I Looked at August's Schedule and you Don't Want to Know What I Said

After the Mets got snakebitten yesterday (well, except for David Wright), I took it upon myself to see who we were playing next. So I whipped out my Pocket Schedule O' Suckage and whatdaya know, we're playing Atlanta. On the road. Shit.

Then we're playing Philly. On the road. Shit.

Then we come back home and play Colorado. Shit.

Then we play Philly again. Shit.

Then we play Houston and Pittsburgh and Florida and Houston again before heading back to Atlanta at the end of the month.

Basically, we have a tough schedule coming up. I would like to gain some ground in the division. But I really don't think that's going to happen for a number of reasons:

1.) The Atlanta Braves are the best home team in the majors. And we suck on the road. You do the math.

2.) The stupid Phillies have their stupid "Roy-tation" now. We can only hope that despite of this "Roy-tation," the offense doesn't perform in the clutch. That might happen since Shane Victorino is on the DL. That might not happen because if one guy doesn't step up, another guy kills you. And that's why I hate the Philadelphia Phillies.

3.) The Mets tend to lose to teams like Houston and Pittsburgh. A series with the Mets could send a sub-.500 team on a nice little run.

4.) Mike Pelfrey is back to sucking.

5.) Oliver Perez is still in a Mets uniform.

6.) Same goes for Luis Castillo.

7.) Because of a depleted farm system, the Mets really can't make a big move in the next half hour. I mean, we can't even dump our reject players onto the Cubs for their reject player. That's gotta tell ya something.

8.) Jason Bay is on the DL...wait...that improves the team.

9.) We can't rely on Darryl Strawberry to call out the team everytime they suck. If we are going to rely on Darryl Strawberry to call out the team everytime they suck, we should pay him for his services because that seems to be all the time.

10.) We're currently 7.5 games out and in 4th place because Florida comes before New York alphabetically (even though it's technically a tie for third but it could soon be 4th because Florida's on a nice little run).

The Mets need a miracle. Or for somebody to get fired, which would be a miracle in and of itself.

Team Record A.C.: 4-11

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.30

The Only Pitcher We Didn't Use Last Night Was Oliver Perez

13 innings. We used every arm in the bullpen we had. Except one. And that was the arm of Oliver Perez. Please God don't let it come to this.

First lesson of managing: Don't put Oliver Perez in with the game on the line. Second lesson of managing: don't pitch to Albert Pujols in the top of the 13th inning with runners in scoring position. (and that's all I'll say about last night)

R.A. Dickey takes the mound today. David Wright and Luis Castillo both have the day off. Which means I will not be tuning in to the game today. Somebody tell me when it's over.

Team Record A.C.: 3-10

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.20

Are You Sure That Wasn't Ollie Up There?

Johan Santana let off 6 runs and 8 hits in the first inning. The first inning! Those are both career highs in the first inning for Santana. Why am I still watching this garbage? And is it a co-inky-dink that tonight's broadcast of Wednesday Night Baseball is sponsered by Captain Morgan?

Did Johan Santana take lessons from the Oliver Perez School of Performing Arts? Or did he finally say, "Fuck you, Jobu" and decide to throw the game? Or was it a combination of both? Personally, I would love for Santana to say, "Fuck you, Jobu."

But I would also love for Lou Brown to manage the Mets. And he's dead. Maybe this one last humiliation on a national level will put the final nail in Jerry's coffin.

And we're now only losing 6-2. If only Mike Hessman could bat in every spot in the lineup.

Team Record A.C.: 3-9

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.20

Nobody Got Fired

Yup. Nobody got fired. Not Jerry. Not HoJo. Not Razor. Not Ollie. The only guy I think is safe is Dan Warthen. He's doing something right. And really, I think we all would have settled for Ollie.

The Mets play the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks at home this week. Where they've been good. If the suckage continues into the homestand, somebody must get fired. If the suckage continues into the homestand, then there is obviously a problem that isn't being addressed and isn't going to be solved by trading away Jeff Francoeur and Luis Castillo. Oliver Perez? Maybe.

