Disaster Redux

Still not over it? Me neither. The World Series starts tonight and though the Cardinals are being written off as an afterthought, I'm not quite sold that the Tigers should be crowned champions just yet. The Tigers undoubtedly have the better pitching staff, but the Cardinals certainly do not have bad one. As all of us Met fans saw, their bullpen and starting rotation are quite effective.

I was pulling for the Tigers in the series because of how the Cardinals rubbed me the wrong way with their play and a few of their fans, but this article is making me rethink things. It seems we are dealing with two franchises and towns that pass confidence right by and go right for smug cockiness. Truth be told, I was thinking ahead and wondering what I would do if the Mets missed the World Series. I thought I would watch and cheer for the Tigers, but now? Both teams are dead to me. I hope this World Series has ratings lower than the WNBA championships. Fuck 'em both.

* * *

There really is no explanation for the existence of this video. Words cannot express the bizarreness of this.

On Thursday, Michel Abreu went 1 for 4 with his second homerun of the AFL and knocked in two RBIs in Mesa's 9-1 win over Scottsdale.

On Friday, two of the Mets brightest were leading Mesa to victory over Peoria. Fernando Martinez went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, his first AFL homer, and three RBIs to bring his average up to .258. This 17 year old kid is playing with guys who will be in the Major Leagues next year and his stock is just skyrocketing. Mike Pelfrey got the start and went three innings and gave up one hit, no runs, and no walks while striking out three.

Did that blow your mind? Because that just happened. ~ Ricky Bobby

Endy's catch went from being one of the most clutch catches of all time to being just another great play. Seeing him extend and bring back a homerun ball he had no business catching was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. You just felt that the Mets were destined to win after that. Oliver Perez was thrust into the biggest game of his life after being added to the playoff roster due to injury. Last night felt magic. Last night felt like destiny for this Met team. I still cannot understand for the life of me how the Mets did not pull this one out and let Jeff Suppan shut them down again.

Yes, yes...the Mets had a great season. Everyone pat themselves on the back. It does not change the fact that this was one of the most heartbreaking losses you will ever see. My friend and I were at Stout last night and the crowd was great. The bar was going nuts as there were plenty of "En-dy-Cha-vez" chants going around, "Let's Go Mets" chants, "Endy, Endy, Endy...Oi, Oi, Oi" chants, etc. After the Mets lost, I just walked out of the bar. I drop my money on the table and said, "I gotta go". The "buck up Mike, things will be alright" texts started to come through as my Yankee friends feared I might do something drastic. My one friend IM’d me this morning, “Did you wake up in a gutter? I wouldn’t blame you if you did.” My Met fan friends? Silent. I called one friend and he said he did not want to talk.

However, I did do something drastic. I got a hot dog, meat on a stick, and probably e coli. People might call me a bit a of germaphobe so that is no small thing for me to actually purchase something from a street vendor as I've seen them drop food and pick it back up as if the five second rule was really a rule to be followed, but drastic times call drastic measures. Now we get to look towards next year. Omar will make a 97 win team appreciably better. The Mets will return next year with another ace in their stable and will probably have the best starting rotation in the National League when Pedro Martinez returns mid-year and possibly the entire Major Leagues. The Mets will have a full year of the new and improved Jose Reyes. The Mets will have the best bullpen in the Major Leagues again. In 2007, anything less than a trip to the World Series will be a failure. Omar has turned this franchise around in short order and though you could not call them anything but a success in 2006, not much can assuage how a lot of us are feeling right now. The Mets were so close to winning this series and this one hurts badly.

* * *

Friday morning quarterback time. Really not much to complain about as it was just a rough loss. You have to tip your cap the Cardinals pitching as Suppan was huge and Wainwright was unreal getting two huge strikeouts in the ninth with men on base including striking out Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded. Ironically enough, the big fear in regards to last night's game was Oliver Perez and he was dealing last night and was not the problem. He went six innings and had 88 pitches (61 strikes and four intentional balls). Personally, I would have rather seen him come back out in the seventh despite Rolen knocking that ball over the wall, but you got the feeling that Willie thought he was lucky to get this far with him and lucky to get as much out of him as he did. Perez's at-bat never came up in the sixth so it certainly would have made sense to try and get another inning out of him to me.

