REDEMPTION

I was all set to rip the Mets after Wednesday night's game. Especially David Wright. Because everything that represented what has been wrong about the Mets in 2008 was on display, even as what's right about them was taking place.

Here's the example. In the fifth inning Wednesday night, Daniel Murphy comes up, batting second in the order, after a Jose Reyes single. After Reyes steals second, Murphy tries to move him to third by hitting the ball to the right side. The pitch is inside, and Murphy turns on it and pulls it right over the second baseman's head for an RBI single. That tied the game at 2. David Wright then reached on an error, so it's first and second for Carlos Beltran. Beltran flies out to deep right. Murphy tags at second, and would advance easily, except Wright forgot how many outs there were and got doubled off first.

To make matters worse, possibly because he was still thinking about the bad baserunning move, Wright made the error in the seventh inning that allowed the Padres to take the lead, and ended up giving Pedro Martinez* an unearned loss after a very good outing.

These were exactly the type of blunders (the baserunning more than the error) that cost Willie Randolph his job. And there's one of two things happening - either 1) Randolph so woefully prepared this team in the fundamentals of baseball in the spring that they're still suffering the consequences (obviously, the minor league system is teaching the right things, because Murphy and Nick Evans have been doing the right things all along), or 2) The current coaching staff is still stressing the wrong things with this team.

Either way, these Mets have made unacceptable mistakes all season.
Then along comes Thursday afternoon. Everyone is clamoring for David Wright to get a day off, but the problem isn't Wright - it's the bullpen. For the hundredth time this year, Johan Santana is pulled from a game, possibly prematurely, and the bullpen costs him a win. That's another story for another day.

What happened today was David Wright won a game for the Mets a day after losing one for them - a total turnaround for him. He hit a walk-off two-run homer. So that's a nice little bounceback. And it's good for the Mets that just when everything was seeming to go wrong (another blown save by the Wagner replacements), they're able to pull out a win.

Another big series with Florida begins Friday.

LAST WORD ON PENNINGTON: I'm not going to go through all of the possible destinations for Chad Pennington, because I've already done that. This is from before the draft (actually, before the Super Bowl even), but it's not outdated at all. I still think those are the most likely destinations, although maybe Minnesota moves up to the "very likely" category.

ALONE IN FIRST

For the first time since mid-April, the Mets are atop the National League East by themselves.

How they got there on Thursday, considering the way they've played this season, could surprise you.

Carlos Delgado had the game-winning hit, snapping a 1-1 tie in the 8th inning with a 2-run double, capping a series where he smoked the ball nearly every at-bat, and continuing to be hot at the plate.

Oliver Perez came up big in another big game, striking out 12 over seven-and-two-thirds innings, while walking just one.

And the Mets took two out of three from the Phillies, after Tuesday's potentially devastating loss, to improve to 9-4 against Philadelphia this season.

Just like last year never happened.

NOT NEWS: Fred Wilpon admitted he "screwed up" with the firing of Willie Randolph. Apparently he had a chance to convince Omar Minaya to wait until the morning, but didn't do it. In other news, the sky is blue, dogs chase cats, and the Phillies don't scare me (anymore).

GOOD IDEA

I have to hand it to the New York Daily News - great move getting Willie Randolph to write his account of how his firing went down for Friday's paper. Just a great idea, and Randolph handled it well, coming across very classy in the article. Although, he did include this, which makes you think he was leaving some things unsaid:

I stood up and shook his [Omar Minaya's] hand, told him I wished him and the team well. Then he handed me an envelope, a little parting gift, and told me to make sure I reviewed it with my agent, Ron Shapiro.

It was a copy of my Met contract that basically says I better not say anything detrimental about the team, or I might jeopardize the rest of the money I have coming to me.

So I guess that brings an eventful week off-the-field for the Mets to an end. Maybe things will start turning around on the field now. I will say this - last year, things went downhill for the Mets after they played the Rockies...and the Rockies went on a tear (a tear that didn't end until the World Series). The Rockies swept the Mets in Colorado July 2, 3, and 4 last year by scores of 6-2, 11-3, and 17-7. So maybe this year a trip to Colorado will do wonders for the Mets. Who knows...I guess I'm still clinging to some optimism.

-And why shouldn't I - so far I'm having a great summer vacation. I decided this is the summer I'm going to take pre-emptive steps against Alzheimer's and do the crossword everyday. One week in, and today, Friday, June 20th, I completed my first crossword puzzle in recent memory. So that's exciting.

-The Mariners fired John McLaren, a move that comes as no surprise for a team that has done even less than the Mets this year. The Blue Jays, though, fired John Gibbons, which I didn't see coming. I have to say, though, that the Blue Jays must be a frustrating team to root for. I wrote about this recently (in one of those bi-weekly updates that I have forgotten about recently - I'll get back to that on Monday) - they just haven't been scoring runs for their pitchers, who have been great. And they see the Rays keeping pace with the Red Sox, and they must be thinking, "Why not us?". The American League East is a strong division. Anyway, Cito Gaston is back in charge in Toronto - it's like 1992 all over again!

