Seems like old times

Every team has a bad stretch in them. Maybe the Mets have had theirs. Maybe the turmoil of the previous two weeks was the trial the Mets needed to go through in order to finally get past the collapse of 2007.

Things got 'Bronx Zoo' bad in Flushing. But management supported Willie, the players (more or less) did as well, and after calling each other out and having closed-door meetings, the Mets have been sharp and looked more relaxed than they have all season. They're winning, they're having fun... it's 2006 all over again.

David Wright, who looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders during what we will now simply refer to as "the dark times," broke out of his fink with two home runs, and more importantly, the top 5 guys in the order had 2 or 3 hits apiece. You do that, you should win ballgames. That top 5 included Carlos Delgado, who had 2 hits and made a fine play in the field - I guess his head is clear now.

You also had to like how the Mets scored all 8 of their runs with two outs (now THAT'S clutch) and how they tacked on 2 more runs in the seventh after the Dodgers had cut the gap to 2 runs, and how the bullpen responded, particularly Schoeneweis and Smith. Claudio Vargas pitched fairly well, going 5 2/3 and allowing just six baserunners for the win.

Brad Penny is just awful at Shea and the Mets own him the same way Hong-Chih Kuo owns the Mets. Kuo came into the game like a replacement blackjack dealer, shutting down the Mets' mojo instantly.

We'll see how the Mets do against phenom Clayton Kershaw, but don't be surprised if the Mets
hammer him. After all, he may be a rookie, but he's not a no-name.

Supersubs do it again

Maybe the Mets have finally found their mojo - on the bench.

Endy Chavez hit his first-ever pinch-hit home run to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, and then Fernando Tatis - getting his second straight start in the outfield - came through with a two-run double in the bottom of the 12th, scoring David Wright and Carlos Beltran with the tying and winning runs as the Mets beat the first-place Marlins, 6-5.

We said the other day that the Mets need to get some comeback wins to really start feeling it, so maybe this is the turnaround we've been waiting for. Other than the three home runs allowed by Oliver Perez (Cody Ross? Really? Cody ROSS?!) the game was full of positive signs for the Mets, from the home runs by Castillo and Reyes to the absolute lights-out relief work by Scott Schoeneweis, Billy Wagner and Aaron "Four Strikeout" Heilman (talk about turnarounds) , to the bunt and hustle by Duaner Sanchez after getting flattened on his first bunt attempt.

Sanchez did allow the two-out, solo homer by Amezaga in the top of the 12th that put the game in jeopardy, but to that point the Mets relief corps retired 19 in a row.

Willie said he "had a feeling" about this game, and so did we. When Chavez homered, you thought, this is it - the big win we've been waiting for. And even when Amezaga homered (there were 7 dingers in the game - wow) you felt that the Mets could still do it -- it was like old times.

Even more good news - Pedro's rehab start in Florida went exceeding well for what it was. He threw 82 pitches and 63 were strikes, going six innings with six strikeouts against Tampa Bay. He'll be back next week, and maybe when Jose Valentin rejoins the club, the Mets will leave the first two months behind and never look back.

Step one: Just win

It's been said over and over again the last couple of weeks: The bottom line is winning baseball games. All the nonsense, the agita, the hand-wringing drama would be gone if the Mets were just winning. And given a second chance to be the stopper, Johan Santana came through, throwing seven innings to earn his sixth win of the season as the Mets beat the Marlins, 5-3.

One could forgive Johan if he walked into Omar Minaya's office with the lineup card prior to Tuesday's game, saying, "I didn't sign up for this." Instead of Alou, Church, Delgado and Schneider at the bottom of the order, the Mets had Evans, Tatis, Easley and Castro. And yet Easley, Tatis and Castro drove in all five of the Mets' runs, so what can you say -- that's baseball.

Santana was good but not great, allowing eight hits, two walks and three runs (one homer) while striking out seven. Even better, perhaps, was Duaner Sanchez pitching a scoreless eighth and Billy Wagner striking out two in a 1-2-3 ninth.

Still, we were waiting for the other shoe to drop all game long. Who would make the costly error? Who would strike out with the bases loaded? Who would get picked off? And yet the Mets held on, and they'll need to keep winning more of these close games and then stage a couple of comeback victories before they can truly get themselves back in the race. But first thing first -- just win a game.

