit to Bannister, though, for gritting it out and getting across the plate despite the pain he was in). Bannister left the game immediately (replaced by Aaron Heilman). I'll keep you posted on when he will come back - but the Mets are having hamstring problems - first Carlos Beltran* and now Bannister. I'd hate to see Bannister be out long - first of all, because the Mets aren't deep in pitching, and secondly because he's fun to watch pitch. I think the latest I heard is that Bannister would be re-evaluated in Atlanta.

Billy Wagner blew a save in this game but all 3 runs he gave up were unearned, coming after a David Wright error with a man on and 2 out in the 9th. After the error, Wagner gave up a pinch-hit, 2-run homer to Barry Bonds (number 711 career), but the Mets got clutch hits from Chris Woodward and THE GREATEST PLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, in the 11th to win it. The Mets also got great work from the bullpen - particularly Chad Bradford and Darren Oliver, in extra innings.

14-7 is the Mets record. That's good for a .667 winning percentage. That's 2 wins every 3 games. The Mets have the potential to keep that up all year. That's scary...for other teams.

MAILBAG: I almost don't believe my eyes - after about 2 years away from the site - Steve from New York is back in the inbox!!! And we welcome him back with open arms:

"Johnnymets -

As you know, I am a long time Mets fan and am used to them making terrible trades. Clearly, Kazmir for Zambrano is very close to top of the list. What is driving me crazy is that everyone in NY sees that Zambrano is horrible except for Randolph and Peterson. What are the two of them smoking? How much longer can this follishness continue? While listening to WFAN earlier today, I learned that the Mets are planning the weekend rotation to be Martinez - Glavine - Zambrano, Fri - Sun respectively. Normally, Sunday's game would be pitched by Trachsel, which is his 5th day. As most Mets fans know, Trachsel does well and likes to pitch on his 5th day. Instead, the Mets braintrust has decided to push Trachsel back a day, instead of skipping Zambrano all together, (which they would have been able to do because of the day off).

What are your thoughts and how long can the Mets fans let this nonsense go on?

PS - The FAN was saying that one of the reasons, besides stupidity could be that they want to keep Zambrano away from the Shea crowd as long as possible. That might be the smartest thing they have done all season (however, it will probably be to the detriment of the team)

PPS = If Bannister can't start on his next scheduled date, do the Mets bring Heilman from the bullpen for a start?

Steve"

Steve - The way I see things with Zambrano right now is, the Mets can't win every game. So Zambrano is that equalizer, allowing them to lose every fifth day or so. (I'm only partly kidding there.) I've said it before - this is the year where the Mets learn whether or not Rick Peterson's work with Zambrano will pay off. (So far, not so good.) I couldn't listen to WFAN today, obviously, but I did get the Mets game on SNY. And Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez were saying that Steve Trachsel will pitch on Sunday, on his regular fifth day, and Zambrano would just be skipped. I'm not sure who's right - them or 'FAN, but now Bannister's injury throws a wrench in things, if he ends up being out for a while.

I do NOT think Heilman should be thrown in for a fill-in start. If he's going to be starting, I agree with what Hernandez said on SNY - it shouldn't be a permanent thing. The thing is, the way Duaner Sanchez has been pitching, I'd rather see him take over Heilman's role, Zambrano be a permanent reliever (where I liked the way he looked last year), and Heilman starting every fifth day. I think that's the best the Mets could do.

Thanks for writing, Steve! Keep it up.

ELSEWHERE AROUND THE NL: Some sweeps worth noting. The Reds beat the Washington Nationals, completing a 3-game sweep, behind a 1-hitter by Bronson Arroyo. I don't want to pat myself on the back, but I did say I thought Arroyo being traded by the Red Sox would light a little bit of a fire under him. He's now 4-0, and has pitched brilliantly.

The Brewers swept the Braves. The Mets have been struggling a bit lately (1-2 vs. Atlanta, 2-2 vs. the Padres), but it's nothing compared to what the Braves have been doing. They're now 9-12. The Mets need to twist the knife a little bit this weekend in Atlanta - a place where they haven't had much success in recent years.

Finally, the Cardinals swept the Pirates, but Jose Hernandez hit a homer off Jason Isringhausen in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game. (The Cardinals won in the bottom half.) I'm telling you - the Cardinals bullpen is flawed this year. That will eventually cost them.

