Since coming to New York prior to the 2005 season, Carlos Beltran has been the most complete centerfielder in Mets history.  He ranks among team leaders in many offensive categories.  Despite the fact that he ranks 23rd in franchise history in games played, he ranks highly in the following categories:

• Runs scored: 478, 11th all-time (This leaves him only 12 behind Buddy Harrelson, a number that is certainly reachable this year.)
• Hits: 748, 15th all-time (He’s less than 50 hits away from passing Kevin McReynolds and Lee Mazzilli.)
• Doubles: 173, 9th all-time (With 20 more, he will tie Mike Piazza for the fifth-most doubles in franchise history.)
• Home runs: 129, 6th all-time (Only Strawberry, Piazza, Johnson, Wright and Kingman have more.)
• RBI: 480, 8th all-time (Recently passed Keith Hernandez, who played 164 more games with the Mets than Beltran has.)
• Stolen bases: 95, 12th all-time (Ten more steals puts him in the top 10.)
• On-base percentage: .366, 8th all-time among players with at least 1,000 at-bats (Barely behind Alfonzo and Piazza.)
• Slugging percentage: .496, 6th all-time among players with at least 1,000 at-bats (Behind Piazza, Strawberry, Wright, Delgado and Olerud.)

Carlos Beltran has always been a fine offensive player, but it’s his combination of offensive and defensive skills that set him apart from all other Mets centerfielders who have come before him.

The graceful Beltran won three Gold Gloves for his outstanding defensive play in 2006, 2007 and 2008.  Did you know that those three Gold Glove Awards were the first ever awarded to a Mets outfielder?  It’s true.  Although many outstanding Mets players have roamed the outfield at the Polo Grounds, Shea Stadium and Citi Field, no one had ever been rewarded with a Gold Glove until Beltran won his first of three consecutive awards in 2006.  In fact, only Keith Hernandez has won more Gold Gloves as a Met, earning the prestigious award six times (1983-1988) while playing in New York.  Rey Ordonez also won three Gold Gloves as a Met in 1997, 1998 and 1999.  However, both Hernandez and Ordonez were infielders.

Beltran was always a fine defensive outfielder, but he was never rewarded with a Gold Glove while playing in Kansas City and Houston.  It wasn’t until he came to the Mets that the voters finally recognized him for his spectacular defensive play.

One play that stands out above all others was his amazin’ catch in Houston three years ago.  Despite the fact that the game was played on 7/7/07, luck had nothing to do with his catch of Luke Scott‘s potential game-winning blast.  With two outs and two runners on base in the 14th inning of a 3-3 tie, Scott hit what looked like a game-winning walk-off hit.  But Beltran put on his Gold Glove and chased after the ball, finally catching up to it after running up the incline in center field known as Tal’s Hill.  The catch, reminiscent of Willie Mays’ catch against the Indians’ Vic Wertz in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, saved the Mets from a defeat.  Beltran’s catch wasn’t his last impact on the game, as his base hit in the 17th inning drove in the go-ahead run in a thrilling 5-3 Mets victory.

Since I mentioned Willie Mays in the previous paragraph, let’s talk a little more about the Hall-of-Fame centerfielder.  Mays played most of his career with the New York/San Francisco Giants.  His last great season was in 1966, when he hit .288, with 37 HR and 103 RBI.  The Giants finished that season with a 93-68 record, just barely missing out on the National League pennant, which went to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished with a 95-67 record.

From 1967-1971, Mays suffered through some injuries, missing a total of 129 games over the five years.  During that five-year stretch, Mays averaged 21 HR and 70 RBI per season, a far cry from his 1966 season.  However, the Giants continued to compete in the National League, winning between 86 and 91 games each of those five seasons.  Their success, which included a division title in 1971, made it easier to digest Mays’ injuries and offensive dropoff.

But things changed in 1972.  Gaylord Perry had been traded to Cleveland during the off-season.  Perry had been with the Giants since 1962 and was part of a formidable one-two punch with Juan Marichal.  His best years with the Giants came from 1966-1971, which coincided with Mays’ dropoff in production.  In that six-year stretch, Perry won 110 games and posted a 2.75 ERA while averaging over 200 strikeouts per season.  After leading the Giants to the playoffs in 1971 by winning 16 games and posting a 2.76 ERA, Perry was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Sam McDowell.  McDowell had been the best pitcher on an otherwise poor Indians team for the better part of a decade.  Over his tenure in Cleveland, McDowell won 122 games with a 2.99 ERA, while leading the American League in strikeouts five times.  The trade appeared to be even at the time.  However, Perry continued to flourish once he left San Francisco, eventually being elected to the Hall of Fame.  Injuries sapped McDowell of his fastball and the fireballer only won 19 games over the rest of his career, which ended in 1975 with McDowell pitching out of the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen.

The Giants won three of their first four games in 1972, but then lost Willie McCovey to an injury that kept him out of the lineup for nearly two months.  With Perry no longer in the rotation and the injuries to McDowell and McCovey, the Giants started losing.  On the morning of May 11, the Giants entered the day with an 8-16 record and were already seven games out of first place.  The Giants were rapidly losing ground in the NL West standings and were also losing at the ticket office.  The owner of the Giants, Horace Stoneham, was losing money and with all the key injuries ravaging his team, his lone box office draw was Willie Mays.  But Stoneham couldn’t guarantee Mays that he could continue to pay him, especially since his skills had started to fade with the nagging injuries that had persisted since the end of the 1966 season.  Therefore, Mays was traded to the New York Mets, where he finished his career in 1973 by playing in the World Series, while the Giants continued to suffer in the standings.

After the Giants traded away their centerfielder, the team hit rock bottom.  From 1972-1986, the team never finished higher than third place in the NL West, finishing below .500 ten times over those 15 seasons.  Garry Maddox was Mays’ first replacement in center field.  Although he was a gifted defensive player, (Ralph Kiner once said “two thirds of the Earth is covered by water; the other third is covered by Garry Maddox.”) Maddox’s best offensive season wasn’t as good as a poor Willie Mays season.  After Maddox left the team, the Giants started to play musical chairs with their centerfielders, using the likes on Von Joshua, Larry Herndon, Derrel Thomas and Bill North, to name a few.  It wasn’t until Chili Davis became their centerfielder in the mid-’80s that the Giants found someone permanent for the position.  It should come as no surprise that once the Giants found their first regular centerfielder since Willie Mays, they started winning again, as the Davis-led Giants won the NL West division title in 1987, making their first trip to the postseason since Willie Mays’ last full season in San Francisco in 1971.

So now we turn to the 2010 New York Mets.  Carlos Beltran has suffered through some injuries over the past two seasons.  At the same time, the Mets are not playing as well as they did during the 2006-2008 seasons, which coincided with Beltran’s best years on the team.  Despite the fact that Beltran missed exactly half of the 2009 season, he still played well when he was on the field, batting a career-high .325, with 10 HR, 48 RBI, 50 runs scored and 11 stolen bases.  This year has been a different story.  Although Beltran claims to be healthy, he has only hit .217, with 2 HR and 14 RBI in the 39 games he’s played since returning from the disabled list.  When you combine that type of performance with the $18.5 million he’s due in 2011 and the declining attendance at Citi Field, it’s no surprise that Jeff Wilpon is talking about trading him.

Jason Bay‘s 2010 season (95 games played, .259 batting average, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 48 runs scored and 10 stolen bases).  Kansas City could have gone in a different direction in 2001.  After all, Johnny Damon was still a Royal in 2000, but he was their DH, not their centerfielder.  Damon also had a year left on his contract, but the Royals decided to trade him away and give Beltran another chance to regain the status he earned with his 1999 season.  The Royals were patient with Beltran and they were rewarded with another outstanding season.  In 2001, Beltran hit .306, with 24 HR, 101 RBI, 106 runs scored and 31 stolen bases.

Beltran’s next major injury came last year with the Mets.  He returned from that injury in September to pick up 67 late-season at-bats.  His numbers over those 67 at-bats (.284 batting average, .377 on-base percentage) were on par with his career numbers (.282 batting average, .359 on-base percentage).  Of course, Beltran started off slowly this year after he returned from the disabled list, but since August 12, he has picked up his game considerably.  Before August 12, Beltran was hitting .185, with a .295 on-base percentage.  In the 14 games he’s started since August 12, Beltran has hit .271 and has a .393 on-base percentage.  He’s reached base in all 14 of those games (13 hits, 11 walks).  Also, his play in the outfield has improved after a sluggish start where he was taking the wrong route to the ball and allowing balls to fall in for hits.

The other thing Wilpon should consider before thinking of trading away Beltran is that next season is the final year of his contract.  Beltran has played for a contract once before in 2004.  In that season, split between the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros, Beltran has a massive season.  Although he only hit .267, he swatted 38 HR and had 104 RBI.  He also scored 121 runs and stole a career-high 42 bases.  He followed that up with one of the best postseason runs in baseball history.  In 12 NLDS and NLCS games with the Astros, Beltran hit .435, with 8 HR, 14 RBI, a whopping 21 runs scored and 6 stolen bases.  The end result of that season was the seven-year, $119 million contract given to him by the Mets.  With Beltran entering his walk year in 2011, it will behoove him to have another productive season if he wants one more multi-year deal.

Let’s face it.  Many Mets fans will never forgive Beltran for taking strike three from Adam Wainwright in the 2006 NLCS.  No matter what he does or has done, that’s the first thing some fans will remember about his tenure in New York.  To those Mets fans, he’ll be like Bill Buckner.  Buckner’s error may have helped the Red Sox lose the World Series to the Mets in 1986, but how many people remember that Buckner was a major reason why the Red Sox were as good as they were?  Buckner hit a career-high 18 HR for Boston in 1986 and completed his second consecutive 100 RBI season for the Red Sox after only driving in 100 runs in a season once before in his career.  His best seasons came in Boston, but all Red Sox fans remember is the little roller up along first.

Carlos Beltran holds the single season runs scored record for the Mets.  His 41 HR in 2006 are tied for the most home runs in a single season.  He is the only Met to drive in at least 110 runs in a season three times.  Mike Piazza never did it.  David Wright never did it.  All-time Met RBI leader Darryl Strawberry never did it.  He is the only Mets outfielder to win a Gold Glove and he’s done it three times.  He’s come through in the clutch many times before.  He hit numerous walk-off home runs for the Mets, including the memorable 16th inning blast off Ryan Madson of the Phillies and the ninth inning two-run homer off Jason Isringhausen in 2006, in a game that also featured Carlos Delgado‘s 400th career HR.  Although most people remember what he did to end the 2006 NLCS, Beltran had come up big in that series prior to that at-bat.  His two-run HR in Game 1 provided all the runs scored in the 2-0 Mets victory.  His two home runs in Game 4 helped the Mets tie the series and guaranteed them a trip back to Shea Stadium.  As stated before, his defense has also directly contributed to Mets victories.

Carlos Beltran has been hampered by injuries over the past two seasons, but that doesn’t mean his career is done.  It also doesn’t mean he can’t have a productive 2011 season.  On the contrary, he might surprise a few people next year who have given up on him.  Willie Mays was also having subpar (for him), injury-plagued seasons prior to his trade to the Mets in 1972.  Once he left, the Giants had trouble replacing what he gave to the team and they suffered for many years because of it.

Mets fans shouldn’t be asking for Carlos Beltran’s departure from the team.  He should be given another chance to help the team out in 2011.  He has something to prove, both to himself and to the team.  He’s done it before.  He can do it again.  Be careful what you wish for, Mets fans.  Some of you might not want him now, but when he’s gone, he will be missed.  You might not see a player of his caliber patrolling the vast outfield at Citi Field for quite some time once he’s no longer around.

