In their second series of this young season, the Mets (2-1) will travel to Turner Field in Atlanta to take on that Damn Team From the South aka the Atlanta Braves (1-3).

The Mets come into the series with a 2-1 record after a solid season opening series down in South Florida. Ace Johan Santana looked great in the season opener, while Oliver Perez and the Mets line up were clicking on all cylinders during Wednesday nights 13-0 drubbing of the Florida Marlins.

The Braves enter this series with a 1-3 record after dropping the season opener in Washington to the Nationals, and two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates back at Turner Field. Larry Jones and young shortstop Yunel Escobar have gotten off to hot starts for Atlanta as they have six RBI each in Atlanta's first four games.

The Mets and Braves split the season series last season, with each team winning nine games. The Mets were 5-4 at Turner Field last season, including a late August/early September sweep in a ballpark that used to be a house of horrors for the boys from Queens.

The series will only be a two game series, as Friday's game was rained out.

Saturday's game will start at 3:55 PM. Tim Hudson (0-0) got a no decision in what was a solid first start of the season against Washington last Sunday. Hudson was 16-10 with a 3.33 ERA last season. The Mets send John Maine out for his first start of the season. Maine was 15-10 with a 3.91 last season, and is looking to improve on that record in 2008. This game will be broadcast on Fox.

On Sunday the Braves will send out Tom Glavine (0-0). Most of us remember Tom Glavine for not showing up in his last start as a New York Met last season, thus putting the icing on the cake of the worst collapse in team history. In his first start back in Atlanta Glavine gave up an earned run in five innings of work against Pittsburgh on Monday. He will get the unenviable task of matching up against Santana (1-0), who looked dominant in his first start of the season against Florida last week. Atlanta will no doubt be Santana's first real test of the season. Sunday's game will start at 1:30 PM, and can be seen on SNY.

Out of market fans, please take note that Braves games are no longer broadcast on TBS, thus you cannot watch Braves vs. Mets game on that channel anymore. For Mets fans in the Atlanta market, the game can be seen on SPSO.

With that said Let's Go Mets & PLAY BALL!!!!!
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Hello and welcome to another edition of Thursday Thoughts. This time it’s the Turkey day edition. I got a few things to comment on this week so lets get right to it.

GUILLERMO MOTA IS GONE! Hallelujah. One piece of crap out of our bullpen. In return we got Johnny Estrada who has trouble getting along with teammates and threw out a career low 8% of baserunners last year. He might not even be a Met come opening day depending on arbitration. But all I can say is that Mota is gone and its one less pitcher Willie’s gut can go to.



See ya Tommy G. While it was great having you for 5 years and you pitched some great games for us, that last game you pitched for us this season left us with a bitter taste in our mouths. You belong in Atlanta, but don’t expect to do too much being 42 years old. I hope we can hammer you and make you give up 8 runs in the first inning in one of your starts.


While the rumor mill continues I think the Mets need to sign 2 solid relievers and acquire a starter. Easier said than done. Id expect that at least 2 of our top prospects will be dealt for some type of pitcher that will help us out. Honestly I don’t know who, but Id expect the Mets to pull the trigger on a pitcher of some sort in some way.



Until next time..hope you all had a good turkey day



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It's the middle of November, and you know what that means... baseball's Hot Stove season is heating up (no pun intended).

Before we get all the talk of who is a free agent, who is "available", and who can afford the big name players underway, lets take a quick look at some of the current Mets who are free agents this off season.

Free Agents

Moises Alou: In 2006, Mets signed Alou to a one year deal worth $8.5 million, with a $7.5 million option for 2008, which the Mets have already exercised. Alou will be playing for the Mets once again in 2008.

Marlon Anderson: The Mets have signed Anderson to a 2 year contract worth $2.2 million. Anderson will continue to be a clutch bat off the bench for the Mets in 2008.