In more positive news, Pedro Martinez is scheduled to start June 3 against the Giants. He's slated to throw in a Class A game today and will join the club on its road trip. I'll believe it when I see it, but it couldn't come at a better time. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

And one last thing: Gary Carter will never manage the Mets. You gotta love how Keith and Gary ripped The Kid for more or less campaigning for Willie's job. Keith said it best - Carter was a great player, and we loved him on the Mets. But he's a tool.

Willie may be safe, but who else is?

Sorry for the lack of posts over the holiday weekend, but unlike the bloggers Bob Costas knows, I don't live in my parents' basement and actually have a life, so I was busy.

So here's where we stand the day after the Mets braintrust had a sit-down with Willie Randolph that resulted in a press conference where Omar Minaya declared that, like his team, Willie wasn't going anywhere.

The Mets lost again, this time to the first-place (yes, FIRST-PLACE) Florida Marlins. They have lost seven of their last eight games since winning two against the Yankees and are now three games under .500. And the comeback ability that used to be this team's trademark has completely disappeared. They are 1-19 when trailing after six innings (just six innings!), 1-23 after seven and 0-24 after eight.

The stats back it up. This team looks dead and plays dead.

Rather than ramble on about this team, do yourself a favor and read Peter Gammons' blog entry - it's far more eloquent than what I could provide. Gammons notes that this team is an enigma, and there's more we know than what we don't know.

But here's a snapshot: Without Pedro (himself a question mark) the starting pitching is one great starter, one good one and three dice rolls. The bullpen has been good some days, terrible others. Carlos Delgado is done. Jose Reyes is hitting and getting on base again but has had some horrible lapses. Moises Alou can't be counted on to tie his shoes without pulling something, and without Ryan Church we're not going to win much with Marlon Anderson or Endy Chavez in the outfield. Luis Castillo is old and getting older. David Wright is pressing like crazy. And Carlos Beltran continues to show the same demeanor whether the team is doing good or bad, which in the talk radio world is a BIG problem.

If Willie is safe, then the fans are going to want management to do something to fix that which is broken. It was great to see Nick Evans in the lineup making a difference in the one win against Colorado - maybe more new blood is needed. Evans was playing first base at Binghamton - maybe he and Mike Carp become a rookie platoon and we cut Delgado loose, hoping some AL team picks him up as a DH. Perhaps Angel Pagan provides a spark, or Valentino Pascucci from AAA.

I think we're all hoping Pedro provides a jolt when he returns next week.

But minor leaguers aside, who else could be brought in? Why not Kenny Lofton? The guy can play defense and has been on enough winners, and sure, he's old, but so is everyone else that's available.

Do they trade for Xavier Nady again, or Jason Bay? Exactly who would they trade?

Here's how bad things have gotten: I actually thought of the Mets getting Barry Bonds and didn't cringe. His lefty bat would replace Delgado, and he'd get spelled by Alou, who maybe can play some first base? He is the ultimate lightning rod and maybe that would take some pressure off everyone else.

Are the Mets that desperate? Apparently, yes.

From bad to worse

Maybe it's because my 6-year-old son is obsessed with Star Wars, but Thursday night's loss to the Braves had me thinking of the scene where Luke, Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca are in the trash compactor. Han's yelling at Leia for leading them down there and she replies, "It could be worse," followed by an ominous sound from somewhere beneath.

Says Han: "It's worse."

That's where the Mets are today. Keith Hernandez said the Mets were at rock bottom after the doubleheader sweep Tuesday, but as last season's collapse proved, you can always dig another level or two deeper with the Mets. In this case, the Braves are 7-2 against the Mets this season and the Mets are now BELOW .500 as they head to Colorado. I'm sure that plane flight was a blast. And by the way, Moises Alou is on the DL again -- f&%$in shocker.

You expected a pitcher's duel between Santana and Hudson and that's what we got -- sort of. Although there were no walks in the game on either side, the Mets needed more than 12 hits in seven innings from Santana, who allowed five hits and three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Did he run out of gas? He finished with 90 pitches thrown.

The dozen hits allowed was a career-worst for Santana, who is getting paid a ton of money to do exactly what he couldn't do -- be the stopper, especially when things are going as badly as they have been. Santana fell to 5-3, and while he didn't allow any home runs, he struck out only one.