Back in 2007, the Mets were desperate for some stability at second base after using the likes of Jose Valentin, Damion Easley and Ruben Gotay at the position. Therefore, in a move made at the trade deadline, the Mets sent Dustin Martin and Drew Butera to the Twins for Luis Castillo. In 50 games following the trade, Castillo hit .296, scoring 37 runs and stealing 10 bases. The Mets got what they expected from Castillo. In those 50 games, he gave them stability, a nice batting average, run-scoring ability and some stolen bases.

However, look at who the Twins accepted for him in the deal. Two no-names with limited futures in Martin (who dat?) and Butera (do I know you?). Three years later, Martin has still not played in the major leagues and Butera finally got called up this year for a 96 at-bat tryout in which he hit .208 for the Twins. Doesn’t it look like the Twins knew Castillo was already past his prime and was not worth re-signing when he became a free agent at the end of the ’07 season? If they thought he was truly valuable, wouldn’t they have asked for more than “Who Dat?” and “Do I Know You?”?

Obviously, the Mets were satisfied with Castillo’s performance in those 50 games with the team. Not liking any of the other free agent second basemen, they signed Castillo to a four-year, $25 million contract to be Jose Reyes’ double play partner until 2011. At the time, Castillo was already 32 years old. Did the Mets really think Mr. Gimpy would play four full seasons for the team and be productive each year?

In the three years prior to signing what should be his last multi-year deal, Castillo hit .299, and averaged 82 runs and 18 stolen bases per season. Those numbers were good, but were a far cry from his numbers with the Marlins, when he hit .300 or better on four occasions, scored 90 or more runs thrice and stole at least 48 bases three times, including 2000 and 2002, when he led the league in steals both times.

It should have been clear to the Mets that they were getting a player on the downside of his career, but good ol’ Mr. Minaya felt that Castillo was worthy of a contract that was as long as a presidential term.

So what have the Mets gotten in return for their investment? In 292 games with the Mets under his new contract, Castillo has hit .272 (well below his .291 career average) and has only scored 143 runs, while stealing 44 bases. The man who was supposed to be a tablesetter for the Mets, along with Jose Reyes, has averaged less than 50 runs scored per season since he joined the team and is stealing as many bases as Jason Bay. He is nothing more than a station-to-station player now, who rarely collects extra-base hits (only four doubles and two triples this season in 200 at-bats.)

How much do the Mets dislike using Castillo now? They’d rather give the second base position to Ruben Tejada, who would lose a batting title to Bob Uecker and Mario Mendoza right now with his .180 batting average. Yes, Harry Doyle himself can out-hit the Mets’ second basemen.

Now we have the news that Castillo wants out of New York. He’s even trying to make it look like he has something to contribute to this team. Let’s look at some of his quotes on the subject.

“I came here to be an everyday player and I know it’s been hard with the injuries I’ve had, but I feel good now and thought I was playing well.  I’ve been playing for 14 years and I’ve never gone through anything like this.”

Never gone through anything like that? In his 12 full seasons in the majors, Castillo has missed at least 20 games in eight of them. He has been hurt more times than Oliver Perez has recorded a three-pitch strikeout. Also, after batting a career-high .334 in 2000, he dipped to .263 in 2001, striking out a career-high 90 times in the process. He’s never gone through that before? Think again, Luis. You have. More than once.

“If they think (Tejada’s) the best player, that’s OK.  I just don’t want to be a backup when I’ve been playing every day for my whole career.”

Again, how does a man who’s missed a total of 361 games over the past 11+ seasons (averaging a little over 30 games missed per season over that span) consider himself an everyday player? Having Luis Castillo on the team means you’re going to need a capable backup who’s going to end up playing for a least a month’s worth of games every year. Perhaps Luis Castillo needs to go on the disabled list for his memory loss.

“I can’t be here anymore.  I know I’m not going to be here next year.”

Considering Luis Castillo’s track record with saying things that just aren’t true, I wish he wouldn’t have uttered the above quote. Does that mean we’re going to have to stick it out for another year of an occasional single here and there, more whining and an eventual trip or three to the disabled list?

Castillo is so unwanted that according to Jon Heyman, the Cubs didn’t want to trade clubhouse cancer Carlos Zambrano to the Mets in exchange for Oliver Perez and Castillo.  It wasn’t because the Mets were throwing in El Perez-idente.  It was because Castillo was included in the deal.

So Luis Castillo wants out of New York. The feeling is mutual, my non-friend. Somehow you convinced the Mets that you were the best available second baseman on the market following the 2007 season. Now you’re trying to convince them that you can still play every day. I think it’s time to update your passport picture because you certainly won’t be playing in the major leagues after your contract expires next year. Perhaps a team in the Far East will take you. Maybe Guam has open tryouts.

One thing is for sure. Luis Castillo has been with the Mets for a little over three years now.  In that time, he has worn out his welcome in New York, a welcome I don’t recall ever giving him in the first place.  He “endeared” himself to Mets fans with his one-armed bandit routine when he dropped the pop-up last year in an excruciating loss at Yankee Stadium.  Now let’s see him try to hit the jackpot again when his contract expires after the 2011 season.  Surely, Lady Luck will not be smiling upon him then.

You want out of New York, Luis Castillo?  You got it.  Just let any one of the millions of Mets fans out there know what day you need a ride to the airport and they’ll be more than happy to take you there.

“The Mets need to get healthy and get their pitching going, especially the front two guys.”

Fair enough.   It’s true that the Mets, just like many other teams, need to get healthy.  Carlos Beltran still hasn’t regained his pre-injury form and needs to do so soon, especially since he’s batting in a spot in the order where offensive production is essential.   Similarly, when Jason Bay returns from the concussion he suffered while making his Aaron Rowand-esque catch at Dodger Stadium, he must stop being the singles hitter he was in the first half of the season and channel the pre-2010 Jason Bay the Mets thought they had signed.

Pedro was also correct when assessing the Mets’ pitching staff.  Other than the surprising R.A. Dickey, the pitching has been very inconsistent this year.  The top two starters in the rotation (Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey) have had stretches of brilliance, followed by poor outings.  In the case of Pelfrey, he had two and a half months of All-Star caliber performances, followed by an unexpected morphing into Charlie Brown on the mound with other teams constantly pounding him start after start, especially in the first inning.

Of course, Pedro could have stopped right there.  But since he’s Pedro, he had more to say, especially on One Particular Over-Priced Ostracized Pariah who has started and relieved for the Mets this season.

“I think, whether they like it or not, Oliver Perez should be in the rotation, getting better.  He’s got too good of an arm to be wasted in the bullpen.”

Apparently, Pedro has spent his time away from baseball drinking from the same Kool-Aid that ownership was chugging when they gave Luis Castillo a four-year contract and Oliver Perez $36 million for his 36 cent performance.

Since the beginning of 2009, Oliver Perez has not resembled anything close to a major league pitcher.   His walk totals have been astronomical and his ERA is higher than Carlos Zambrano’s blood pressure after a blown call.   The Mets have placed him on the disabled list several times over the past two years in an effort to heal injuries they believed were contributing to his poor performances.  Every time he’s returned from the DL, he’s come back just as ineffective as he was before the DL stint.  Oliver Perez wasn’t even pitching particularly well against minor league hitters during his rehab assignment prior to his most recent “promotion” from the disabled list last month.  The lack of control was still there and the inability to limit his pitch count continued against inexperienced minor leaguers.

Of course, Pedro thinks the solution to all that ails Ollie is to be inserted back into the starting rotation.   He thinks Ollie’s arm is too good to be wasted in the bullpen.  So where SHOULD we waste his arm then?  I wouldn’t even draft Ollie for my company’s softball team.  Ollie HAD a great arm.  He just never learned how to use it.  He seems to be more content with taking his paycheck to the bank than honing the craft that caused him to get that paycheck in the first place.

If you thought that was all Pedro had to say on the loopy lefty, you’ve got another think coming.  Pedro had this final statement on how Oliver Perez can get better.

“Someone needs to find a way to do what I was doing, just keeping Oliver concentrated on the things he had to do.”

Well, blow me down!  Apparently, Pedro Martinez was Oliver Perez’s pitching coach while they were teammates from July 31, 2006 to the end of the 2008 season.  After Ollie was traded to the Mets at the 2006 trade deadline, he didn’t exactly set the world on fire, going 1-3 with a 6.38 ERA over seven starts over the final two months of the ’06 season.  Oliver Perez did have an excellent 2007, but how much of that was due to Pedro Martinez’s input?  Pedro spent the majority of that season on the disabled list.   Was he calling Oliver Perez’s direct line in the dugout with advice whenever he faced a tough spot on the mound?  Or was Rick Peterson responsible for Ollie’s one good season as a Met?  You remember Rick, don’t you, Pedro?  He was the man who was in the dugout every time Oliver Perez started a game in 2007.  He was the man who talked to him every day and went out to the mound every time Ollie started to falter.  Was that you doing that or Rick Peterson?

So I guess Pedro Martinez was the man who kept Oliver Perez focused on the mound.  Since Pedro isn’t pitching this season, perhaps the Mets would be wise to hire him as a pitching consultant, since according to him, he’s clearly down with O.P.P. (Oliver Perez’s Problems).

Pedro Martinez had a great career in the major leagues.  He came to New York and had a fantastic 2005 season, before injuries hampered him throughout the rest of his Mets career.  He had a renaissance for the Phillies in 2009, including a nationally televised 130-pitch, eight inning shutout effort against the Mets in September that was vintage Pedro from start to finish.

However, for as much as he knows about pitching, Pedro knows very little about Oliver Perez.   Ollie is not a major league pitcher right now and hasn’t been one since the Mets left Shea Stadium for Citi Field, a ballpark that’s supposedly more pitcher friendly than its predecessor.  In fact, Ollie has been so ineffective for the Mets that the mound at Citi Field has taken out a restraining order on him, not allowing him to come within 500 feet of the hill.

The Wilpons refuse to admit their mistake and because of it, the Mets continue to pay Ollie to sit around in the bullpen waiting for another 10-1 game in which his services and “talents” can be used appropriately.   Of course, according to pitching guru Pedro Martinez, Ollie’s talents will shine through once he becomes a starter again.

No thanks, Pedro.   Perhaps once the Mets rid themselves of Ollie, the two of you can get the band back together again, but for now, watching Ollie come into a game is like watching the final car chase scene in “Blues Brothers”.  You know no one’s going to get hurt, but there’s going to be a lot of damage done.

Earlier today, Joe D took a song by Black Sheep and wrote a humorous piece about the approaching trade deadline and which pitcher we’d rather have.  (Just say “no” to Ollie.)  Paying homage to that piece, now I’m questioning whether Mets fans should boo or cheer the team when they take the field against the Cardinals on Tuesday night in their first home game following their awful West Coast road trip.

What better song to choose than the classic hit by The Clash (duh, like you didn’t know where this was going) called “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”.  The song was released as a single in 1982 (and performed by The Clash in concert at Shea Stadium that October.  Betcha didn’t know that.), right before the Mets became a good team again.  Will this song parody I’ve written help the current Mets get better?

No, that would be silly.  Scoring more runs will make them better.  Even Dead Manuel Walking can figure that out while he’s pointing out the next relief pitcher he’s going to use not named Frankie Rodriguez.

I’ve said enough. It’s time to tap your cleats to the song parody.  Here is the song set to the Clash’s hit single from 1982.  This one is called “Should I Cheer or Should I Boo?”

Mets fans, you’ve gotta let me know.
Should I cheer or should I boo?
If you say “make up your mind!”
I’ll ask you ’till we’re at inning nine.
So before you hear “play ball!”
Should I cheer or should I boo?

The Mets just tease tease tease.
And Jerry still trots out Ollie.
Like a bad fish, he’ll throw him back.
To give us fans a heart attack.
So before to Citi I go.
Should I cheer or should I boo?

