Benjamin Grimm

Or maybe he'll sign with the World Champion New York Mets as a highly paid second baseman despite his shortstop dream. I wouldn't dismiss him because he wants to be a shortstop. They should certainly talk to the guy. Hopefully the Mets will be able to get a sense of what their chances are before they have to make any final decisions on Castillo.

And not Pedro Martinez either. They're sticking with the "extra day of rest" plan. After yesterday's results, that doesn't concern me as much as it would have if the Mets had lost and the Phillies had won. If things go badly on Monday and Tuesday and the Mets start Wednesday's game with a one-game lead, I'll be a bit nervous about Humber going. But if the lead is 3 or more I think it will be okay.

Voting for Thursday night's 10-inning loss in Miami will close on Tuesday morning. The three wins that followed that awful game will close on Wednesday.

I was flabbergasted when the Mets pulled out of the bidding so early in the process. And if Rodriguez had ended up signing for, say, $100 million over six years, I would have been pissed off the the Mets were going forward with Rey Ordonez instead of Alex Rodriguez. But when we learned about the $252 million, it was obvious that the Mets wouldn't have had Rodriguez even if they had stayed in the bidding. In other words, I got over it during the winter of 2000-01. It's nuts to still be carrying a grudge seven years later. Rodriguez to the Mets just wasn't going to happen.

Not surprisingly, yesterday's action helped the Mets postseason odds. (Hey, 98.6, it's good to have you back again!) The Padres loss didn't stop the Phillies numbers from dropping, because the Rockies have made themselves a factor once again. (They've now won eight in a row.) Average wins by position in NL East: 91.6 88.5 85.1 71.1 68.5 NL East W L Pct3 Avg W Avg L Champions Wild Card Playoffs 1D Change 7D Change Mets 87 68 .564 91.5 70.5 95.15775 3.53945 98.69720 4.14184 .91302 Phillies 85 71 .535 88.5 73.5 4.83110 43.44318 48.27428 -6.83720 13.93606 Braves 82 74 .539 85.1 76.9 .01115 .85164 .86279 .56899 .17862 Average wins by position in NL West: 90.9 88.6 86.9 83.4 71.7 NL West W L Pct3 Avg W Avg L Champions Wild Card Playoffs 1D Change 7D Change Diamondbacks 88 68 .485 90.8 71.2 87.43120 8.03082 95.46202 -0.34161 9.84589 Padres 85 70 .519 88.4 73.6 9.40900 34.41016 43.81916 -4.98479 -21.43687 Rockies 84 72 .547 87.2 74.8 3.15980 9.72233 12.88213 7.45638 10.74702

This time of year, I would think that the expanded rosters would extend the games somewhat. More pitchers on the staff allow for more mid-inning pitching changes.

Maine 1 Mota 1 Smith 1 Sele 0.8 Delgado 2 Wright 1.5 Alou 1.1 LoDuca 1.1 Beltran 0.5

So, to wrap this thing up, four of the eight games ended up going our way. I'll take it. Mets WinsPhillies WinsMonday morning Mets LeadMonday morning Magic Number332.55

I watched this on TiVo delay and for me, it just ended. Delgado's homer was the first time I can recall jumping up and down with joy during a regular season game in years. Now that it's over, I'm not all that concerned about the blown save. Heilman was overworked and Wagner was rusty. (And the guy who hit the homer, Uggla, is no chump.) Thank you for winning today, Washington. Hope you guys enjoy the postgame RFK ceremonies. No offense, but we now would like you to lose your next three games.

HOLY CRAP!

From Newsday: ]Willie Randolph hinted yesterday that Pedro Martinez could come back on regular rest to start Wednesday. Unless the Mets open up a four-game lead by Wednesday morning, I think Pedro has to pitch that game.

Maine needs to get his shit together TODAY. If he does, the Mets should have little trouble winning. If he doesn't, it's going to be a slugfest, and who knows who'll end up on top. Phillies today have a lopsided pitching matchup in their favor. Today's game is pretty darn important. (As they've all been lately.)

From Bill Madden's column in today's Daily News Bill Madden wrote: That Randolph, despite his Brooklyn roots, community involvement and popularity in New York, has never been held in the same esteem as other successful managers is evidenced by the fact that Wilpon and GM Omar Minaya would allow him to name only one coach - and they unceremoniously fired that one, Rick Down, at midseason this year and replaced him with, of all people, Rickey Henderson. Henderson was one of the game's greatest players and he combined that with an engaging personality. But as a coach, his contributions have been minimal. Around the clubhouse, he is jokingly referred to as the card-playing coach, and those close to the situation say Randolph has had to bite his tongue every day when he arrives at the clubhouse only to see Henderson playing cards with the players. It should also not be forgotten that Minaya said the hiring of Henderson, former leadoff man/base-stealer extraordinaire, would especially be beneficial to Jose Reyes. Has there been anyone more disappointing (to use Wilpon's word) than Reyes these past six weeks?