Luis Castillo: Omar Minaya has said the Mets will do their best to re-sign Castillo, but the Houston Astros have also shown interest, Castillo could receive a 4 year deal, which the Mets are unlikely to match. If the Astros are willing to give a 4 year deal to a 32 year old with knee problems, they can have Castillo.

Ramon Castro: According to the Daily News The Mets have just wrapped up a deal with Castro for 2 years worth just over $4 million. Castro is expected to either backup or split time with Yorvit Torrealba, who the Mets appear to be close to signing.

Jeff Conine: The 41 year old Conine has finally called it a career, retiring after 16 seasons in the majors. Conine was a two time all star, and won two World Series championships with the Florida Marlins.

Damion Easley: The Mets have re-signed Easley to a one year, $950,000 deal. Easley will likely backup for Castillo or Gotay at second base, and will also be used as a pinch hitter.

Tom Glavine: Glavine appears to be headed back to Atlanta to pitch one more year. Glavine has stated that he is willing to take less money to play in Atlanta. The Mets have not shown considerable interest in Glavine.

Shawn Green: It appears the Mets will not exercise their $10 million option on Green, and have shown little interest in bringing him back for 2008. Green may be headed back out to the west coast, where he'll try to hit 3 more home runs to surpass Hank Greenberg and become baseball's All Time Jewish Home Run King. SHALOM.

Brian Lawrence: The Mets have declined Lawrence's $4 Million option for 2008, Lawrence was designated for assignment before the end of last season, and is unlikely to return to the Mets.

Paul LoDuca: After failing to lure Jorge Posada away from the Yankees, the Mets were expected to turn their attention back to LoDuca. Instead, Omar Minaya has focused his sights on Rockies Catcher Yorvit Torrealba. LoDuca's agent has stated that he does not intend to sign with the Mets anytime soon. The LoDuca situation has gone from bad to worse, and now it appears clear that the Mets will not re-sign Loduca

Aaron Sele: Sele filed for free agency last month, he is not expected to return to the Mets. It is possible that he may retire if he is not signed by another team to a major league contract.

Jose Valentin: The Mets have declined their $4.3 Million option on Valentin. He is not expected to resign with the Mets.

Well, there you have it, in the coming weeks, the site will be heating up again, so be sure to check back here as often as possible to get up to the second updates on the Mets progress this off season.

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Alright ladies and gentlemen, I know it has been entirely too long...but TUESDAY TWO CENTS is back! As a lot of you might be aware I have been computerless for quite some time now. This mainly has to do with me being poor and not being able to buy one yet, but that will be changing soon. I would like to apologize to all that have wondered where I am, considering I am an administrator in this group. It's good to be back again. Anyways, on to business.


Well as we all know, the Mets blew it this season. Last Sunday was quite rough on us all, and I hope to never feel misery of that sorts ever again. Of course being the New York sports fans that we are, the first thing we seem to do is find a scapegoat. I would like to clarify one thing though, there is not just one scapegoat, but there are many scapegoats. Willie Randolph is not the only man to blame for the Flushing Flush.

While the team could have been more motivated, it is not entirely Randolph's fault. Blame must also be put on Omar Minaya who put together a bullpen that went from best in the league in 2006, to steroid users. Blame, in my opinion, must also be put on Rick Peterson. While Peterson is great at developing pitchers, he seems to take no part in managing pitchers. Willie's expertise is definitely at managing the lineup, as he was a solid offensive second baseman for a quite a long time. Willie does seem to have trouble managing the bullpen at times, but if Peterson gave him any sort of advice I think that problem could be alleviated. Instead the Jacket has his face stuffed in a computer worrying about pitch counts and all other sorts of jazz. Get your head out of your Mac and into the game Rick, and help Willie out in a place that is obviously his weakness. Then there's Tom Glavine. The name makes me want to puke. Just one day after Johnny Maine pitches damn near flawless, our "ace" decides to do his best Dave Mlicki impression. Seven runs given up in less than two innings against a team with a mascot named Billy is just horribly inexplicable. Go back to Atlanta. Thank you for three years, you basically just rendered them useless with that lackluster garbage excuse of a start.