REVIEW: ONLY A GAME

A few months back, I got an iTouch. It got me back into iTunes, and I discovered the world of podcasts. At first, I was downloading everything ("Best of ESPN Radio", "Best of Mike & Mike", interviews from "Mike & The Mad Dog"), but quickly learned that there was not enough time in the day to listen to everything. Especially during the school year.

I did, however, have time for a weekly podcast, and made it a point to listen to NPR's "Only A Game", which I knew of, but knew very little about. So I gave it a listen. And I really liked it. Even though my podcast obsession has died down, I still make a point of listening to "Only A Game" each week. Sometimes I save a bunch for the car rides to New York, sometimes I listen as I mow the lawn, sometimes I pop it on iTunes when I'm on the computer. It depends. But I listen to it solely off the podcasts - I couldn't even tell you when it's on regularly. (Check your local listings.)

I thought it was time to write about this, because it's been long enough that I can now tell I really enjoy the show, and it's not just a fluke. (And I apologize if you've been listening for years and you think I'm a dope for just getting this now.) I also wanted to take a break from the Mets mess.

The host of "Only A Game", Bill Littlefield, can be hokey, I guess, but it's all part of what makes the show enjoyable - he's a good hokey, willing to poke fun at what he does not know as well as what he does know, and able to keep everything in perspective. He laughs a lot, too, which is pretty contagious.

The part about the show that impresses me the most, though, is that it offers a take on sports and sports events that I wouldn't usually pay attention to. And I appreciate it. I wouldn't read about women's basketball in the paper or online, but I'll listen to a 7-minute segment on the sport. (I also should pay more attention to the sport, since I'll have two girls at home in a matter of months.)

I also consider myself someone who knows a lot about sports and sports history. But every other week or so, the show features something that I'd never known about, and I appreciate that. I appreciate that it will find something that, not just me, but hardly anyone has ever heard about. It takes work, and it's well done.

Bottom line - the show makes me feel smarter and more knowledgable 90% of the time I listen to it.

Unlike the current news about the Mets, which makes me feel dumber every time I tune in. Yes, that's Jerry Manuel stabbing Willie Randolph in the back on the back cover of the "New York Post". Funny, I don't remember seeing that live. And how did he get the knife through security? (The article is typical 'Post' stuff - don't bother with it. This Tony Bernazard character is a problem, huh?)

RIDICULOUS, PART II

A big event like the Willie Randolph firing gets two postings in one day (make sure you scroll down if you didn't see the first yet).

I wanted to react to Omar Minaya's press conference.

And I want to start by saying I respect Minaya for his friendship with Randolph, and I respect how hard a decision it was for him. I'm sure he's genuine when he says that. I also respect the fact that it was 11:15pm local (Anaheim) time when he had his meeting with Randolph, which he stressed. And I respect that he wanted to be up front and honest with Randolph, and inform him right away, and not have word get out ahead of time, and that he wanted to sleep on the decision before making it and speaking to Randolph. I respect all that...I really do.

And I respect that it was HIS decision, something else he stressed. What I don't respect at all is the way he made the decision.

Omar, you wanted to sleep on this decision? The past month wasn't long enough for you? You could have hibernated on this decision.

Yes, Omar, you met with Randolph at a reasonable time in Anaheim. But please remember something - this Randolph firing affects a lot of people, not the least of which are the fans - 90% of which were sleeping, back on the east coast, when this decision was "announced" (if a press release and an e-mail is an announcement). I firmly believe you wanted to avoid the type of press conference you had to hold in Anaheim anyway on Tuesday afternoon. Did you know that some media types would be left back in New York, and you might not have to answer all of the tough questions? You really looked nervous addressing the folks you addressed on Tuesday - maybe you were nervous about doing it in New York.

You could have slept on the decision Saturday night, Friday night, last week, etc. There's no reason you had to fly all the way out to Anaheim to fire Randolph. You talked about not humiliating Randolph - I don't know that it would have been less humiliating for him to just have to clean out his office in between games of a doubleheader.

I feel like the decision that was made wasn't fair to Randolph - he has to be accosted by the media in a hotel lobby instead of at a presser in the old Jets locker room at Shea? It also wasn't fair to the fans - we deserve more than a note on the crawl on ESPNEWS.

(That said, I also decided, after listening to Jerry Manuel, I am not going to take all of this out on him. I hope the Mets do well the rest of this season, though I don't think some of the players deserve a successful season.)

Bottom line - I think it says a lot about the type of General Manager you are when it takes you this long to make a decision that everyone else knew was coming for a long time. What else might you be hesitant to pull the trigger on?