The Mets' only two runs came on consecutive homers by Beltran and Delgado in the second inning. Luis Castillo made another bonehead play that cost the Mets a run in the bottom of the frame. He made a diving stop of a grounder with a runner on second but for some reason decided to throw home with two outs instead of to Santana covering first base. Hopefully, Willie had some words with his fellow infielder.

There are no comebacks in these Mets, at least there doesn't seem to be any. In the ninth, the Mets got a leadoff hit by Wright and then bad luck struck again when Beltran smoked a liner right at Kelly Johnson, and Wright was doubled up at first.

And while the Mets have had their share of misfortune in the four-game Atlanta sweep, the bottom line is the starting pitching has been poor and the team is not hitting (again). How long the malaise will continue is anyone's guess, but they're going to have to figure out a way to get back on the right track.

Like Obi-Wan said: "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."

Help us, Johan... you're our only hope

If the Mets ever needed a stopper, it's now. This is why Johan Santana is getting the historically big bucks, because he can be the tourniquet for a team that is hemorrhaging confidence.

Wednesday night's 11-4 loss to the Braves featured a third straight weak effort by a starter that had previously been pitching well, and more anemic offense. Mike Pelfrey was run from the game in the fifth inning and had nothing, much like the Mets' lineup, which managed little against rookie Jair Jurggens. The score was 8-1 after six and Mets fans could be heard cursing across the Tri-State area.

Of course, what would a Mets loss be without an injury? The ever-more-fragile Moises Alou left the game in the third inning with a cramp in his calf. Wow. Thanks for sucking it up, Moises. Yeah, I know you're hitting .340, but come on! Good news - Ryan Church is feeling much better and the blow to his head was not nearly as bad as what he suffered in spring training, so he may be back sooner than expected.

The loss dropped the Mets to .500 at 22-22, two games behind the Braves and Phillies and 3 1/2 games behind the Marlins.

Some perspective - Matt Cerrone at Metsblog.com points out that on May 21 of last year, none of the four teams that eventually made the playoffs in the NL -- the Phillies, Rockies, D-Backs and Cubs -- were in first place or a wild card spot. "The Phillies were .500 and in third place, the Cubs were two games under .500 and in third place, the D’Backs were 25–21 and a half-game back and the Rockies were nine games below .500 and in last place."

Again, there is plenty of time -- but the turnaround has got to start sometime. Hopefully it will Thursday as Santana faces Tim Hudson.

In the meantime, Willie has gone to great lengths to apologize to the Mets brass, SNY and the fans for his comments, insisting he thought they were off the record and tongue-in-cheek and that he was just blowing off steam. He was interviewed before the game on WFAN and SNY and hopes his team can just focus on winning ballgames.

So do we, Willie. So do we.

Piazza retires; next stop Hall of Fame

Mike Piazza announced his retirement Tuesday, thanking in particular the fans of the New York Mets, who he called "the greatest fans in the world."

Thanks, Mike. You're pretty good yourself.

Piazza is a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, not only the best hitting catcher who ever lived, but perhaps one of the best right-handed hitters of all time. A 62-round draft pick -- chosen by the Dodgers as a favor for Tommy Lasorda, who was friends with Piazza's father -- Piazza made himself into a catcher, and while his arm was criticized, he was a solid backstop who was respected by pitchers for his game-calling.

But his bat was his trademark and we will never forget his powerful swing, which drove balls to the opposite field and hit for average as well as power. Of course, we hope he will go into the Hall of Fame as a Met. While his best individual seasons statistically came as a Dodger -- and while the Dodgers were the ones who gave him a chance -- he spent more time in New York and helped take the Mets to the World Series in 2000.

And who will ever forget the home run he hit against the Braves in the first game after the 9/11 attacks? At that point, Mike Piazza WAS New York.

And so it has come to pass that Piazza and Roger Clemens (providing the Rocket doesn't play again) will be eligible for the Hall at the same time, and won't it be sweet when Piazza gets in on the first ballot while Clemens twists in the wind.

Book your Cooperstown hotel rooms now.

Church concussed; Pedro makes progress

Every Mets fan's fear has been confirmed -- Ryan Church indeed suffered a concussion on the final play of Tuesday night's game against the Braves.