FROM THE AL: This stuff about Kevin Mench is great. I've always liked Mench - I always used to pick him up as a spare outfielder whenever I used to play fantasy baseball with current baseball players. He got off to a very slow start this season - 0 HR, 0 RBI in his first 10 games, I think. Turns out, he was wearing uncomfortable shoes - they were too small for his feet. So he misses five games, switches shoes, and has been on fire. He hit a grand slam Wednesday, and has homered in six consecutive games. What a riot.

THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie Mets manager and Hall of Famer Gary Carter has his work cut out for him. The Mets' 2005 first round pick, pitcher Mike Pelfrey, who has been pitching very well (winning Monday night) has been promoted to Double A. Managing in the minors has to be very tough with all of that roster upheaval due to promotions, demotions, etc.

On Wednesday, Carter's Mets scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth (awesome managing!) to beat Jupiter, 5-3. The win makes the Mets 13-6, and vaults them into first place.

Other Kid's Kids (and Dmitri Young's brother): Delmon Young, Devil Rays prospect and current Durham Bull, threw a bat at a home plate umpire after being called out. I'm not sure how the bat was thrown, or how the umpire is doing. This was a replacement ump - the minor league umpires are on strike - as a matter of fact, another replacement ump was involved in an incident with the Norfolk Tides, the Mets' Triple A affiliate, when Victor Diaz collided with him at first base. The collision forced Diaz to miss four games.

SNY PROGRAMMING: For the first time, during Wednesday's Mets game, I saw an SNY programming commercial showing that the Mets would be showing lots of Classic Mets games from 1986 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of that team. They should show classic games non-stop - instead of that drivel they call "Daily News Live". I'm psyched, needless to say.

PIC OF THE DAY: I need to write some stadium reviews from the West Coast - Thursday is a Mets' off-day, so that looks like a good time to write them, but for now, enjoy this pic from our trip:


I do believe the Padres have the least intimidating mascot in the Majors. Although, Padres fans could probably make a good counter-argument......

BEAT THE STREAK: I picked David Wright because he owned Jason Schmidt, but the Giants went with Matt Morris instead. Wright finally doubled in the 8th, to keep my streak alive - now a 5-gamer. I'm going with the history again on Thursday - Mike Lowell, a career 6-for-13 hitter against Paul Byrd.

QUICK TURNAROUND

Giants 4, Mets 1 (SF: 57-72; NYM: 68-62) East: 6 GB, Wild Card: 2 GB (pending PHI result)

That five-game winning streak turned into a two-game losing streak real fast. The Phillies are playing Sunday Night Baseball, so it remains to be seen whether or not the Mets will lose ground in the Wild Card chase.

I didn't see any of Sunday's game - it wasn't on the DirecTV package - so I'm not sure what to make of the loss. The only run scored on a wild pitch third strike with a man on third, so the Mets are still having some offensive troubles, coming off the 14-1 and 18-4 wins in Arizona.

Kris Benson came out of the gate strong, with a 0-0 tie going into the fifth inning. But he gave up three runs, and the Mets couldn't come back. The good news is he didn't give up six runs in 2-thirds of an inning. The bad news is he didn't win...which he usually does coming off a poor outing like last Sunday's.

The Mets need to get the bats working again against Philadelphia this week. They start a series against the Phillies at home on Tuesday, their only home games in the middle of these 17 road games. But first of all, the Phillies don't scare me - so the Mets can make up some ground in the Wild Card. Secondly, the Mets jumped out to a 5-2 start on that road stretch - although the Saturday and Sunday losses weren't pretty, in the big picture, the Mets are off to a 5-2 start on the road stretch. September is right around the corner - the Mets could theoretically start September in a playoff spot.

ELTRAN*'S: Carlos Beltran* was 1-for-4, and scored the Mets' lone run. But he needs to get going for the Mets to make a move. For the second half:

36-for-141 (.255 AVG.) 3 HR, 16 RBI, 26 Runs, 11 SB

WRIGHT WATCH: Not many doubles this weekend. He needs to go back to Arizona. Still on a good pace, though.

SECOND HALF: 13 SEASON TOTAL: 35 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 10 DOUBLES OVER THE FINAL 36 GAMES TO BREAK THE RECORD!!

THE KID'S KIDS: Here's some more bad news for Mets fans, and Gary Carter fans. The Gulf Coast League doesn't waste any time. The one-game playoff was held on Friday, with the Tampa Yankees beating the Gulf Coast Red Sox for the right to play the Mets. After a 3-2 win on Saturday, the Yankees beat the Mets 10-1 on Sunday to win the Gulf Coast League title (I'm pretty sure it's over, at least. Not a lot of fanfare about it.) The Mets' pitcher gave up six runs in the first inning - actually, in a third of an inning. He's got a future as a Kris Benson! Anyway, the final numbers: a 37-16 regular season record for The Kid, with an 0-2 post-season mark.

