Benjamin Grimm

Yeah, but the $10.5 million isn't dedicated to "the closer's spot" if it's going to a guy who's not going to pitch a single inning. They have to look at it as overhead and still do what they can to deploy the best possible team for 2009.

I'm not sure that there's insurance. The Daily News today quoted "Mets insiders" as saying that the Mets won't be going after a top reliever this offseason because they're already paying Wagner $10.5 million for 2009. While I don't agree with the conventional wisdom that you need a "top reliever" I also don't like any signs of purse-tightening from the Mets front office. I like that they've become a team that will do what it takes to win. I want them to keep their eye on the ball even after this (hopefully) championship season.

OlerudOwned wrote: Giuseppe Franco. As Gene Rayburn once might have said, that's the definitive answer.

metirish wrote: I think your brother looks a bit like Anthony Bourdain. I thought that too. A mix between Anthony Bourdain and Richard Belzer.

I just hope it's before that final game at Yankee Stadium. I don't want that ballpark to have an ounce of hope in it.

Average wins by position in NL East: 91.6 87.6 82.3 71.5 62.7 91.7 NL East W L Pct3 Avg W Avg L Champions Wild Card Playoffs 1D Change 7D Change Mets 82 63 .543 91.5 70.5 90.12007 1.92889 92.04895 5.29467 5.91364 Phillies 79 67 .519 87.7 74.3 9.75977 6.76654 16.52630 -10.19638 -1.84463 Marlins 74 72 .484 82.3 79.7 .12017 .00936 .12953 .04411 -0.12492 Braves 64 82 .492 71.5 90.5 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 Nationals 56 90 .403 62.7 99.3 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 Mets now over the 90% mark, gaining just over 5 points. Phillies drop 10 in yesterday's action, losing some of that to the Mets and some to the Brewers, who gained about 7.5 Meanwhile, the Angels are the first team to get to 100% with yesterday's clincher. Yankees drop to .09093%. The Dodgers gained 6.84691 points yesterday, joining the 90+ club with a score of 93.10625%. Remember earlier this season when Arizona was being called the "best team in baseball?" Their playoff odds have now dropped to 6.76231, which is only slightly better than the odds of St. Louis and Houston, who are both between 5 and 6 points. The Mets are projected to win 91.5 games, which is very close to the 92 that Marlon Anderson set as a goal way back in the Willie Randolph dark ages. If the Mets do win 92 and the division title, I hope that little chart that he scribbled in the Mets clubhouse goes to Cooperstown.

No homers from Delgado today??? Cut him!

Seeing the Mets blow a 7-1 lead to the Nationals brought on a bad sense of September 2007 deja vu. But as you said, this year's team wins this game anyway. Two days in a row where the magic number drops by two. Two VERY good days in a row. Two sobering notes, though: Consecutive bad outings by Mets starters isn't good. And those Nationals are a tough team. I'm not looking forward to playing four games in their house next week.

Well, it's not up to me. But I'd say, let's see how the weekend goes.

I just don't want conversation. The only posts should be the ones that contain votes. (At least, until after the game is tallied.)

I had my heart in my throat as Tatis jumped for that drive by Milledge.

As I've said, any day that the magic number drops is a good day, so today is already a good day. And the Mets now have a chance to make it a great day.

Helms singles home Uggla. 7-3 Marlins.

Very nice! Marlins up 6-3 (and still batting). Howard, Burrell, Victorino due up in the ninth.

And we have a final score from Milwaukee: Brewers beat the Reds 4-3.

]So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, LET'S GO FISH! LET'S GO FISH!

And they cash two of them in. Brewers still batting, and they lead 4 to 3.

All I know about Jeter is that he has an Edge.

Solo homer by Ryan Howard puts the Phillies up 1-0 in the second.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Ha! I SWEAR I didn't see your post before I set mine up there! Met minds think alike! Another Oprah moment!

It's hard to be cool during the summer.

Yankees score one in the first in Anaheim. The Angels then match it with a single run in the bottom of the first. THEN, somehow, the Yankees retroactively tack on another run in the top of the first. I don't think I'm getting the straight scoop. In Milwaukee, Reds are still up 3-1, top of the 7th. And the Marlins-Phillies game is just underway.

They should move him to Kansas City.

Well, we've seen how insufferable they've been in the past, so it's not too hard to imagine. What's nice though is that the barf factor of the closing of Yankee Stadium II should be reduced somewhat. Although we might hear stuff about the tragedy and injustice of the last game at the "Stadium" not being a World Series game.

Actually, I did read a quote where Jeter said pretty much what Heyman was saying. My sense is that he phrased it as "Knowing Jeter..." so that we'd ooh and aah about his closeness to the Great Jeter.