Church was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He could miss the next 10 days.

Church has hands-down been the Mets' best player, but this is his second concussion of the season; he collided with Marlon Anderson in spring training. While there were concerns at the time regarding how he would come out of it, Church responded by playing outstanding baseball for the first 1 1/2 months of the season.

We can only hope he'll come back strong again.

Meanwhile, Pedro is close to returning from his hamstring injury. Although his father's illness has Pedro thinking about retiring at the end of the season, he is on track to be back when the Mets come home from their road trip. He threw well in a simulated game and was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday before returning to the Dominican Republic to be with his ailing father, who reportedly suffered a medical setback. His father, Pablo, has a form of brain cancer.

If we can get four months out of Pedro and have him replace Vargas, that's a huge boost, not to mention the lift his presence clearly gives the team. And if the Mets can also trade Aaron Heilman, which is also hotly rumored, even better.

Willie can't shut up, Mets can't hit

If you're still wondering why Mets fans are so frustrated with this team, just look at what happened Tuesday.

After hammering the Yankees for two games, the Mets offense went dormant again in Atlanta, looking absolutely feeble against Tom Glavine -- of course -- and Jorge Campillo. Who? Exactly.

The Mets actually came out hitting Glavine hard in the first inning, but with one run in (on a homer by Luis Castillo of all people), the bases loaded and one out, Moises Alou lined out and Carlos Delgado flied out. They let Glavine off the hook, and the crafty veteran -- taking full advantage of the ridiculously large strike zone administered by home plate umpire Bill Miller -- went on to retire the next 15 batters straight. The Atlanta bullpen continued the shutdown and the Mets went down 21 times in a row.

Where was that effort eight months ago, Glavine? And how could the Mets -- who beat up on Andy Pettite and Chien-Ming Wang -- allow themselves to be beaten by the guy who folded like a cheap suit in such a critical game last season? Flat-out embarrassing.

Of course, to the pool of kerosene that was this game, welcome Aaron "Cigarette Butt" Heilman, who promptly allowed a two-run homer to Brian McCann to put the game out of reach. "Two-Run" Heilman isn't even worthy of mop-up work anymore.

The funny thing is, coming into the doubleheader it was clear that the Mets' best chance of winning was game one, with John Maine pitching. But Maine, who had been pitching extremely well of late, just didn't have it. Plus, you knew the Mets would have trouble with Campillo in the nightcap, because he was making his second career start, and journeymen pitchers with little experience just KILL the Mets. You can bet the HOUSE on it.

Sure enough, Campillo looked like a righthanded Fernando Valenzuela. Unbelievable. This team is maddeningly inconsistent.

Claudio Vargas had one bad inning and that was all the Braves needed. Of course, the Mets teased us by scoring two runs in the eighth inning, but Matt Wise followed Heilman's lead by allowing a two-run homer to Mark Kotsay that -- according to Gary Cohen -- "put a nail in the Mets' heart." Well-put, Gary.

Actually, the final nail was driven home on the closing play of the game, when Damion Easley grounded into a game-ending double play that saw Ryan Church -- a total gamer attempting a break-up slide -- ring his head off the leg of Yuniel Escobar and then have it slam against the ground. Yes, the same Ryan Church who has been the Mets' best player this season, and who has already suffered one concussion this season.

Could. Not. Be. Any. Worse.

And if THAT WASN'T ENOUGH to drive Mets fans crazy, Willie Randolph murdered all of the good feelings coming out of the Yankees series by telling a Ian O'Connor of the Bergen Record that perhaps race has something to do with how he is perceived as Mets manager.

He was quoted before Sunday's win over the Yankees but the story ran Monday, and then Willie tried to explain his comments Tuesday. He called his remarks "tongue in cheek" but they sure didn't sound that way. They sounded like they were coming from a guy who wants to win and can't understand how he is perceived by the fans and some media as lacking fire or heart. But he went way too far by mentioning race, and of course O'Connor asked him directly about the race issue. But Willie brought it up first.

His Sunday rant also included criticism of how SNY portrays him on camera, as if the Mets' own network had an agenda against him. Guess what, Willie? Cutting to the manager after something bad happens on the field is standard operating procedure for any baseball broadcast. Here is where Willie comes across as overly sensitive and defensive.