There needs to be a lot of changes this off season. Carlos Delgado needs to go. We need to get younger at first base, and Delgado's best days are definitely behind him. I love Carlos as a player, and he won his respect back for me as a man when he decided to start standing for THE National Anthem again. Go to the American League, be a DH, and end your career. Luis Castillo was a useless acquisition this season. Ruben Gotay is without a doubt the front runner for the starting 2B job going into next season. Especially since Anderson Hernandez couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a beach ball. If Lastings Milledge isn't starting in right field next season then I am becoming a Yankees fan...alright that was a joke, but I think you guys can understand how serious I am about that. Finally we need to get a bona fide ace, and fix that pitiful excuse of a bullpen we got.

Omar is going to be busy this off season. Mets fans are going to expect nothing less than a division title and payback on the Phillies. A pennant would be nice considering we haven't won one of those in seven years. Dare I mention it has been 21 years since we have won a World Series. Next year will show what Omar and Willie have when it comes to leading this team. They are facing a lot of pressure and are under a microscope...ummm scratch that telescope from all of the Tri State to get the job done. Here's hoping for a great off season.

In other baseball news.....

HOW BOUT THEM ROCKIES! This is without a doubt the feel good story of the year in baseball. If you would have told me that the Colorado Rockies would be four games away from the World Series in May, I would have been calling Bellevue for you. Big up to the Rock Dawgs, and I would love to see them in the World Series. Plus it was great justice to see them beat up on Philadelphia. This just goes to show that the only thing useful to ever come out of Philadelphia when it comes to sports is a fictional character that fictionally ended Communism in the USSR. Reagan didn't bring down the Berlin Wall...Rocky did.

The fire your manager wave is hot all over New York City, as George Steinbrenner, in yet another act of ignorance, will be firing Joe Torre for taking his Yankees to the playoffs every season of his 12 season tenure. Joe Torre is a class act, and he gets treated with utter disrespect by The Boss. It is not Torre's fault that Alex Rodriguez is useless in October, and the ace of his staff didn't show up to this post season. You ask any player in that Yankee clubhouse and they will tell you firing Torre is a horrible idea. Have some class George.

Finally, I'm just going to put it out there. NO ONE IS BEATING BOSTON. They are too good. They made the Angels look like the Reds in the ALDS. Their pitching is clicking on all cylinders, Manny and Ortiz look like Ruth and Gehrig, and that bullpen is awesome. Cleveland has nothing to match Boston after Sabathia and Carmona. Look for the Red Sox to take the series in 6. Rockies take out the D'Backs in seven. Both series' should be very entertaining to watch.

IN OTHER SPORTS...

I don't know about you guys, but it was very gratifying to watch the Giants front four demolish the Eagles on that horrible Sunday last week. It really saved my day, I'm not going to lie. My G-Men then followed up their demolition of Philly with a 35-24 comeback victory over the Paper Airplanes. Eli and Plaxico (STIFF ARM) looked great in the second half, and HOW BOUT THAT AARON ROSS. The G-Men, along with the whole NFC East is looking like the NFC East of the early 1990's. Everyone is good, except for the Eagles.

Also this calling time out RIGHT before a field goal is kicked. That bush league garbage needs to stop.

HOCKEY IS BACK!!!!

What seems to be the second most popular sport in the group has made it's triumphant return...unless you are a Devils fan of course. We look like garbage. Rangers are fans are already on my last nerve, as they are already running their mouths. The Rangers are the same story every season; a bunch of high salaries with no chemistry and no results by the end of the season. Until I am ever proved wrong I will continue with that philosophy. The Fishsticks are weak. I'll let Wassink handle the Pens.

THE CHASE IS ON!!!

