The last two days typified the season in that it was a blowout win followed by a blowout loss. Two opposite ends of the spectrum. Good and bad. It has been that way all season. Consistency, but in a mediocre way. Mike Pelfrey has become a serious concern. It was disappointing to see Mike Pelfrey’s performance. He’s been great for an extended period, then lousy for a time, seemed to turn it around and now has [...]

Jerry Manuel told the New York Post that he’d love to know his job status for next season. “Jerry Manuel admitted yesterday that he would ‘love to know’ if the organization plans to bring him back next season, but he also isn’t about to seek out GM Omar Minaya or Jeff Wilpon for an answer.  Manuel, whose contract expires after the season, said he’ll refrain from asking because he doesn’t want to become a focal point – [...]

The Mets announced yesterday that Jenrry Mejia will start Saturday’s game at Chicago. Not a surprise. I hope the Mets give Mejia a lot of rope to see what he is capable of doing. Remember he spent a lot of the season in the bullpen, so his innings aren’t what they could be had he been in a rotation all year. Even so, I’m sure they will watch his pitch count. By rope, I mean [...]

The Mets said they understood the importance of this series in Atlanta and the need to sweep to have any chance of making September relevant. The Mets said they were ready. Can you imagine what would have happened had they not have been? Last night’s dismantling at the hands of the Braves was disheartening not in that they loss, but in the manner in which they were beaten. They didn’t just mail in the game, [...]

On Wally: There’s no way Jerry Manuel will survive after this season. Whoever replaces him will have to be marketed to a disgruntled and discouraged fan base. The one guy who will work and won’t break the bank, and who has won at his level, but hasn’t managed on the major league level is Wally Backman. The Mets need to market fire and intensity, something that has been lacking, and Backman meets that description. Because [...]

The Mets are 10 games behind Atlanta and below .500. They have an upcoming schedule at Houston – which is playing better since the Roy Oswalt trade – and Pittsburgh – which always plays them tough. This is their last chance to make up some ground and bring interest into September. Frankly, while I doubt they’ll make a real run, there could be some interesting ball ahead. Their pitching, supposedly the weak link entering the [...]

 OK, fine, that was the turning point, but the real indictment of the Mets came in the eight other innings. Johan Santana was professional enough to keep the game close, but the Mets’ offense slumbered through what they called a critical game. It’s not the adversity, but how you respond that is critical, and the Mets responded like a .500 team. To a man, the Mets said they understood the magnitude of last night and [...]

“When you have a trip like this, you have to sit down and assess how you’re going to get it right. We’re not going to sit back.’’ – Omar Minaya Today is not a good day if you’re a Mets coach. After a 2-9 trip in which the general manager gave a vote of confidence to no coach, it is a day as a coach when you hope the phone doesn’t ring. Word is Minaya, [...]

We might know more about one of the Mets’ key second-half questions tonight, which is: Who is the real Mike Pelfrey? At one time, Pelfrey was 9-1 and cruising toward the All-Star Game. All was right in his world and the Mets were making up ground on Atlanta. However, he has hit a rough five-game stretch since in which he’s gone 1-3 with a 7.52 ERA. That’s just the beginning of the bad numbers. In [...]

“It was a beautiful thing to observe, all 36 oars working in unison.’’ – late Cardinals announcer Jack Buck quipping he had seen George Steinbrenner’s yacht. It is a timeless quote about a timeless subject, George M. Steinbrenner, the demonstrative, cantankerous and blustery owner of the New York Yankees, who died today of a heart attack at age 80. Buck’s comment has long been the perception of Steinbrenner by the public through screaming headlines and [...]

When pitchers and catchers reported Feb. 18, I posted five key questions the Mets faced heading into the season. Let’s revisit those questions at the All-Star break. Question 1: What is this team’s attitude? Assessment: By all accounts, it has been superb. There is a different chemistry in the Mets clubhouse than I have previously seen. The Mets have shown a remarkable resiliency to bounce back from adversity and Sunday’s win is just another example. [...]