"The team I'm most worried about in the National League? The San Diego Padres. They have a much better lineup than many people give them credit for along with arguably the best pitching in the NL."

-Touch 'Em All Time: July 13, 2007

I never take joy in watching one of my favorite teams lose, regardless of what sport it is or whether or not the loss will help the team's "draft status." However, I had more than a few people make comments to me about how the Padres were an overrated team and probably wouldn't even be around come October. Nevertheless it was the opinion of just about everybody I spoke with that the Padres couldn't hang with the Mets.

Sure, it's still July, but there isn't one follower of this blog who isn't slightly worried about the Mets' chances in a playoff series against the Padres after last week. I know what plenty of you are going to say.

"The series was in San Diego. At home the Mets will dominate!"

I have to agree that the Mets have a better chance to win in Queens than they do in San Diego. However, it is not a given that the Mets will have home-field in any series yet, let alone play in October. Right now the Mets are 53-42; the Friars stand at 53-41. With two months left in the season anything can happen, but fans are going to have to get used to the thought of the Mets not having home-field advantage in the playoffs this season. Ask yourself this question: As of this exact moment do the Mets look like the best team in the National League?

Nope.

Then again, the Mets did just beat the Dodgers last night, and LA has the same winning percentage as the Padres. At this point the National League is so crazy the Marlins could make a late run and sneak into the playoffs. Well, maybe not.

Barry Lamar Bonds hit home runs 752 and 753 yesterday, bringing him within just two long balls of tying Hank Aaron's record. There are going to he plenty of Barry articles popping up just about everywhere, probably even one or two on this blog. I already wrote the closest thing to a Barry article that you'll get from me, so I'll keep this short. I don't care if Barry Lamar breaks the record at home or if Bud Selig is in attendance when Bonds does crush 756 out of the park. Cy Young's 511 wins, Pete Rose's 4256 hits, and Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hit streak are more impressive to me at this point than whatever number Bonds ends up with. Oh, and for those of you not keeping track, the Giants lost to the Cubs yesterday 9-8. San Fran dropped to 39-54, the worst record in all of the National League.

The Yankees have been surging as of late, and despite yesterday's loss the Bronx Bombers are only seven games out of first place. One of the many reasons I love living across the river from Manhattan is the stark difference in how the New York baseball teams are covered in comparison to one another. If the Mets were "coming back" from a double-digit deficit and were seven games out on July 20 talk shows and newspapers would be having a field day about what a letdown the Mets have been thus far. The Yanks, however, are "surging."

I love New York.

It's being reported that Chris Carpenter is going to have the dreaded Tommy John surgery and be out for ten to twelve months. This is a devastating blow to the Cardinals and will serve as the final nail in the coffin for the team this season. The 2006 World Series must seem like decades ago for this team. More importantly, however, is the fact that I can now drop Carpenter from my fantasy team. Thanks for nothing, Carp.

The Mets are 2.5 games ahead of the Braves in NL East, the exact same lead the Mets were enjoying at this time last week. Last night was shaky but it's always good to start a series off with a win. Beating up on the Reds is one thing, but this weekend is going to be difficult for the Amazins.

Tonight's match-up: Oliver Perez (8-6) vs. Brett Tomko (2-7)

Jinxes exist in sports. I'm not saying a word. Although maybe the negative talk about the Mets in this blog will cause the team to rise to the occasion. We can only hope.