Well not for Junior unfortunately. To add insult to injury my boy Dale blew his sixth engine of the year at Talladega (Man Race) last Sunday. At least he is sticking it to Theresa, the woman who is trying to ruin the Earnhardt name. Looks like Hendrick Motor Sports is going to be running 1-2 in points again as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are motoring themselves away from everyone else. Wait until Junior joins that team next season...scary.

Finally I would like to give a shout out to my Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who finally won a football game this past weekend. Let's keep em coming boys. Oh and if anyone finds the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, please return them to Piscataway. It would be greatly appreciated. USC lost...HAHAHAHA. That's my Two Cents. Later on. JD.
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Heartbroken, anger, and disbelief, are just a few of the many emotions being shown by the 15,000+ members in the facebook group after the Mets historic meltdown.

Who can really blame them? This wasn’t the ending we all planned on. Two weeks ago we held a very comfortable 7 game lead with 17 to play. We were sitting in the driver’s seat looking at the SNY pocket schedule, seeing 13 of our last 17 games against the lowly Nationals and Marlins. In a year full of injuries and so called disappointments this is when we were finally going to get it done. Guess what? It didn’t happen, but life moves on.

Though we didn’t win the World Series, there are many individual moments that us as fans can look back on and be very proud of. Watching things like the continuing development of young players Lastings Milledge and Mike Pelfrey, exciting plays like the Endy Chavez drag bunt or the Carlos Beltran catch in Houston, the scoreless inning streaks of Pedro Feliciano and rookie Joe Smith, Tom Glavine’s 300th career win, John Maine’s two near no hitters, Shawn Green chasing Hank Greenberg for the all-time Jewish home run record, the return of Pedro Martinez, etc… these are the things that when I look back on the 2007 Mets I’m going to remember.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m just as upset as the rest of you. But in a year in which 99% of us are going to call it a letdown, there are those little things that we should all take with us, that we can all look back on, and that we can all remember to put an instant smile on our faces. And if that doesn’t work? 2008 is just around the corner. Read More...

The Mets Completed the 3 game sweep of the Houston Astros today, winning by a score of 4-1. Pedro Martinez pitched well in his Shea debut, pitching 5 innings, giving up no runs on 6 hits, and walking 1 and striking out 4. He also contributed with his bat hitting a double and scoring a run in the 3rd inning.

The Mets outscored the Astros 18-5 in the three game series, and had some impressive outings from Mike Pelfrey who earned his second win of the season on Friday, Tom Glavine who took a perfect game into the 6th inning Saturday, and the aforementioned Pedro Martinez in his Shea debut on Sunday.

The Mets' Magic number is now down to 15. With the Braves and Phillies coming into town this week, the Mets will look for some redemption for last week's now forgotten sweep, one more sweet series against the boys from Atlanta, and will look to seal up the NL East.
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Howdy all! First off I would like to apologize for my absence this past week, as my computer stopped working last week. It is still in the process of getting fixed (much like the Mets lineup and bullpen). While gone I finally came up with a name for my weekly column though: Tuesday Two Cents with Jersey Dan. I hope you guys like it. Now off to the races.

The bullpen, yeah we got one, yeah it’s got issues; but like a Chevy it gets the job done, even if you have to tinker with it at bit. Everyone has quickly jumped on the Scott Schoeneweis bandwagon as of late. Have fun riding that wagon, because who knows how rough it will be, and who knows if it will crash or not. Let’s be realistic here, the man has shown up for two months this season, and was just despicable for the rest of the season. His ERA is still above five, and his WHIP is still above one and a half. There is no reason for us to get outlandishly excited over this recent stint of success. Let’s see where Schoeneweis is at the end of the month.

So the Schoeneweis train is full, and that is because everyone is starting to get off of the Wagner Wagon. What is everyone’s problem with Wags? He is having one of his best seasons ever (like I predicted at the beginning of the season), and has shown nothing but composure this season. Last week against Atlanta Wags loaded up the bases with none out, and Brian McCann coming up to the plate, followed by Andruw Jones. What followed was composure that only the best closers in the game show. Wagner throws great pitches and induces McCann to ground to David Wright who fires home for the force. Wagner then throws some more great pitches and gets Jones to ground into a game ending double play. If Wagner weren’t a great closer, the Mets most likely would have blown that lead. His 26 saves 1.58 ERA and 61 strikeouts can close ball games for my team any day of the week.

