SMACKDOWN!

Sweet Jesus, could the lineup be any hotter right now? Three games, 28 runs scored, 46 hits, and not just against dregs, but one start by Freddy Garcia and one by Dontrelle. Every starter had a hit last night, even El Duque. Castro, Beltran and 'Stache went yard, Delgado had a 2 run double, Beltran had 2 doubles, as did Shawn Green. And yet, Delgado and Wright are still "struggling", more so Delgado, as his average is still only 220. Wright extended his hit streak to 26 games, plus 2 walks, though he did have 2 k's (he is striking out a bit more than he did last year at this time).

Now, I know Philly and Florida are not exactly the class of the league, and, as I wrote on F.U., it is way too early to start talking about awards and the like, but this team is on fire right now. The lineup is hitting, and the pitching, save for 2 awful starts, has been very good. The bullpen has settled in nicely, with Burgos seeming to round into form, Smith being a revelation, and even The Show pitching well. The only concern is the elbow of Aaron Heilman in my mind, but the good thing is that if the other guys do well, Willie can save Aaron for key situations. Look at last night, Burgos pitching saves The Show and Aaron for the Braves series. With Pelfrey getting only his second start tonight, a rested pen is a good thing to have. Ditto with Perez going tomorrow, though he has pitched very well against the Braves in his last two appearances against them (one last year, one the first game this year). The pitching staff, which was what all the experts were worried about coming into the season has allowed a total of 38 runs in 14 games, an average of 2.7 runs per game. That is, to put it mildly, sick. Seven times they have allowed 2 runs or less, including 1 shutout and 4 games allowing only 1 run. That my fellow fans is dominance.

Tonight, the boys come back to Shea to face the Braves in a 3 game set. The Mets throw Pelfrey, Perez and Glavine against Hudson, James and Smoltz. Alex Nelson at Metsgeek.com has the analysis of the Braves pitchers. Larry, Andruw and crew are 1/2 game back of the Mets, having played 2 more games. It is time to send a message. Down in Atlanta, the Mets whooped up on the Braves in the first game, but then lost the next two. This weekend, let's reverse that, take at least 2 of 3, with an eye on a sweep. The Braves have played well, but they have some deficient areas that the Mets need to expose now. The lineup is not as potent as in the past. The bullpen was improved, but is still not very deep. I want to see all three starters for the Mets shut the Braves down in the first inning. Then, the lineup should hang a crooked number on the board in the bottom half of the first inning. Show the Braves last year was no fluke. It's our division now. We've delivered the message to the Phillies, now, smackdown the Braves.

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Odds and Ends

1. Reports are that 3 high profile draft eligible college football players admitted to using pot, though all passed drug tests at the combine. Wait a second, young college kids smoke pot? The horror! It would be more interesting if they said they never had. Frankly, I file this as BFD.

2. Alec Baldwin, you may be great on 30 Rock, but you are without a doubt, a giant douche. What kind of a man calls his 11 year old daughter (he actually said either 11 or 12 yrs old, nice to know your kids age Alec) a pig. Read about it here. Toasty, I think we have your Fucktard of the Week here.

3. John McCain made a "joke" about Iran, singing along to the old hit "Barbara Ann" as "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran". Yep, this is exactly what we need to hear from a man who wants to be President. Nice diplomacy. I'm waiting for Rudy to sing "Golddigger" in honor of any one of his previous ex-wives.

4. The Isles face elimination tonight in Buffalo. Time to stop feeling sorry for yourselves guys and play your asses off. Forget the refs, forget the video goal judges. Play hockey. Drive to the net. Shoot the puck. Have some semblance of a power play. Just win. The good news is that at least there won't be any stuff thrown onto the ice.

5. The Yankees face the Red Sox in Boston this weekend. Don't worry, ESPN will have wall to wall coverage, because you know everyone cares about 3 games between two teams half of America could give 2 shits about.

See you all Monday.