Should I cheer or should I boo now?
Should I cheer or should I boo now?
If I cheer at Reyes’ double.
Then I’ll miss Castillo stumble.
Don’t know which way I will go…

To cheer? To boo? It’s bugging me.
And so’s the last month by Pelfrey.
Will K-Rod pitch the tenth inning?
No way, says Dead Manuel Walking.
Maybe it’s time for him to go..
I’m not cheering him anymo’.

Should I cheer or should I boo now?
Should I cheer or should I boo now?
Can Beltran run down a fly ball?
Will the coaching staff take the fall?
Can’t these guys win on the road?
I should cool it or I’m gonna blow.

Should I cheer or should I boo now?
Should I cheer or should I boo now?
Jerry Manuel’s in trouble.
His team’s been reduced to rubble.
Cheering will get a big fat NO!
That’s right, I’m going to BEE-OH-OH!

Instantly, my thoughts turned to former Mets manager and Dodger great Gil Hodges, whose #14 has been retired by the Mets. Then I wondered, “wait a minute, does that mean Gil Hodges’ number hasn’t been retired by the Dodgers?”

At first, I thought Hodges might have worn another number when he played for the Dodgers, so I did some research and found out that he did wear #4 when he was called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers as a teenager in 1943. However, that uniform only saw game action one time.

Hodges made his major league debut as a fresh-faced 19-year-old in the Dodgers’ regular season finale on October 3, 1943. Starting at third base (a position he didn’t play again until 1957), he made three plate appearances in the game, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. After the game, he did not return to the major leagues until 1947 due to military service for the United States Marine Corps.

When he returned to the major leagues in 1947, he came back as a catcher. He was Bruce Edwards’ backup during the season most known for Jackie Robinson’s major league debut. Hodges was still not at his customary first base position because Robinson was the team’s first baseman during his rookie season.

In 1948, Hodges began his second full season with the Dodgers, this time as their primary catcher. However, future Hall-of-Famer Roy Campanella was waiting in the wings, potentially leaving Hodges without a position. However, by that time, Jackie Robinson had already been playing some games at second base, shifting back and forth between first and second base as needed. So in one of his final moves before being let out of his contract to manage the New York Giants, manager Leo Durocher moved Gil Hodges to first base and Jackie Robinson to second base on a permanent basis on June 29. Three days later, Campanella became the Dodgers’ #1 catcher.

The move to first base launched what should have been a Hall-of-Fame career for Hodges. His first full season as a first baseman in 1949 produced the first of seven consecutive seasons in which Hodges drove in 100 or more runs. Prior to Hodges’ seven year stretch of 100 RBI seasons, the only National League player to have a longer streak of consecutive years with 100 or more RBI was Mel Ott, who accomplished the feat eight straight years for the Giants from 1929-1936.

The 1950s were owned by the Dodger duo of Duke Snider and Gil Hodges. Only two players in the major leagues hit as many as 300 home runs and drove in at least 1,000 runs over the decade. Those two players were Snider and Hodges. Snider was the decade’s top power hitter, collecting 326 HR and 1,031 RBI, but Hodges was not far behind, hitting 310 HR and driving in 1,001 runs in the 1950s.

For a time, Gil Hodges was the National League’s all-time career home run leader for right-handed batters. When he retired as a player following the 1963 season, his career total of 370 home runs was the tenth highest total in major league history. Only Jimmie Foxx had more home runs as a right-handed batter at the time.

Hodges’ exploits for the Dodgers were not limited to his performance at the plate. He was also an outstanding defensive player. From 1949-1961, Hodges finished in the top five in fielding percentage every year, leading all first basemen in fielding percentage in 1949, 1950, 1960 and 1961. For his defensive prowess, he was awarded with three Gold Glove Awards in 1957, 1958 and 1959. He could have won more Gold Gloves, but the prestigious award did not exist before 1957, meaning Hodges was the initial recipient of the award at the first base position.

It is clear from the information above that Hodges was not just a good player, he was a great player, one of the best in the 1950s. He was one of the premier sluggers of his era and was not one-dimensional, as evidenced by his defensive numbers and awards. Yet somehow, despite all his talent, the Dodgers have failed to retire his number.

The Dodgers have retired ten numbers over their long and storied history. Nine of the ten men who wore those numbers are in the Hall of Fame. The only man whose number has been retired by the Dodgers and has not been enshrined into Cooperstown is Jim Gilliam.

Gilliam, a teammate of Hodges from 1953-1961, had a good, but not great career in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. The 1953 National League Rookie of the Year started off strongly, scoring 100 or more runs in each of his first four seasons in the major leagues. However, in his final ten years n the majors, he was mediocre at best, never scoring 100 runs again, and only hitting .259 after 1956. He was even worse in the postseason. In 39 career World Series games (there were no divisional playoff series or league championship series prior to 1969), Gilliam hit a mere .211 with only 15 runs scored, despite the fact that he was counted on to be a tablesetter in the powerful Dodger lineup.

After the 1964 season, Gilliam became a player-coach for the Dodgers and became a full-time coach after his retirement as a player in 1966. He continued to coach the Dodgers, helping them to two National League pennants in 1974 and 1977, and was a part of the coaching staff on the 1978 team that eventually repeated as National League Champions. Sadly, Gilliam did not live to see the Dodgers return to the World Series that year. On September 15, he suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and lapsed into a coma from which he did not awaken. Gilliam passed away on October 8, one day after the Dodgers won the National League pennant. On October 10, right before the Dodgers played the opening game of the World Series, Gilliam’s #19 was retired by the team to honor his services as a player and a coach.

It is possible that Gilliam’s number might never have been retired had he not passed away when he did. He played 14 seasons for the Dodgers and was great in the first four years of his playing career, but only good over the final ten years. He only coached for the team, never managing them. Yet his number has been elevated to a level that Gil Hodges’ number has not.

Meanwhile, the Mets have retired Gil Hodges’ number. He played for the team in 1962 and 1963, but was already on the downside of his great career. He only played in 65 games for the Mets over those two seasons, compiling a .248 average with 9 HR and 20 RBI over 167 at-bats. His legacy for the Mets was cemented when he became their manager after he was traded by the Washington Senators to New York in November 1967.

In his initial campaign as Mets’ skipper in 1968, he led the franchise to their best season at the time, finishing with a 73-89 record. He shocked the baseball world the following season when he led the Mets to their first 100-win season and the World Series title. Although the team didn’t revert to its losing ways after their title, they were only mediocre in Hodges’ next two seasons as manager, finishing with identical 83-79 records in 1970 and 1971. Sadly, just before beginning his fifth season as manager of the Mets, Hodges died of a heart attack while playing golf with members of his coaching staff in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Despite the memorable 1969 season, Hodges’ record in his other three seasons as Mets manager was eight games below .500 (239 wins, 247 losses). Yet, he is regarded as the man who brought the Mets from lovable losers to confident contenders during his tenure as manager. For being an original Met and for leading the team out of the cellar in the National League, the Mets retired his number in 1973.

Since Hodges’ death in 1972, no Met has worn his #14 jersey. However, the Dodgers have given his number to journeyman players like Jamey Carroll. Other than Jim Gilliam, do the Dodgers only care about their great players, coaches and managers AFTER they get elected into the Hall of Fame?

Gary Carter’s number hasn’t been officially retired by the Mets, but ever since he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003, no Met has worn his #8. The Dodgers don’t have to retire Gil Hodges’ number if they don’t want to. They can choose to retire it if the Veterans Committee decides to enshrine Hodges into the Hall of Fame (he fell one vote short in 1993). But for the love of Tommy Lasorda, don’t give Hodges’ number to guys like Jamey Carroll.

Gil Hodges was a leader, both offensively and defensively, for a Dodger team that won seven National League pennants during his tenure with the team. He should be treated like one by the Dodgers. The Mets have honored their field general by respectfully retiring his number. Shouldn’t the Dodgers do the same?

That’s right, Mets fans.  Jason Bay’s daily strikeouts might be bad for the Mets, but they’re quite good for the planet.  If scientists can find a way to harness the wind generated by his repeated swings and misses, perhaps our leftfielder can actually earn his previously undeserved salary after all.

In all seriousness, since his last day off on July 1, Bay has been generating great quantities of wind energy.  In the 15 games he’s started since that day off, he has struck out 20 times in 58 at-bats.  Over the same stretch of games, he is hitting .155 (9-for-58) with no home runs, which explains his barely-there .207 slugging percentage.

By comparison, over that same stretch, Johan Santana is batting .222, has picked up a home run and has a .556 slugging percentage.  Basically, Johan Santana has been a better power threat in July than our $66 million man.

It should therefore come as no surprise that Jerry Manuel has decided to give Jason Bay the night off tonight in the first game of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium.  In fact, all three members of the Not-So-Killer B’s (Bay, Barajas, Beltran) will spend tonight’s game on another B – the bench.

Jason Bay has never been a great contact hitter.  In fact, he’s struck out at least 129 times every full season he’s been in the majors, including a career-high 162 whiffs last year with the Red Sox.  However, he’s also never looked so helpless at the plate, where the only positive Mets fans can draw from a Bay at-bat is that he hustles out every ground ball that more often than not becomes an out anyway.

Carlos Beltran had a subpar year in his first season with the Mets after signing a rich contract prior to the 2005 season.  However, he was consistent from month to month, even if that consistency was below his standards.  He also heated up in July, batting .290 and driving in 17 runs, which represented his highest monthly total that year.

Unlike Beltran in 2005, Bay has not had a July to remember.  In fact, Bay has gone from consistently bad to consistently worse.  After hitting a commendable .303 with 18 runs scored and 15 RBI in May, his numbers dipped to .250 with 11 runs scored and 13 RBI in June, followed by his forgettable July, in which he has hit .169 with three runs scored and 8 RBI (half of those eight runs batted in came in one game, on July 4 against the Nationals).  And of course, there are those increasing strikeout totals…

It’s not just THAT he’s striking out, it’s WHEN he’s striking out.  With men on base, Bay is only hitting .224.  He’s also more apt to go down swinging than go up hitting, as evidenced by his 49 strikeouts with men on base as opposed to his 36 hits in those situations.  Similarly, with runners in scoring position, Bay morphs from run producer to windmill.  In those situations, Bay has struck out 32 times in 94 at-bats, while picking up only 24 hits.  That’s right, he strikes out 34% of the time when he bats with runners in scoring position.

Perhaps Bay is just taking a full year to get used to playing in New York.  Beltran had a poor first season in New York, then followed it up with an MVP-caliber season in 2006.  However, at least Beltran showed some signs of life after the midpoint of the 2005 season.  Bay has yet to do so.  In fact, for every step he appears to take forward, he follows that up with two steps back (and probably a strikeout or four).

The world might have a use for Jason Bay’s wind-generating ability when he comes to bat.  But we Mets fans have a better use for a player that has contributed very little in clutch situations and has underperformed in almost every offensive category.  Perhaps benchwarmer is a better position for Jason Bay than left field.  Tonight, that’s the position he will play.  If he doesn’t want to become a regular there, he’d better stop being the Human Windmill and start becoming the hitter we thought we were getting.

Let’s take a look at the schedule and break down the upcoming month of games for the Mets:

July 15-18:  4 games at San Francisco (playoff contender)

July 19-21:  3 games at Arizona

July 22-25:  4 games at Los Angeles (Wild Card co-leader)

July 27-29:  3 games vs. St. Louis (playoff contender)

July 30-Aug. 1:  3 games vs. Arizona

Aug. 2-4:  3 games at Atlanta (best record in the NL)

Aug. 6-8:  3 games at Philadelphia (playoff contender)

Aug. 10-12:  3 games vs. Colorado (Wild Card co-leader)

Aug. 13-15:  3 games vs. Philadelphia (playoff contender)

The Mets begin their second half schedule with their longest road trip of the year, an 11-game jaunt through California and Arizona.  The series in Arizona must be looked at similar to their two series against Baltimore and Cleveland last month.  The Mets were doing poorly on the road before those series but they didn’t play down to the level of their competition.  They won all six games against the Orioles and Indians and gained ground in the playoff race.