More bad minor league news: Danny Graves pitches an inning at Norfolk and gives up 5 earned runs. Maybe he should have retired.

Well I'll be...I found this after posting Thursday's entry. This, from the Gulf Coast League website, about the Gulf Coast League playoffs:

Playoff Format: The division winner with the best record gets a bye. The other two division winners meet in a one-game playoff. The winner advances to face the division winner with the best record in a best-of-three series.

Looks like a bye for The Kid's Kids.

TWO-THIRDS

Nationals 7, Mets 4 (WAS: 65-59; NYM: 63-60) 6.5 GB NL East, 3 GB W.C.

The optimist might look at this weekend against the Nationals and say, two out of three is a good weekend. The pessimist (or me...note that I'm not usually pessimistic) might focus on Kris Benson's two-thirds of an inning and think of what chances the Mets might have wasted on Sunday.

Benson lasted just two-thirds of an inning, giving up six runs before being lifted for Juan Padilla. Padilla kept the Mets in the game, but they only managed four runs, wasting a lot of scoring opportunities where they could have come all the way back, as the Nationals held on for the 7-4 win.

The only highlight came in a pinch-hit appearance by rookie Mike Jacobs, who homered in his first Major League at-bat, the homer drawing the Mets to within 7-3. At the time, it looked like a comeback was in store...but the Mets couldn't find the clutch hit. Jacobs, for his part, received a curtain call, becoming the fourth Met to homer in his first M.L. at-bat. Future Hall of Famer David Wright struck out in the ninth inning against Chad Cordero representing the tying run.

The Mets play 17 of their next 20 on the road. They could have swept the Nationals...they could have swept the Pirates. A 4-2 homestand isn't bad. The Mets picked up some ground these past few days. If they can keep their head above water this next week in Arizona and San Francisco, starting on Monday, they have a real shot. Arizona (at Arizona) has given the Mets some problems in recent years...let's hope the Mets get off on the right foot. The Padres blew a lead on Sunday Night Baseball, so it looks like the Mets lose a game in the division. But there's still a shot at the East on the line here too - not just the Wild Card.

ELTRAN*'S: Beltran was 0-for-4 on Sunday. For the second half, he's 32-for-116 (.276 AVG.), 3 HR, 15 RBI, 23 Runs, 9 SB.

WRIGHT WATCH: 2-for-5 on Sunday, no doubles...as a matter of fact, no doubles all weekend. Uh-oh.

SECOND HALF: 10 SEASON TOTAL: 32 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 12 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 39 GAMES.

THE KID'S KIDS: No games, of course, in the Gulf Coast League on Sundays. They lost to the Dodgers on Saturday, 17-5. Yikes. They're now 34-16. Gary Carter got some national attention on espn.com this weekend. There was an ESPN Insider article about his success as a Minor League Manager. Unfortunately, I couldn't read it because I don't have an ESPN Insider subscription. If someone could kindly help me out with the article, I'd appreciate it. It started out talking about George Brett's lack of success as a Minor League manager, and how he hated it because he had to throw batting practice every day. That's all they let me read. Please help. I will also get to the bottom of the Gulf Coast post-season (or lack thereof) this week. I'll call them non-stop.

BUC UP

Mets 6, Pirates 2 (NYM: 60-58; PIT: 51-68) 7.5 GB East, 3.5 GB Wild Card

The Mets need to sweep the Pirates. Personally, I think they need to go 6-0 on this homestand, to put themselves back into some great shape in both the wild card and division chases. Especially considering another West Coast Swing is on the horizon.

But they got off to a good start. Kris Benson put in another great outing, coming off his superb performance last week in San Diego. The Mets put together one big rally, and Cliff Floyd hit a 2-run homer in the ninth inning to ice it, taking away a Braden Looper save opportunity, but making the ninth inning more watchable for Mets fans.

The Mets got help from the Dodgers, who came back with 3 runs in the ninth inning to erase a 4-3 deficit and beat the Braves, 6-4, and the Cubs, who beat Andy Pettitte and the Astros. The Mets have a big hill to climb to make the post-season, but they've got to make the move now.