That would have set up Bradford for the eighth, Heilman for the ninth, etc. As for Heilman, he took the loss, but he did his job and I do not fault Willie for bringing him out in the ninth. I'm sure a lot of people will fault Willie since the closer is supposed to be in there in a tie game at home in the ninth. Some people might think it was a loss of confidence in Wagner, but Heilman is one of the better relievers in the league. You play for the win in the bottom of the ninth, but with the Mets offense, getting another inning from Heilman and then having Wagner for two was not exactly a bad thing. You would figure that would have given the punchless Mets three more chances to scratch out a run basically ensuring a win.

In the end, it really is not a big deal since the Mets were not winning the game with one run. The Mets got two hits in the first and did not get another until the ninth inning. After they scored in the bottom of the first, I was expecting the Mets to put up quite a few on Suppan, but that obviously did not materialize. Instead, the Mets season ended as Carlos Beltran took strike three an another wicked curveball from Wainwright who has impressed me a lot this series. Really, you could say Beltran choked, but he didn't. He was big this series for the Mets and Wainwright is downright nasty. The Mets had first and second with no outs and only LoDuca was able to do something at the plate. The Mets lost this one as a team, the blame doesn't sit on any one person.

"A classic game," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "I'm disappointed for our ballclub. I'm real proud of my guys. It stings right now. It's a good experience for some of our younger guys, to go through this kind of drama. ... We've come a long way in a short time."

I wasn't going to post any links today, but this one deserved it. Wallace Matthews is the biggest douche ever spawned. The article is so bad, it has to be read.

In fact, the A's, swept by the Tigers, probably could have beaten either of these two in the World Series, as could the Twins, the Angels, the Red Sox and, as much as it pains to admit it, the Yankees.

With the exception of Chavez' leap, this series and last night's game were very much like the lady who sang the national anthem. Close, but nothing special. (It was Glenn Close, by the way.)

But then, what can you expect from a team with no pitching playing a team with no hitting? The Cardinals, winners of 83 games, boast a lineup of one guy who can hit, Albert Pujols, and eight who can't. And Pujols wasn't hitting.

The Mets, meanwhile, sent out Perez to win this crucial game, a pitcher with a 3-13 record and 6.55 regular-season ERA, a pitcher so bad he was sent to the minors by the Pirates but had become so vital to the Mets hopes that his 5 2/3-inning, five-earned run performance in Game 4 of the LCS was praised as if they had just discovered the new Koufax.

Really, it gets worse. The article is off the charts in terms of stupidity. It really makes him look petty and like he has an agenda to follow.

The Bobby Valentine Syndrome / History Revisited

It's on people.....

I was listening to the Dan Patrick show today and he brought up one big point that certainly is on my mind. My one fear for the game is Willie over thinking things and trying to do too much instead of letting things play out. Bobby Valentine was the king of over managing and simply trying to do too much instead of letting his players do their thing. I'm not saying Willie should wait until Perez gives up six before he is yanked, but he needs to put his faith in the erratic lefty and his team that netted 97 wins. We know he will have a short hook with Perez on the mound, but I would hate to see him get pulled in the first if he gets into a bit of trouble. They will undoubtedly need the bullpen's help tonight to get this done, but they need some innings out of Perez too.

A statement to Oliver Perez:
Well, Oliver Perez is not a thinker. Oliver Perez is a pitcher. He is a do-er, and that's what you need to do. You don't need to think. You need to pitch. You need velocity. You need to go out there, and you need to get pumped. You need to fire it up. You need to grab ahold of that line between velocity and chaos, and you need to wrestle it to the ground like a demon cobra. And then, when the fear rises up in your belly, you use it. And you know that fear is powerful, because it has been there for billions of years! And it is good! And you use it! And you ride it; you ride it like a skeleton horse through the gates of hell, and then you win, Ollie! You WIN! And you don't win for anybody else. You win for you, you know why? Because a man takes what he wants. He takes it all. And you're a man, aren't you? Aren't you?!