Likewise, the upcoming series in Arizona, sandwiched between two series against playoff contenders, must be gone into with a sense of “we’re better than you and we’re going to prove it”.  Although winning two out of three on the road is usually considered a success, I believe the Mets can and should take all three games in Arizona.  The Diamondbacks have nothing to play for in the NL West, other than to showcase some talent that may be used in deals at the trading deadline.  The Mets have won 16 of their last 19 games played in Arizona going back to 2004.  They can’t settle for anything less than a sweep.

Meanwhile, the two series wrapped around the Diamondbacks series are a little tougher to look at.  The Giants have been hot of late, winning six of their last seven games going into the All-Star Break.  Of course, those games were against the Brewers and Nationals, two teams with a combined record of 79-99.  However, the Giants have held their own against the NL East this year, going 12-6 against them, despite losing two out of three to the Mets at Citi Field back in May.  The Giants are 25-17 at AT&T Park this season, but the Mets have Carlos Beltran coming back for this series.  His return will not only boost the lineup, it could also give them a sense of completeness that they haven’t felt in quite some time (assuming Jose Reyes is ready to play).  For now, I will accept a split of the four-game series, but I’m really hoping for three out of four.

Will the real Los Angeles Dodgers please stand up?  Are they the team that went into Citi Field back in April and got swept by the Mets in a series that included John Maine’s sole victory of the season?  Are they the team that blistered their way through the National League in May and June, going 23-7 over a 30-game stretch to temporarily take over the division lead from the Padres?  Or are they the mediocre team we’ve seen since then, winning series against non-contending teams (Diamondbacks, Marlins, Cubs), while losing series to playoff contenders (Red Sox, Angels, Yankees)?  The Mets have to take the Dodgers seriously even though they’ve been more streaky and slumpy this year than Jeff Francoeur.  To add to the confusion, the Dodgers are great at home (28-18), but horrible against the NL East (5-11).  It’s a tough call, but I think the Mets will split the four games in LA, which makes sense considering the split personality the Dodgers seem to have this year.

From there, the Mets will come back home to the friendly confines of Citi Field.  They will face the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks.  Again, the only option with Arizona is a sweep, especially at home.  Anything less than three victories would be unacceptable.  The series with Arizona will coincide with the trading deadline, so it’ll be interesting to see where the Mets are in the standings during this series and who they end up acquiring, if they acquire anyone at all.

For the series against the Cardinals, it’ll all boil down to pitching.  The Cardinals have a great one-two punch in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, while the Mets currently have one great puncher in Johan Santana.  However, the Cardinals are just as poor on the road as the Mets are and they will be the road team in this series.  I’m hoping the Mets can take two out of three in this series, but wouldn’t be surprised if the Cardinals’ pitching holds the Mets to just one win in the series similar to the way the Braves’ pitching did this past weekend.

Speaking of the Braves, following their short homestand against St. Louis and Arizona, the Mets take their show on the road to face their hated division rivals in Atlanta and Philadelphia.  That road trip could make or break this team more than the 11-game trip after the All-Star Break could.  The Mets know that losing both of these series could drop them back into third place in the division (a place where they might be already if they don’t get off to a quick start after the Break).  They will need to split these six games at the very least.  Losing a minimum of four games on this road trip could prove devastating.

Finally, this tough stretch of games ends with a six-game homestand against the Rockies and Phillies.  The Rockies are doing what the Rockies do best, and that is going on a run that takes them from the bottom of the division to the top of the Wild Card race.  A month ago, the Rockies were a .500 team, sitting in fourth place because the Diamondbacks had a no vacancy sign in last place.  Since then, they have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, going 19-9 and moving into a tie with the Dodgers for the Wild Card lead, after the Mets had held the Wild Card lead for weeks.  In their month-long run to the top, they have won series from contenders like the Red Sox, Giants and Padres (twice) and swept the Cardinals.  The Rockies will not be a pushover, even with the series taking place at Citi Field, especially if the Mets have to face Cy Young Award favorite Ubaldo Jimenez, who may be closing in on 20 wins by the time the Rockies travel to New York.  I’ll be cautiously optimistic when I say that the Mets will win two out of three against the Rockies, but will be prepared for them to lose two out of three.

As for the Phillies, they will certainly have their last series at Citi Field on their minds when they return to New York.  In what might have been the highlight of the Mets’ season so far, the Phillies came into New York and left with nothing, as in no runs on the scoreboard.  The three-game shutout of the Phillies gave the Mets hope and has given fuel to their post-season push, but to expect something like that again would be ridiculous.  Even to expect another three-game sweep might be too much.  The Phillies just swept a four-game series from the NL Central division leading Reds, the same team that came into Citi Field and took two out of three from the Mets last week.  Despite the injuries that have wiped out most of their infield, the Phillies have remained in contention all year and will continue to do so.  Just like the series with the Rockies, I’ll say I want the Mets to win two out of three, but will not be surprised if they lose two out of three.  I’m expecting a split of the six-game homestand with the Rockies and the Phillies.

The Mets will begin their post-Break schedule by playing 29 games against mostly contending teams.  Having a losing record over that stretch would surely damage their post-season chances.  Using all my fingers and toes, I have tallied up the wins and losses I expect from the Mets over this month-long stretch of games following the All-Star Break.  My caveman math has given the Mets an 18-11 record over that stretch, which of course, includes six wins in six games over the Diamondbacks.  Failure to sweep both series against Arizona would change things drastically, but I have confidence in the Mets that they can pull it off.  Of course, that means I’m also saying that the Mets will barely have a winning record against all the other teams they play during this tough stretch of games.

Getting Carlos Beltran back into the lineup on Thursday, along with the return of Jose Reyes will make the offense whole again.  Hopefully, this will prevent many extended periods where the Mets go into a hitting slump (like during the just-completed 2-4 homestand). The combination of the upgraded offense, Johan Santana’s resurgence and perhaps a little help at the trading deadline (if it is a starting pitcher, Omar Minaya can’t just acquire him just to make an acquisition.  He has to be someone who will improve the rotation immediately.  Please, no more Victor Zambrano-like deals!) can help the Mets approach the 18-11 post-Break record I’m calling for them to have.

After that 29-game stretch, the Mets will spend the next two weeks playing Houston, Pittsburgh, Florida and Houston again.  All three teams have fallen out of contention in the National League.  All four series are winnable series.  The Mets should feast on these teams, but of course, feasting on paper and feasting on the field are two different things.

It’s time to put up or shut up for the Mets after the All-Star Break.  The next month’s schedule is going to tell us a lot about this team.  Either things could spiral out of control or we’ll prove we belong to be mentioned with the big boys of the National League.  Get ready for the second half of the season.  Regardless of what happens, it’s sure to be one fun ride!

The Mets enter the All-Star Break trailing the Braves by four games in the National League East.   Upon doing some research, I noticed the following things that have contributed to the gap between the two rivals in the division.

The Mets are 19-28 in games decided by two runs or less (10-15 in one-run games; 9-13 in two-run games).  At the same time, the Braves are 22-20 in those games (14-12 in one-run games; 8-8 in two-run games).

The Mets have held their opponent to one run or less 22 times this season.  They’re 22-0 in those games, meaning that they’re 26-40 when they give up two runs or more.  Meanwhile, the Braves are 13-1 when they give up one run or less but they’re 39-35 when they allow two runs or more.

The Mets have won three games in walk-off fashion, while painfully losing ten games in the opponents’ final at-bat.   The Braves have been quite successful in games that end in a walk-off, winning eight games in a walk-off, while losing only four.

The Mets have come from behind to win 11 games this season, while blowing the lead in 18 of their losses.   On the other hand, the Braves have registered 25 comeback wins this season, while only losing 16 games in which they had the lead.

Many teams can expect to have a winning record in games where they give up anywhere from two to five runs in a game.  The Mets are 21-21 in those such games.  What about the Braves?   You guessed it.   The Braves are 36-21 when they allow anywhere from two to five runs in a game.

Francisco Rodriguez has pitched in 42 games this year.   In 33 of those appearances, he pitched exactly one inning.  In 13 of those 33 appearances, he faced a minimum of five batters.   That means he has allowed a minimum of two baserunners in almost 40% of his one-inning outings.   What about those nine appearances in which he did not pitch exactly one inning?  He’s far worse in those outings.  In six of those nine appearances (67%), he allowed two baserunners or more.  That includes last week’s debacle against the Nationals where he faced seven batters and only retired one of them.

K-Rod has faced the minimum in only 14 of his 42 appearances.  As a result, he has thrown fewer than 10 pitches in only four of those 42 appearances (including today’s eight-pitch save against the Braves), while throwing at least 20 pitches in 16 of those games.

So how can the Mets improve their team in the second half of the season?   Looking at the information above, it’s pretty simple.

The Mets have to be able to pull out the close games.   There have been too many times this year when a starting pitcher’s best efforts have been wasted because the offense remained dormant.   At the same time, on days when the bullpen has been needed to keep games close, they have failed too many times, especially on the road (hence the unusually high number of walk-off losses).   Scoring early and often will allow starting pitchers to pitch without having extra pressure attached to every pitch and will allow Jerry Manuel to use his bullpen sparingly, not having to overuse certain relievers.

Whenever the opposing team scores first, the Mets must respond quickly before the game gets out of hand.   How many times have we seen the Mets fall behind by four or five runs, only to mount a late-inning comeback that eventually falls short (yet another reason for their less-than-stellar record in games decided by two runs or less)?  If the Mets would start coming back as soon as they fall behind, they’d have more innings in which to mount their comeback, instead of having to do it in one big swoop.   By starting rallies earlier in games, there is a better chance that these rallies come against a less effective middle reliever instead of the more effective set-up men, lefty specialists and closers.

Although Francisco Rodriguez pitched well today, more often than not, he has spiked the sales of Rolaids to levels not seen since Davey Johnson had them with every meal.  Closers have to be able to pitch one-two-three innings.  They are supposed to be the firemen of the squad, not the arsonists.  Too many times this season, K-Rod has put the tying and go-ahead runs on base and of course, more often than we’d like, those runners have come around to score.  Frankie will need to stop trying to throw his pitches through the catcher’s mitt and start concentrating more on making pitches where they need to be pitched.  At the same time, Jerry Manuel cannot be afraid to have another reliever warming up in the bullpen whenever Frankie puts men on base.   Forget about damaging Frankie’s ego by showing a lack of trust in his ability to pitch through the inning.  What about damaging the Mets’ chances for a victory by leaving him in the game on days when he doesn’t have his “A” game?

Fixing these problems that have plagued the Mets throughout the first half of the season will go a long way towards determining where they finish in the division.  A trade for a starting pitcher will not improve the Mets’ ability to score runs in bunches, will not do anything to limit the number of walk-off losses and will not bring K-Rod’s pitch count down.  If they get a new starting pitcher, I will not complain.   However, if they keep committing the same mistakes that led to so many unnecessary losses in the first half, don’t expect to see October baseball in Flushing for a fourth consecutive season.

It was the year 2000.  The Y2K scare had come and gone, with people barely noticing what all the fuss was about.  Music fans were wondering who let the dogs out.  Mets fans were still cursing out Kenny Rogers for ball four and the nemesis of the day wore a tomahawk on his chest.

The Braves were the Mets’ chief rivals in 1999 and 2000.  The Mets’ mojo was rising in 1999 and it took them all the way to the sixth game of the National League Championship Series where the Braves ultimately came out on top, denying the Mets their first trip to the World Series in thirteen years.  Throughout the course of that classic series, a new villain had surfaced for Mets fans to hate.  That villain was John Rocker.