And Rod Barajas has been placed on the 15-day DL. Mike Hessman was called up to take his place, 1800 games (or something like that) in the minor leagues later. At least it finally paid off for him. I hope this means more playing time for Josh Thole. He's young. I'd rather see him out there making mistakes and learning than watching 38-year-old Henry Blanco's knees slowly give out.

Jon Niese is pitching against Adam Wainwright tonight. That rhymes. Not that I really care anymore.

Team Record A.C. (After Carlos): 2-9

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.10

Jerry Is A Dead Manuel Walking

Sure, he may have gotten pulled early, but R.A. Dickey still pitched 5.2 innings of shut-out ball, while striking out 6 and walking none. Had Dickey not injured his leg, this is the stuff that gems are made of peeps.

Please Baseball Gods, don't let this injury be serious!

Dickey came off the mound funny, recorded two more outs and then Jerry lifted him. Dickey wanted to stay in the game, but respected Jerry's decision. Dickey is getting his leg examined tomorrow when the Mets return to New York.

Since the Mets only got four hits today, nobody led the offense. Our bats have frozen. Literally. Well, Castillo had two hits so I guess that's not true; if you could call two hits leading the offense, then that would be it. Jose Reyes and David Wright accounted for the other two hits.

I don't even want to think about the upcoming homestand; I'm going to enjoy tomorrow's off-day for what it is....a day where the Mets won't lose.

Team Record Since Return of Carlos Beltran: 2-9

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.10

Never Put Oliver Perez In With the Game on the Line

That should be lesson Numero Uno in the book of managing the New York Mets. In fact, Oliver Perez should only be in a game when we are comfortably winning or comfortably losing. I see a dead Manuel walking come Monday.

The Mets completely wasted a stellar bullpen effort by not scoring runs when it mattered. Mike Pelfrey lasted five innings, giving up two runs. Nobody really "led" the offense, with Rod Barajas and Jose Reyes accounting for two runs.

I can't really say I'm surprised anymore. I can't really say I'm rooting for this team to win anymore. I'm rooting for this team to do whatever it takes so that our incompetent front office can finally make the changes that need to be made. If they have to lose, then they have to lose. Obviously shaking up the lineup isn't working anymore and it's obviously not the pitching that's the problem. Damn it offense.....do something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do I really care who's pitching tomorrow????

Team Record Since Carlos Beltran Return: 2-8

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.10

I Had To Double-Check Like 3 Times to Make Sure the Mets Actually Won

That was really my reaction when I saw that the Mets won this morning. I thought it was a cruel joke and we had really lost 6-1, but then I remembered we were the away team and the away team had the higher number last night.

Johan Santana held the Dodgers to one run over 7 innings and both Bobby Parnell and Frankie Rodriguez (God, I can't believe I'm typing this) pitched perfect innings of relief.

On a day where he was batting lower than 6th in the line-up for only the ninth time in his career, Jason Bay led the Mets offense by going 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. I can't believe I typed that either. Ike Davis homered and David Wright struck out three times, both of which are very believable since David Wright is not a clean-up hitter. Henry Blanco also went 2-for-4 last night.

Perhaps the most Amazin' thing about this win was that Jerry Manuel was ejected in the 2nd inning. Yup. You can guess that I can't believe I typed that either. Whether it lit the fire that the Mets needed or if it was just the Mets' way of saying "Get somebody else," they played well enough to win. And enjoy it now because we might not see it again for four more days.

Team Record Since Carlos Beltran Return: 2-7

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.90

I'm On My Last Limb (Along With Just About Everybody Else)

The Mets got swept by Arizona. Arizona swept the Mets. Aaron F. Heilman shut down his former team. Oliver Perez was more reliable than Fernando Nieve, which makes me question the temperature in hell right now.

Rumors are circulating in the New York media that Jeff Francoeur is about to be traded. Rumors are also circulating in the New York media that Jerry Manuel will get fired after the road trip. Hopefully, the latter happens instead of the former because knowing the Mets, Frenchy gets traded away and somebody gets hurt. That's basic Murphy's Law, people!