Whether Willie's comments and the ensuing controversy had any effect on the Mets against the Braves is debatable, but it pretty much destroyed the positive vibe surrounding the team after the Yankees sweep, which may as well not have happened.

Now, two losses later, the Mets are back to where they were before the two games in the Bronx - just a game over .500 and wondering what the hell is going on.

Showing the Yankees the Bronx

Maybe Friday's rainout was a good thing. It allowed the Mets to have their team meeting, get everything off their chests and hopefully focus on baseball again. If that was the case, it worked - big time.

The two-game sweep of the Yankees at the Stadium was everything a Mets fan could have hoped for. Saturday's win had a strong if not dominant effort by Santana (despite the pesky long balls), and a four-out save by Billy Wagner, who is walking the walk and talking the talk. In between, there was a three-run rally in the fourth when the Mets sent nine men to the plate against Honest Andy Pettite, then two homers off Kyle "Straight Fastball" Farnsworth by Reyes and Wright. Beltran and Delgado had two hits each and the Mets looked like a winning baseball team for a change.

Of course, Sunday's prime time matchup between Ollie Perez and Chien-Ming Wang could have turned the momentum right around, but we got the good Ollie for a change. He was a little shaky early but he settled down nicely after pitching out of a fourth-inning jam, and he ended up pitching into the eighth for the first time all season.

Scary stat posted by ESPN early in the game, that Perez was one of only two MLB pitchers this season to not get into the seventh through eight starts. The other guy? Barry Zito. Not good company.

Ollie got plenty of support, despite incompetent umpiring. Delgado was clearly robbed of a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Thankfully, it didn't come back to haunt the Mets, as these things often seem to do, especially when the Yankees are involved. Delgado ended up getting an RBI single anyway, and a 6-0 lead was instead a 4-0 lead.

We could take solace in taking the moral high ground after the replay showed the ball was definitely out, hitting the foul pole on the black. Why is it black at the bottom? Maybe so you can see the mark if the ball hits it, which is exactly what happened. Why Bob Davidson didn't go out and check is beyond me -- instead he was influenced by the likes of Jeter and Damon and the second-base ump, who didn't have nearly the view as the third-base ump, who got it right the first time.

Pathetic. At least Davidson admitted his error, but as you can read here, he has no class whatsoever. Jerry Manuel stepped up for Willie and got ejected, taking "the bait" that Davidson put out there.

Great to see the Mets put the hammer down, too. A long blast by Church (turns out his idol growing up was Jack Clark - good choice), another homer by Reyes and two hits by Wright kept the Yankees on their downward slide while the Mets are finally looking up for a change.

Maybe Willie is a genius after all.

Some background on the Wagner rant

Jack Curry of The New York Times adds a little extra insight into Wagner's rant Thursday.

First, he notes that Wagner was pretty much on his way out when one reporter asked for an interview. Soon there was a crowd. Curry adds that earlier in the clubhouse, Wagner and Wright were talking when a Mets PR person asked Wagner to do an interview Friday at Yankee Stadium.

"...he reacted angrily and noted how he, Wright, Ryan Church and John Maine are routinely the spokesmen for the team."

So Wagner was already thinking about how he and a handful of others are always having to answer for the team when things are bad, then a crowd of reporters is holding up his exit, and he looks across the room for Delgado and he's long gone.

Click, click, click... boom.

UPDATE: Metsblog.com points out that over at the Hot Foot blog, there's a profile of Ken Oberkfell, manager of the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs. I didn't realize Oberkfell, a former major leaguer of some skill, had been with the Mets for so long. He has definitely paid his dues and unlike Willie has a good deal of managing experience. He is next in line and should get the shot should the Mets part ways with Willie.

The Unhappy Recap: Nats 1, Mets 0

Everybody breathe. And I'm not just talking to Mets fans, I'm talking to the players themselves, as well as you, dear reader, because this may be one of the longest posts in Metsfanclub.com history.

These afternoon games are tough when you're at work, and I followed the game on GameCast and one of the Mets message boards. So I had to wait until this evening to see the highlights -- if you could call them that -- of how the Mets lost this game. So I bounced back and forth between SNY and ESPN News to see Reyes getting thrown out, to see Willie Harris' catch down the left field line, and to see Beltran getting doubled up to end the game. And I found myself watching the plays in slow motion, over and over.