If Rocker’s macho attitude and overinflated ego hadn’t already caused Mets fans to want to run his pickup truck off the dirt road and into the creek, his incendiary comments about New Yorkers he encountered on the 7 train surely did.  Rocker soon became Public Enemy #1 at Shea Stadium.  When the Braves made their first trip to New York in late June of 2000, Rocker was with them and the Mets were prepared to do battle.

It appeared as if Mets fans were prepared to do battle with John Rocker as well.  The police presence inside the stadium was unprecedented in that pre-9/11 era.  The extra security had to be called in for fear that unruly fans who wanted a piece of Rocker would pelt him with more than just words.  In the first game of the series, Rocker was called upon in the eighth inning by Braves manager Bobby Cox to protect a two-run lead.  When he sprinted in from the bullpen, as was his wont to do at the time,  he entered to a chorus of boos with a side order of plastic bottles.  Despite all the negative energy being directed at him by the fans, he pitched a 1-2-3 inning and appeared unfazed by the derogatory epithets being hurled venomously at him by the raucous crowd.  The Braves went on to defeat the Mets by the final score of 6-4, setting the stage for one of the greatest and improbable comebacks in Mets history the following night.

Friday, June 30, 2000.  It was Fireworks Night at Shea Stadium.  The crowd of 52,831 had settled into their seats for a blood match.  I was among the throng of Mets fans who had bought a ticket for that game, hoping to see fireworks in more ways than one.  I had to wait a few hours but I was not disappointed.

Before I go any further, allow me to inform you that I was a regular at Shea Stadium on Fireworks Night.  I never missed one until they stopped doing them after the 2006 season in order to build Citi Field.  I was at the 13-1 loss to the Padres in 1996.  After the game had ended, a band called The Fool played a short set to entertain the fans while the pyrotechnicians put the finishing touches on the fireworks.  The band was booed off the stage before they could sing a note.  I was also at the 16-0 loss to the Braves in 1999.  That game was significant because Mets closer John Franco got hurt with two outs in the ninth inning.  Since the game was already a blowout and Bobby Valentine had already used six pitchers, he called upon infielder Matt Franco to relieve John Franco.  Of course, he gave up a long 3-run HR to Gerald Williams to put the finishing touches on that 16-0 final score.  John Franco’s injury caused Armando Benitez to have to step in as closer, a job he unfortunately never gave up.  Needless to say, the fans were not very patriotic during the fireworks show that night either.  Now back to our original story, already in progress…

The Braves had jumped out to a 5-0 lead.  When the Mets finally put a run on the board in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 5-1, Mets fans were hoping for a dramatic victory.  That was quickly stomped on by the bat of Brian Jordan when he hit a 3-run HR off Eric Cammack in the eighth inning to give the Braves what appeared to be an insurmountable 8-1 lead.  It appeared as if Fireworks Night would fizzle out as it had in previous years.  But then the sparklers made an appearance.

The Mets had put runners on second and third with one out.  Robin Ventura was the next batter and the fans in my section (Upper Deck Section 47, the dictionary definition of nosebleed seats) were pleading for him to hit a home run to make the score respectable.  Perhaps he could stir up the ghosts of Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS with another bomb off a Braves reliever.  But alas, he grounded out weakly for the second out.  A run scored on the play making it 8-2, but the Mets were now one out away from ending the inning.  It was up to Todd Zeile to continue the rally.  Little did I know that the real fireworks were about to begin.

Desperately trying not to make the final out of the inning, Zeile lined an RBI single to left to make the score 8-3.  A single by Jay Payton brought Bobby Cox out of the dugout to make a pitching change.  In came Kerry Ligtenberg.  He fared no better.  Benny Agbayani walked to load the bases, followed by walks to pinch-hitter Mark Johnson and Melvin Mora.  That made the score 8-5 and the tying runs were on base.  Out popped Bobby Cox from his hole in the dugout to remove Ligtenberg from the game.  Perhaps not trying to rile up an already excited crowd, Cox did not go to John Rocker.  Rocker had told Cox before the game that he would have difficulty pitching because of a callus on his left thumb.  Instead, he brought in fellow lefty Terry Mulholland to face Derek Bell.  This would be the biggest mistake made by Bobby Cox on the night.

Mulholland continued the merry-go-round by walking Bell to force in another run.  It was now 8-6 and Section 47 was on its feet, cheering as loudly as we could, hoping the Mets wouldn’t strand these runners on base.  Edgardo Alfonzo was next.  If Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura were the heart of those teams, Fonzie was the soul.  I was 100% confident he was going to come through and sure enough, he rewarded my faith in him by hitting a sharp single to left scoring the tying runs.  My sandwich had fallen on the floor in front of my friend’s seat and he almost slipped on it while jumping up and down, but he wasn’t mad at me.  The Mets had just erased a seven-run deficit to tie the game.  Nothing was going to bother us now.  It was so loud in Section 47 that we couldn’t even hear the airplanes flying above us.

The score was now 8-8.  Mike Piazza was the next batter.  I knew this game was ours.  There was no way Mulholland was going to get Piazza out.  Shea Stadium was ready to explode even more than it already was.  Then came the pitch to Piazza and with one mighty swing, Piazza yanked a screaming line drive down the left field line.  From our seats in the right field corner, we couldn’t tell if the ball was going to hook foul.  It seemed like the longest three seconds of our lives…

…and then…sheer euphoria!

The ball hit the padding above the left field wall, just barely fair.  The crowd erupted!  Strangers were hugging strangers.  People were stepping on my dropped sandwich and didn’t care that their shoes were going to have a turkey and cheese smell.

The upper deck was shaking as if it was going to collapse and we didn’t care.  I had completely lost my voice and it was the best feeling in the world!  The Mets had just scored ten runs in the eighth inning against the hated Atlanta Braves, nine of which came after two men were out.  The fireworks were out at Shea before the game had ended, courtesy of Mike Piazza’s bat.  Then we realized something.  The game wasn’t over yet.  There was still one inning left before the Mets could claim their dramatic victory.  Our closer was Armando Benitez.  It was only a three-run lead.  The bullpen gates opened and the fate of the game was in his hands.

Benitez always had trouble pitching 1-2-3 innings and this was no exception.   Two of the first four batters he faced reached base.  The Braves had the tying run at the plate in the form of Wally Joyner.  My fingernails were no longer with me by this time so I needed the out recorded now!  Somehow, Benitez must have heard me because he got Joyner to fly out to Jay Payton in center to secure the 11-8 victory for the Mets.  Soon after the final out was recorded, the fireworks show began, giving the fans a double dose of fireworks for the night.

Ten years ago today on June 30, 2000, I attended the most exciting comeback I had ever seen in person.  The tension was palpable during that miraculous eighth inning at Shea.  It’s a game I will never forget.  To this day, I still can’t believe the boxscore to that game.  Ten runs in the eighth inning, capped by a Mike Piazza line drive home run against the Mets’ most hated rivals.  It might be a cliche, but I have to say it.  It absolutely did not get any better than that.

                               1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9    R  H  E
                               -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -    -  -  -
               Braves          1  0  3   0  0  0   1  3  0    8 11  1
               Mets            0  0  0   0  0  0   1 10  X   11 12  2

Tonight’s game against the Detroit Tigers will feature legendary comedian and lifelong Mets fan, Jerry Seinfeld, joining Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen in the broadcast booth for at least three innings (and maybe more).

SNY’s vice president of production, Curt Gowdy, Jr. said the following regarding Seinfeld’s appearance on the telecast: “Jerry is scheduled for the top of the third inning, for at least three innings, and more if he wants to do more…There’s no set script.”

In addition, SNY also plans to air clips from the classic Seinfeld episode, “The Boyfriend”, in which Keith Hernandez played himself in a prominent role.   Keith and Jerry will also be discussing their experiences working together on the episode.

As a Seinfeld fan, I was ecstatic to hear about the “reunion” of Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez and wondered what it would be like to have other Seinfeld cast members appearing on Mets telecasts.   Then I thought of all the potential disasters that could cause (especially with the hipster doofus himself, Kramer) and instead came up with a Top Ten list of why Jerry Seinfeld should be the only cast member to appear in the broadcast booth.  Enjoy!

TOP TEN REASONS WHY NO OTHER SEINFELD CAST MEMBER SHOULD EVER DO PLAY-BY-PLAY FOR THE METS

10. When the camera pans into the booth, there is a chance it could catch Elaine dancing.

9. Newman would run off with Keith Hernandez’s Tootsie Pops.

8. Upon entering the booth, Kramer would trip and take down the entire set.

7. George would mistakenly refer to the Mets as the Moops.

6. Fear that a bad call by an umpire would elicit a “No Soup For You” comment from the booth.

5. Kramer and Newman would spend the telecast plotting their revenge against Roger McDowell for his magic loogie.  (Well, Newman would…)

4. Frank Costanza would repeatedly interrupt Gary Cohen to extol the virtues of Festivus.

3. Elaine would spend too much air time trying to determine if David Wright is spongeworthy.

2. No backup plan for when Newman spends three innings standing in line at Shake Shack instead of doing play-by-play.

…and the number one reason why no other Seinfeld cast member should ever do play-by-play for the Mets is:

1. Too much discussion on whether Keith Hernandez was ever master of his domain.

Be sure to tune in tonight to see the Mets play the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field.  Of course, you were probably going to tune in anyway to see our beloved Mets as they continue to make a push towards the top of the National League East standings.   But now you have another reason to watch.

Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez made a great team back in the ’90s on a classic episode of Seinfeld.  Now they’ll be together again when they share the spotlight with Gary Cohen during Wednesday night’s telecast.  It should be a true SNY Mets classic…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Here is where each Phillies’ position player ranks among his peers in the voting for the 2010 All-Star Game, along with each player’s vote tally and stats through Tuesday night’s games:

First base:

1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals (2,093,649 votes)
2. Ryan Howard, Phillies (941,134 votes)
3. Prince Fielder, Brewers (614,703 votes)
4. Troy Glaus, Braves (559,290 votes)

Second base:

1. Chase Utley, Phillies (1,992,180 votes)
2. Martin Prado, Braves (895,458 votes)
3. Dan Uggla, Marlins (603,822 votes)
4. Rickie Weeks, Brewers (507,187 votes)

Third base:

1. Placido Polanco, Phillies (933,229 votes)
2. David Wright, Mets (754,455 votes)
3. Chipper Jones, Braves (702,702 votes)
4. Casey McGehee, Brewers (657,982 votes)

Shortstop:

1. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins (1,190,685 votes)
2. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies (992,887 votes)
3. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies (702,165 votes)
4. Jose Reyes, Mets (493,913 votes)

Catcher:

1. Yadier Molina, Cardinals (1,047,411 votes)
2. Brian McCann, Braves (959,033 votes)
3. Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals (805,089 votes)
4. Carlos Ruiz, Phillies (745,844 votes)

Outfield:

1. Ryan Braun, Brewers (1,422,598 votes)
2. Jason Heyward, Braves (1,419,753 votes)
3. Andre Ethier, Dodgers (1,348,662 votes)
4. Jayson Werth, Phillies (1,124,831 votes)
5. Shane Victorino, Phillies (1,029,700 votes)
6. Matt Holliday, Cardinals (955,411 votes)
7. Matt Kemp, Dodgers (770,145 votes)
8. Raul Ibanez, Phillies (694,911 votes)

There are 14 players in the National League who have received at least 900,000 votes.  Six of them are Phillies.

Chase Utley deserves his spot at second base and Ryan Howard deserves to be second behind Albert Pujols.  But how can you explain Jimmy Rollins being second in the shortstop voting with almost one million votes when he has only played in 12 games this season?  Are the fans related to the voters who gave Rafael Palmeiro the 1999 Gold Glove Award at first base despite the fact that he was the Rangers’ designated hitter for all but 28 games that year?  Troy Tulowitzki (.305, 17 doubles, 9 HR, 33 RBI, leads all major league shortstops with 45 runs scored) is a far more deserving candidate at shotstop than Rollins.