Anyone know what that's from? Bonus points if you do.

* * *

I yanked this from the Amazin' Avenue comments section:



That's right: What Hintz spotted -- and what Uni Watch and countless other researchers had missed over the years -- was that Bill Buckner was wearing a Chicago Cubs batting glove under his first baseman's mitt. (And no, that's not a Photoshop job -- it's the real deal.)

The poor Red Sox. It's bad enough they were saddled with one curse; they didn't know they were actually fighting two of them. No wonder Buckner missed that ball. He never had a chance.

One of the best reads in a while and it is mind boggling how it went unnoticed for so long.

Viva la Revolución

This image has been floating around the net and has been an in a few other blogs and it is great. T-shirts need to be made.

It is strange to say that a team that was tied for the Major League lead in wins and was by far the most dominant team in the National League has overcome all odds to get to the point they are at, but it is true. The Mets have a guy on the mound pitching that had the highest regular season ERA out of any pitcher to start in a playoff game. That is just starting, forget about starting a game seven.

The Mets grinded their way here after some forgettable performances against the Cardinals and will be prepared to do battle for game seven at Shea stadium. You think last night was nuts? I cannot fathom how crazy it will be tonight and it all rests on the shoulders of one erratic lefty who could throw a no hitter and go the distance or get pulled after the first.

We know that all hands are on deck for tonight with the exception of John Maine. Perez will have the shortest leash you have ever seen a pitcher have and that is out of complete necessity. Not one person in the world knows what this kid is going to do. You can guess, but consistency has not been his thing over the past few seasons.

Admittedly I was not feeling to optimistic prior to yesterday's game. I was a doubting Thomas. A negative Nancy. A douchefuck Dave. Today? Not so much. I'm so happy you would think A-Rod's plane overran the runway...oh wait. This is what it is all about. I know the Mets were in the World Series this century and not all that long ago, but it feels like it never happened. The Shea faithful are alive and kicking and is time for all hands to be on deck. It is time for the offense to show up like they did in Perez's last start and it is time for the Mets to keep proving everyone wrong.

* * *

From the comments last night:

Scott said...

Gammons was on the Fatman and Lapdog show tonight. He is sure that Zito is coming our way in a deal for 6 years and $96mil.

He says that Zito is indeed in man love with Rick Peterson. Gammons doesn’t think that the Spanks are interested because of their payroll but he does think they will spend on the Japanese Ma%&#$?duke guy but both Toronto and Boston will jack up that idea.

He also thinks it will still be a Mets Tigers WS.
6:37 PM

Too much for Zito? I think we all can agree yes, but I think he would be stellar for this Mets club and provide some much needed stability.

As for Gammo's prediction, his face might look like melted wax, but the man makes sense.

metfaninutah said...

I think we get to Carpenter again tonight and Maine shocks the baseball world with a stellar performance. Look at it this way, we still have home field advantage, even if we're facing elimination. The Mets have been great and Shea and the Cards didn't fare too well there earlier this season. Have Faith! We can still do this.

Prophetic man. Very well done.

The Mets want Tommy G. back again.

"We've had their agents express interest that they want to come back and we've told them that we are interested in some of the guys and that we will discuss it at the end of the year," Minaya said. "I don't think it's right now to be talking. I'd rather not. Some agents want to be more aggressive than others and some players have said they want to be back."

One such player is Tom Glavine, who would seem to be a near lock at returning for another season. The Mets could bring him back with a $14 million option, or if they decline, Glavine could choose to return for $7.5 million or exercise a $3-million buyout.

"We'd love to have Tommy Glavine back next year," Minaya said.

Personally, I hope he returns.

