All season long so many of us have dissected in every which way possible, every move the New York Mets have made. Granted some of us have used hacksaws and some of us have used the precision of a neurosurgeon, to make our points. I’ve occasionally waded in both pools, admittedly.

The way the Mets have played this year have at times been quite frustrating, however, as fellow MMO writer Ed Leyro pointed out the Mets since starting the season at 4-8 have a record of 35 and 22.. That’s pretty damn good no matter how you dissect it.

The road has been this teams’ nemesis, sporting a record of 15-20. However this past week, these GoodFellas seem to be re-writing this season’s script having won 7 of their last 9 on the road.

The culmination of which ended Sunday in Yankee stadium as the Mets finished the 2010 Subway Series with a split, having won 2 out of 3 at Citifield and losing 2 out of 3 at Yankee Stadium.

If fortune really does favor the bold, then the next few weeks will probably determine the course the Mets take for the remainder of the season. Rumors and hopes of trading for a starter continue to meander around. Whether it be Lee, Oswalt or a cavalcade of lesser talents, a move does seem to be quite inevitable if not necessary.

Yet one thing remains constant with this team and thankfully so; they are gamers. Be it a result of the past few debacle seasons where the Mets self-destructed their way into the bowels of sports history or an organizational wide feeling that this is it –do or die– or expect wholesale changes.

The Mets, even in their losses, never fail to give 100 percent. Regardless our collective opinions of Jerry Manuel, he does deserve credit for demanding and eliciting this effort.

Take into account there are only 2 teams that seem to have had the Mets number so far this year. All in all, in spite of their issues, in spite of all of our griping, most of which is valid, the Marlins have won 6 out of 10 games against the Mets and the Nationals have won 5 out of 8. Those two teams have done the most damage to the Mets in 2010. Unfortunately both are divisional rivals, neither of which Ryan Howard or Roy Halladay play for.

There are 3 prominent axioms in baseball that have stood the test of time. Two of those being that pitching and defense wins championships. June has been a complete swoon for the Mets pitching staff having posted a 13-4 record and an ERA around 3. Defensively the Mets have committed 36 errors which ranks them 4th in the NL, with only 9 accounted so far in June.

The third axiom; to contend you have to play at least .500 on the road. Few teams have made the playoffs with losing road records. The latest being the 2008 White Sox when they compiled a 35-46 road record. The 2006 St Louis Cardinals bucked the trend. They finished that season with a road record of 34-47, and a World Series Championship.

Only two other teams in the last 15 years have won the World Series with a losing road record, both of which are the Florida Marlins of 1997 and 2003. It’s not impossible to win it all with a losing road record, but trepiditiously difficult.

As we’ve all come to witness, the 2010 Mets are unpredictable. When you think you have them pigeon holed as a certain “type” of team, anchoring the bottom of the National League East, they flick the switch and shift into that extra special gear. Win or lose, these Mets are warriors.

Considering what we’ve all felt the past 3 years it’s hard to find fault with the character of this group. We can’t demand perfection or be deterred by a single loss. Be proud of this team for its hustle and professionalism. Who knows what the next few months have in store.

 “You know, we always called each other goodfellas. Like, you’d say to somebody: You’re gonna like this guy; he’s all right. He’s a goodfella. He’s one of us. You understand? We were goodfellas, wiseguys…er..ummm….New York Mets.”