So does anybody want to tell me what happened to Joe Smith? The man was lights out at the beginning of the season, and then sometime a little before the All Star Break he hit a brick wall that was more solid than a Mo Vaughn turkey sandwich. Hence Smith was sent down to AAA. Normally this wouldn’t bother me, but normally Guillermo Mota wouldn’t be a middle reliever on my baseball team. Let’s face it, off the juice Mota is garbage. If Smith can get back on track in New Orleans we can bring him back up and get Mota out of there.

Pedro Feliciano: Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Finally we get to the Met that everyone loves to hate: Aaron Heilman. This guy is having a career year, keeps us in games nine times out ten, usually cleans up the messes that Mota or Schoeneweis leave him, and yet we still ridicule him because of Game Seven of the 2006 NLCS. Get over it people, Heilman is a solid player, pitching in a role that he was thrown into last season. As far as I am concerned he has pitched very well since becoming our set up man and is the least of our bullpen worries.

Point being, this bullpen, if managed the right way can be just as good as Boston’s or any of the other top pens in the league. Now that Jorge Sosa is in the pen he will get a lot of work. Sosa, Feliciano, and Heilman looks like it could work out to be a great bullpen combo. If heaven allows it, and Schoeneweis continues to produce this bullpen could turn lethal. If Smith learns how to pitch again, we can get the steroid train out of there and have one of the best pens in the game. This last month and a half will make or break this pen, and make or break our chances of winning a third World Series.

Afterthoughts

Former New York Yankee shortstop and commentator Phil Rizzuto died today. Scooter was a legendary face to the game of baseball his whole life. He was one of the premier shortstops of his day, and his voice is among one of the most famous in baseball. His play-by-play was so exciting that he was used by Meat Loaf to do the “play-by-play” on his 1979 classic “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” The Scooter will be missed.

While on hiatus last week, many Major League Baseball milestones were achieved.

Barry Bonds hit #756 last Tuesday. Thank God that is over, and the Giants won’t be on national television anymore this season

A-Rod hit #500 last week. I like A-Rod; he’s a great player that puts up with way too much garbage. I hope we get to see him hit many more home runs (just not for the Yankees).

Tommy Glavine wins #300. This seemed to take an eternity to Mets fans. What was pretty crazy about this win is that it took place in Wrigley Field, which opened in 1914, and only last Sunday saw it’s first 300 win milestone. Glavine is also the first Met to win 300 games while in a Met uniform. Glavine also could be the last pitcher to ever win 300 games, with these boneheaded pitch counts, and five man rotations and such. Congrats Tommy.

On a personal milestone note I must tip my cap to Cardinals OF Rick Ankiel. As much as I despise the Cardinals I cannot be happier for this guys success. If five years ago you were to tell me that Rick Ankiel would be an OF hitting home runs for St. Louis, I’d tell you take another shot of JD and keep dreaming. This is a great story for baseball, and I could not be happier for the guy.

Football is back, and the Giants are already driving me nuts. Six wins is a stretch for them. Thank God NASCAR goes until November.

Speaking of NASCAR, can somebody please instruct Dale Earnhardt’s crew on how to properly build an engine for a stock car? Four blown engines this season, and two in three weeks is just embarrassing.

That’s my two cents…Let’s Go Mets. Read More...

Following Tom Glavine's 300th win, a few reporters felt it was necessary to mention they believed he would have rather won it in a Braves uniform. We all know Tom Glavine bleeds Braves blood. He has served the Mets well during his tenure in New York and allowed us to take part in a bit of his historic achievement, yet his heart is in Atlanta.