The Mets need a change in personnel. As I said yesterday, I think the problem here cannot be solved with a solitary closed-door team meeting. The Mets, while I appreciate that they are trying to have fun, are not taking their defeats seriously. And I wish I could blame the pitching...but the pitching is pitching well enough to win! It's the offense. When David Wright strikes out three times and Jason Bay gets a Golden Sombrero against the third-worst team in the majors, you're not performing to your potential.

If a young D-Backs fan asks their mother or father why their team is in last place, even after sweeping one of the "better" teams in the National League, their parent is likely to reply, "The Mets suck."

My dad (happy belated birthday daddy!) is trying to tell me to stay positive about this team, and not write that they suck on this blog. My reply: sometimes it just needs to be said.

They suck!!!!!!

Team Record Since Return of Carlos Beltran: 1-6 (does the game where he didn't play count? If so, then this is accurate. If not, we're 0-6)

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.40

A Baseball Game Is Simply A Nervous Breakdown Divided Into Nine Innings

That quote was said by Earl Weaver.

This one, however, was said by Alex Cora: "A little respect please. They stuck it up our a**!"

And so begins the breakdown of not only fans of the New York Metropolitans, but also the New York Metropolitans themselves. By all accounts, Alex Cora is a "nice guy" and a "popular guy in the clubhouse." When a player who is respected by the players says something of this statue, surely somebody has to hear him...right? Right?

I mean, if Carlos Beltran had said, "F*** this team," we'd all be up in arms about it because what does Beltran know? He's been here a week, and he didn't play in the one game we've won since then.

But, I think Alex Cora getting pissed off could lead to something. Whether it be a change or just the fact that a fire has finally been lit under this team. I think this team takes things too nonchalantly sometimes, and it definitely shows when they take the field.

As much as I love this team, they have been absolutely unwatchable all month. Kudos to you if you stayed awake for that whole 13-2 game. I would have turned it off after the first inning. With this team, it has become far too easy to tell when the game is over.

I'm hoping for a change, and no, not that Oliver Perez is back. That is not the change I want. I want a change in team attitude, team morale, and for them to play like they want to win. And then they can release Oliver Perez.

Team Record Since Return of Carlos Beltran: 1-5

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.10

Why Am I Wasting the Energy?

So, the Mets lost 13-2 following a horrible outing by Mike Pelfrey. He only recorded 4 outs before being taken out of the game. I'll spare all of us the details.

What concerns me about this loss is not that Arizona is the third worst team in the majors but...we're losing to a team that has Aaron Heilman as their closer!!!!!!!!

After the horrendous performance that this team has put out there this month, I would not be surprised if people started calling for Jerry Manuel's head. And Omar Minaya's head too. It's so blaringly obvious that we need pitching, yet the front office is sitting on their hands.

The only thing Amazin' about this team right now is that they're somehow in second place.

We have half a chance tonight as R.A. Dickey takes the hill. Hopefully Heilman blows it.

Team Record Since Carlos Beltran Return: 1-4

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.00

Wait, the Mets Actually Won?

Johan Santana pitched 8 innings of one-run ball only to see Drama Rodriguez blow it in the ninth.

But the Mets won the game in 10 innings, courtesy of an Ike Davis RBI double.

David Wright has a swollen knee thanks to former Phillie and Met-killer Pat Burrell, and knowing Jerry Manuel, even though David expects to be in the game tomorrow, David will be sitting. And I will not bother to watch the AtBat.tv Free Game of the Day. He also homered! Yay!

Ike Davis provided most of the productive offense for the team, with three hits and two RBI, including the double that saved Drama's ass.

Jason Bay hit three singles which leads me to say...C'mon Jason Bay, do something more!

The Mets travel to Arizona tomorrow night and Mike Pelfrey returns to the rotation after being scratched from Saturday's start. Hopefully, the Mets turn their fortunes around in Arizona. Or else I will be calling for Jerry Manuel's head by Thursday.

Team Record Since Carlos Beltran Return: 1-3

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.00

R.I.P. Lou Brown

Lou Brown died at the age of 70. Lou Brown is best known for taking a really crappy Indians team and turning them into winners. Much like Bobby Valentine did with the 2000 Mets.