Mets fans should be up in arms at the vote leader for third basemen.  Apparently, baseball fans believe Placido Polanco is having more of an All-Star season than David Wright.  This is the same Placido Polanco that is hitting .311, with 5 HR, 23 RBI and three stolen bases.  David Wright is hitting .291, with 12 HR and an NL-leading 52 RBI.  He also leads all NL third basemen in stolen bases with 11.  No other National League third baseman has more than five.

Also, how does Carlos Ruiz have more votes at the catcher position than Rod Barajas?  These are Ruiz’s numbers (.267, six doubles, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored) compared to Barajas’ numbers (.257, 10 doubles, 11 HR, 30 RBI, 26 runs scored).  Barajas leads all National League catchers in homers and RBI and is in the top five in doubles and runs scored.  Ruiz isn’t even in the top ten in homers, RBI, doubles and runs scored.

Here’s one final argument for Barajas that should open some eyes among voters.  As noted above, Ruiz’s stats for the entire season, regardless of opponent are as follows: (.267, six doubles, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored).  These are Barajas’ numbers against ONLY divisional rivals: (.341, nine doubles, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 17 runs scored).  Barajas’ cumulative numbers against the teams in his own division are better than Ruiz’s numbers against EVERY TEAM on the Phillies’ schedule.  Yet somehow, Ruiz appears to be the more worthy candidate if you look solely at the All-Star voting.

The way fans have stuffed the ballot boxes and online voting is reminiscent of something that happened more than half a century ago.

In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds went on an All-Star voting frenzy.  Seven of the eight position players voted by fans to start the All-Star Game were members of the Reds.  Major League Baseball conducted an investigation of where the votes were being cast and found out that more than half the votes came from Cincinnati.

Commissioner Ford Frick decided to replace two of Cincinnati’s players who were voted to start the All-Star Game with the more worthy Willie Mays and Henry Aaron.  In addition to replacing Cincinnati’s players, Frick decided that fans were no longer going to vote for who they wanted to start in the Midsummer Classic.  That privilege was given to managers, coaches and players.  This rule stayed in effect until voting privileges were given back to the fans in 1970.

Should Bud Selig step in whenever fans of one particular team stuff the ballot boxes and online voting?  I’m not sure that should happen.  But something must be done to prevent scenarios that would send players to the All-Star Game who have spent the majority of the season on the DL (see Jimmy Rollins) or players who are barely registering on the radar (see Carlos Ruiz).

The Midsummer Classic should be about the best players in baseball, not whose fans can click on their mouse the fastest.  Let’s send the right players to the All-Star Game!

Last night, during the second game of the day-night doubleheader between the Mets and the Padres, Chris Denorfia was given the start over regular centerfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr.  When he came up to bat to lead off the third inning against Jonathon Niese, Denorfia lined a double down the right field line.  It turned out to be the Padres’ only hit (and only baserunner) of the game.

Denorfia now has full membership in the Mets’ No-Hitter Breaker-Uppers Club, which should not be mistaken with the Caesar’s Club and the Acela Club.  In joining players like Jimmy Qualls, Chin-Hui Tsao, Kit Pellow and Paul Hoover, Denorfia is entitled to full Club privileges.  These privileges include being booed mercilessly by Mets fans who have great long-term memories and the right to never be known for anything else other than being the latest player who prevented the Mets from finally achieving that ever-elusive first no-hitter in franchise history!

Let’s talk more about the latter privilege discussed above and the other Club members we mentioned.

Jimmy Qualls

Jimmy Qualls, then a 22-year-old rookie with the Chicago Cubs, earned his membership in the No-Hitter Breaker-Uppers Club when he broke up Tom Seaver’s perfect game with one out in the ninth inning on July 9, 1969.  After denying Seaver his perfecto with his dying quail to left-center, Qualls went on to rack up only 91 more at-bats in his short career.  The ninth-inning single was Qualls’ only hit in six career at-bats against Seaver.  It was also the 12th of the 31 hits collected by Qualls over his short career that saw him start only 20 games in the major leagues.  However, one of those 20 games was on July 9, 1969.

Chin-Hui Tsao

Chin-Hui Tsao had a short-lived career as a pitcher for the Rockies and the Dodgers.  In his fifth major-league start on August 18, 2003, Tsao opposed Steve Trachsel for the Mets.  After Trachsel retired the first 17 batters to face him, Tsao hit a double to break up the no-hitter and perfect game.  The two-bagger was the first hit and only double of Tsao’s career, a career that saw him start only three more games, appear in 42 others as a reliever and spawn only one more base hit, which he collected five days after joining the No-Hitter Breaker-Uppers Club.

Kit Pellow

Kit Donovan Pellow (yes, his birth certificate really does list “Kit” as his first name) played briefly for the Kansas City Royals before signing with the Colorado Rockies in 2003.  His moment in the sun came in his final year in the majors, when he doubled to break up Tom Glavine’s no-hit bid with two outs in the eighth inning on May 23, 2004.  The double was one of only 52 hits picked up by Pellow in his career.  It was also the last double of his career.  After joining the Club, Pellow only started seven more games in the big leagues and picked up eight additional base hits, none of which put him on another team’s No-Hitter Breaker-Uppers Club.

Paul Hoover

Paul Hoover wasn’t even supposed to be in the game on September 29, 2007.  However, he was forced into duty when Marlins’ starting catcher Miguel Olivo was ejected from the game in the fifth inning for igniting a bench-clearing incident by charging at Jose Reyes.  Three innings later, Hoover hit a 30-foot roller in front of home plate that didn’t roll foul.  The squibber ended John Maine’s no-hit bid with two outs in the eighth inning.  It was one of only three hits picked up by Hoover in 2007.  Although Hoover made his major league debut in 2001 and is now in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, he has only amassed 25 hits in the big leagues in 96 official at-bats.  The No-Hitter Breaker-Uppers Club is the only thing that has rescued Hoover from baseball anonymity.

Last night, Jonathon Niese became the latest Met to be victimized by a member of the No-Hitter Breaker-Uppers Club when Chris Denorfia recorded the only hit against him in the third inning.  It’s only fitting that it was a player like Denorfia who got the hit.  After all, looking at his career statistics, he seemed destined to become a Club member.

Denorfia broke into the major leagues in 2005 with the Cincinnati Reds and is now playing for his third major league team.  Despite the fact that he has been on a major league roster for five of the past six years, he has only collected 74 hits in the big leagues, of which 16 have been doubles.  Unfortunately for Jonathon Niese and the Mets, hit #74 and double #16 prevented no-hitter #1 from happening.

Having a No-Hitter Breaker-Uppers Club card has its advantages, which is why card-carrying members should never leave home without it.  After all, unless if you’re a Mets fan, no one would ever have any idea who these Club members are.

Niese became the 34th pitcher in Mets history to throw a one-hitter, joining greats such as Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden. On the other hand, he also joined not-so-greats Pete Schourek, Shawn Estes and Aaron F. Heilman on the Mets one-hitter list.

Whether he’ll follow in the golden footsteps of Ryan, Seaver and Gooden or the muddy tracks left behind by Schourek, Estes and Heilman is yet to be determined, but one thing’s for sure. Jonathon Niese has pitched brilliantly since returning from the disabled list last Saturday.

In addition to being effective in keeping men off base, he’s also been very economical with his pitches. In his first start back from the DL on Saturday, he threw 90 pitches in seven innings and was only removed because of an understandable pitch count.

Last night, Niese only needed 108 pitches to pitch his complete game gem. After eight innings, Niese had thrown 99 pitches. He could have been removed by Jerry Manuel, who had Francisco Rodriguez warming up in the bullpen. But as the crowd called for their 23-year old southpaw to come out of the dugout for the ninth inning, the bullpen door remained shut. It was then that we knew Jonathon Niese was coming out there to finish what he started. And what a finish it was. He retired Lance Zawadski, pinch hitter Nick Hundley and Jerry Hairston, Jr. on only nine pitches, capping off a nearly perfect night, when Chris Denorfia’s third inning double was the only blemish in Jon Niese’s performance.

The Mets have still never had a no-hitter in franchise history. But they got really close to a perfect game last night. Jonathon Niese retired the final 21 batters to face him and at the same time might have given the Mets hope that they have a third quality starter on their staff after Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana.

Niese has now pitched two beautiful games since coming off the disabled list last week. He also shut down the Phillies back in late April before getting hurt. With multiple successful outings this season, this homegrown talent appears to be taking the right track to a successful career with the Mets.

Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden all pitched one-hitters for the Mets. They were also all homegrown talents. More importantly, they all own World Series rings with the Mets. So far, Jonathon Niese can claim the one-hitter and homegrown talent to his name. There’s one more thing to shoot for. With more outings like tonight, the Mets know that if they are to get themselves another ring, Jonathon Niese might be a key contributor towards that goal. How amazin’ is that!

The Japanese southpaw has been a Lefty Luthor to the Supermen wearing the jerseys of last year’s pennant winners.  More importantly, he has made Jerry Manuel a believer in his ability to give the Mets quality starts, something that could not be said for the man he replaced in the rotation, Oliver Perez.

I have been quite impressed with Takahashi’s recent performances and would like to think that his stretch of outstanding starts will continue past his last outing against the Phillies.  However, before giving him the keys to the castle, let’s remember that just last year, we were also singing the praises of a starter that was tearing it up in his first few starts.  Just like Takahashi, this pitcher was moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation and was asked to shut down the powerful Yankee lineup.  Then, he continued to face teams with potent offenses and pitched beyond expectations.  Unfortunately, his streak of good fortune ended almost as quickly as started and now he’s back in the Mets bullpen.  Who am I talking about?  Fernando Nieve.

After pitching two scoreless innings of relief against the Washington Nationals last year on June 6, Fernando Nieve was called upon to make an emergency start against the Yankees on June 13.  The game was played less than 24 hours after Luis Castillo gift-wrapped a Yankee victory with his infamous dropped pop-up.  With all the momentum shifting over to the Yankees, Nieve was given the ball and was asked to stop the bleeding  He ended up pitching 6.2 innings, holding the Yankees to two runs on four hits.  That was the only win picked up by the Mets against the Yankees all year.

Given another start against a high-quality team, this time the Tampa Bay Rays, Nieve followed up his victory against the Yankees with an even better performance against the Rays, giving up one run and three hits in a 5-3 Mets victory.

In his third start, he faced the National League Central division-leading St. Louis Cardinals and pitched six shutout innings, again allowing only three hits in an 11-0 blowout of the Cards.  That gave Nieve three wins in three starts against upper-echelon teams.  In those three games, his ERA was a microscopic 1.45 and he held opposing hitters to a .154 batting average.

For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if the Mets had found themselves a starting pitcher from out of nowhere that they could depend upon to pitch effectively and deep into ballgames.  Even I was sold on Fernando Nieve, as I wrote a number of blogs for this site on The Three Fernandos (Nieve, Tatis and Martinez).  Alas, Nieve could not continue his success past those three starts.

Over his next three starts, Nieve came crashing back down to Earth, losing to the Brewers, Phillies and Reds.  In those games, Fernando’s ERA was 5.40 and opposing batters hit an alarming .403 against him.  Despite the fact that he was clearly not the same pitcher he was over his first three starts, Jerry Manuel gave him another start against the Atlanta Braves.  That was the last time Nieve would pitch for the Mets in 2009, as he injured himself while running to first base in the second inning.

Do I expect Hisanori Takahashi to fade as quickly as Fernando Nieve did last year?  I don’t think he will.  For one thing, Takahashi has an impeccable ability to throw strikes.  In his starts against the Yankees and Phillies, Takahashi has pitched 12 innings and has only walked one batter.  In those two games, he has thrown a total of 195 pitches, of which 138 were strikes.  That’s better than 70% of his pitches going for strikes.