With that, the question was raised who would you call a true Met. Derek Jeter is a true Yankee. Tony Gwynn was a true Padre. John Smoltz is probably the true Brave of our day. So who is a true Met to you? Beyond that, what constitutes that title? Is it someone who began their career with the Mets? Someone who spent a majority of their career with the Mets? Someone who led the Mets to a World Championship?

Tom Seaver, Gary Carter, and Mike Piazza are good candidates for true Mets. Could David Wright and Jose Reyes become the true Mets of today, or are they already? What makes someone a true Met to you? Throw some names out there and why you think they are a true Met. Read More...

Tonight in Chicago, Tom Glavine will try for a second time to become the 23rd pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 career wins.

Many people feel Glavine will be the last pitcher to ever win 300 games due to the nature of the game today with the evolution of the bullpen and pitchers who just make less starts in a season than ever before.

Glavine will be facing off against the recently resurging Chicago Cubs, who have climbed out of their early season funk, and have come storming back to the top of the NL Central. Read More...

We've made it through 2/3 of the season and somehow, the Mets are still clinging to first place. I have been patient; I have not panicked; I still believe this can be a good team. There were a lot of things I could write about: Lastings Milledge, Trade Deadline Hangover, Glavine's failed attempt at 300. But today, August 1st, Willie Randolph and I are no longer on speaking terms.

I know Willie is still a fairly new manager and I respect him for what he has done with team since he came to the organization. I try to stay away from being an "armchair manager" to keep frustrations at a minimum. Frankly though, I can't listen to the speech anymore.

I realize that Willie Randolph comes from the School of Joe Torre, which can be maddening. I'd like to see a few more instances that he comes out of the dugout to go to bat for his guys, yet I appreciate that he maintains an even-keel attitude in the New York spotlight. Willie tends to be a bit of a broken record when speaking with the media after each game, which can be expected in a long season, but I cringe now when I hear "Well, we come out and get a win tomorrow."

Baseball is a long season, with a lot of ups and downs. We all know this. With two months left to the season, tomorrow's are becoming a bit numbered. I have a hard time knowing that my team rolls over after every loss and just waits for tomorrow. If this is the message that Willie is sending, I am officially annoyed. It is okay to turn the page, but when have you reached the point of the season where you play for today? When you're in a playoff series, tomorrows are not endless. It makes me wonder about this team that has looked to the next game throughout the regular season. Assuming they make the playoffs, will they be able to turn on the ability to play like there's no tomorrow in October? I'm not so sure I'm convinced this team has that killer instinct or if they are a gang of incredible procrastinators.

Despite the prospects we do have in our system, this team is built to win this year. The division (a weak one at that) is going to come right down to the wire. It's time to win today.

On a sidenote, Pedro will thorw in an intra-squad game in St. Lucie tomorrow due to rain. I am as excited as anyone else to see his progress, yet I'm not sure if I could have actually watched SNY's coverage tonight. All year the Mets have been trying to stumble through until Pedro's return and we still cannot be certain that Pedro = instant success. I am holding my breath and hoping that he continues to show positive signs, yet I can't get my hopes up for Pedro who is still a bit away from the big club. We know how I feel about tomorrow. Read More...

Prior to today’s game, the Mets recalled Mike De Felice and David Newhan from Triple-A New Orleans, while demoting Mike Pelfrey to New Orleans and designating Jon Adkins for assignment.

Newhan is 12-for-60 for the Mets this season. He would have been an upgrade over Tom Glavine in the ninth inning of last night's loss, but not a huge one. The Mets will probably try someone different once Carlos Beltran is back healthy.

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Mets pitcher Tom Glavine is moving out of Greenwich, Conn. His five-bedroom Colonial just went on the market for $5.4 million, we hear. Glavine's agent, Gregg Clifton, denies that means the 41-year-old player is retiring at season’s end, when his contract is up. Glavine, whose family is based in Atlanta, "probably feels he doesn't need a house that big," said Clifton. A Mets rep says, "Whether or not he sells has no bearing on what he does next year."