I am not in the business of calling for people to lose their jobs. It's different in professional sports, I feel (I'm not going to go to my boss and ask her to fire someone I work with, but I would voice that opinion about a pro sports figure), but I still don't like making a habit of it. And with that said, Omar Minaya needs to put the Mets in a position to improve, and fast. Or else I think the GM spot should have a vacancy as well.

RIDICULOUS

Why can't I root for a team that just does things the normal way?

We can go back and forth arguing about whether or not Willie Randolph deserved to be fired - but the truth is the Mets were expected to be on top of the division by now, and they're only better than the Nationals; they should have won the division last year, and they collapsed; and your 1A star player isn't responding to the manager - it makes sense that Randolph was on thin ice.

But I think we can all agree that this was the stupidest way to fire someone in the history of professional sports. My belief (and Omar Minaya will talk later today, so maybe there will be more answers then, but I doubt it) is that the Mets were getting dangerously close to getting back to .500 (they're 34-35 right now), and the timing was getting worse. So the Mets had to fire Randolph after a win over the AL West-leading Angels. In the middle of the night. Just ridiculous.

A quick recap of the Randolph years:

2005 - A season of "seeing what we have". It was a bridge season - Mike Piazza's final year in a Mets uniform, the first for Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez*. Record: 83-79

2006 - Everything Randolph did worked out. The Mets got to Game 7 of the NLCS, but lost to a team they were better than. Record: 97-65.

2007 - Expectations were sky-high. The Mets got off to a fast start, but suffered a historic collapse in September to miss the playoffs. Blame can go all around, but that shouldn't make the manager exempt. Record: 88-74.

2008 - The Mets never got off the ground. Again, it's not all Randolph's fault, but someone has to take the fall. The Mets are classy enough to allow Randolph to earn a 34th win on the season before giving him the ax 3,000 miles from home. Record: 34-35

So where do the Mets go from here? I neglected to mention pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto are also gone. Jerry Manuel takes over as interim manager, and Ken Oberkfell and Dan Warthen come up to the Mets from Triple-A New Orleans. Warthen will most likely be pitching coach - I know very little about him. Luis Aguayo also joins the major league team from the minors.

Manuel has shown the fire for Willie throughout their time together. In the situations when Mets fans wanted some emotion from Randolph, it's been Manuel who has provided it. Manuel must have the respect of the players, otherwise it would have been foolish for the Mets to keep him (although, some might say it's foolish to fire a manager at 3:15am...but what do I know). I'm surprised the Mets didn't turn over the entire staff, to be honest.

I can't predict what will happen the rest of the way for the Mets. What I will say is that they make it very hard to root for them to recover from this disaster. Does the Mets turning it around and having a successful end to the season legitimize the managerial move in the middle of the night? I don't know that I want to find out. I like Jerry Manuel, but I also like Willie Randolph. I might feel a bit satisfied by the Mets continuing to play uninspired ball under a different leader, and maybe start fresh next year....though it pains me to think of that - it's a long time away.

This is probably the most significant Mets move in the history of 200 Miles From the Citi. The blog was born in April of 2004, in the midst of the Art Howe era (and by era I mean "two seasons"). Basically, Willie Randolph is all this blog has known. My feelings on Randolph started out as excitement and enthusiasm for a fresh face in the Mets dugout. They quickly turned to expectation, as the Mets showed such promise in 2006, and then disappointment when that feat wasn't repeated, and in fact, everything got much worse. And finally, frustration and a need for change, because it seemed like the Mets were going nowhere fast under Randolph. I think that's an accurate representation of the feelings of most Mets fans.

A LAST PLAY AT SHEA PREVIEW

Let me tell you about my weekend:

The Wife and I had a weekend packed to the gills. We went up to Hanover, New Hampshire Friday and Saturday for her 10-year reunion at Dartmouth, but I'm not here to tell you about that. Sunday was more eventful.

Billy Joel is in the midst of about 10 shows at Mohegan Sun, so we drove down there Sunday evening to see him. It was in the works for a while, a Father's Day gift of sorts. As you probably know, I love Billy Joel. There are a handful of pop culture/sports people I put on the proverbial pedestal, and Billy Joel is one of them (along with Hall of Famer Gary Carter, the Mets, the Jets, and the likes of David Wright and Chad Pennington). I certainly see these people's faults (moreso these days than ever), but I will always hold them in high regard.

Anyway, I've seen Billy Joel a bunch of times, and the last few times I've seen him he's been great - really energetic - better than you'd expect.

Sunday night, though, was about what you'd expect...which is to say, still very good, but I guess he's showing his age. He spent less time dancing and running around (though still got up for a few songs in a row), and a lot more time just sitting at the piano. And that was awesome.

But it got me thinking...my brother is still efforting getting me down to the "Last Play at Shea" in mid-July. Last I heard, Billy Joel is doing two shows at Shea - the last concerts there. I'm sure Billy Joel will be awesome there - and since it's such a high profile show, I imagine he'll be even better at Shea Stadium than he was at Mohegan Sun on a Sunday night.

