Benjamin Grimm

Then why are you worrying about Atlanta in the NLCS? If the Mets don't beat them, it's their own damn fault!

I like the idea of bearded presidents. I think whoever is elected in 2008 should grow a beard. (Even if it's Hillary.) When was the last president with facial hair? Teddy Roosevelt?

That wrinkle isn't all that interesting. It's still going to lead to more Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez and Doc Gooden... How about this: The magic number is now in the custody of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.

Yeah, it's weird to see a decimal point in the name of a sports team.

What clinches it for me with Ernie and Bert is the matching monogrammed headboards on their beds, an E for Ernie and a B for Bert. Picture the two of them shopping for those headboards together. No heterosexual roommates would ever do that.

How Billy Wagner has earned his Schaefer points (Sorted in order of points awarded) He seems to do better, on the whole, when he saves a one-run game with a scoreless inning. (In those cases, I always give him at least 1 point.) When he gives up runs, or is protecting a larger lead, he gets fewer points. If he were to come in with a three-run lead, and give up two and get the save, I wouldn't give him any points for that. It doesn't look like that's happened this year. I can see a few games where he seems to have been cheated. The 0.72 points on August 8, for example. DateOpponentResultPointsiphrersobbdecision06/25/2007CardinalsW, 2-11.6820003005/11/2007BrewersW, 5-41.09100000Sv07/14/2007RedsW, 2-11.09100010Sv05/18/2007YankeesW, 3-21.08110020Sv06/29/2007PhilliesW, 6-51.08100030Sv07/28/2007NationalsW, 3-11.06100000Sv04/13/2007NationalsW, 3-21.04100000Sv06/23/2007AthleticsW, 1-00.95110010W05/23/2007BravesW, 3-00.9110020Sv06/26/2007CardinalsL, 3-50.8810001004/29/2007NationalsW, 1-00.87110010Sv05/09/2007GiantsW, 5-30.87100020Sv07/22/2007DodgersW, 5-40.87100032Sv05/31/2007GiantsW, 4-20.86100020Sv08/14/2007PiratesW, 5-40.85100010Sv06/05/2007PhilliesL, 2-40.811001007/20/2007DodgersW, 4-10.76100010Sv05/04/2007DiamondbacksW, 5-30.75100011Sv07/12/2007RedsW, 3-20.75110000Sv06/15/2007YankeesW, 2-00.74100020Sv08/01/2007BrewersW, 8-50.73120010Sv08/08/2007BravesW, 4-30.72120001Sv08/18/2007NationalsW, 7-40.7100011Sv04/12/2007PhilliesW, 5-30.68110000Sv06/08/2007TigersW, 3-00.68100020Sv07/15/2007RedsW, 5-20.67100000Sv07/25/2007PiratesW, 6-30.65100000Sv05/08/2007GiantsW, 4-10.63100020Sv04/03/2007CardinalsW, 4-10.6100000Sv05/29/2007GiantsW, 5-40.5810002105/02/2007MarlinsW, 6-30.55110000Sv09/02/2007BravesW, 3-20.45121100Sv08/15/2007PiratesW, 10-80.370.210010Sv06/20/2007TwinsL, 2-60.3310001007/07/2007AstrosW, 5-30.27110000Sv07/05/2007AstrosW, 6-20.2210002105/25/2007MarlinsW, 6-20.1812112104/28/2007NationalsW, 6-20.1612002008/03/2007CubsW, 6-20.1112000008/05/2007CubsW, 8-30.1111001008/12/2007MarlinsW, 10-40.110001005/19/2007YankeesW, 10-70.0912112005/27/2007MarlinsW, 6-40.08111120Sv08/21/2007PadresW, 7-60.07111121W04/09/2007PhilliesW, 11-50.0610002006/29/2007PhilliesW, 5-20.0611002104/01/2007CardinalsW, 6-10.0412000005/16/2007CubsW, 8-10.0410000004/21/2007BravesW, 7-20.0310000108/24/2007DodgersW, 5-20.02131110

Well, that's just for August, irish. In the season voting, Wagner (14th place) is well ahead of DiFelice (34th), Lawrence (35th) and Mota (23rd). But he is behind Easley (13th). Wagner's 14th makes sense to me. (I don't really think the role of a closer is as important as others do.) Easley's 13th is more surprising.

You can find that out by poking around at http://potg.ultimatemets.com. Keep in mind that Schaefer totals were higher in 2005 when we had the "must vote 10 points" rule in effect.

VOTING FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Totals for September 2, 2007 (12 votes) New York Mets 3, Atlanta Braves 2 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceTom Glavine45.853.82(W) 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO.David Wright28.702.392-4, R, HR, 2 RBI.Jorge Sosa14.701.231.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.Aaron Heilman10.150.851.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Moises Alou9.600.802-3, R, BB, SO.Billy Wagner5.450.45(Sv) 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Carlos Beltran3.100.261-3, 2B, BB, SB.Luis Castillo0.800.071-3.Jos� Reyes0.750.061-5, R, SO.

VOTING FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Totals for September 1, 2007 (14 votes) New York Mets 5, Atlanta Braves 1 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceMike Pelfrey46.753.34(W) 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO.Carlos Beltran37.002.643-4, 3 R, 3B, HR, RBI.Carlos Delgado24.131.721-3, R, HR, 2 RBI.Lastings Milledge15.001.071-3, R, HR, RBI, SO.Pedro Feliciano14.351.02(Sv) 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO.Guillermo Mota2.260.161.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Jos� Reyes0.500.041-3, SB.

Thanks. Typo was fixed. You mean first place among the pitchers, I assume. The answer is: I don't know. If you're curious, go to http://potg.ultimatemets.com and you can see for yourself.

