The Value of a Penny drops further...

So last night the Mets began a series against the latest team in the NL that the Worldwide Leader decided should be the team everyone should be afraid of, the Dodgers. After the All-Star Break, the Dodgers went on a nice little run, and added Greg Maddux and Julio LUgo to the team. They had an 11 game win streak, and ESPN decided they were the team to fear.

So last night, for a game that frankly meant little to the Mets, considering the post-season is all but assured (Magic Number now 7), Willie decided to put out the playoff lineup:
Reyes
Lo Duca
Beltran
Delgado
Wright
Floyd
Green
Valentin

This is the first time the lineup has been used (of course Green has only been a Met for a short while, but still). The boys sent a message that they are not to be forgotten. They put up 13 hits, 7 runs, and a couple of HR's. Jose Valentin hit a typical one (that went about 425 feet). Jose Reyes decided to do it the hard way, and hit his first inside the park job. Watching him race around the bases is one of the most exciting things to see in baseball. He can just turn it on, which he had to do last night, as he did not bust it out of the box. When you have that 6th gear, you can do that. Just please don't do it in the playoffs Jose, ok?

Tom Glavine made his second start since his bloddclot scare, going 6 1/3, with 5 hits, 5 K's, no BB and no runs. Mota, Robo Hernandez and Heilman finished it up. Another shutout for the Mets.

So tell me ESPN, the Mets faced the best the Dodgers have to offer, and smacked him around. What more proof do you need that the Mets are not only the best team in the NL, they are one of the best teams in the majors. Their dominance has little to do with the rest of the NL, and everything to do with the team itself. Look at that lineup, and show me another team that is appreciably better 1 - 8? The speed, power, ability to hit with RISP makes this the top lineup in baseball.

Now, I know that in 1988 the Mets dominated the Dodgers in the regular season, only to lose in the playoffs. It could happen again, but the difference is that this team is hungry. The 88 team was too, but there was not the urgency. This team needs to go to the WS to shut people up. It will do that.

Other Cafe News...
Rumblings are that the Isles and goalie Rick DiPietro are running into some snags in contract negotiations. This from Eklund at hockeybuzz.com. Now, Eklund has the tendancy to be off base, so it is possible he is wrong, but you never know with Charles Wang.

My Jets Preview will be posted this evening, for those of you who like to suffer like me and root for the green and white. Check back later tonight, or in the AM.

In the meantime, Let's Go Mets. Time to hang a crooked number on the Dodgers again.