And I thought how sad it is that in their final season at their home of 44 years, the Mets will be outperformed in their last season at Shea by a 59-year-old musician. Because unless the Mets have a dramatic turnaround in the next month, that's what will happen. Not what I expected coming into the 2008 season.

3 More Things:

1) Thanks to the Southern Bureau for the updates over the weekend. The "Willie Watch" was a nice touch - and just so I'm on the record - the Mets are really doing themselves no favors by stringing Willie Randolph along day by day. The "lurking shadow" is not helping matters - obviously they want to get rid of him - just do it already. If Omar Minaya looking over Randolph's shoulder hasn't worked by now, it's not going to work just because he flew out west with the Mets. At the very least fire the coaching staff - do something - we all know it's inevitable anyway.

2) This just isn't fair - but it's the way the schedule goes sometimes. Just two weeks after playing a Sunday night game in New York, then playing in San Francisco on Monday night, the Mets finished up a doubleheader late on Sunday (7-ish) against Texas in New York, then flew out to Los Angeles to play the Angels Monday night. That looked tough enough when the schedule came out, before the day game against the Dodgers became a night game and the Rangers game on Saturday was rained out, forcing the doubleheader. Things like that (along with all the losing) make it seem like it just won't be the Mets' year.

3) Interesting that the Mets will probably be naming their new manager on the west coast, the current residence of one Hall of Famer, Gary Carter. Coincidence? Maybe...maybe not.

ANALYSIS THROUGH EIGHT WEEKS

I'm done with the most difficult part of the end-of-school stuff, and although it is still busy, I should be able to write more often. I'm also back from a Memorial Day weekend trip to Washington, D.C., and I have a lot to write about that. So I'll spend most of the rest of the week writing about the Nationals, unless the Mets pull a total 180 and fire Willie Randolph. I'll address that situation within this bi-weekly analysis:

MOST IMPRESSIVE: It's too bad when I have to spend more time thinking about the impressive feats of the past two weeks than the disappointments - because there have been more of the latter than the former. As a result, this space gets a big N/A. Lots of negatives, nothing impressive.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Still not positive - Thought the Mets were past their difficulties with Atlanta, and in Atlanta. But a 4-game sweep to start the week was a surprise, and took away anything good the Mets took by winning 2-out-of-2 in the Bronx.


LEAST IMPRESSIVE: How about the fundamentals? I've never seen so many people get picked off the basepaths on a team. Carlos Beltran doubled off third to end a game (against Washington, I think) after a line drive by Carlos Delgado to first. Jose Reyes getting picked off the bases three times in a little more than a week. David Wright getting doubled off first last week against Atlanta. It's disgusting. And in Washington on Sunday, in the game I went to, Lastings Milledge was on second base, and tried to go to third on a grounder to short. He was thrown out easily. A guy in front of me started cursing the team's discipline. Sadly, I thought it was typical of a Mets farmhand.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Willie Randolph. The above story shows that it's not all Randolph - because maybe there are some fundamentals missing at the minor league level. But you're starting to realize as a Mets fan that maybe Randolph is not the guy for this group of guys. I don't know who is (I don't know that I would want to see Gary Carter get thrown into that mess, but I sure would be excited if he was), but whoever it was would probably think twice before they bring up race. Now, I'm not going to pretend to think it's a perfect world and that everyone is treated equally, because I'm sure Randolph has faced situations where he's been treated differently because of the color of his skin. And by differently I mean awfully. But I think when it comes to managing (or coaching) in New York, it doesn't matter what color your skin is - it matters if you win or lose. And for the past year, he's lost more than he has won. So bring up Herman Edwards and Isiah Thomas all you want, just note that the common denominator, past skin color, is that they lost (one much more than the other). And make sure you also bring up Dallas Green, Jeff Torborg, Bobby Valentine (who did a lot of winning that was overshadowed by losing), and Art Howe when you talk about being treated badly. They all were. Because they all lost. The only difference is the Mets didn't own a television station at the time.

MOST IMPRESSIVE: I have a soft spot in my heart for Jon Lester. Part of it is because his story is a good one, and The Wife and I were part of his comeback, when it was announced upon our arrival in Cleveland that he was starting the game we were going to - his first game back from his cancer battle. He also hasn't done anything to turn me off of him, as so many other ballplayers have done. But his no-hitter last Monday outshines his losing effort Sunday as the best thing that happened in baseball the past two weeks. Plus, he's on my fantasy team.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: The Marlins and Rays still get mentioned here, because they're both in first place. But I'm going to stick with the Red Sox once more and say the effectiveness of Bartolo Colon was pretty surprising. It was against the Royals (see below), and tonight is against Seattle, so you can argue that he hasn't been tested yet, but I'm buying into what people are saying, that he's got a bit of a hunger (no pun intended) to prove himself again, and the fact that he's not that far removed from being dominant.

