Of the 30 major league teams, only six are at least 10 games behind in the wild-card standings. The Mets are only 3.5 games behind, a position which should have them as prime buyers. The problem of shopping in the bullpen aisle, say the Mets, is the cost. That translates into not expecting too much. Huston Street and Jonathan Broxton, while manageable in salary, extract a big prospect price the Mets aren’t willing to pay. [...]

No evaluation of the Mets is complete without a list of disappointments. While 46-40 at the break, the Mets have more to be happy about than not.  However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t laments. Had everything broken right in the first half, the Mets could be sitting on top of the NL East. Here’s what went wrong: The struggling bullpen: Most of Sandy Alderson’s off-season tinkering was made with improving the bullpen in mind. Frank [...]

It is possible this game in 1969 is most remembered from that amazing season. On this date in 1969, and maybe each day since for Tom Seaver, he’ll remember Jimmy Qualls’ sinking single into the left-center gap with one out in the eighth inning to break up his perfect game bid and forced him to settle for one-hit, 4-0 shutout. It was one of 31 hits Qualls had during his career. It was one of [...]

One of my favorite baseball books was “The Year the Mets Lost Last Place,’’ a diary of a three-series stretch in July of 1969 when the Mets played two series with the Chicago Cubs and one with the Montreal Expos. Dick Schaap was the author and book took the form of timeline, nearly to the minute, of those games. One of those games came on this date in 1969 when the Mets beat the Cubs, [...]

There are numerous reasons why R.A. Dickey should start Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Kansas City, so it’s hard to understand Tony La Russa not naming him for the honor. He knows the rotation schedule of the other candidates, so what’s he waiting for? If he wants to screw with New York area fans, he’d start A.J. Burnett (9-2), right? Here’s some of the reasons why he should start: 1. At 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA, he [...]

For those of you who missed the first half of the season, you got the gist of things if you tuned in last night’s victory over the Phillies. David Wright, who delivered the game-winner in the ninth along with hitting a homer, said as much when he indicated the Mets worked every at-bat and utilized every out. No waste for these Mets. “It seems like all year we’ve had that never-say-die attitude, continuing to play [...]

On this date in 1962, Rod Kanehl became the first Met to hit a grand slam homer in a 10-3 rout of the Cardinals in the Polo Grounds. Kanehl connected off Bobby Shantz. Kanehl played eight seasons in the minors with the Yankees and Reds organizations before getting his shot at age 28 with the Mets in 1962. Kanehl became of favorite of Casey Stengel for his hustle and versatility, playing everywhere but pitcher and [...]

Sometimes it is better to hold a pat hand, which is what the Mets have done with Jonathan Niese over the past few years. More than a few times we heard Niese’s name mentioned in a possible trade. Whom the Mets would have received in return would not have lifted them from their 2007-2011 funk. At least, not as much as Niese is lifting them now. He’s 7-3 after last night’s 11-1 rout of the [...]

Ike Davis is showing signs of getting it, both at the plate and with his demeanor. During yesterday’s game in Chicago, Davis apologized to plate umpire Manny Gonzalez for inadvertently touching him with his glove in a dispute at first base the night before. Davis was ejected, will be fined and could be suspended for at least a game. ”I just told him I’m sorry for touching him with my glove, and I didn’t mean [...]