Actually, the actor, James Gammon died at the age of 70 of adrenal gland and liver cancer.

So if Lou Brown is dead, then what hope do the Mets have?

For now, I would like to impart some words of wisdom from Lou Brown (pardon my French):

"All right people, we got 10 minutes 'till game time, let's all gather 'round. I'm not much for giving inspirational addresses, but I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves. Me, I'm for wasting sportswriters' time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give 'em all a nice big shitburger to eat."

Do I Start Blaming Carlos Beltran Yet?

The Mets have fallen to third place. Say what you will. Hisanori Takahashi went to the Oliver Perez School of the Performing Arts. (Speaking of Perez, he may be returning to his spot in the bullpen later this week) The Mets suck on the road. Yada yada yada.

I don't necessarily blame Carlos Beltran; I mean, we all knew he was coming back. We were counting down until Beltran's return. We were excited when he was finally at 85% and able to resume baseball activities with the Mets.

But I do think that now that Beltran is back in the lineup, Jason Bay is not performing. Well, who am I kidding? Jason Bay wasn't performing like Jason Bay to begin with. But I think because of Beltran's presence, it might be even more of an excuse for him to not give a shit. We all knew that Angel Pagan would be getting less playing time, but perhaps it's Jason Bay that needs the breather.

Today, Johan Santana pitches and we will surely be heartbroken. And it may indirectly be Carlos Beltran's fault.

Team Record Since Carlos Beltran's Return: 0-3

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.00

Reservation for One at the Heartbreak Hotel

So the Mets lost by a score of 1-0.

Jon Niese pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball. He didn't deserve to lose. The offense did nothing spectacular. David Wright struck out twice. But that's about it.

I hate the 1-0 losses more than the 10-0 losses. At least with a 10-0 loss, you can say, "Well, Niese sucked. We deserved to lose."

But no. We lost 1-0. And instead of placing the blame on one player, you have to pretty much blame the whole team, except for the one guy who actually did their job, in this case, Jon Niese.

I want a win today. Pretty please?

Mike Pelfrey has been scratched from today's start because of his neck. This sucks. Hisanori Takahashi will be pitching in his place.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.00

Team Record Since Return of Carlos Beltran: 0-2

The Obligatory All Star Break Post

After 12 years, the National League finally won an All Star Game! There were no Mets pitchers in the bullpen, so that's probably why. Thank you, Brian McCann for single-handedly winning home field advantage for the Mets when they get to the World Series.

(And David continued his ASG stride, going 2-for-2 with a stolen base. He was the only one hitting anything when Charlie Manuel took him out.)

So Brian McCann's team might be in first place now, but I really do think, that despite their frequent spurts of suckage, the Mets can make the playoffs. The back end of our rotation has worked out beautifully for us. I knew Niese was MLB-ready last year before he tore his hammy, but R.A. Dickey came out of nowhere! I remember being very sarcastic about the Dickey deal, like why are we wasting the money, but I can always rely on Dickey for a solid outing.

More importantly, David Wright has stepped up to be the team leader that we're all expecting him to be. He's currently tied for the NL-lead in RBI's, and leads the team in batting average and home runs. The David Wright of yesteryear is gone, and so is his Spaceballs-inspired batting helmet.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise thus far into the season has been Mike Pelfrey. At the beginning of the season, I basically expected Mike Pelfrey to pitch better than Oliver Perez. That was it. And the way Ollie pitched, it was easy to top him. Pelf currently stands at a 10-4 record with a 3.58 ERA.

Post All Star break, we are looking at the return of Carlos Beltran, who is apparantly at the 85% mark and can resume playing for the Mets. I'm a little skeptical about his return because it means less playing time for Angel Pagan, but at the same time, I'm glad to see him come back.

I'd also like to take a minute to remember George "The Boss" Steinbrenner. I can't tell you how many times I secretly wished that Big Stein owned the Mets. Baseball lost a great personality and their #1 Yankee.