LEAST IMPRESSIVE: The Kansas City Royals are back to being unimpressive. They just completed an 0-7 week, and lost again today, so they're on an 8-game losing streak. From mediocrity to much less than mediocre...all in a little more than a week.


BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: I mentioned Andruw Jones and the horrible season he's having. Now he's having surgery and will be out for a while - 4 weeks, I think. He continues to stink it up.

Check back the rest of the week - you might think you dialed up johnnynats.blogspot.com, but you'll be in the right place. I'll just be telling you about Washington, D.C. and Nationals Park.

TICK....TICK....TICK

I'm still crazy busy, but I had to put my two cents in. This is part of the article from espn.com about Willie Randolph's recent comments:

"Is it racial?" Randolph asked in the column, written by The Record's Ian O'Connor. "Huh? It smells a little bit."

"I don't know how to put my finger on it, but I think there's something there," Randolph said in the column. He cited the example of former New York Jets coach Herman Edwards as a coach who was initially successful, but did not last long when the Jets started losing. He also noted the treatment of former New York Knicks coach and GM Isiah Thomas, saying "Isiah didn't do a great job, but they beat up Isiah pretty good. ... There's something weird about it."

There's nothing weird about it, Willie. Win some friggin' games. Herman Edwards was fine until he started losing. Isiah Thomas never won. Where were the racial comments in 2006 when you were winning the division?

Apparently Randolph has backed off these comments, but the fact that he would play the race card at all is so disappointing. And this coming after Billy Wagner last week....this team is a mess right now.

I also formed a radical idea on my way home from work today. I can't even believe I'm going to say this...but the Mets might as well just sign Barry Bonds. They can't get much more unlikeable as a team than they are right now, and it wouldn't mess up the clubhouse chemistry any. These guys clearly hate each other and aren't responding to their manager. Might as well throw Bonds into the mix. I don't know where he'd play, but they need some kind of spark. Bench Delgado, make Bonds play first. Sign him just before interleague, make him DH, and see what happens. Moises Alou will probably be hurt again soon.

The Mets' 2008 season is not going like I'd hoped.

NOTES FROM A PHONE CONVERSATION WITH STEVE IN NYC

With the Rangers just having tied their playoff game with the Pittsburgh Penguins at 1, I called Steve in NYC to talk hockey. Soon after, the Rangers were down, 3-1, and the conversation turned decidedly sour. Some lowlights:

WHAT IS WRONG WITH METS FANS?
I didn't really know about this until I saw an article on-line today - apparently, the Mets fans got pretty pumped after Carlos Delgado hit his second home run of the day on Sunday, and cheered louder and louder, but he didn't come out for a curtain call. And I guess, with the rainout on Monday, and nothing else to talk about, Mets fans took Delgado to task for "snubbing" them.

Steve and I are 100% on Delgado's side here. "There are moments, and there are moments," said Delgado. "A solo homer in the 7th inning is not a moment." He's right. It wasn't a game-changing home run. Meanwhile, it was one of three on the year for Delgado. Mets fans need to get a clue. Or I need to get to Shea to show people what to cheer for and how to do it.

One other cheering thing that we talked about - the fact that Mets fans booed Johan Santana during his first start. Don't boo him in his first home game. Idiots. I'm sensing some restlessness tonight, too - Santana just gave up a homer to Jason Bay - following up a leadoff homer by Nate McLouth (having an awesome start to the year, by the way) - and if he gives up anything else, I'm sensing some boos. Get a grip Mets fans - Santana gives up homers. If the offense would get it in gear, two solo homers wouldn't be the end of the world. Boo some of the offensive players until they get it going.

WILLIE RANDOLPH'S JOB SECURITY
This was another topic of conversation - and I've been meaning to bring this up. Steve said Mets fans should save their boos for Randolph, because he's doing a terrible job. I can't disagree. It's occurred to me for a while that if things keep going this way for the Mets, they need to shake things up. Maybe it's the manager's job that goes. I'm going out on this limb - if the Mets are not in first place by the end of May, they should fire Willie Randolph. That might get things going.

LET'S GO *YAWN* METS
Steve is upset about the Mets - even more upset about the way the Mets are playing than maybe the Rangers possibly going down 3 games to none. I said I wish I was that upset about the Mets. The problem for me is that they're uninspiring, and they look uninspired. It's just not getting me excited. Maybe that's Randolph's fault - maybe they need someone to fire them up. But we expected great things this year. Great things haven't started happening yet. I feel like I should be more upset about that than I am. They're not making me stand up and give a care.

APPROPRIATE CONSEQUENCES

It's not often I will sing the praises of the Florida Gators (the Southern Bureau and I had a negative experience with a Florida Gator die-hard, back in college). Besides their team colors, I'm just not a fan. It's also not often that I will sing the praises of a college coach - most of the big-name guys are disingenuous and don't really practice what they preach.

