When the Mets got swept by the Phillies in Philadelphia a few weeks ago, you could have almost thought it was the end. We all know that this team has not played with the intensity and spark that they did last year. But all of a sudden, the Mets can’t do anything wrong. It’s almost as if we did take a trip back to 2006.

I complained and moaned about Paul LoDuca not batting second. But with the addition of Castillo, the top of the order is a fire hazard to any opposing pitcher. In fact, up and down the lineup, you find nothing but threat. It’s a shame that just when Carlos Delgado got hot, he also got hurt. But even with that being the case, this team has found itself.

David Wright is right on. On the verge of becoming only the third player in Mets history to join the 30/30 Club, it’s kind of ironic that he would achieve this goal while Howard Johnson is his hitting coach. Not only was HoJo one of David’s minor league instructors and so called "baseball father", but he was one of those other two Mets to accomplish the feat. The other was Darryl Strawberry.

The Mets have the best pinch hitter on the planet, according to Gary Cohen. Marlon Anderson seems to get a hit every time he is called off the bench in the late innings.

Man, can Endy Chavez play the outfield. I love watching him play. From a defensive perspective, imagine an outfield of Alou, Beltran, and Chavez. Unfortunately, Endy is not swinging a hot bat right now. Add Gomez and Milledge to the mix, and we seem to have an outfield dilemma, although one I’d like to have.

Jose, Jose, Jose…we all know the words. Seventy five stolen bases. The guy can just run. As many would agree, I want to see a race between Gomez and Reyes. They say Gomez is quicker, but I still put my money on Reyes.

The bullpen had finally settled down, and I still say Perez to the bullpen for the postseason. A rotation of Glavine, Maine, El Duque and Pedro is the way to go.

And finally, as much as I would have loved the Mets to just run away with the division and be 15 games ahead by the middle of September, you have to admit that a little scoreboard watching never hurt anyone. It would be kind of dull if we didn’t have a real race going on here. The Mets don’t have to worry about the Phillies, no less the Braves. As long as they take care of their own business, we will still be watching Mets baseball in October.

On another note, I would like to close this by asking all of you, if you haven’t done so already, to take a moment out of your day to remember the tragic events that took place in our country 6 years ago today. The Mets may be our heroes, but the true heroes are those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and those who continue to put their lives in danger for us every single day, so that we may go on with our lives and enjoy such things as baseball and blogging. God Bless America!