As bad as Met fans can be and as hard as they are sometimes on the players, they will show up when they are needed.

"The fans here, if you need that little extra momentum, they will help you out," Maine said. "They will give it to you."

John Maine appreciates the Shea faithful.

Joel Sherman drops some tidbits.

At present, the worst season ERA ever to start a Game 7 is 5.88, by Gregg, who was the Dodgers' winning pitcher, in relief, on April 15, 1947, which was Jackie Robinson's debut. Perez, at 6.55, would easily eclipse Gregg's ERA.

If the Mets want to be heartened, the second-worst ERA to ever start a Game 7 was 5.42 by Derek Lowe in the 2004 ALCS. Lowe won by holding the Yanks to one run in seven innings while his counterpart, Kevin Brown, lasted just 11/3 innings and surrendered five runs.

Bill Ladson is laying it down...I hope you are picking it up.

Why did the Mets' Willie Randolph put in Billy Wagner in the ninth inning during a non-save situation?
-- Sal R., New York

Wagner should have been in there. He hasn't pitched since Friday and he needed the work on the mound. I think this outing will help him for Thursday.

Why in the world does Wagner keep throwing sliders instead of his fastball, his money pitch?
-- Ana P.

That's something the FOX announcers brought up toward the end of the game on Wednesday. I think you have to show a hitter more than just a fastball -- mix things up.

BP hits the nail on the head here. Read the entire piece, it's solid and really outlines why Willie needs to improve and how they really dropped the ball with Milledge.

Kevin Mulvey picked up the loss as Mesa lost to Scottsdale. Mulvey went three innings and gave up two hits, two runs, no earned runs, and one walk while striking out three. Fernando Martinez went 1 for 4 to bring his average up to .222.

Where is that Cardinals in six ass that has been posting his fearless predictions in the comments? Suck it!

Forget about the curveball Johnny, give 'em the heater

Swellicious. Game six was amazing. John Maine was tight and worked through some bad jams for 5.1 shut-out innings. He was attacking with his fastball and throwing a lot of high ones. I cannot say enough about what the kid went out there and did.

A few thoughts on the game:

1) The Cardinals are far from classy. I can say that Willie is a bad tactical manager and I would be right, but he gets his team to play the game the right way and the honest way. After Albert Pujols' antics this week, the last thing I needed to see was more poor showings by the Cards. Last night, Ronnie Belliard completely fell on top of Reyes head after it looked like he could very much avoid, or at least minimize, the impact during one of Reyes' stolen bases. Then, Jim Edmonds attempted a take out slide in which he hit the ground and proceeded to jump off the ground and basically try and tackle Jose Valentin. I'm okay with playing hard, but I think they crossed the line and looked like a desperate team.

2) Why is Wagner ever put in when there is a non-save situation?

3) Did anyone see Braden Looper knuckle deep up his nose after he got knocked out of the game? He was picking his nose with this ring finger (who the fuck picks their nose with their ring finger) and deftly switched to his pointer finger and hit pay dirt. Nice.

4) Tony LaRussa needs to give up the shades. He is not playing poker.

5) The Mets fans helped fuel that victory. I was not there, but you could tell things were nuts out at Shea.

6) Reyes woke up and when Reyes is in the game making things happen, the Mets win.

All I know is it does not matter who won game six. It does not matter who won game four or five. It does not matter who won 97 games or who won 83 games during the regular season. This is down to winning one more game.

Incredible. I am insanely excited right now and game seven cannot come fast enough.

Ummm...Yeah

All that losing and bad baseball last night? The Mets are sorry. That wasn't supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to lay up a colossal stinker and shrivel up like something near and dear to me when I jump into some cold water. It's hard not to think about Delgado's 1st inning error, Willie's misuse of the bullpen, or Green's near catch on an eventual triple helped give a away a huge game for the Mets in game two. It is hard not to think about how the Mets lost two of their top three starting pitchers and had to hit the post season with duct tape and bubblegum holding the rotation together.

