The Week that Was

Nice week for the Mets off the field, as they locked up the left side of their infield for the next 4+ years. More on that in a minute.

I have to admit, I did not see much of the games this weekend, due to various family obligations. The loss Friday night was disappointing, but the pitching of Tom Glavine and John Maine the last couple of days made up for it.


Friday, the bats were sleepy, and El Duque was the victim of a phantom Balk call. Randy Wolf held the bats in check, and the Philly bullpen did the same. When Mike Defilice is in your lineup, you know runs are going to be tough to get.

Glavine rebounded nicely after allowing a 3 run HR to Ryan Howard in the first, giving the Mets a chance to come back against John Lieber. I was listening in the car a Lieber turned into Steve Sax (or A-Rod, or Chuck Knoblauch), allowing Beltran to reach on an error. It was all downhill from there for the Phil's as the Mets put up a 3-spot to take a 4-3 lead. Poor fielding on a catchable bloop by David Wright played a key role in extending the inning, and Edny Chavez came up with yet another key hit.

Last night, Reyes went yard, with a Grand Slam, Wright celebrated his newfound wealth with an RBI double, and John Maine served notice that he should be considered for a playoff rotation spot with 6 shutout innings. Maine has now gone 23 innings without allowing a run. As for the player he was obtained in return for, well, Kris Benson is about to go on the DL, again, with arm issues. Methinks that trade is a win for the Mets at this point.

As to the signings of Wright and Reyes, I have to give Omar a lot of credit. There is a school of thought that locking up guys before they enter arbitration is foolish, and the other side thinks it is wise. Put me on the "wise" side of the ledger, as signing them now gives you cost certainty (arbitors have been known to award ridiculous sums of cash), buys the organization some good will (DW was upset this spring when he was renewed for barely over the minimum), and shows the fans you value your youth. Not having to worry about pissing the two cornerstones of your franchise off in a hearing is also quite nice. For an excellent take on the signings, and a correlation to a great team from the 1990's, visit http://mikesneighborhood.blogspot.com.
For me, the fact those guys are going to be around for a while, along with Beltran, means the team has 3 key positions locked up. Now, this offseason can be spent looking for pitching. Meanwhile, Jose and David can spend their time searching for new homes. In New York. And be there for a long time.

Last thought for today, for the past couple of months, it seems Met fans have had a new "MVP" every couple of weeks. First it was Reyes, then Wright, now, Beltran has pushed into the race. Now, I like the fact that they are all doing well, but my concern is that every time we fans (or the media) start to tout one of them, they soon after go into a slump. Let's stop the talk for a while. Though, if I hear one more commentator state "Well, Pujols should win" or something to that effect, I am going to be sick. The Cards are in a free fall, and Albert is not helping. An MVP is supposed to carrry his team, and I do not see Albert doing that. Certain other players however, have been doing so.