And then I realized... it is May 15.

The Mets are a game over .500, the Phillies and the Braves are right there with them, and no one believes the Marlins have what it takes to win this division or make the playoffs, at least this season. Only the Cubs and the Diamondbacks have gotten off to hot starts in the National League, and the Mets just took two of three from the D-Backs in Arizona. So from a win-loss point of view, the Mets are far from being in dire straits.

But for fans and the media, the collapse still looms large.

The only way the sense of doom would have been lifted off the Mets was if the team ran off to a 25-15 start or better, and even then there would have been naysayers pointing out that the Mets had a big lead last season only to blow it. So really, this season was destined to be tense from start to finish, all because of what happened at the end of 2007.

So now fans and pundits point to the fact that for the past calendar year, the Mets have only played .500 ball and that is far below where a team with this kind of talent should be. And that is absolutely true. And since you can't fire 25 players, you look at the manager, Willie Randolph, who has proven to be as stubborn as he is even-keeled, someone who doesn't throw praise around too often and yet isn't shy about slamming some of his players -- key word: some -- to the press. He also claims to prefer younger players, even though he can't connect with Jose Reyes, and also claims to like small ball but will never, ever call for a squeeze play. And his bullpen management issues are well-documented.

So is it his fault the Mets have been basically treading water for so long? The buck has to stop somewhere, and I have long passed the point of defending him. He had no major league managerial experience when he was hired. He learned at the knee of Joe Torre on Yankees teams that were veteran-led and talent-laden, where the manager filled out his lineup card and then took a three-hour nap. He is a good man certainly and his players have stood up for him throughout his tenure, but sometimes things just don't work out. Willie is not a manager that gets the most of his talent, clearly. He is not a manager whose acumen means a couple of extra wins a season. If he was fired, I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed.

But back to the game at hand. The Mets are simply in a stretch where they are not hitting. It happens to every team, and the Yankees are Exhibit A. You think the Mets are playing poorly? They're the Big Red Machine compared to the Yanks these days.

You can't get more than five hits against Jason Bergmann, who was in AAA, who couldn't make the major league roster in spring training, who had a double-digit ERA -- THAT'S why you lost. The hitting has been miserable lately and when you can't hit, you're going to go 3-4 at home against beatable teams.

And you wonder why Reyes tried to steal third in the eighth inning? Sure, he would have scored on a single -- but who was going to get that single? Wright? Beltran? Has anyone been hitting in the clutch? When Reyes got to second, Guzman was just a few feet away with no one covering third. Yes, it was over-aggressive, and no, he did not have to try and take third base. But that's Reyes' game. We love it when he legs out a triple. We love it when he goes first-to-third on a groundout, which he has done. And desperate offensive times call for desperate offensive measures, so I'll cut him some slack.

Give Guzman credit for not only winning the footrace with Reyes, but also to Aaron Boone for making a perfect throw. Should Reyes have slid? Maybe, but I think he was shocked the play was so close, plus Guzman was in his path and he would have been sliding into Guzman's moving legs, so all you armchair athletes out there, consider that.

Give credit to Willie Harris for making perhaps the catch of the season on Church's bloop down the line in left. A flat-out INCREDIBLE play. That drops in, the game is tied. Period.

And give credit to Boone again for turning the game-ending double play. That was just bad luck combined with a decision for Beltran to go on contact. Against the shift, if Delgado grounds to second, Beltran scores. So you have him go on contact. Of course, the one thing you can't have is a liner right at someone, and of course that's just what happened. A perfect storm of wrong decisions, bad luck and good defense.

And then there's the clubhouse. We all saw Billy Wagner's comments after the game. To answer his own question, why the f*&k is everyone interviewing the closer when he didn't play in the game? The answer is simple: Reporters need quotes, and Wagner is a quote machine.

To be fair, I saw interviews with Reyes and Wright and Beltran, so we know they stood up before the media. According to Matt Cerrone at Metsblog, eyewitnesses reported that Wagner directed his comments to the general direction of Carlos Delgado's locker. And in his regular spot on Michael Kay's show, Wagner said it has nothing to do with Latin players, or black or white, but just "certain" players who don't always stand up in good times and in bad.

