This Ain't a Movie, Dog

I swear I've seen this before.

Big free agent signee gets shipped off.

Spectacular rookie comes out of no where to star in the outfield and show some potent stick as well.

And a team really starts to go.

New Mets? Well, sure.

The team I'm referring to, however. is the 1994 Indians from the hit sequel Major League II.


The 1-2 punch of dumping Jack Parkman, the man who made the women in Cleveland sick, an acquiring Kamakazi Tanaka, provided the spark that really pushed that team to the next level. And a spot in the World Series.

The New Mets dumped a big time free agent on Friday, Kaz Matsui, and are since 3-0. After Sunday's game and a long talk with my pal Nails, I did some research.

17-14: Games that Kaz started.
22-9: Games that he didn't start.

Out with the Old Mets and in with the new. Kaz was a loser. With him we were a .500 team.

With Lastings Milledge in the lineup, the Mets are now 8-4.


In 12 games the guy has 3 doubles, 2 triples and 2 dongs mashed. Next thing we will see is him climbing to the top of the left field fence at shea to make the catch that brings us to the postseason.

But now it's time to look at the bigger picture.

We should all take a minute to think about this one. Holy fuck. The Mets are 39-23, the best team in the NL and maybe all of baseball. I repeat: these are the Mets we're talking about, and they are really, really good.

In 4 games in Arizona this weekend the Mets made a good team look really bad. They played the best series maybe in the history of the franchise.

They outscored the D'bags 37-9 in the 4 games, got 2 complete games from their 4-5 starters, and got about 30 RBI out of the middle of the lineup.

There are two things, though, that come out of this unbelievable weekend that are of the greatest significance.

First, Carlos Beltran. Nails requested that I give this guy some love so here it is.


For the last couple of weeks Beltran '06 has looked like postseason Beltran '04. This guy is going unlike anything we've seen from him before. He is crushing the ball, stealing bases and playing a great center field. He is showing 5 outstanding tools. You might say that as he has gone, so have the Mets.

Two, we got to save our bullpen. With 3 outstanding starts out of Soler, Hernandez and Pedro, the Mets used Wagner, Heilman and Sanchez for a combined 4 innings this weekend. We need to save these guys. We need our starters to pitch a lot of innings. This was huge.

So 39-23. Unreal. I am definitely in shock. So are all of my friends that I talk to on a regular basis.

And of course then there is the team from the other side of town.

This weekend, the Old Bankees got served by the Oakland A's to the tune of a 3-game sweep. Maybe it was the Danny Haren t-shirt I picked up at the A's game that was creating this solid karma.

Or maybe it was something else.

That is, the $160 million dollar Yankees just aren't that good. Without Sheffield and Matsui (hence the more modest payroll), the Yankees lineup is Yankee worthy 1-4(an overpaid All Star Team) and rather pedestrian 5-9 (a bunch of kids and Jeter's ass buddy catcher who has a worse arm than Johnny Damon.)


Then there is the rotation. Mussina looked great for the first 2 months of the season but has since looked shitty.

Randy Johnson, fresh off 37 stabbings of my RJ voodoo doll, looks a lot more like Mark Hendrickson than an ace.

Chacon sucks. Wright sucks. And Ching Ding Aling is the most overrated pitcher in baseball.

Then there's the pen. Small Town Kyle Farnsworth continues to choke in big situations. Basically there is Rivera and Mike Myers to get out one lefty.

When you combine all of this with the fact that Joe Torre is a terrible manager (Fastest to 1000 losses, hasn't won a World Series despite having basically every best player in baseball in 6 years) and we may really have something here.

I find myself rooting more and more for the Blue Jays who look really solid. If they can get anything out of TJ (Tommy John) Burnett then it would definitely be time to watch out.

There is nothing in the world that would bring me greater pleasure than for the Yankees to not make the playoffs.

Imagine 90% of Yankee fans not watching a single game all season. October would come around, they would turn on Fox but their beloved Banks just weren't there.

I guess we can't be greedy. As you all have seen, this site has leaned towards loving our Mets instead of hating those fucks from the bronx. I guess that has to do with us being 39-23.

39-23.

I'm glad Monday is an off day. I need a breather.

VCD,

SM

And 2 side notes.

1. How awesome are D Wright and Cliffy? Whenever they showed the Mets dugout there they were, laughing and just being really cool. Seriously, is there a cooler duo in baseball? Avon Barksdale and Ricky Fitts. They're cooler than Affleck and Damon in Good Will Hunting pre-Affleck turning into a DB. It kind of reminds me of Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan in the Ocean's 11 movies. Just two really cool cats.

2. A big thanks to my mom. She got the New York Post from the day after the Yankees lost to the Sox in 2004 (Yep, I saved it) framed for me, the front and backpages. The back page has a shot of Jeter slouched down with a big caption that reads "Choke." The front page features "True Yankee" Kevin Brown being a $15 million loser. This will go right next to my Mookie/Buckner autographed photo and my plaque of Nolan Ryan punching Rockin' Robin as one of my three favorite pieces of Sports Memorabilia. Let's just say, I'm really proud of this one. Thanks again, Mom's.