But all of that doesn't matter. The fact is the Mets are not executing when the need to. They have made too many mistakes in this series. The fact is that despite all their injuries, the Mets still should have been a better position in this series than they are currently in. Did the Cardinals appreciably outplay the Mets? Fuck no. The Mets more so outplayed themselves. Pitchers will get beat sometimes as hitters will get beat sometimes. However, failure to do the small things to win the game and diverge from the type of baseball they have been playing all year is disheartening. That's not the way to go down.

Can the Mets win the last two games of the series? Sure, anything is possible, but it is highly unlikely. The Mets only hope at this point is explode offensively as they did in game four and ride their bats into the World Series. If the bats are quiet like they were last night, there is no shot this Met team can pull things out.

* * *

I've never wanted to choke someone more than I did last night.



As Valentin took strike three on a perfect pitch by Adam Wainwright with men on second and third, I wanted to choke him. Not because he got beat. That pitch was filthy. But because he didn't try and fight it off and just looked at what was absolutely a strike in such a crucial spot with two strikes and proceeded to say "no fucking way" (or something like that) and made a face. Not swell man, you got beat badly. Not swell at all.

Are people actually still writing about who is starting game seven?

Billy Wagner backs up Tom Glavine.

"I know if Albert would have said that about me, I wouldn't have been as veteraned, as seasoned about it," said Wagner, the team's 34-year-old closer. "I probably would have said something back. That's me. Tom is classy all the way."

Stay classy Tom.

No pressure John. Just millions of rabid fans depending on you to save this season from ending tonight.

"I was walking too many people," Maine said of his Game 2 start. "That's what hurts. Just go out there and throw strikes, the fastball, work off that. I've just got to keep the walks down.

"I don't think it's so much nerves," Maine added. "I don't want to say focus. I go out there every pitch trying to focus. It's just one of those games, happened at a bad time. It's something that I can fix and something I'll work on between each start and ...I will be all right."

Trachsel revisited.

Trachsel faced 12 batters, and 10 reached base (five hits, five walks). That computes to 83 percent. Trachsel was thus the first pitcher to make a postseason start, face at least 10 batters and have more than 80 percent of them reach base by way of a hit, a walk or a hit batsman.

Before Trachsel came Todd Stottlemyre of St. Louis, who in Game 5 of the 1996 league championship series against Atlanta allowed 9 of 12 batters, or 75 percent, to reach base

Mesa beat Peoria 14-9 yesterday as Fernando Martinez pushed his average over .200. Martinez went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI. He also added a sacrifice in the game.

Kevin Mulvey will be on the mound today for Mesa as they take on Scottsdale.

In case you have not seen this Honda commerical, check it out. It might not bring you back off that ledge after the Mets big loss, but it will certainly make you a little bit happier.

Ass Coffee

Mmmmmmm....

Kopi Luwak or Civet coffee is coffee made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). The animals gorge on the ripe berries, and the undigested beans are excreted. This process takes place on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Philippines (where the product is called Kape Alamid), in the country of Vietnam, and the coffee estates of south India. Vietnam has a similar type of coffee, called Weasel Coffee which also comes from the droppings of coffee beans after weasels eat robusta coffee cherries.

Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling up to $70 USD per quarter pound,( http://www.coffeebreakgourmet.com ) and is sold mainly in Japan and United States, but it is increasingly becoming available elsewhere, though supplies are limited.

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and luwak is a local name of the Palm Civet. The raw, red coffee berries are part of its normal diet, along with insects, small mammals, and other fruit. The inner bean of the berry is not digested, but it is believed that enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavor by breaking down the proteins that give coffee its bitter taste. The beans are excreted still covered in some inner layers of the cherry, and locals then gather them and sell them to dealers. The beans are washed, and given only a light roast so as to not destroy the complex flavors which develop through the whole process. While praised by many for its rich flavor, the unusual origin and manner of production lead some drinkers to deride it as "cat poop coffee" or "monkey poo coffee," while others deem it worthy of the title "ass-coffee."