Wagner was certainly frustrated and is clearly tired -- as Paul LoDuca was last season -- of being one of the few guys who are ALWAYS approached for comment. He added that he expected the situation to be addressed Friday by management, adding that the team is very close and doesn't hesitate to "get on each other" when necessary, which if true, is a good thing.

Is there a clubhouse rift? Not as bad as some blowhards in the media would like you to believe. But there are issues, and that being said, some of the greatest teams of all time had players who hated each other, so harmony is not a prerequisite for on-field success.

Still, you'd like to see things ironed out. I think Willie needs to have a closed-door meeting with this team at his old stomping grounds of Yankee Stadium and try and right the ship, to tell his players that he has their backs, that he knows they are better than what they have shown but that it's time to show it. That they have to play like they have something to prove, because in fact, they do. And what better time to do that than in the Subway Series?

Johan Santana against Darrell Rasner in game one is a great way to start.

And to end on a high note -- how about Big Pelf? Pelfrey became the 40th -- wow -- pitcher in Mets history to have a no-hitter through six innings, and pitched a hell of a game Thursday. He has been just terrific in his last two starts. So the Mets have that going for them.

Which is nice.

And one last thing - because we need a laugh - check out this ode to Mets all-time batting stances.

The Unhappy Recap: Nats 5, Mets 3

Not to jump on Willie for every little thing that goes wrong, but Wednesday night's loss reminded me of something Tom Seaver has said several times about the state of the game today: Managers used to look for reasons to keep a pitcher in the game, now they look for reasons to take him out.

Claudio Vargas was pitching well in a 1-1 game, and had just struck out the leadoff hitter when he walked Elijiah Dukes. He had thrown 97 pitches at that point and the bottom of the order was coming up. Willie brings in the struggling Aaron Heilman.

Why not give Vargas the chance to pitch out of it? Let him face the next batter and take it from there. OK, you bring in Heilman and he gets the second out but after a single and a walk, with two outs in the seventh of a one-run game, why leave him in? Joe Smith -- who unlike Heilman is pitching well -- could have come on to face Felipe Lopez.

It's strange how some pitchers, like Heilman or Sosa or last year, Mota, are given enough rope to hang themselves by Willie while others, like Feliciano, have leashes shorter than Doug Christie's. In any case, it was an absolute shame that Vargas took the loss after pitching so well.

That's what made this loss so tough to take. By the time Heilman was gone, it was 5-1. Just like that. The Mets scratched out runs in the seventh and eighth but Jon Rauch moved them down in the ninth for the save.

So it comes down to this - the Mets need a win Thursday to salvage a split at home against the Nationals. Ugh. At least Pelfrey's pitching to Schneider again.

The Happy Recap: Mets 6, Nationals 3

John Maine once again showed that he is the true No. 2 starter on this team, throwing another quality start while sending a message to the Nationals with the game's first pitch. Other than Johan, there's no one Mets fans have more confidence in.

Maine (5-2) allowed just two runs on two hits with a walk and five Ks in six innings of work. He's allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last seven starts. The last Met to do that? Masato Yoshii, of course!

Maine also got a little payback when he hit leadoff batter Felipe Lopez with the first pitch of the game, in an apparent retaliation for the Nationals' juvenile antics the night before, which aggravated Nelson Figueroa. Maine's response? "It slipped." Who's got your back?

Then there's Ryan Church, who homered to the top hat and drove in four runs, two on a double and one more on a sac fly. The double was a laser over the head of a startled Austin Kearns, who should have made the play. Fellow former Nat Brian Schneider had three hits, while Alou and Wright had two hits each. Lastings Milledge made a terrific play at the centerfield wall on a drive by Carlos Delgado, who also had a bunt single.

Matt Wise made his return and pitched the seventh, while Duaner Sanchez had a shaky yet scoreless eighth. Billy Wagner was money again for his eighth save.

The Mets still left nine men on base after leaving 11 on base Monday, and Willie pointed out that it's a bad trend that has to stop. Meanwhile, Angel Pagan went on the DL, replaced by Fernando Tatis. Claudio Vargas will pitch Wednesday while Figueroa and Jorge Sosa were designated for assignment. Luis Castillo could yet end up on the DL, again.