Another day closer to the end of the season, and the Mets and Phillies odds both continue to increase, thanks to another loss by San Diego. Mets magic number over the Padres, by the way, is 8. If the Mets go 5-3 the rest of the way, the Phillies can force a tie by going 6-1. But, in that scenario, unless the Padres go at least 6-2, the Mets would land the Wild Card. (Padres' odds are 11.76722 division, 37.03673 wild card, 48.80395 overall.) If the Mets and Phillies end in a tie, but with a better record than San Diego, the Phils are the division champs, the Mets are the Wild Card, and the Padres are spectators. Average wins by position in NL East: 91.2 89.0 84.6 70.7 68.8 NL East W L Pct3 Avg W Avg L Champions Wild Card Playoffs 1D Change 7D Change Mets 86 68 .564 91.1 70.9 84.87475 9.68060 94.55536 3.57283 -4.39606 Phillies 85 70 .535 89.1 72.9 15.10475 40.00673 55.11148 11.47449 26.42275 Braves 81 74 .536 84.7 77.3 .02050 .27330 .29380 .07984 -0.38263 Nationals 68 87 .436 70.5 91.5 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 Marlins 66 89 .464 69.0 93.0 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000

This would look even better if the Phillies would lose once in a while. Mets WinsPhillies WinsMonday morning Mets LeadMonday morning Magic Number332.55341.56231.56240.57

If the Mets have to play a tie-breaker in Philadelphia next Monday, it would be Dave Williams' turn in the rotation! (Though I think Pelfrey would also be rested for that start.) If Willie backs off that "extra day of rest" for Pedro, it would be Pedro Martinez.

Yeah, really. Eliminated teams should pull out all the stops against the contenders.

SteveJRogers wrote: And 11th different NL champ since the 95-96 Braves. Hope not.

Here's a little interim update. The Mets have won this afternoon's game, and the Phillies game in Washington is just underway. Five of the eight games have now been played, and two of them have gone our way. Mets WinsPhillies WinsMonday morning Mets LeadMonday morning Magic Number323.54332.55222.55341.56231.56240.57

Say hello to Andrew Jackson, Old Hickory: The 7th president of the United States.

Perez 6 Castro 4

Box score!

VOTING FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Totals for September 19, 2007 (12 votes) New York Mets 8, Washington Nationals 4 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceJorge Sosa30.002.502.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.David Wright21.951.832-4, R, 2B, 3 RBI, SO.Mike Pelfrey15.751.31(W) 5.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO.Moises Alou15.501.293-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI.Jos� Reyes10.650.892-4, 2 R, 2B.Paul Lo Duca10.350.860-2, 2 RBI, SO.Luis Castillo6.350.531-5, 2 R, 3B, RBI.Aaron Heilman4.050.341.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Shawn Green3.550.302-2, R.Jeff Conine0.600.051-3, 2B, SO.Billy Wagner0.250.021.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.

Mets playoff odds improved a little bit; the lead remains at 1.5 games but we're one day closer to the end of the season. Phillies odds, which would otherwise have dropped, increased instead because of the Padres loss to the Rockies. Mets and San Diego have the same record right now. If the Phillies outplay the Mets the rest of the way, the Wild Card can still be in play if the Padres falter. Average wins by position in NL East: 90.8 88.5 84.2 71.2 69.3 NL East W L Pct3 Avg W Avg L Champions Wild Card Playoffs 1D Change 7D Change Mets 85 68 .562 90.6 71.4 83.09293 7.88960 90.98253 2.94496 -8.52061 Phillies 84 70 .534 88.6 73.4 16.85788 26.77911 43.63699 7.14301 20.40747 Braves 80 74 .536 84.2 77.8 .04918 .16478 .21396 -0.88912 -1.91916 Nationals 68 86 .438 71.0 91.0 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 Marlins 66 88 .467 69.5 92.5 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 .00000 (San Diego is 27.43945 for the division, 41.52755 for the Wild Card, and 68.96700 overall.)

Martinez 1.5 Mota 1.5 Schoeneweis 1.2 Beltran 1.5 Reyes 1.5 Delgado 1 Castillo 0.9 Alou 0.9