Who wants coffee?

* * *

Arizona Fall League update:

10/13: Fernando Martinez went 1 for 3 with one strikeout to raise his average to .091 in Mesa's loss to Grand Canyon.
10/14: Phil Humber got the start for Mesa and went two innings, gave up two hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out three. Mike Pelfrey followed him in relief with one shut-out inning in which he walked two and struck out one. Fernando went 0 for 4 with one strikeout.
10/16: Fernando Martinez 'broke out' with a 2 for 4 day and struck out once. He is batting .158 so far in the AFL.

Listen to Phil Humber and Mike Pelfrey at noon today with Jonathan Mayo. I’m listening and they did not come on yet, so hurry up and get over there.

Sweet Lou? Check. The first 40/40/40 guy? Maybe....

What a great fit Soriano would be for the Cubs and the Astros for that matter. I cannot think of two teams that need him more and with a healthy Derek Lee, a better manager, and Alfonso Soriano, the Cubs could be the most improved team in 2007.

Manny Acta is most likely going to find a managerial postition this off-season.

Though Pujols has known Acta for years, the WBC was his first opportunity to play for Acta. And while Acta impressed Pujols with his insight and ideas about managing, what stood out was the way Acta got the most out of every player.

"Just the personal relationships, how he got along with the guys -- everybody just loves him," Pujols said. "He's pretty much laid-back, but always the message that he had was very focused. I've known him for about six years, and he's pretty much great."

Pujols' thoughts on Acta seem typical. Mets shortstop Jose Reyes' eyes and smile both grew wide when he heard Acta will interview for the Rangers' job once the Mets conclude postseason play.

There should be some opening on the Mets staff next season and I hope they start promoting from within from the bevy of solid coaches they have in their minor league system.

Great news! Trachsel will be ready to pitch game seven!

Raise your hand if you think the Mets would risk putting a game seven to go to the mother fucking World Series on Steve Trachsel's extremely incapable right arm? Not one person, huh?

Ziiiiing!

After speaking with reporters, Glavine went to play catch and ride an exercise bike to break a sweat. Then he considered what to do with his unexpected free time.

See the Gateway Arch?

“Probably not too much to see up there,” Glavine said.

Nope Tom, not much.

Daisuke is looking to be a pretty expensive buy.

“You’re trying to assess how much interest there really is in the player,” said San Diego Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, speaking of the bidding process. “It depends on how much you want the player. If you want him, you don’t want to make a lowball bid. But also, if there’s not a lot of interest, you don’t want to overpay.”

After the 2003 season, Towers made a successful bid of $300,000 for the rights to reliever Akinori Otsuka. The Matsuzaka bid should dwarf that figure. Valentine predicted it would cost a team more than $20 million for the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka. (The Mariners’ winning bid for Suzuki was $13.125 million.) Then the team must negotiate a contract with Matsuzaka, who has leverage because he can return to Japan and put off free agency until next season, when all teams can talk with him.

The entire posting system is interesting. The highest bidder just flat out gets him. No back and forth. One and done so make it a good one.

The Duque can dance.

"Willie (Randolph) give. I take," Hernandez said when asked about his availability. "Right now I'm not feeling anything. I'm running. Not hard, but I'm running, (using a) bicycle. The trainers are doing very well with me. I come early every day. I work out every day hard. Now I can dance."

Knowing the Mets get The Duque back in the World Series should give them a bit of bump in terms of momentum.

"He threw a 72-pitch bullpen (session Sunday)," Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson said. "He said he felt great, excellent. His arm feels great and he can see himself coming back. He wants so desperately to be a part of this. This is what he lives for. He's a big-game pitcher and we'd love to have him."

I'm pumped. I never thought I'd be so happy at the thought of The Duque taking the mound.

Should Cliff be kept on the roster? I'm not so sure about that.