However, this is how I most remember George Steinbrenner. So, rest in peace Mr. Steinbrenner; may there be a nice eggplant calzone waiting for you in heaven. And go easy on that Billy Martin guy when you see him.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.70

I Have Mistaken The Mets For The Moops

Meet the Moops, meet the Moops, step right up and greet the Moops! This team is a mess. Tim Hudson and the Atlanta Braves successfully shut down the Moops, defeating them by a score of 4-zip.

Even worse for the Moops, the Phillies are now just a half game out of second place...and they only have half their team! And by the way, for anybody who cares, the Moops also lost their lead in the Wild Card race, standing a game and a half behind the Wild Card-leading Colorado Rockies.

The Mets are just a giant "oops!" Just a week ago, visions of first place were dancing in our brains. As I said to my dad tonight, "the calendar jumped from insignificant to significant and this team has started to suck."

Mike Pelfrey lasted merely four innings, allowing the 4 runs on 12 hits while walking three and striking out two. Dead arm yet?

Kudos to Elmer Dessens, Hisanori Takahashi, and Fernando Nieve for shutting down the Braves offense for the last five innings of the game. Each of them only allowed a hit. They combined for two free passes and four strikeouts.

I really can't write anything about the offense. We got four hits. Four. Hits. And three of them were Angel Pagan's! Carlos Beltran who? What's a Beltran? Jon Miller will still find a way to say Bel-TRON, so why do I care?

Is it a bad thing when the Mets lose and you know Johan Santana's pitching the next day and you say to yourself, "Crap, Santana's pitching!" Well, that is exactly what I said. My Moops will continue to be Moops!

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.70 (no chance I get to $10 before the All Star Break! Yayyy!)

So Much For That

Dear New York Metropolitans,

You suck.

The first-place Atlanta Braves come to town, and you have an oppurtunity to gain some ground in the race and possibly reach first place yourselves.

What do you do? Blow it. R.A. Dickey pitched 6.2 innings of four run ball, not a quality start, but a good enough start for you people to score. What do you do? Not score.

Things started going down the crapper when the calendar changed from June to July. And hearing that Ryota Igarashi has been optioned to St. Lucie does not make things any better. This means all of your bullpen arms are burnt out. As you saw on Tuesday, Jerry Manuel, it is possible for your starters to pitch complete games. When your pitcher is pitching a gem and it is the ninth inning, K-Rod doesn't necessarily need to come into the game.

I'm positive that anybody will preach to you that pitching wins games. Umm....without offense, pitching will get you nowhere, unless Johan Santana is fitted with a bionic arm and he pitches perfect games every fifth day.

I don't know what happened to the Mets of last week, but I miss those guys. You can take the crappy team back!

Sincerely,

Jessica

P.S.- David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.70

P.P.S.- We need Carlos Beltran back.

P.P.P.S.- We don't need Oliver Perez back. K thanks bye.

Same Old, Same Old

I put up this old picture of David Wright from way back when the Mets shaved their heads in team unity because it makes me cry. Mainly because David shaved off all his beautiful hair.

But now, the Mets make me cry because they're back to their usual pattern. Win one, lose one, win one, lose one, lose rubber game, blah, blah, blah.

June was so good for the Mets! So good! It's not even the All Star Break yet and I feel like this team is giving up on me! And now July looks bleak. We're heading into a weekend series with the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves (wow, that is weird to say) before our annual West Coast road trip. Which, by the way, is gonna suck. Why? Because I said so.

In order to redeem themselves, the Mets need to sweep the Braves this weekend. Sweep. The. Braves. It might be tough. But now that Johan Santana has figured out that he needs to also provide his own offense in addition to pitching well, I think we may have something here.

And now, a random hodgepodge of thoughts: LeBron to Miami might be a good thing because it will not be a Lakers/Celtics final. Sorry Knicks. I'm still trying to process that the Mets won a day where Santana pitched. Today is Friday. The Mets might win. If there is justice in this world, Jim Parsons will win an Emmy. I betcha Rick Peterson hasn't taken off his jacket yet. I would advise you not to go to Disney World in the middle of the summer. David Wright hasn't struck out in the last few games. Has the counter died? If Sports Illustrated points out that the Pittsburgh Pirates do, in fact, suck, does the SI curse have the reverse effect on them? Yay! Baltimore is no longer on track to break the '62 record of suckage and I am grateful. I think I'm one of those few fans that wants to keep that record.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.60

Charlie Manuel Looks Like A Genius Now?

