batmagadanleadoff

Not this guy. Nope.

I didn't think anybody'd get Pratt. One to go.

You've got two of the four.

This weekend, the very best of the NL East (baseball division and geographic region) will meet for the last time this regular season in a three game series at Shea Stadium -- first game tonight. The Mets and the Phillies are virtually inseparable on the basis of their respective W-L records; the two teams have played the same number of regular season games since Opening Day 2007, The Mets are 167-135, two games better than the Phils� 165-137 record. The Phils enjoy a 17-16 one-game edge in head to head meetings between the two rivals over that same span. Competitively, the two teams appear to be equal. In the standings, though, the Mets are three games ahead of the Phils with 22 games remaining for each team. Magic Number Warning! Look Away if you Must! (This works out to a Mets Magic Number of 20). The Phils have emerged as the Mets latest rival du jour, having replaced the fading Braves, especially when they edged out the Mets by one game to claim last year�s divisional crown �undoubtedly the most painful one game differential in Mets franchise history. Of course, the Mets have never had a permanent rival of their own; a Hatfield to their McCoy, much the way the Dodgers and Giants, as one example, have always had each other to hate. Met rivals were historically transient, temporary and of the moment, like the U.S. and Japan. Or 1979 Phillies teammates Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson. Much of this is surely attributable to the early Mets fantastic incompetence and extended infancy. Stengel�s lovable Mets were likely welcomed if not openly craved by their opponents for the pushovers that they once were -- hardly a recipe for inviting rivalrydom. When the Mets evolved into contenders under manager Gil Hodges, the Phillies, led by C-List stars such as Willie Montanez were vying for worst NL team status. A few years later, when the Phillies would phield the phinest teams in their personal phranchise history, phronted by Steve Carlton and sluggers Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski, the De Roulet Mets, saddled with their own Willie Montanezish C-List stars -- like Willie Montanez -- were suffering their worst years ever. Until now, the two teams were never in meaningful competitive synch; in a few scattered seasons, they were irrelevant foes battling for the championship of the middle of the division. � a statistical unlikelihood magnified by the fact that the Mets and Phils are the only two NL franchises to have existed in the Eastern division since its� creation. Trivia: Who are the only four MLB players to have appeared in at least 275 games for both the Mets and the Phillies? Answer appears below. The two teams are top-heavy, loaded with star power, including quite a few of the game�s most recognizable talent. While the Mets boast three of Baseball Prospectus� top 10 of their 50 most desirable (Santana, Wright & Reyes � Beltran is another top 50er), the Phils are not without their own superstars, including the reigning if not deserving MVP, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, the slightly (but never slight) undeserving MVP of two years ago, Ryan Howard, and the always in the running legitimate MVP candidate second baseman Chase Utley. The Phils core is as good as any other team's. Throw in perennial Met-killer Pat Burrell (30 HR�s) and it�s easy to understand why the Phillies are a formidable opponent. Here, one can�t avoid being reminded that the Phillies have garnered their fair share of personal achievements at the Mets expense, whether it�s snatching an MVP from David Wright, or Howard crushing just a few more All Star Home Run Derby taters than our same boy Wright, Bunning's perfecto, or Mike Schmidt always, I mean always, going yard just a tad more often than Dave Kingman. Two of the three games will be televised nationally (FOX �Sat. afternoon, ESPN � Sunday night). Sunday night�s ESPN televised game features the teams� respective aces Johan Santana and Cole Hamels, facing each other and is the most anticipated of the three games. Both aces qualify as this season�s best NL pitchers not yet seriously considered for the Cy Young Award. Hamel�s start has been moved up a day with the specific purpose of facing the Mets, bumping back of the rotation Phillie starter Kyle Kendrick. This speaks to the urgency with which the Phillies are surely approaching this series. Though the two pitchers are lefties, Santana, notably, shuts down the opponent's running game about as good as any other pitcher in baseball, while Hamels is among the worst in this department. Jamie Moyer will start against the Mets on Saturday. This will be Moyer�s sixth start against the Mets this season. Though Moyer is usually very effective against the Mets, he was battered for nine hits in three innings in his last appearance against the Mets, on August 26, a game the Mets bullpen eventually blew. The Phils bullpen was among the Majors� strongest until just a few weeks ago; the consensus speculated opinion attributes the recent lapse here to overwork. Still, the Phils closer, Brad Lidge has been one of 2008�s most reliable � think Billy Wags but with hardly any of the meltdowns - Wagner's Greatest Hits, if you will. Tonight�s starter, Brett Myers, has won six of his last seven starts and has lowered his ERA by more than a run and a half in that stretch, an impressive statistical accomplishment for a regular starting pitcher at this late point in the season. Miscellaneous: Both teams more or less tread water on the road, and have impressive home records. This trend obviously favors the Mets this weekend. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Phillies' .235 average since Aug. 1 is second-lowest in the NL. Their .229 average with runners in scoring position is the NL's third worst. I still haven�t found any evidence that Mike Schmidt ever participated in the 1979 MLB All Star Tour of Japan. I say it�s Bowa, for sure.