"I tried to run (Sunday). It didn't feel too good. Some things you just have to try. You just want your teammates not to be like, 'Here we go again. Tryouts.' It's not the time for tryouts. In my opinion, I don't think it's a bad move putting me on the roster because I feel like I can help."

A big bat off the bench is nice, but the Mets have bigger issues here. I would love to see a Kirk Gibson moment from him, but the Mets also need to be realistic and look at their bigger needs here.

I love it.... Now the excuses come out. What player is not banged up at this time of the year?

The Mets pre-game and post-game shows are big hit.

"I didn't realize Mets fans had so much fun before and after games," Darling said yesterday.

You should see me in the parking lot with my 30 pack of PBRs offering candy to children. It's a hoot.

Anyone still think Delgado was not needed because the Mets had Mike Jacobs?

Carlos Delgado certainly has made the most of his first postseason appearance, taking out on opposing pitchers 12 years of disappointment at sitting home in October. Delgado leads all players with nine RBI in this series, is batting .400 and, along with teammate Carlos Beltran, has hit three home runs.

"Carlos is obviously having a fantastic inaugural postseason," Glavine said.

Silly bitches.

Elephantitis of the Cojones

My post has been regurgitated....

After watching the Mets starting pitching in the playoffs for seven games and getting some puke inducing stats last night, I've decided, the Mets are lucky to be this deep into the playoffs. Last night, FOX threw out these stats during the telecast. Before last night's game, the Mets played six playoff games. In Glavine's two starts, he was sharp. In the other four starts, Steve Trachsel started two games and John Maine started two games. In those four games, their ERA was 7.82, their PP/G was 69.25, and their WHIP was 2.53.

That was before last night. After last night, those numbers actually went up. The reality of it is, Oliver Perez was not good. Yes, the start was huge in the big scheme of things being he had two weeks off and gave the Mets exactly what they needed to win the game last night, but he was not sharp. With last nights game included, in the five starts made outside of Tom Glavine, the Mets have a 7.85 ERA, 2.29 WHIP, 73.80 P/G, and some more ugly overall stats which do not need to be mentioned. And yet, the Mets swept the Dodgers and are even at two games a piece with the Cardinals. Now, the Mets have their ace on the mound in Tom Glavine and could quite possibly go back to New York with a 3-2 series lead.

Unbelievable. When you really look at what their starting pitching has done and how their offense has underperformed, they have no business being where they are. Part of the reason they keep winning is because they do not know any better. They do not care what their rotation looks like, this team believes in themselves and has guts. What is even more nuts, if Willie's use of the bullpen in game two was not horrendous, the Mets could have quite conceivably had three wins with Glavine due to pitch in game five for the clincher. The Mets need to have this serve as a wake-up call. I still believe in John Maine's ability to be a solid pitcher for this Met ball club. I believe in Tom Glavine's ability to continue to be their ace. Last night's win gave them a new lease on life with their two best starters due up.

The Mets can still win this and when you look the numbers, it is really amazing that they can. Willie needs to wake up, the offense needs to wake up, and Maine and Glavine have step up, but this team can make it the World Series. However, the Mets need to come out and end it in these next two games for two reasons. With the seventh game of the LCS due to be played on 10/19 and the first game of the World Series due to be played on 10/21, it is necessary the Mets go out and end it in six to rest up for the Tigers. It is also not great situation for the Mets to be in a game seven scenario with either Oliver Perez, Steve Trachsel, or Darren Oliver going against Jeff Suppan. It's go time.

* * *

It's on 'til the break of dawn.

If the New York Mets reach the World Series, "El Duque" could rejoin them.

Orlando Hernandez said he felt strong enough to pitch in the World Series after a bullpen session on Sunday in St. Louis. He threw for about 10-15 minutes before the Mets' 12-5 win over the Cardinals, tying the series at two games apiece.

"If the team has a chance to be in the next round, I'll be in," Hernandez told reporters.