So, the Mets lost by a score of 8-6. To be honest, I wasn't really looking at my MLB At-Bat thingy and I thought the Mets had won. Which I've really come to expect when Mike Pelfrey pitches.

Mike Pelfrey lasted only 4.2 innings, giving up 7 runs on 9 hits and 4 walks. Easily the worst start of his season.

But I'm really disappointed because it makes Charlie Manuel look like he did the right thing by snubbing Pelfrey. Charlie Manuel is not right; he is very extremely to the umpteenth degree wrong.

One bad start doesn't define a pitcher, and I'm sure Pelf will get back on track on Sunday.

Tomorrow, Johan Santana pitches against Travis Wood. Umm...maybe Johan will get the win tomorrow? Pretty please?

(I mean, lets face it; we're due. We've won, lost, won, lost...naturally we have to win)

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.60

I'm Writing This Post So I Can Update My Strikeout Counter

To cure my Monday Blues, I look for new pictures of David Wright. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Okay, so this picture might be old, but everything is new to me, since I am the only Mets fan in Southwest Florida.

The Mets take on the NL Central-leading Cincinatti Reds.

Advantage: We are at home. We are the best home team in baseball. I always give us the edge when we are at home. That's just the way it is.

Disadvantage: Johan Santana is pitching the second game of the series, and since the Mets don't score for him, we'll lose the second game of the series. But then again, we should be able to beat Cincinatti, since we only lose in embarassing ways to teams like the Nationals. And the Reds are legit this year. Like they're better than St. Louis legit.

Advantage: Mike Pelfrey is pitching tonight, so we will win.

Disadvantage: Umm...I really can't think of another disadvantage. Advantage: home team.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.60

If Loving David Is Wrong, Then I Don't Want To Be Wright

David Wright made the All Star team!

David Wright made the All Star team!

David Wright made the All Star team!

David is the starting third baseman in this year's All Star game! With 2,285,959 votes, David surpassed Placido Polanco in the last week of voting. The only thing I find disappointing is now David can't give Polanco his Dark Helmet batting helmet.

The only other Met to make the roster was Jose Reyes. And he's a reserve. And he only made it because the players' first choice, Troy Tulowitzki, is on the DL. The player who got the shaft this year was Big Pelf, but that's mainly because Charlie Manuel wants the American League to win and he sucks.

For the record, none of the Phillies position players will be starting. Chase Utley was elected, but he is on the DL and Martin Prado of the Braves will get the start. That's Karma!

Jessica's ASG Prediction: Wright plays 5 innings, Charlie Manuel takes him out because he's a Met. Jessica turns off TV. Jose Reyes only gets to pinch-hit for a pitcher. American League wins.

David Wright Strikeout Counter (this counter gets no break, even though he is an All Star): $9.30

This Is Me Trying Not To Get Mad

R.A. Dickey outpitched Stephen Strasburg and the Mets still lost. I mean, Stephen Strasburg literally deserved the loss today but the Mets apparantly have gone back to their old win one-lose one pattern. Seven innings of 2-(unearned)run ball later, R.A. Dickey left the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park with the no-decision.

For the record, Strasburg lasted five innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks while striking out five. It's not a bad start; this means that even on a off-day, Strasburg is still a beast. Scary.

Pretty much every closer we've ever had has let us down in one way or another. Sure, K-Rod has made us crap in our pants before, but he was still getting the saves and all that jazz.

Today, K-Rod recorded one out and the Mets lost the game on a Pudge Rodriguez walk-off single. Well, at least it's somebody we've heard of.

The highlight of this game was R.A. Dickey. He pitched the seven innings, allowing the two unearned runs. He allowed six hits on two walks while striking out four. Some guys had good days offensively and there were some pretty sweet defensive plays, but I'm too pissed off at this team to write about them.

We're losing to a last-place team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mets try to regain ay respect that may be left for them tomorrow afternoon. Hisanori Takahashi is pitching. Yeah.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.30

It's The Cora Niese Show!