But I'm loving basketball coach Billy Donovan's reaction to his team's disappointing season.

A year ago, the Florida Gators won the national championship. This year, they didn't play very well, and they're making their way through the NIT. After the NCAA Tournament field was announced, and Florida wasn't included, Donovan told his team that they were not allowed to work out in the school's $11 million practice facility. He also banned them from wearing their Florida gear around campus.

I love it. Talk about an embarrassment. What player wouldn't want to rally around this and earn back those rights? Immediately, it made me think of the Mets last September, and whether or not Willie Randolph could have gotten away with similar consequences imposed on the Mets.

The situations are similar. The Mets weren't coming off a championship year, but they had won the division crown. And there was a similar complacency, waiting for the re-coronation, when everything fell apart. Unfortunately, there is no NIT in Major League Baseball.
But imagine if, instead of working out at Shea Stadium all off-season, David Wright had been relegated to Gold's Gym (not that he deserves the mention, since he was one of the few guys who showed up down the stretch....but I mention him because I've heard his name as one who spent much of the off-season working out at Shea). How about if all promotional/endorsement appearances, where the players could have earned an extra few bucks, were canceled as punishment?

That's where the problem lies. The difference between the college athletes and a coach's ability to discipline, and the majors, where the players' union would step in right away, is drastic. And you realize just how tough it has to be to manage these groups of men who, in the grand scheme of things, don't have to face very many consequences for not doing the right thing. Someone will still pay them millions, someone will still offer them an endorsement deal.

As a fan, you just have to hope their pride hurts, because that's what will get them going again. They're certainly not going to suffer in their wallets.

2008 SPRING TRAINING UPDATE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Would it really be fair if I didn't interrupt the baseball preview on Valentine's Day to pay tribute to the last manager of the Mets to lead the team to a World Series appearance?

Bobby Valentine is in Japan these days, managing the Chiba Lotte Marines. I'm sure his name will be popping up in the next month or so as Major League Baseball extends eastward to open up its season.

I've never really had the chance to comment on Valentine, since the blog came into existence during the Art Howe debacle years.

Most people are either gung-ho in love with Valentine, or way in the other direction, flat-out hating him. I never loved him, but I never hated him...and you can't argue with the success the Mets had while he was manager.

I was mostly amused by Bobby Valentine's antics, the most entertaining of which was the "sneak-back-in-the-dugout-wearing-a-lame-disguise-after-being-thrown-out-of-the-game". That was funny. No one does that. He did. I loved it. Only rarely did I feel his antics got in the way of the game. He was also spirited - he cared, and it showed. You didn't get that same emotion out of his successor.

The one thing I'll fault Valentine for is the fact that some of the Mets mentioned in the Mitchell Report are closely connected with him - especially Matt Franco (who has denied the allegations), who followed Valentine to Japan. I feel like he's the type of guy (Valentine is) that would let players get away with stuff like this right under his nose if it would help them win. I get the impression he'd be one of the people sticking up for Roger Clemens wholeheartedly right now.

Anyway, Valentine is on a list that includes just three other men - Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra, and Davey Johnson - men who took the Mets to the World Series. Until another man takes the Mets one step further (looking your way, Willie Randolph), he'll be the one I look back fondly on for now. So Happy Valentine's Day.

3-YEAR DEAL

The Mets have a new stadium on the way. They've locked up young stars David Wright and Jose Reyes. They now have their manager under contract for three years (as well as GM), after Willie Randolph and the Mets came to an agreement on a 3-year contract on Thursday. All that's left is the championship.

I have been slow to update this site, I know. I have a bunch of off-season moves I want to discuss. I don't know if they'll happen soon, or in a few weeks when February break hits. I do know that when I start updating regularly, I won't be stopping.

So please check back once in a while and keep an eye on the site. We're only a few weeks from pitchers and catchers.

SHEA, SWEET SHEA

Mets 4, Cardinals 2 (Series tied, 3-3)


I asked for a little post-season drama. Now I have it. But I don't know that I really need it. Nothing's more dramatic than a Game 7 - and that's what the Mets face on Thursday night, for the right to face the Tigers in the World Series.

Game 6 was a little of everything that made the Mets such a good team all season long. I wanted Jose Reyes to set the table, get the Mets going...he got them going, but skipped the middle man by driving himself in with a leadoff homer in the first inning.

The homer came after the game's other MVP for the Mets made a key play on defense. Paul LoDuca made a nice backhand grab of a down and away pitch from John Maine with the bases loaded in the top of the 1st, saving a run. Maine then got a flyout, leaving the bases loaded. In the 7th inning, LoDuca provided the Mets with some much-needed breathing room with a 2-run single to make the game 4-0.