(Submitted by Luke)

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By Adam Rossi

As the season rolls on and the Mets continue to fight for their second consecutive NL East title, the focus now seems to be on Tom Glavine, and when he will get career win number 300. Needing only two more victories with two and a half months left in the season, barring injury, it seems inevitable that it will occur shortly or at least by season's end. In any case, whenever a team can go into the post season and throw a pitcher out on the mound that has 300 career wins, a World Series MVP Award, and a Cy Young Award, they should feel very good about their chances. But can the Mets say that about Tom Glavine this year?

As most Mets fans know, despite being 11 games over .500 and 2.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for first place, the 2007 season has been quite a roller coaster ride. While there have been many positive surprises and exciting moments, there has also been inconsistency and bad luck. The same can be said about Tom Glavine's season. So far this year, Glavine has pitched a complete game, one hit shutout (albeit a six-inning, rain shortened game), an 8-inning performance in which he allowed only two hits and one run. He has also gone at least six innings in 17 of his 21 starts. However, he's also had outings in which the Mets have given him first inning leads of 3-0 (at Detroit) and 6-0 (at Los Angeles Thursday night), and Glavine was not only unable to record the win, but not even get through the fifth inning. Thursday night the Mets spotted him leads of 6-0 after the first and 9-4 after the top of the 3rd inning, meanwhile Glavine was unable to record an out in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, the Mets handed Glavine a lead three different times in four innings and Glavine was unable to hold them (the Mets lost the game 11-8). Also, in an early April matchup against John Smoltz and the Braves, Glavine threw 114 pitches and lasted only 5.1 innings to take the loss. It seems that the recurring theme in all his less than stellar outings is that they have come against playoff caliber teams. In fact, against teams with a .500 or better record (also included are the Phillies, who are 57-58, but trail the Mets by 6 games in the NL East) Glavine has posted a 3-5 record with an ERA of 6.67. The Mets are 6-7 in those games. Meanwhile, against teams that are under .500, Glavine has a 5-1 record with an ERA of 1.80, and the Mets are 7-1 in those games. Of course it is much harder to defeat winning teams than it is to defeat team that are struggling. There's a difference, though, between losing to a good team and constantly struggling to beat them.

Come October, the Mets won't be playing teams like the Reds and the Nationals. Glavine is going to have to step on the mound and face teams like the Dodgers, who he allowed 6 earned runs in only 2 innings last night, and the Braves, who he has failed to beat in three outings this year. With the uncertainty of Pedro Martinez's health, and the fragility of Orlando Hernandez, it is essential that Glavine start pitching like the future Hall Of Famer that he is. John Maine and Oliver Perez have pitched well, but there's no guarantee they can keep it up. Maine has already showed signs of coming back down to Earth in his last two outings. The Mets need Tom Glavine to be the number one starter they thought he would be at the start of the season, otherwise, their hopes for a World Series could be in trouble.

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7: The month day and year on 7/7/07
7: The number of the Mets all star shortstop who was taken out of the game for failing to run out a ground ball the previous day
7: The number of letters in Houston, the team the Mets played on 7/7/07
7: The number of letters in New York, the city the Mets play in
77: the Mets magic number going into the day
77: The number of remaining games on the Mets schedule going into the day
421: Carlos Delgado’s career home run total after his 5th inning home run. (4+2+1=7)
7:07 PM CT: The time Carlos Delgado hit his 421st home run
7: The inning David Wright hit his 16th home run
16: The number of home runs David Wright has hit this season (1+6=7)
17: The number of innings it would take for the Mets to beat the Astros on 7/7/07
7: The number of the player who scored the game winning run
16: The number of pitchers used by both sides (1+6=7)

And for good measure…

Dave Williams will be making his 7th start for the Mets today, as the Mets look to take 3 of 4 from the Houston Astros before the All Star Break

7: The number of letters in All Star
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