The Mets defeated the Nationals by a score of 5-3 tonight. The man you see to your left, Alex Cora, came through with a 3-run triple. Yup, you read that right. Three. Run. Triple. Sure, it may have been his only hit of the night, but he made it count, in a situation where I would have been disgusted if nothing had happened.

David Wright also had a good night at the dish, going 3-for-5 and bringing his team-leading batting average to .312. Um...if his ticket hasn't been punched for Anaheim, there might be some serious backlash, and maybe a few tears on my part.

The other big story of the night was Jon Niese. In seven innings of work, he struck out a career high eight batters, while allowing only 6 hits and absolutely zero walks. Jon Niese shut down the Nationals, not allowing a single run to score until Met-killer Josh Willingham hit a solo home run in the seventh inning. In a time where I root for a Mets team that doesn't score for Johan Santana, it's good to see a kid like Niese do well, and to see the team as a whole come through for him.

Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect 8th inning and then the mishandling of Jerry Manuel's bullpen begins. I understand it's a non-save situation and you really don't want to use K-Rod, but why bring in Pedro Feliciano to face one batter? Why have Elmer Dessens pitching in the ninth at all? If the Nationals were destined to score those two runs, why have your long relief guy letting them off?

The Mets might be on fire, but Jerry's mishandling of the bullpen will cost them one day.

Tomorrow, in perhaps a pitching match-up for the ages, R.A. Dickey faces Stephen Strasburg.

Over/Under on Mets Runs Scored: 2

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.20

BREAKING NEWS: The Sky Is Blue

In a stunning development, scientists have discovered that the sky is, in fact, blue. Questions about the sky's true color have come into play when white puffy things that scientists have deemed "clouds" appear above us. And when large amounts of water fall from the sky, it is called rain.

In other news, the Mets to the Nationals lost by a score of 2-1. The winning Nationals run came in the bottom of the ninth inning, via a Ryan Zimmerman walk-off sacrifice fly.

Johan Santana was obviously the starting pitcher. He pitched 7 innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. Obviously, this man got the no-decision because hell would have frozen over if the Mets had actually won.

Santana's only run of support came in the first inning via a Ike Davis RBI single. My future husband David Wright went 0-4 with one strikeout. I mean, it's not like the Mets didn't hit the ball; they had 8 hits tonight. They just don't hit the ball with runners in scoring position. When Johan Santana pitches. It bothers me that the only run was scored in the first inning. You mean to tell me that some guy named Livan Hernandez actually shut this team down for seven innings? Tsk, tsk, tsk.....

And another thing, if pitching Pedro Feliciano in the ninth inning didn't work on Tuesday, why exactly are we doing it again? I mean, we pay K-Rod to pitch in the ninth inning!!! Sure, he makes us crap our pants while pitching, but he gets the job done.

But, on the bright side, the Baseball Gods did finally give Johan the no-decision I was begging them for.

Tomorrow, Jon Niese gets the start for the Mets. Lets please crush the Nationals before Stephen Strasburg inevitably shuts us down on Saturday.

Number of Requests that the Baseball Gods Have Granted: 2

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.10

Vote Wright Now!!!

As many of you know, today is the last day to vote for the starters of the 2010 All Star Game.

I could make the argument that since Placido Polanco is on the DL and can't start anyway, but David still needs our votes!

The fans only vote for the eight starting position players; the players, managers, and coaches vote for the reserves, five starting pitchers and three relief pitchers and the team manager will fill the remaining roster so that 33 players are on the roster.

Then the Final Vote comes in, where five players from each league are selected, and fans, once again, vote on that final roster spot.

If a player is injured, declines to participate in the All Star Game, or if a pitcher pitches on the Sunday before the All Star Game, then the All Star manager and the Commissioner's Office will replace them.

David went from being more than 175,000 votes behind Polanco to trailing by just a mere 22,000 votes at the final update. Don't just say that he'll get the start anyway because Polanco's hurt! Vote, vote, vote and David will get the start because he not only deserves it, but we need eye candy over on the left side of the infield. Voting ends at 11:59 tonight.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $9.00