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Old faces in relatively new places... Luis Castillo � 2B David Wright � 3B Carlos Beltran � CF Jeff Francoeur � RF Ike Davis � 1B Henry Blanco � C Chris Carter � LF Ruben Tejada � SS Jonathon Niese � P According to Mets PR: David Wright has started in the second spot 14 previous times, last on May 12, 2007 vs. Milwaukee. The last time Jeff Francoeur started in the clean up spot was October 3, 2009 vs. Houston. Luis Castillo started in the leadoff spot 18 times in 2009, last on September 16 at Atlanta.

Francoeur 1.5 Dessens 1.0 Thole 1.0 Hernandez 0.5

Mejia mowing 'em down tonight in Triple-A. Nice knowing ya, Pat.

New mountain to climb.

Jesus Feliciano demands to be the "Jesus" of record.

It takes a Brave to beat a Brave: Go Frenchy!

Fuh-misched as the Yiddish-speaking Mets fans might say of the bottom of the first.

David now 0-for-21 down Georgia way in 2010.

David looking for his first hit at Turner Field this season 0-for-20 entering this at-bat.

We meet our old rival At the Ted tonight They seem to be in first place By a mile And I think about those old times And I cringe from ancient fears Still hate them after all these years...oh Still hate them after all these years They�ve got Brian McCann Who gets all those big hits And then they went and Added Derek Lee Heyward, Prado and Infante... We might cry in our beers Still hate them after all these years...oh Still hate them after all these years They�ve Jair Jurrjens And Hanson Hudson Blowing our guys away Frenchy, Acosta Mike Hessman... They used to be Braves Now I sit by my TV And I curse Billy I�m sure Wagner will strike out David Wright Cox can�t retire soon enough Eject him if he leers Still hate them Still hate them Still hate them after all these years {Apologies to Paul Simon -- and anybody who was seeking actual information.)

It had a little more going for it when there were eight-team leagues and finishing fourth was viewed as an accomplishment for the likes of the Philadelphias and the Washingtons and the perpetually put-upons.

"Second division" is a lovely baseball phrase that has lost much of its efficacy with realignment. That's where the judgment calls came in. Mets finished third in '97 and '05 with a Top Ten pitcher in the ERA derby each time -- Rick Reed and Pedro Martinez, respectively. The '97 team was in the Wild Card Hunt until the last ten or so days of the season and finished four behind the Marlins for the prize. Not second division. The '05 Mets were in a Wild Card jumble until the second week of September, and wound up tied for third with the Fish at the end, if only a couple of games ahead of the last-place Nats. Their division, really, was the Wild Card Division, so hard to see them as 1978-ish in that vein. Tom Seaver led the league in ERA in 1971 (and the world: 1.76) on a team that finished tied for third, one that never contended past June. But tied for third is tied for third. Thus not included for Swannie consideration. The Big Three of Seaver, Koosman and Matlack, in that order, finished in the Top 10 in 1976, and the Mets were totally out of it early, but they finished third, and with a relatively strong record, so no Swannies there. The spirit of this thing will be well-served by R.A. Dickey should he continue to pitch as he has and should the Mets not turn September on its ear.

Edgy DC wrote: The Craig Swan AwardTM goes every year to the Met who best lights an ERA candle rather than cursing the second-divison darkness. Swannie-eligible Mets of pre-Swannie era (1962-1972): Pitcher's Top 10 placement in ERA leadership, team's second-division placement (6th or lower in 10-team league; 4th or lower in 6-team division): � Jerry Koosman, 2.08 (4th in N.L.), 1968 (73-89, 9th Place in 10-team league) Swannie-eligible Mets of Swannie era (1973-1984): Pitcher's Top 10 placement in ERA leadership, team's second-division placement (4th or lower): � Jon Matlack, 2.41 (3rd in N.L.), 1974 (71-91, 5th Place in 6-team division) � CRAIG SWAN, 2.43 (1ST IN N.L.), 1978 (66-96, 5th Place) � Pat Zachry, 3.01 (6th in N.L.), 1980 (67-95, 5th Place) Swannie-eligible Mets of post-Swannie era (1985- ): Pitcher's Top 10 placement in ERA leadership, team's second-division placement (4th or lower in 6-team division; judgment employed on defining "second division" in the 5-team division/Wild Card era): � Sid Fernandez, 2.73 ERA (10th in N.L), 1992 (72-90, 5th Place) � Bret Saberhagen, 2.74 ERA (2nd in N.L.), 1994 (55-58, distant 3rd Place in 5-team division) � Bobby Jones, 3.15 ERA (8th in N.L.), 1994 (55-58, distant 3rd Place) � Al Leiter, 3.21 ERA (9th in N.L.), 2004 (71-91, distant 4th Place)

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Anybody catch the New York Mets pennant in tonight's episode of Mad Men? I don't think I've ever resorted to this before, but I did, and my reaction was...SQUEE! Third Mets reference in the last three seasons. The other two were Ken Cosgrove going to games (in 1962 and 1963). I'm thinking Lane (in whose office the period-appropriate pennant hung) and Ken headed out to Shea (in 1965) to discuss Ken's coming over to the firm. They may even have hammered out the details at the Diamond Club. Best Drama indeed.

Edgy DC wrote: Pretty much true. Suffice to say that by "otherwise non-descript," I meant "otherwise, less successful than hoped." Spiritual equivalent of 1978 -- a couple of successful spurts notwithstanding -- might suffice. But such a detailed title and explanation would also make the awards ceremony (The Swannies) run well into the local news.

September: When the manager starts to turn...to leave (and the leaves start to turn).

I'm all for the Craig Swan Award, but every Met year is descript. I'd describe this one as inconsistent.

I believe today's success was due to R.A. Dickey's initial planning.

Box Dickey 5.0 Thole 2.0 Takahashi 1.0 Castillo 0.5 Davis 0.5 Parnell 0.5 Hernandez 0.5

Luis Hernandez wears No. 3 for the Mets but is really Met No. 891. Or 3 X 297.

Santana 1.5 Castillo 0.5 Tejada 0.5 Feliciano 0.5 Wright 0.5

Yes, I did. Pat Monahan (the guy from Train) at about :30 in...