metsmarathon wrote: perhaps the correct algorithm for determining net games back should attribute only half a game back for htose interstitial teams you're behind in the standings. that might produce a response of a more intuitive scale. if you're 10 games behind the leader, but 8 games behind second place, my proposition would suggest that you're 14 NGB instead of 18. likewise, if you're 2 games back of the leader, but 1 game behind second place, i would suggest that you are 2.5 NGB instead of 3. but really, it doesn't matter. the intent is to show that instead of simply besting one team, there are other guys in the way whose performances are somewhat independent of your own and the leader's. and so it's not necessarily instructive to look simply at the GB column to ascertain how big a hurdle must be cleared. going to the finger lakes instead, but otherwise it'd be tempting. I think Beltran has to be traded by Saturday due to his no-trade clause and the paperwork associated with it all. The Mets didn't lose any ground to the Braves since the break, but that wasn't the point, they were supposed to _gain_ ground. I think August 5-7th against the Braves is really the Mets decisive series in terms of "out of it" though.