With The Duque in the rotation with John Maine, Tom Glavine, and Oliver Perez, this team has a chance to win the World Series. With no Duque and Steve Trachsel, who we all knew going into this had no business throwing a pitch in the playoffs, in the rotation, this team has no chance if they should move onto the next round.

Oliver Perez did not look great, but he was off for two weeks and was around the plate. I liked what I saw and though I did not like his personal results, they were something that watching Steve Trachsel isn't....encouraging. If the Mets can find away to succeed in this series, things will be looking up for them.

First it was Cardinals fans praying for rain and now Tom Glavine and the Mets are praying for rain. I'm going to stay out of it because I called a Cards fan a douchebag for not 'man-ing' up and actually praying for rain.

Is it OK to pray for rain when your October life depends on it? The Mets will never admit they're obsessing about the weather forecast, but after a 12-5 flogging of the Cardinals in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, rain is all anyone is thinking about.

According to forecasts, the rain is-a-coming. It should be noted that Weaver is going on short rest too and I'd rather strike while the Mets offense is hot.

Endy's throw last night aside, where has the Mets defense gone? I'm not sure, but they have looked sloppy. Simply inexcusable when faced with their current pitching woes. They need to step up and field like they did against the Dodgers and each of Tom Glavine's starts.

Speaking of defense, Jim Edmonds play last night in which he made an over the shoulder catch to steal a hit from Jose Reyes was unbelievable. That guy is a joy to watch in the outfield and he can still go out there and get it even in his advanced age. No one goes back on balls as good as him and no one in the league can make the over the shoulder catch like him.

Is anyone not enjoying Albert Pujols be a complete non-factor?

Sweet Lou will be the manager of the Chicago Cubs. It's amazing how so many people wrote him in as the new Yankee manager much like they write in every big ticket free agent as a future Yankee. It goes to show you little these 'inside sources' actually know.

The Rockies might be looking to steal Sandy Alomar Jr. for their first base coach, but that is not happening unless the Mets do not want him back.

T.J. Quinn speculates on how to fix the Yankees.

1. DUMP A-ROD. REPLACE HIM WITH A HARD-NOSED PLAYER
Oh, they will try. If they can get any pitcher of any worth, they should jump at the chance. If the Angels will give them Ervin Santana, they should dump A-Rod off. He needs to go before he does something to hurt himself.

2. GET HELP FOR JOE TORRE
This one is funny. The best manager ever needs help? Most Met fans know the guy is not a good manager and TJ agrees. He needs someone sitting next to tell him telling him what to do.

3. FIND A SUB FOR MARIANO RIVERA BEFORE ONE IS NEEDED
Here he suggests targeting the Angels Francisco Rodriguez in a trade, but that was so funny I shit my pants.

4. GET MORE STARTERS, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES
They will get at least one more starter this year, but there will be a lot of competition for the available starters.

5. DEVELOP YOUNG TALENT - CHANGE IS A COMIN'
Hughes will be a big boon for this team and they have been more open to young players, so this is one thing they do have going for them.

Blogger at my post....

It was long. I'm pissed.

The gist?

Mets are lucky to be here. As pointed out on FOX last night, coming into last night's game the Mets starters had a 7.82 ERA, 2.53 WHIP, and averaged 3.1 innings per start in non-Glavine starts. With Perez's start added into the non-Glavine starts, the Mets have a 7.85 ERA and 2.29 WHIP. Ugly.

The Mets have a new lease on life and have a chance to win this thing. They need to wake up, continue to hit, get their heads out of their asses on defense, and play baseball like they have all season. With the Mets two best starters on tap in the next two games, they have a shot do good things which is really unbelievable at this point and they need to take advantage of that.

* * *

Jim Edmonds catch was siiiiick last night on a Reyes' flyball.

The Duque says he will be ready for the World Series should the Mets make it that far. That is good. I have faith in Glavine, Duque, Maine, and Oliver Perez. However, take The Duque out and insert Steve Trachsel (who we all know had no business starting a playoff game) and the Mets would have no shot against the Tigers if they get past the Cards.