If the Phillies won yesterday, they would have been four games behind. If the lead is still at four when the Phillies come to Shea a week from tomorrow, then Philadelphia is a sweep away from being one game out. It's important, therefore, to keep the Phillies as far behind as possible before that series starts. If the Phillies come to town six or more games out, the Mets will be in much better shape. The Braves are 2.5 games further away from the Mets than the Phillies are. With only 23 games left, that's fairly significant. They're the lesser threat right now.

Voting for the first two games in Cincinnati will close on Friday morning: Monday, Mets 10, Reds 4: http://cranepoolforum.qwknetllc.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=7279 Tuesday, Mets 11, Reds 7: http://cranepoolforum.qwknetllc.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=7290

SCHAEFER METS PLAYER AND PITCHER OF THE MONTH, AUGUST 2007 http://leaptoad.com/mets/jpeg/DavidWright1971.jpg http://leaptoad.com/mets/jpeg/OrlandoHernandez1975.jpg The Schaefer Mets Player of the Month for August 2007 is DAVID WRIGHT. This is David's third win this season and fifth overall. He is the first Met to be named Player of the Month five times. Wright led the Mets in August with 28 runs, 39 hits, 26 walks, a .394 batting average and and on base percentage of .516. Wright's 6 home runs were second to Moises Alou's 7. He also had 21 runs batted in, trailing only Carlos Beltran, who had 23. The Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Month for August 2007 is ORLANDO HERNANDEZ. Hernandez edged Tom Glavine for the honor, beating him by a mere 0.13 points. This is Hernandez's second win. (He previously won this honor in September 2006.) In six starts in August, Hernandez was 2-0 with an ERA of 4.17. He led the Mets in innings pitched with 36.2 and finished second to Oliver Perez (39) in strikeouts, with 37. Month-to-date totals for August 2007 Through game of August 31, 2007 RankNamePoints1David Wright28.342Carlos Beltran22.453Jos� Reyes18.264Moises Alou16.925Carlos Delgado15.456Orlando Hernandez14.477Tom Glavine14.348Luis Castillo12.749Marlon Anderson12.1510Oliver Perez9.2711Jorge Sosa8.5712Lastings Milledge8.5613Shawn Green7.0214John Maine5.8715Aaron Heilman5.2816Pedro Feliciano5.1317Damion Easley4.8818Mike DiFelice4.3819Guillermo Mota4.2820Brian Lawrence4.1821Billy Wagner3.7822Ramon Castro3.6923Scott Schoeneweis2.7824Aaron Sele2.6125Paul Lo Duca2.4026Endy Chavez2.0227Ruben Gotay1.9028David Newhan1.8729Jeff Conine1.7230Sandy Alomar0.45 Previous Winners YearAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptember2005Cliff Floyd Player of the MonthPedro Martinez Pitcher of the Month Mike Cameron Player of the MonthPedro Martinez Pitcher of the Month Cliff Floyd Player of the MonthPedro Martinez Pitcher of the Month Jos� Reyes Player of the MonthPedro Martinez Pitcher of the Month David Wright Player of the MonthTom Glavine Pitcher of the Month Tom Glavine Player of the Month, Pitcher of the Month 2006Tom Glavine Player of the Month, Pitcher of the Month Carlos Beltran Player of the MonthPedro Martinez Pitcher of the Month David Wright Player of the MonthAlay Soler Pitcher of the Month Carlos Beltran Player of the MonthJohn Maine Pitcher of the Month Jos� Reyes Player of the MonthSteve Trachsel Pitcher of the Month Carlos Delgado Player of the MonthOrlando Hernandez Pitcher of the Month 2007Jos� Reyes Player of the MonthJohn Maine Pitcher of the Month David Wright Player of the MonthOliver Perez Pitcher of the Month John Maine Player of the Month, Pitcher of the Month David Wright Player of the MonthJohn Maine Pitcher of the Month David Wright Player of the MonthOrlando Hernandez Pitcher of the Month

Rooting for the Braves to lose is just being about six years behind the times.

Kid Carsey awarded 10.5 points and his votes were automatically prorated as follows: Anderson 1.00 anderson 0.95 Delgado 2.00 delgado 1.9 Heilman 0.75 heilman 0.71 Maine 5.00 maine 4.76 Reyes 1.75 reyes 1.67 VOTING FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Totals for August 31, 2007 (12 votes) New York Mets 7, Atlanta Braves 1 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceJohn Maine53.164.43(W) 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO.Carlos Delgado30.102.512-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI.Jos� Reyes17.521.462-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI, SB.Marlon Anderson12.701.061-1, 2B, 3 RBI.Aaron Heilman4.110.341.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Scott Schoeneweis1.900.161.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Carlos Beltran0.500.042-4, R.

I did once see a purple muppet hand underneath an airport bathroom stall.

My guess for "original killer bees" was Bonds and Bonilla in Pittsburgh.

Did Trachsel report to the Cubs in time for him to be eligible for the postseason roster? I remember years ago when the Orioles (or Angels) got Fred Lynn on August 31 and he had to catch a quick flight to be with his new team before midnight. That was many years ago, obviously. Is that rule still in effect?

Somebody hand me a tomahawk! Quickly!

Yay! At this point in the season any day in which the magic number drops is a good day, even if the Mets get humiliated by the pathetic Cincinnati Reds.

Collazo 1.2 Wright 0.2 Beltran 0.2 Humber 0.3

Box score

Braves have to settle for two runs in the sixth. John Maine, by the way, is frittering away his chance to be the Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Year. He once had a pretty healthy lead and now he's dropped (as of the last tally) into third place.

="Johnny Dickshot"]Willie Collazo's gameday portrait: The 820th Met.