Step Into the Realm

Last night I rooted for the Braves. Passionately. I cheered their pitchers, lauded their hitters and wished well upon their manager. And the Bravos came through for me. And today I feel great.

Not since the 1999 World Series had I pulled so strenuously for Bobby Cox and the gang, but hell, it's not since 1990 that I haven't had to worry about the Braves this late in the season, and it's not since 1988 that the Mets were one game away from winning the National League East.

And so it was that I watched with delight as Atlanta, America's team, took down Philadelphia by a final score of 4-1.

When it was over, not even the long standing certainty of the Mets' division title, established some time back in June, could ruin the excitement of the moment.

The Mets were on the brink. The Mets are on the brink. Win tonight and we book our spot in the NLDS.

And who better to turn the ball over to than Pedro Martinez? When we signed him, he talked about winning World Series games for the fans out at Shea.

That's getting a little ahead of ourselves, but tonight he can lift the team on his shoulders and deliver the first bit of euphoria to the fan base that he promised.

It's also a chance for him to put his stamp on the team's remarkable regular season. Make no mistake, Pedro deserves a lot of credit for helping the Mets establish their huge early-season lead.

He was perfect in April, 5-0 through his first five starts, then he was better in May, even if he didn't have the wins to prove it.

But since then there's been something a little odd about the composition of the Mets. Last year, this was Pedro's team, no question about it. He was the guy the fan base responded to most enthusiastically. He was the guy we identified with the team's success.

This year that's simply not the case. We still love Pedro, but he hasn't put his mark on the 2006 Mets.

On the disabled list for over two months this year, Pedro was never forgotten -- with his dugout antics he could never be forgotten -- but in a sense he was gone. His right arm wasn't translating into wins and losses after all.

But in every victory the Mets registered, his presence could still be felt. As we've said before on this site, Pedro deserves a ton of credit for sparking the Mets' renaissance. Without him, there's no Beltran. No Delgado. No Wagner.

He was the first guy who took a chance on the Mets. He was the guy who said, "Fine, this is a 71-win team? Let's see where we can take it next."

Now that 71-win team of two years ago has been replaced by a team that remains on pace for 100 wins.

In terms of player personnel, it all started with Pedro. And as the first phase of our hoped-for run to a World Series title comes to a close tonight, he's the man who deserves the ball.

He won't finish the game tonight, word is he'll be done after five. And hell, the Mets may not even win tonight.

But if we do, and if we end play on September 15, 2006 with a division title under our belts, the Mets will be one step closer to finishing what they started when they signed Pedro Martinez in the first place.

My only hope for tonight is that he lifts the team in the same way he lifted the franchise two years ago. I hope he stops being just a presence in the background, I hope he's there front and center.

I hope he does so because this team in 2006 hasn't felt like Pedro's Mets, but really, they're as much his Mets as they are Omar's Mets or Willie's Mets.

And I want him to make us remember that tonight.

- A.F.O.M.G.