My Bracket is Busted, It Must Be Time For Baseball

Every college team I needed to win on Friday ended up losing. My bracket is officially busted. As a huge college basketball fan, I was disappointed in the blowout games this past weekend in the Elite 8, but it did cause me to turn to baseball.

On Saturday afternoon I watched the Mets take on the White Sox in a rain drenched exhibition game in Memphis. I normally only watch 2 or 3 innings of exhibition baseball. If the game doesn't count, I find that I don't really care.

But I could taste the season approaching and found myself caught up in the game. John Maine pitched 4 fantastic innings. Beltran homered. Ryan Church looked decent at the plate. And Johan Santana is pitching on Monday.

I just got chills.

The season is almost here and this Mets Lifer feels like it's a few days before Christmas. Let's hope I get what I asked for.

I also love the fact that the Mets are starting the season right in the thick of some NL East matchups against the Marlins, Braves, & Phillies. Tom Glavine will be pitching against the Mets. Oooh baby. Can you say R-E-V-E-N-G-E?

It's a very small way, but still a way, to make a statement to the NL East that the Mets are the team to beat and last year is well behind us.

162 games to play and it all starts in the next 48 hours. Get ready for the long haul. I know I am.

Hit the Panic Button

If the Mets get swept by the Phillies this afternoon, it's time to hit the panic button. A loss today would give the Mets a 2 game lead over Philadelphia, and with a Braves win a 4 game lead over Atlanta.

Have we been in worse situations this year? Sure, we were only up 1.5 games on Atlanta before Atlanta imploded and we built it back to a 7 game lead.

But here's why I'm concerned, we're going to Turner Field. The Phillies will take a trip to Florida to play the struggling Marlins who can give you a tough game every once in a while. But I fully expect the Phillies to take 2 out of 3 from the Marlins.

Meanwhile I expect the Mets to lose 2 out of 3 to Atlanta. Depending on whether the Mets lose on the same day the Phillies win, we could be heading to Cincinnati in a tie for 1st place with the Phillies.

Sorry, I just felt like I had to throw up.

A win today would give us a 3 game lead and unless we were swept by Atlanta and the Phillies sweep Florida, we would avoid a tie for first by the time Labor Day rolls around. We're still not in good shape, but I'd feel much better if we could grab a win this afternoon.

I'm looking for my Easy button, but all I can find is my Panic button. And I'm ready to use it. Is Willie Randolph?

The 8 Game Lead

The Mets are a win and a Braves & Phillies loss away from the elusive 8 game lead. Earlier last week I posted about what size lead would make me comfortable with the Mets chances to win the NL East. 8 games was my magic number.

But with a 7 game set with the Braves and Phillies coming up next week, I'm thinking 10 game lead would be nicer.

Still it's great to see the Mets finally push past the 5 game lead wall they've hit dozens of times this year. The bats still haven't cooled. The starting pitching is holding. And the bullpen. . .well, what can you say about that.

With a win tonight, the Mets have a real chance to bury the Phillies/Braves next week. We know the Mets' bats love Citizens Bank Park, but it's that Turner Field that keeps me up at night.

Let's finish the Dodgers first though. One game at a time, and we'll build that lead.

What Size Lead Makes You Comfortable?

The Mets are currently tied with the Red Sox for the largest game lead in the majors at 5. The Mets have never had a lead larger than 5 games for the entire season. Which begs the question how many games do the Mets need to lead by to make you feel comfortable they'll win the division?

Last year, a 5 game lead would have made me plenty comfortable. Our bullpen was rock solid. The offensive production was there. I felt confident that every game we took the field we had a shot to win it.

I've gotten that feeling back over the past week, but it's not completely there yet. Right now in my humble estimation it would take an 8 game lead to make me feel comfortable that this team is going to clinch the pennant. This year an 8 game lead is almost insurmountable. During September the Mets, Braves & Phils all play each other for almost two weeks straight. The way these teams beat up on each other it will be difficult for any one team to really overtake an 8 game lead unless they went on an 8 or 10 game win streak.

So the Mets need to get that 8 game lead before September 1 rolls around. It does make me feel better to see the Braves in 3rd place than in 2nd place, but that team still keeps me up at night.

Let's win this series with the Padres and take it from there. One game at a time.

Mets Have Biggest Lead in Baseball

Go ahead and read the title of this post again. I actually chuckled a bit when I wrote it.

Can this actually be true? The Mets with a 5 game lead over the Phillies and Braves have the largest lead in all of baseball. Better than the Red Sox. Better than the Angels. Better than the Tigers/Indians. It's unreal.

I mean wasn't it just yesterday that the Mets were struggling their way through a horrid June and July? Hasn't half our team been on the disabled list? Do you realize that we're actually starting Mike DiFelice? And can you believe we're winning without a solid 5th starter for the past two months?

But let's not celebrate yet. September is packed with games against the NL East and unless we sweep the Braves the next time we see them, they're not going away quietly.

It starts tonight (if the rain ever stops). Let's build this lead.