John Maine was fantastic in this game. He went 5-and-a-third, giving up no runs, and got key outs when he needed to. (He even made a spiffy defensive play on a comebacker by David Eckstein in the fifth - things were going his way in this game.) Maine's only mistake came at the plate, when he failed to lay down a bunt after an Endy Chavez leadoff bunt single in the third inning.

Willie Randolph punched all the right buttons, too. In the 7th inning, with lefty Chris Duncan pinch-hitting, Randolph called on righty Guillermo Mota instead of lefty Pedro Feliciano (who had given up a homer to Duncan in Game 5), and Mota promptly got the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

I might question Randolph bringing in Billy Wagner in a non-save situation - those are the only times I don't feel confident in Wagner. Wagner made it very interesting - letting the first two batters reach base, then giving up 2 runs before closing the door....gently.

Aaron Heilman pitched a great 8th inning, by the way, setting up Wagner.

So we'll head to Game 7. These games are killing me on school nights - I'm going to bed late, and I'm too wired to get right to sleep...I need the weekend bad. But then I'll be watching the World Series - and I won't be able to sleep after those games either.

The Cardinals are battle-tested in Game 7's - the past two years, winning one and losing one against Houston. Jeff Suppan won one, and he's going for the Cardinals in this Game 7. For the Mets, it'll be Oliver. Not sure if it'll be Perez or Darren, though. I might prefer Perez, just because Randolph has been reluctant to mess with his bullpen all year - I'd hate to see him start now. If Perez gets into trouble eary, then bring in D. Oliver, I guess. Tough call. But I think you stay with the guy who's been a starter.

Let's Go Mets.

AND AWAY WE GO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A NIGHT OF COMEBACKS

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

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

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

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

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

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

MAIL: Guess who this is from?

"Johnnymets -

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

Annoyed Mets Fan from Queens"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RUNS NOT IN THE CARDS

Cardinals 1, Mets 0 (NYM: 24-15; STL: 25-15)

The story of the past few seasons for the Mets is that they haven't been able to drive home runs. They've been getting plenty of runners on, but they just haven't been bringing them home. So far this season, a much better season than any of the ones in recent history, that still has been the case. It's one of the few flaws of this team...but it's a major flaw, and one that could be costly. Granted, Mark Mulder pitched a great game, but the Mets had their opportunities, and they couldn't come through with the game on the line.

In the fifth inning, the Mets had David Wright on third base with one out. Kaz Matsui popped up, and Steve Trachsel didn't get him home, so he was stranded. Then the Mets loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, and Wright struck out, and Cliff Floyd grounded to first to end the threat (both outs came against closer Jason Isringhausen - who looked a lot better Wednesday night than I've been giving him credit for all year so far). The Mets just haven't been producing with runners in scoring position...it's tough to even say the runners were in "scoring position"- because they haven't been scoring from that position for the Mets recently.

A big of hindsight, which I questioned at the time. THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, doubled to lead off the ninth. Paul LoDuca came up and bunted the first pitch he saw to put Reyes on third, with one out. Part of me says, yes, bunt him up, then let Carlos Beltran* or Carlos Delgado get him home (the Cardinals pitched around Beltran* and hit Delgado). But I'm thinking at the same time, how LoDuca is one of the hottest bats in the lineup, and after coming through with the game-winning RBI on Tuesday night, all the Mets are talking about how clutch he is. He did a nice job getting the bunt down, on a high pitch, but with the Mets' potential firepower, I say let LoDuca swing away. I'm sure Willie Randolph was questioned about that move. But still - bases loaded, one out, the Mets should have at the very least tied Wednesday night's game.

It should also be noted that Steve Trachsel came through big time - pitching 7 innings of one run, 4-hit ball. The Mets need a lot more of that from him.

Day baseball Thursday. Jose Lima. Mets NEED to score some runs for him.

OTHER BASEBALL: I forgot to talk about this last night, but doesn't it seem like anytime the Rangers and Yankees play, one team is blowing a huge lead, and the other team comes back, and then they trade the lead a couple more times before one team wins in its final at-bat? Those games drive me nuts - it happens at least a couple of times a year with them.....

The Mets are getting a lot of help from Milwaukee - they blew a 2-run lead in the ninth against the Phillies - but Geoff Jenkins just drove home the winning run for the Brewers in the bottom half - so that's two in a row for the Brewers over the Phillies, and the Mets keep their 2-game lead....

The Marlins blew a ninth inning lead against Atlanta for the second night in a row, but right now, in the 11th, Florida has the lead again. Hope they don't lose it again. But I can't stay up for the end of that one....Well, won't have to - Chipper Jones just hit a game-winning homer. Ugh. The Marlins are brutal.

MEDIA NOTES: I just realized that I won't see the first two Yankees-Mets games this weekend. The Friday night games are on networks in New York. Then Saturday's is on FOX, and I'm 99% sure the Red Sox are playing opposite the Mets-Yanks....oops. Never mind. I should get to see Saturday's game...Red Sox are a night game.