In Nieve’s first three starts last year, as great as they were, he still walked nine batters in 18.2 innings.  Over those three starts, he threw 318 pitches, of which 188 were strikes.  That’s only 59% of his pitches going for strikes.  Nieve was effective over those starts because he gave up few hits.  Once he started giving up hits, combined with the walks, that led to his three-game losing streak.

Hisanori Takahashi has the potential to be an effective #3 starter in the Mets rotation.  Since he’s constantly throwing strikes, he stands less of a chance to suffer a meltdown such as the one Fernando Nieve went through last year after his third start.  However, just because Takahashi has been shutting down potent offenses now doesn’t guarantee long-term success.  Be happy that he’s giving us great pitching at a time when the Mets need it the most, but be wary because as wonderful as Takahashi has been, it can all come crashing down.  Just ask Fernando Nieve.

Although Maine claims that he will be ready to return when his DL stint ends early next month, he will first have to go through a rehabilitation program and will resume throwing as tolerated.

Maine, who was visibly upset at his manager when he was removed after facing one batter in Thursday night’s game has admitted feeling some pain, but does not believe this pain should prevent him from being out on the mound every fifth day.  Maine was quoted as saying,

“I guess they want to get to the bottom of what’s going on in there once and for all.  I feel that I’m more than capable of going out there every five days.  But it’s not my decision.  There’s a little bit of pain, but what pitcher doesn’t have pain?  It’s the nature of pitching.  It wasn’t going to stop me from going every five days.”

Maine’s next start would have been Wednesday night against the Phillies.  That start will now be made by Hisanori Takahashi, as tonight’s off-day erases the need for a fifth starter until Saturday’s game against the Brewers.  Although no formal announcement has been made, the Mets are likely to give the ball to Raul Valdes for the weekend tilt in Milwaukee.

In other injury-related news, Daniel Murphy has been activated from the 15-day DL and optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.  The Mets plan on making Murphy a more versatile player by having him play first base, second base, third base, left field and right field with the Bisons.

By being exposed to five different positions, Murphy will look to become this decade’s version of Joe McEwing.  The man dubbed “Super Joe” became a fan-favorite by playing multiple positions for the Mets during his five-year stay in New York, including the 2000 pennant winners.

The Mets would be wise not to allow John Maine to make another start at the big league level until he can get his velocity back.  Over his last few starts, Maine was throwing mostly fastballs.  Depending on one pitch to get major league hitters out is not a recipe for success.  If that one pitch is below average, as an 80-something MPH fastball would be, then that pitcher should not be in the major leagues.

On the other hand, the Mets are being very wise by exposing Daniel Murphy to numerous positions at Buffalo.  This will allow Murphy to give David Wright and Ike Davis a day off here and there, and will give a little more pop to the second base position.  By re-learning how to play the outfield, Murphy could also give Jeff Franceour a few days off as he attempts to overcome his prolonged hitting slump.  A Francoeur-Murphy lefty-righty platoon is also not out of the question, provided Murphy can learn to play the position.  Remember that Murphy did not have success as the Mets’ leftfielder in 2009.  Until he can prove that his defensive skills in the outfield have improved, he should not play anywhere but the infield.

One player is out while another player is on his way back.  We hope the Mets can continue to make their way back into contention as well.

After last night’s 3-2 defeat to the Atlanta Braves, a loss that dropped the Mets back into last place in the NL East, the Mets found themselves staring at a 5-13 road record for the season. This comes hot on the heels of last year’s abysmal 29-52 road record.

Since moving into Citi Field, the Mets have gone 55-48 at home (41-40 last year) and 34-65 on the road. Why is there such a stark difference in home and road effectiveness?

For one thing, the team barely hits over the Mendoza line on the road. (For all the kiddies out there, the Mendoza line generally refers to a .200 batting average. However, the man for whom the unofficial stat was named after, Mario Mendoza, actually finished his career with a .215 batting average.  If I were Mario Mendoza, I’d be pretty ticked off that people think I’m worse than I actually was.) Including last night’s game, the Mets team batting average on the road is a barely-there .217. Compare this to their .267 mark at Citi Field.

They also score less, run less, walk less and strike out at a higher clip. Here are their home/road splits for your reading torture:

@ Citi Field (22 games):

Batting Average: .267
On-Base Percentage: .352
Slugging Percentage: .418
Runs Scored: 105 (4.8 runs per game)
Stolen Bases: 23 (1.0 steals per game)
Bases On Balls: 90 (4.1 walks per game)
Strikeouts: 147 (6.7 strikeouts per game)

On The Road (18 games):

Batting Average: .217
On-Base Percentage: .281
Slugging Percentage: .339
Runs Scored: 67 (3.7 runs per game)
Stolen Bases: 14 (0.8 steals per game)
Bases On Balls: 52 (2.9 walks per game)
Strikeouts: 142 (7.9 strikeouts per game)

For everyone who thought Citi Field was a pitcher’s park, it certainly hasn’t been for Mets hitters, as they have scored over one extra run per game at home than on the road and hit for a much higher average.

The difference in strikeouts and walks per game is astounding. The Mets have been able to cut down on their strikeouts at Citi Field and have been issued almost twice as many walks. Why can’t they do the same on the road? Do umpires have bigger strike zones on the road when the Mets come up to bat?

Although the Mets hit better at Citi Field than on the road in 2009, the differences were not as great as they are this year. The 2009 Mets had a slightly higher batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage at home than on the road (.274/.341/.408 at home; .266/.330/.381 on the road), while their stolen bases, walks and strikeouts were consistent whether at Citi Field or on the road (59 SB, 260 BB, 458 Ks at home; 63 SB, 266 BB, 470 Ks on the road).

Since the beginning of the 2009 season, only the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates have fewer road victories (30 apiece) than the New York Mets (34 road wins). Even the Washington Nationals, who lost a major-league high 103 games last year, have picked up more wins on the road (35) since the beginning of the ’09 season.

Speaking of those pesky Nats, the Mets are opening up a series in Washington tonight. Yes, that means they’ll be on the road. If the Mets don’t want to be lumped into the same category as the lowly Orioles and Pirates, they must show improvement on the road.

Let’s face facts. No team is going to win many ballgames when they’re constantly getting four hits a night and striking out ten times. But a team with a winning attitude finds a way to score runs even when they’re not hitting by making productive outs. Unfortunately, the Mets can’t even do that right.

Take the ninth inning of last night’s game. Luis Castillo was standing on third base with one out. At the time, Castillo represented the go-ahead run. All the Mets needed was a fly ball by David Wright to take the lead. But alas, that was easier said than done, as David fanned against Billy Wagner, who then struck out Ike Davis to end the Mets’ threat and the inning.

David Wright’s inability to make a productive out in the top of the ninth inning enabled the Braves to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth instead of what would have been the tying run. Of course, Wright’s throwing error had something to do with that as well.

Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel recently had the audacity to suggest that the Mets were stealing signs at home because of their winning record at Citi Field. Perhaps they should consider doing that on the road. Or better yet, how about if they just stop flailing at every slider out of the strike zone? A few extra walks and a lot less strikeouts never hurt anybody. At the very least, make a productive out here and there. The last time I checked, there was no such thing as a productive strikeout.

There are still 63 games left away from Citi Field this season beginning with tonight’s game in Washington. Can the Mets turn things around and become road warriors? They’d better or else the fans won’t come out to watch them play-ay.

Including last night’s game, the Mets have played ten consecutive games decided by two runs or less.  Their record in those games is 4-6.  One could argue that had the pitching been better in those games, the Mets could easily have gone 6-4 or 7-3 in that ten game stretch.  However, the Mets pitching staff has for the most part overachieved, especially in the bullpen.  Their six main relievers (Pedro Feliciano, Jenrry Mejia, Fernando Nieve, Francisco Rodriguez, Hisanori Takahashi and Raul Valdes) have combined to post an 8-7 record, with a 2.56 ERA.

It’s the lack of clutch hitting that has prevented the Mets from making a more significant move in the NL East.  The bullpen cannot be expected to be perfect all the time, but in this recent stretch of tight games, they’ve had to be as close to perfect as possible.  Had the hitters performed up to their expectations in RBI situations, the Mets might not be playing so many tight games, thus saving the bullpen from tiring themselves out before the All-Star Break.

Here are some quick facts about how the Mets hitters have underachieved this year:

Washington Nationals’ outfielder Roger Bernadina hit two home runs against the Mets on Wednesday.  That means the light-hitting Bernadina hit more home runs in one game than Jason Bay has hit all year.  Please note that prior to Wednesday, Bernadina had never homered in the major leagues and had hit a mere 49 HR over nine minor league seasons.

A third place hitter is usually the team’s most complete hitter.  He is counted on to produce a high batting average, as well as extra-base hit power.  Jose Reyes has been the Mets’ #3 hitter for the past 19 games.  In those games, Reyes has only hit .218 and has a .295 slugging percentage.  He has also driven in a mere six runs since becoming the #3 hitter.  By contrast, since Angel Pagan took over the leadoff spot on April 23, he has hit .280 and holds a .440 slugging percentage.  In those 18 games, Pagan has driven in nine runs, or three more than the #3 hitter.

Jason Bay and David Wright have combined to strike out 86 times over the team’s first 35 games.  Since Reyes moved into the #3 hole, Bay and Wright have been the Mets’ #4 and #5 hitters.  The 3, 4, 5 hitters are usually the heart of a team’s batting order.  However, with Reyes not reaching base and Bay and Wright striking out at alarming rates, what should be the loudest part of the batting order more often than not goes out with a whimper.  Meanwhile, the Mets’ #6 hitter, Ike Davis, has a .292 batting average and a .402 on-base percentage.  Their #8 hitter, Rod Barajas, is leading the team in slugging with a .560 percentage.

Jerry Manuel has run out the same lineup almost every day since Reyes became the #3 hitter.  But when the middle of the order isn’t reaching base, the leadoff hitter is driving in runs at a better pace than the third place hitter, the #6 hitter is the most consistent threat in the lineup and the #8 hitter is the top slugger, some shaking up has to be done in the lineup.

For one thing, Jose Reyes has to return to the leadoff spot.  He is still stealing bases out of the three-hole, but that has been more counter-productive than it should be.  When Reyes steals bases as the #3 hitter, it allows the opposing pitcher to pitch around Bay and Wright, knowing that there is an open base somewhere.  That means fewer pitches near the middle of the plate and as a result, leads to Bay and Wright striking out more when they swing at bad pitches.  If Reyes is inserted in the leadoff spot, he can steal bases at will, knowing that Luis Castillo will probably not strike out behind him (Castillo has only struck out five times in 118 plate appearances).

Jason Bay and David Wright need to be separated in the batting order, preferably by a lefty.  That’s where Ike Davis comes in.  His lefty bat and propensity to reach base will give headaches to opposing managers, especially in late-inning situations.

Barajas has to be moved up in the batting order.  If the top power hitter on the team is hitting eighth, it won’t be long before opposing pitchers pitch around him or intentionally walk him to get to the pitcher.  Back in the 90s, opposing managers used to walk Rey Ordonez to get to the pitcher.  Do you think they won’t do the same to Rod Barajas if he continues to hit eighth?  This would drop Jeff Francoeur to the eighth spot in the order.  Until he gets out of his month-long funk (12-for-87 with no multi-hit games since the 20-inning game, .188 OBP, .207 slugging percentage), he must be dropped into the #8 spot in the batting order.  Separating the righty-hitting Barajas and Francoeur would be the switch-hitting Angel Pagan.

Therefore, my proposed lineup would look like this:

• 1. Jose Reyes
• 2. Luis Castillo
• 3. David Wright
• 4. Ike Davis
• 5. Jason Bay
• 6. Rod Barajas
• 7. Angel Pagan
• 8. Jeff Francoeur
• 9. Pitcher

As the lineup currently stands, the Mets have three switch-hitters in the top three spots in the order.  The next five batters are all right-handed except for Ike Davis.  With my proposed lineup, the switch-hitters would be more spread out and the lefties and righties would be split up, giving opposing managers more late-inning headaches.