This series should be important to the Mets. The Pirates beat the Mets in Pittsburgh two out of three just before the All-Star break, and the Mets should still be mad about that. I am. The Nationals come to town next, and they're playing much better ball lately. But the Mets started them on the slide that dropped them out of first, so hopefully they feel they can beat Washington. So this six-game homestand is very, very important. The Mets can't worry about the Astros, Marlins, Phillies, or Braves. If they keep winning, things will fall into place for them.

Carlos Beltran* has opted not to have surgery on his face (I think it's his cheekbone that's slightly fractured). He could be back in the lineup as soon as Wednesday. It was reported during the game that he's working with the Mets' trainers on a possible mask to protect his face. I'm thinking something like what NBA players wear to protect broken noses and the like. I just hope Beltran* isn't affected psychologically, and that he can be somewhat effective down the stretch.

WRIGHT WATCH: An 0-for-3 night for Wright - he did walk and score on Floyd's 9th inning homer. He's hitting .303, by the way - .305 heading into the game, which had him 9th in the NL. Doubly speaking:

SECOND HALF: 10 SEASON TOTAL: 32 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 12 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 44 GAMES TO TIE.

THE KID'S KIDS: The Gulf Coast Mets registered a rare loss to the Marlins Tuesday afternoon. They're 31-15. I have a call in to Port St. Lucie to find out about the playoffs - we'll see if they call me back.

In other Minor League Baseball news - a Pacific Coast League player named Rick Short is hitting .400 with 24 games left in the season. That hasn't been done in the PCL in 72 years. He plays for New Orleans (Pacific Coast?!?!), and went 1-for-2 in a call-up earlier this season for the Nationals. He's 32...so we're not talking a hot prospect here.

Man, if I was psyched about baseball before, I sure as heck am now.

I must start by saying that I did not meet Hall of Famer Gary Carter on Sunday. The situation wasn't right. I will meet him someday, and it will be without a bunch of other Mets fans pushing around me as we wait to buy tickets for the 2005 season. So instead of going to Shea Stadium Sunday morning, I sat at home, and received a call from James from Bayside. (OK, full disclosure, my mom received the call, and relayed the message.) The members of the 1986 Mets who were at Shea Stadium were on WFAN, on "Talking Baseball with Ed Randall". Great interviews. I heard the end of Gary Carter's, heard Tim Tueffel, Sid Fernandez, and a little bit of Ron Darling. Good stuff. It really got me psyched for this season.

A couple of other things - Hall of Famer Gary Carter is managing the Gulf Coast Mets this season. I think I heard that announcement at the end of last season - but it might have come after the blog closed down for the season. Needless to say, the Carter Count will be this year's version of the Wright Watch, and we'll track Gary Carter's path back to the majors...this time as a future Hall of Fame manager. FYI, the Gulf Coast Mets finished in first place last year in their division, and lost a playoff game to the Red Sox. It's a 60-game season, which I think starts in June....maybe even July. I'll keep you posted.

In other former Mets news, Mookie Wilson will be managing the Brooklyn Cyclones this year.

As for the '05 edition of the Mets, future Hall of Famer David Wright and Jose Reyes (possibly THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED) have been invited by Carlos Beltran* to join him working out at night at the Gold's Gym in Port St. Lucie. Wright has already taken Beltran* up on the offer, but didn't tell Beltran* that he had already been working out at the gym at night separately by himself. Reyes, I think, has yet to join them. Beltran* says he asked them because he sees the talent there and he wants them to be the best they possibly can be.

There's going to be an uproar developing about revelations by Carlos Delgado's agent that Al Leiter helped Delgado choose the Marlins over the Mets by badmouthing New York. I think the only reason this might become an uproar is because Leiter badmouthed the New York media, and they hate to be badmouthed (see: Chad Pennington). Again, in this situation, I don't disagree with anything Leiter said - stuff along the lines of, slumps are prolonged in NYC because 7 or 8 newspaper writers are asking you about it, and the talk radio stations are talking about it, and it influences fans negatively. He said it better, though...I don't like the way I just wrote it. Anyway, this might be an interesting side story for the Mets/Marlins matchups this year.

The Mets' first spring training game is on Wednesday at 1:05pm, and it will be on ESPN. Tom Glavine will pitch against the Washington Nationals. I will not be able to watch, because first of all, I will be in school, and second of all, I no longer have cable, as I get ready to move into the House, brought to you by DirecTV. I will try to find someway to catch highlights, at least.

I would love to preview pitching tomorrow, but tomorrow also happens to be closing on said house. Hopefully I'll find the chance to write.