Another SNY note - almost everyone on that station (at least two of the broadcasters, anyway) pronounce "Beltran" as though the "ran" is the past tense of "run". I'm 100% sure it should be "Belt-rahn". Or "ron". It drives me nuts - the station is run by the Mets, for crying out loud. Learn how to pronounce the star's name.

HAPPIEST I'VE EVER BEEN ABOUT A NON-MET: The Minnesota Twins did what I've been saying they should do since spring training...they called up pitcher Boof Bonser. With big-time pitching problems at the Major League level, the Twins sent down Kyle Lohse, and called up Bonser, who will start Sunday against the Brewers. What I did not know is that Bonser came to the Twins from the Giants, in the A.J. Pierzynski deal. Bonser is 3-2, with a 2.01 ERA, and 47 strikeouts in 49 innings at Triple A this year. The Twins, though, say this move is more about Lohse's ineffectiveness than Bonser's pitching at Rochester.

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets are going late too...must have been a rain delay or something...they trail Dunedin 3-2 in the 7th. I'll update that on Thursday. The Mets still have a 3-game lead in the division, with a 23-15 record.

LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Welcome to the newest addition to the johnnymets.blogspot.com lineup. In the traidition of the "Wright Watch", "The Kid's Kids", and the never-named Boof Bonser tracking...I bring you "Last-Place Lastings", watching the performances of Mets prospect Lastings Milledge for the Norfolk Tides. The name of this feature is no reflection on Milledge himself, just that Norfolk is probably going to be in last place all season, and it's a catchy name. Milledge has been leading off for the Tides all year, and started off very hot. He must be struggling lately, because he went 1-for-3 Wednesday night, which actually increased his average to .279. I thought he was doing a lot better than that. From know on, we'll KNOW, thanks to "Last-Place Lastings"!

FANTASY UPDATE: Almost perfect...I won two out of three from the lowly Cubs. But I realize there is a definite need for a lights-out closer in this league - I won 11-4, then 11-8, and in game 3 I led 4-2 in the ninth, and lost, 9-4. Roger McDowell and Randy Myers are to blame. I really needed that sweep - and with Dwight Gooden starting, I thought I had it. Very disappointing. Sadly, if Armando Benitez shows up on the waiver wire, I'm going to have to grab him.

BEAT THE STREAK: Nomar got the hit in the final at-bat for me to start a new streak on Wednesday - I'm taking Miguel Cabrera on Thursday.

MINI-SWEEP

Mets 6, Pirates 0 (NYM: 19-9, PIT: 8-22)

The Mets completed their sweep of the short two-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a shutout, winning 6-0. Tom Glavine went 7 shutout innings, giving up 3 hits and a walk, and striking out 10! He's now 4-2 on the year, picking up career win number 279. Glavine's defense failed him at times (David Wright committed his sixth error), but he pitched out of a couple of bases loaded situations to maintain the 1-0 lead he pitched with all night.

The Mets were stifled by Paul Maholm (pronounced Ma-hall-um, weirdly enough), who held them to one run in six innings. But they broke through in a big way against the Pittsburgh bullpen, getting 5 runs in the 7th inning to break the game open. Xavier Nady delivered the big blow with a 3-run homer - he had a 4-RBI night. Also, David Wright's slump can officially be declared over. He went 4-for-5, and ends the night with a .302 batting average, up from as low as .275 early in the night.

Willie Randolph keeps pushing the right buttons - he decided last night to rest Nady, and started Endy Chavez, and he had a great night. Thursday night, Nady's back, and he has 4 RBI. It's looking like one of those seasons where things go right....Except for those 3 blown saves by Billy Wagner. Oh well, I guess Pedro* will have to settle for 28-0.

Friday night begins a weekend series with the Braves at Shea. By the end of the weekend, the Mets and Braves will have met 9 times already.

THE KID'S KIDS: Look who's alone in first place again. The St. Lucie Mets beat Palm Beach on Thursday night, 3-1, to take over sole possession of first place in the division. They're 17-9, a game ahead of Palm Beach, two up on Brevard County.

BEAT THE STREAK: It's always a gamble taking those power hitters. The walks are what kill me. Nothing doing for David Oritiz, so I'll try to get something rolling with A-Rod Friday night in Texas.

FANTASY UPDATE: The What If Sports Mets are 1-2 after a day of baseball. The game seems a bit random, though. I played the Reds in Cincinnati for three games. In the first game, Tom Seaver '78 beat Tom Seaver '72, and I lost 12-4. In the second game, Dwight Gooden went the full game (throwing 173 pitches - oops - I fixed my pitch counts for the future), striking out 15, in a 14-4 win. (Robin Ventura had a grand slam - pretty accurate game! Gary Carter also homered.) But I lost the last game 14-1, with Pedro Martinez (*) on the mound. I need to figure out how to get the pitching to be good. The Giants are the next opponent, on Friday.

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.