Stats of the Day

With the Mets welcoming the Braves to Shea tonight and Perez & Hudson facing off, I found two interesting stats that should come into play into tonight's ball game.

Stat #1
Larry (Chipper) Jones is 7-for-18 (.389) with a home run in his career versus Perez.

The only answer to this is to hit Chipper in the head every time he comes to the plate. Problem solved.

Stat #2
Carlos Beltran is batting .354 (17-for-48) with three home runs in his career against Hudson.

If Reyes, Castillo and Wright can get on base early, I fully expect Beltran to have a big game. I'd really like to see Reyes break out of his slump against the Braves. We need him on base to succeed in the long run. Even though we've been winning during this slump, we all know it can't continue if Reyes is not the catalyst the Mets need him to be.

Magic Number = 15

As we get closer to the end of the season, we'll post the Mets' magic number. Currently it's at 15 which means any combination of Mets wins and Phillies losses that adds up to 15 gives us the pennant.

I'm hoping we pick up 6 of those games against the Phillies this week. That would be sweet.

The Youthful Outfield

While we are celebrating the recent winning streak, Bleed Orange & Blue looks a little farther into the future as what could be next year, specifically when it comes to the Mets outfield.

The potential starting outfield for the Mets next year could be Gomez, Beltran and Milledge which might be the fastest outfield in the majors. With Milledge and Gomez both getting significant playing time this year it opens up the doors for a potentially great year next year.

I personally love Gomez and just thinking of he and Reyes at the top of the lineup makes me salivate. It's reminiscent of Vince Coleman and Willie McGee at the top of that old Cardinals lineup in the late 80's.

So if you want to take a look into the bright future, click here to read the full post on Bleed Orange & Blue.

Thank You Phillies

After the Phillies throttled the Mets in a 4 game sweep two weeks ago, I threw myself into a self imposed detox program. What did that mean? Simply put, I attempted to distance myself a little bit from my addiction by staying away from it, by becoming a casual observer. My plan was to not watch much of the series against the Braves; just check a score here and there. The key to the detox program was to learn to accept defeat easier. We all knew the Mets would get buried and their first place lead would evaporate. Why watch the inevitable? My plan was working beautifully until the 4th inning of the first game when I took a peek at the score on the internet and saw the Mets had 2 men on and Delgado at the plate. I turned on the TV just in time to see Delgado cross home plate and the Mets were rejuvenated. And I was officially off the wagon.

I knew the flogging that the Mets endured at the hands (and bats) of the Phillies was the turning point of the season. What I didn’t know at the time was that it would be a positive one. Getting humiliated like that was probably the best thing that happened to this team. True champions are defined not by how they win, but rather how they respond to a tough defeat. The Mets not only picked themselves off the mat and answered the bell; they have come back with a vengeance ripping off 8 of their last 9 games and stretched what appeared to be a shaky 2 game lead in to a formidable 6 game cushion.

I’d like to thank the Philadelphia Phillies for lighting a fire under this team. I’d like to thank the Mets for finally playing the way we all knew they should. Now go out and deliver the knockout blow to the Braves and exact some payback on the Phils this week. No mercy.

Mets Lifer Book Review

I had the pleasure of getting an advanced copy of Richard Grossinger's new book, The New York Mets: Ethnography, Myth, and Subtext. Grossinger's book is really unlike any baseball book I've read.

If Larry King, George Costanza and Peter Gammons were hardcore Mets fans and teamed up to write a book, this would be their end product. The New York Mets is filled with passion for both the Mets as a team and baseball in its purest form while being totally frank and sarcastic about the struggles and sacrifices that are made by lifelong Mets fans (a.k.a. Mets Lifers). The book opens with a fantastic foreword by Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post and an opening chapter that explains what attracts us a Mets Lifers to the Mets when there are so many that cheer for the empire that is the New York Yankees.

The book starts with Endy Chavez's miracle catch in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS and then reflects back at the ebb and flow of excitement and disappointment that has shaped Mets history. Although I don't always agree with Grossinger's outlook on aspects of baseball and Mets history, I love his passion for the Mets, his enormous hatred for Steve Phillips, and the fact that he, like me, was heart broken when the Mets traded Melvin Mora.

From an insider's look at Terry Leach (who was one of my favorite pitchers to imitate in Little League) to detailing every single boneheaded move the Mets have made, Grossinger has written a book that a Mets Lifer would enjoy.

Click here for more on the book and to order from Amazon.com.

Mets Have Won 8 of 9 Since Philadelphia

The Mets swept the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon behind another good showing from Pedro Martinez. Pedro has looked shaky at times, but what makes his performance great is his ability to get out of those jams without giving up a run.

Moises Alou provided another home run to help boost the Mets offense. By the way, what has Shawn Green been eating these days. All of a sudden he's a doubles machine which begs the question who would you rather have at first? Delgado or Green? Something to ponder.

This was actually the first series the Mets have swept at home this year which is unbelievable considering the Mets have been in first place since April. David Wright got a day off so be prepared to see team A back on the field when the Braves come into town tomorrow.

Also, does anyone find it surprising that DiFelice hasn't played in like a week, even with a day game after a night game on Saturday? I'm not complaining though.

Tough test for the Mets in the next two series as the Braves and Phillies roll into town. Hudson and Smoltz are expected to pitch for the Braves and you know the Phillies think they own us.

But for some reason, now more than ever, I have total confidence in this Mets team. What a difference 2 weeks make.

Glavine's Gem

I honestly thought I was going to see the first no-hitter in Mets history on Saturday. Glavine looked stellar through 5 until his no-hit bid was broken up on a single.

The Mets ended up winning the game with Glavine coming out in the 8th, but I have been surprisingly impressed with Glavine since he got his 300th win. He's looked better and better at each start.

I think we didn't realize the weight of "300" and now that it is behind Glavine is back to just pitching. No pressure, just hitting his spots. He looks good enough right now that I'd consider even bringing him back next year for one more go-around.

With Maine struggling and Perez's up and downs it's great to see a veteran like Glavine picking up the slack and winning ball games. It's the first time in a long time that I feel like Glavine wants to be on this team.