AG/DC wrote: Good. Personally, I'm fine with the magic number. Oh believe me. I know. But let me go for a while. I've got some things to do in the real world. And I've got today's KTE. Back in a few hours.

="batmagadanleadoff"]Still here. For better for worse. Didn't forget my responsibilities. Will have something up later today. Oh. And Welcome Back, Man.

Still here. For better for worse. Didn't forget my responsibilities. Will have something up later today.

I'm giving this thread a rest for an unknown amount of time. How long? I don't really know. Maybe a day. Maybe three weeks. I honestly don't know. It goes without saying that anyone else is obviously free to continue this theme - so I won't say it since it goes without saying. The Mets reduced their magic number by 12 since this thread was created 11 days ago, an outstanding record setting pace.* At that continued rate, the Mets would clinch the division with more than a week of regular season left to play, more than enough time to set up their rotation for the NLDS and to heal many of the usual player aches and pains that accumulate over the course of a season. Let's just see what all these bad karma vibes are supposed to be about that worry some of you broken mirror seven years of bad luckers. Let's see what the Mets do with this thread in limbo. There's no jinx on my watch. _____ * To illustrate just how phenomenal the Mets present magic number reducing rate is, the Mets would have clinched the division five days ago, last August 27, had they maintained this pace since Opening Day. When was the last time a baseball team clinched their division a week before Labor Day?

="SteveJRogers"]You don't know when to quit do you Mags? I mean you do notice me not putting up Grover Cleveland's picture. And no, I don't mean The Great Alexander! That's not true. Actually I've ordered a copy of "How to Tell Whether Someone is Celebrating the Mets Present Magic Number or Merely Noting it" from amazon.com. The website notes that 34% of all customers who ordered that book also purchased "Celebratory Posts or Merely Noting: Who gets to decide?" I hope this will help.

="SteveJRogers"]Coming from them it's good natured forum ribbing. Coming from a newbie like you, it seems like someone trying to fit in with the "cool crowd." There's the difference. Oh I see. They're cool and I'm not. Well if that's the reason, Jeets to you, Jeets.

="SteveJRogers"]You don't know when to quit do you Mags? I mean you do notice me not putting up Grover Cleveland's picture. And no, I don't mean The Great Alexander! And don't call me Mags. Did I ever give you permission to call me Mags? I don't think so.

Give us the 23rd President, Rogers. I promise not to call you Jeets anymore. I didn't know you had to belong to some sort of secret club to call you Jeets, Rogers.

="metsguyinmichigan"]I think the photo of Don Hahn and Rusty is pretty cool. And speaking of Don Hahn, the other Mets centerfielder that season was so washed up, his once legendary skills so eroded, that most other MLB teams weren't willing to carry him on their rosters, even if he was willing to play for free. Yet hardly any Met's supposed to be allowed to wear his old uniform anymore. Strange.

cooby wrote: I wasnt talking to you Okay. But that was a joke. Right?

cooby wrote: Heh, that's pretty funny I like that. The more fucking jokes, the less problems over here. I assume that vagina jokes are fucking jokes.

So let's see if we can satisfy everyone. Less celebrating. More noting. And no NASA. Got it. And you Jeets: more fucking joking to go along with your Presidents. Because if you're not fucking joking whenever you post a Presidential photo in this thread, why should I get the fucking blame? (During the '73 World Series, Don Hahn was the Mets centerfielder and de facto right fielder given that Rusty Staub couldn't throw the ball more than 20 feet).

SteveJRogers wrote: To be fair, that was a fucking joke thread, not meant for a serious start of any countdown. But the Big Ever Lovin' Blue Eyed Thing is correct, this thread is still somewhat unseemly with a 1 game lead on Labor Day. I'll cease with the Presidential countdown until it gets closer to the guys who signed the Constitution. And even then things might still be dicey. This is a fucking joke thread too, Jeets. No joking! OK? That's all I ever do around here. Joke, joke, joke, joke, joke, joke, joke. Joke!

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ="Benjamin Grimm"]That's a pretty dumb argument! I would agree. In fact, I would go one step further and say that any argument for or against is dumb. Especially the against arguments.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: That's a pretty dumb argument! I would agree. In fact, I would go one step further and say that any argument for or against is dumb.

I'm not celebrating anything. Were you celebrating when you started last year's magic number thread at 130?

="Benjamin Grimm"]No, the countdown! This thread has the air of a celebration, and it's, as I said, unseemly. NASA counts down every space flight (10...9...8...7...etc.) and some of those end up on the ugly side.

="Benjamin Grimm"]This all seems very unseemly. Is it the youtube video? My speakers are dead, and so I haven't heard the video. Help me out. It's like being deaf, so to speak. Really.

Willie Montanez's 1979 stint with the Mets was dreadful.

No thanks to , 25 (or 6 to 4)

Scott's hobbies include lighting fire to a paper bag stuffed full of shit left at the front doorstep of John Franco's residence, and then watching from a distance as fireman John comes down to stamp out the fire.