Also, the way the lineup is set up now, the bottom of the order is quite slow, with Davis, Francoeur and Barajas clogging up the basepaths in the 6, 7 and 8 spots.  With my lineup, the Mets would not have slow runners batting consecutively.  Reyes, Castillo and Wright are all capable of 20+ stolen bases at the top of the order.  Instead of batting consecutively, Davis, Francoeur and Barajas would hit fourth, sixth and eighth, respectively, with Jason Bay (13 SB last year) and Angel Pagan (14 SB last year) splitting up the slow-footed trio.

Some of you might say that Ike Davis is too raw to be a cleanup hitter.  That may be true, but does the streaky Jason Bay belong there in the current powerless slump he’s in?  What about David Wright, with his strikeout-a-minute pace?  Neither of them is playing like a true cleanup hitter.  Right now, Ike Davis would make a better cleanup hitter than both of them and probably belongs in the fourth spot in the batting order.

Right now, Jerry Manuel appears set with his lineup of Pagan, Castillo, Reyes, Bay, Wright, Davis, Francoeur and Barajas.  However, if they continue to disappoint in the clutch, something’s going to have to change.  The bullpen can’t continue to be as good as it’s been this season.  They’re already showing signs of cracking, with the two walk-off homers given up in Cincinnati and last night’s walk-off win on the wild pitch by Fernando Nieve, who was in his second inning of work.  It was also his 22nd appearance in the Mets’ first 35 games, putting him on pace to appear in over 100 games.  (The major league record for appearances by a pitcher is 106 by Mike Marshall in 1974.)  What happens when they all come back to earth?

Things could get ugly in a hurry if the team doesn’t begin to hit.  The pitching will not be able to keep them above .500 much longer if they don’t start hitting.  A change in the lineup must be made before the Mets fall further behind in the standings.  I’ve suggested the lineup I feel would be the most successful.  What lineup do you think would be the best fit for the Mets?

It’s enough to make a Mets fan go crazy when the team puts men on base only to strand them by striking out, popping up or grounding into a double play. Many fine pitching performances have been wasted because the offense decided to hit the snooze button on those days.

Sure, it’s easy to point the finger at certain players. For example, David K. Wright has struck out 42 times in 32 games, putting him on a pace to strike out over 200 times. He recently struck out in nine consecutive at-bats, which is a mark usually held by graduates of the Al Leiter Hitting Academy, not a former Silver Slugger.

Jason Bay has not shown the 36-homer power he exhibited in Boston last year, although he is a notoriously streaky hitter. Jeff Francoeur lost his hitting shoes around the second week of the baseball season and Jose Reyes has been underwhelming in the #3 hole.

If you were to tell me that Rod Barajas and Ike Davis would be the hitting “stars” on the Mets after 32 games, I’d ask you to share your Kool-Aid with me. But that’s exactly what they’ve been this year, as Barajas is already only three homers short of the 12 HR hit by team leader Daniel Murphy in 2009 and Ike Davis has been an OBP-machine, reaching base almost 43% of the time since being called up to the major leagues.

Unfortunately, Barajas and Davis are only two of eight regular hitters in the lineup. A team that is only getting production from 25% of the order surely cannot expect to win more often than it loses, so the Mets must consider themselves fortunate to be above .500 and only three games behind the division-leading Phillies.

What must the Mets improve upon at the plate to strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers? For one thing, they must make better contact, especially when they have a runner standing 90 feet away from the promised land.

With runners on second and third this year, the Mets are hitting an anemic .167 (3-for-18). In these situations, the batter is not apt to hit into a double play and is a single away from adding two RBI to his totals. However, the Mets have been more likely to strike out in these situations than get the timely hit (five strikeouts and three hits with runners on second and third).

What about when the Mets bat with the bases loaded? This is even more jaw-dropping than the second and third scenario. The Mets are hitting .185 in these situations (5-for-27) with six strikeouts. You may have heard of the old baseball adage, “a walk is as good as a hit”. Well, with the bases loaded, that is most definitely the case, as a walk would drive in a run. However, the Mets on-base percentage with the bases loaded is only .250, as they have only drawn three bases-loaded walks this year. Even more stunning is their slugging percentage with the bases loaded (.259), as the Mets have picked up only one extra-base hit with the sacks full all season.

Here’s one final stunning note on the Mets’ offensive woes. It doesn’t take a quantum physicist to know that once a batter has three balls on him, it becomes easier to hit. A pitcher doesn’t want to walk the batter, so the pitches after ball three are usually more predictable. Translation: There’s a better chance you see a fastball after ball three than on any other count. So how do the Mets fare after the opposing pitcher has thrown three balls? How about a .211 batting average?

That’s right, Mets fans. In 152 at-bats this year where the opposing pitcher has thrown three balls to the batter, the Mets have only picked up 32 hits. Even knowing that the odds of seeing a fastball have greatly increased after taking ball three, they still have trouble hitting it where they ain’t. And yes, in case you were wondering, the Mets are more likely to strike out after taking ball three than they are to pick up a hit (38 strikeouts, 32 hits).

The Mets have struck out 237 times in 2010, which puts them in the middle of the pack among National League teams (8th out of 16 teams). However, it’s not the number of strikeouts that’s most alarming; it’s when they’re striking out. In addition to the untimely whiffs, the Mets are not producing in situations where most batters salivate, namely situations with multiple runners in scoring position. Until they turn things around in those departments, can we really expect the Mets to be more than a .500 team?

Don’t blame the inconsistent play on one player. It’s been a team effort. And it’s going to take the entire team to turn this ship around if they’re going to remain in the hunt.

The Mets have now played one full month of baseball.  After their first 28 games, Jason Bay is hitting a pedestrian .238, with one home run and nine RBI.

To put that into perspective, those are the numbers expected of Carlos Zambrano at the plate, not the Mets’ everyday leftfielder.  He has also whiffed at an alarming rate, racking up 33 strikeouts over those 28 games.

While I was one of those fans who was elated when the Mets signed him, I’ve been doing a little research on our latest cleanup hitter.  The Mets deemed it necessary to give Bay a four-year deal worth $66 million after a season in which he hit .267, with a career-high 36 HR and 119 RBI (He also struck out 162 times).  After all, they needed a power hitting outfielder and Bay fit that description.

So I was going through my blogger’s bible – also known as baseball-reference.com – and came across the numbers of a certain Richmond Lockwood Sexson (Richie Sexson to you and me).  Over his 12-year major league career, the Paul Bunyan body double averaged .261, with 36 HR and 112 RBI.  He also averaged 156 strikeouts per full season.

This means the Mets gave Jason Bay $66 million after his “great” season which resembled a typical Richie Sexson season.  When Sexson signed his final contract prior to the 2005 season, he was given a four-year deal by the Seattle Mariners worth $50 million.  Sexson had already had two seasons in which he hit 45 HR and had also driven in 120+ runs twice, power numbers that Jason Bay has not yet reached.

People who remember Richie Sexson thought he was an all-or-nothing type hitter; either he would hit a home run or he would strike out.  Well, the hulking slugger struck out at least 120 times in a season six times over his 12-year career.  Jason Bay has played six full seasons in the major leagues.  He has struck out at least 120 times in all six of those seasons.  With his 33 strikeouts over the first month of this season, Bay appears to be well on his way to his seventh consecutive season of 120+ strikeouts.

To make matters worse, Bay is more strikeout-prone when the Mets have men on base.  So far this season, Bay has 52 at-bats with men on base.  He has struck out an alarming 21 times in those situations.  It’s no wonder with those lofty strikeout totals that Bay is only hitting .194 with runners in scoring position.

Back in December, I wrote a piece about Jason Bay reminding me of Kevin McReynolds.  After the first month of the season, Bay is now resembling Richie Sexson – a poor man’s Richie Sexson at that.  Too bad the Mets made him a rich man for that type of performance.

I’ve been reading many articles and blogs on numerous sites, including this one, on who’s to blame for Johan Santana’s poor performance against the Phillies on Sunday night.  It was surely not an outing Mets fans have come to expect from Santana, as he gave up ten runs in 3 2/3 innings.  Included in the barrage were four home runs, the biggest one coming off the bat of Shane Victorino, who hit a grand slam immediately following the bases loaded walk to Rip Van Winkle Jamie Moyer.

Obviously, I expect better from our ace.  Before Sunday’s game, Santana had pitched brilliantly this season, giving up only seven earned runs over his first five starts and possessing a sparkling 2.08 ERA.  But should we be surprised at all the taters he gave up?  A quick look at his career numbers might surprise you.

Johan Santana’s first full season as a starting pitcher was in 2004.  That year, he won the American League Cy Young Award by going 20-6 and leading the league in ERA (2.61) and strikeouts (265).  He also gave up 24 home runs that season.

Since then, Santana has given up at least 20 home runs every year, including last year’s injury-shortened season with the Mets.  In only 25 starts for New York in 2009, Santana served up 20 longballs.  In his final season in Minnesota (2007), he actually led the American League in home runs allowed when he gave up 33 jacks to opposing batters.

The thing that makes Santana a great pitcher is what he does when he keeps the ball in the yard.  Another item worth noting is the lack of men on base when Santana allows his homers.  Since 2004, these are his home run totals compared to his runs allowed figures:

• 2004:  24 HR (accounting for 33 runs), 70 total runs allowed
• 2005:  22 HR (accounting for 28 runs), 77 total runs allowed
• 2006:  24 HR (accounting for 35 runs), 79 total runs allowed
• 2007:  33 HR (accounting for 44 runs), 88 total runs allowed
• 2008:  23 HR (accounting for 30 runs), 74 total runs allowed
• 2009:  20 HR (accounting for 24 runs), 67 total runs allowed
• 2010:  5 HR (accounting for 12 runs), 17 total runs allowed

Some quick advanced third-grade math tells us that over the past 6+ seasons, Santana has allowed 472 runs.  Out of those 472 runs, 206 of them scored as a direct result of a home run.  Johan Santana has made 199 starts since the beginning of the 2004 season.  That means in those 199 starts, only 266 runs have scored against Santana on non-homers, or approximately 1.3 runs per start.

In addition, although Santana did give up a grand slam to Victorino on Sunday, he has rarely given up homers with more than one man on base over his career.  This is Santana’s third season with the Mets.  In 2008, he gave up a grand slam to Felix Hernandez.  Earlier this season, he gave up a grand slam to Josh Willingham.  Did you know that those are the only home runs he’s given up as a Met with more than one man on base?  It’s true.  Santana has never given up a three-run homer as a Met!  In fact, out of the 48 home runs hit off Santana in a Mets uniform, 45 of them have come with one or no men on base.

Going back even further, Santana gave up no grand slams for the Twins between 2004 and 2007.  In fact, he only allowed five three-run homers over that span (1 in 2004, 2 in 2005, 0 in 2006, 2 in 2007).  That means out of the 151 home runs he’s given up since 2004, a mere EIGHT have been hit with more than one man on base (five three-run homers as a Twin, three grand slams as a Met).

Yes, Santana pitched poorly Sunday night.  Yes, he gave up his share of homers to the Phillies.  But why are we surprised by it?  And even more so, why are we getting on his case about it?  Johan Santana has always been homer prone.  But he’s not the type of pitcher to give up home runs with more than one man on base.  The Victorino grand slam was only the eighth home run he’s given up with more than one man on base since 2004.  That was the exception rather than the rule.

Lighten up, people.  He had a bad day.  He’ll come back from it.  He may give up a homer or four every once in a while, but more often than not, he will get out of any jam he puts himself in.  That’s what an ace does.  That’s what Johan Santana does.