The Unhappy Recap: Nats 10, Mets 4

Nelson Figueroa didn't have it, and neither did Jorge Sosa as the Mets dropped the first of four against the Nationals, 10-4.

Figueroa lasted only five innings, allowing five hits and five walks. He also made an error, one of two for the Mets, as the Nats scored five in the third to take a 6-3 lead. Enter Jorge Sosa in the sixth with a gallon of $4 gas and a match. Four hits, four runs, two walks. Nice work, Jorge.

It is remarkable that the Mets are willing to send Joe Smith down to make room for Adam Bostick or Willie Collazo, whoever starts Wednesday's game. And that Matt Wise will replace that spot starter when he is sent down. All to keep Sosa on the roster because he'd have to clear waivers.

News flash: Sosa sucks. He's this year's Mota. Cut him loose and keep Smith, who has only been excellent this season. It's madness!

Figueroa also needs to put a lid on it. Yes, the Elijiah Dukes-led chanting from the Nats dugout was bush league, but one comment would suffice. His protests made him look weak, especially after getting hammered. Tune 'em out, Figgy.

The Happy Weekend Recap: Mets take 2

The Good Ollie was in the house Sunday as the Mets took two of three from the Reds on Mother's Day. The on-again, off-again offense was on again in a big way as the Mets pounded out eight runs on 14 hits in an 8-3 victory. In game one of Saturday's day-night doubleheader, the Mets scored a dozen runs on 12 hits.

Perez won for the first time in three weeks and did it all, pitching six innings and allowing three runs on three hits with four walks and a season-high eight strikeouts. He also walked and stole a base in the second inning and then dropped down a bunt single in the fourth.

This is what we like about Perez - he's got great stuff and he is undoubtedly a competitor. But you take the good with the bad, and when he's bad, he's very, very, very bad.

Remember when Carlos Beltran was riding the interstate? Well, he's now 9 for his last 22, and went back-to-back yard with Ryan Church in the fifth to give the Mets a 6-0 lead.

The Mets finally gave Johan Santana some run support in Saturday's first game, and he needed it. Santana allowed 10 hits in six innings and struck out five as the Reds battled him. But the Mets just raked Cincy pitching, especially Beltran, who tripled and drove in five. Carlos Delgado had three hits and teamed with Brian Schneider for consecutive homers in the seventh.

The nightcap was forgettable, as Mike Pelfrey did not enjoy any support from his lineup as the Reds won, 7-1. Bronson Arroyo shut the Mets down, something he's not done much of this season with an ERA over 7.

Weather permitting, the Mets look to continue to hit Monday night against the Nationals.

The Happy Recap: Mets 12, Dodgers 1

Now that's more like it.

A day after blowing a lead and displaying an uncanny ability to fail with runners in scoring position, the Mets did just about everything right in a 12-1 win over the Dodgers that gave them a 3-3 record against the best team in the NL (Arizona) and the hottest (L.A.).

You got the idea that things were going to go the Mets way when Angel Pagan made a web gem catch of a foul ball in the left field stands in the first inning. He stayed in the game but eventually left and will have an MRI on his shoulder. Said Pagan: "You do anything you can to stay in the game, but you can’t be Rambo."

John Maine, meanwhile, went 8 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four. He's run off five quality starts in his seven outings so far and is 4-2. The guy is taking the step to the next level and with Johan Santana makes a great 1-2 punch (which, yes, makes Pedro number 3 when he gets here).

Did I mention the 14 hits and 12 runs? Raul Casanova singled in two in a four-run second, Maine himself singled in two more in the six-run fifth that saw Wright double in two more. Ryan Church also homered, his sixth of the season. Jose Reyes went hitless, but otherwise everyone else but Endy Chavez had a hit in the game.

So is Willie a genius again?

The Unhappy Recap: Dodgers 5, Mets 4

On a night when Moises Alou stole home, the Mets blew a 4-1 lead to the Dodgers.

This was one of those west coast games that I had a tough time staying awake for, not because of the quality of the play but because I was just flat-out exhausted. So I was only semi-conscious when Blake DeWitt hit his inside-the-park homer, and I was in and out in the final innings, so much so that when I woke up Wednesday morning I couldn't remember whether the Mets won or lost.

I did recall that Nelson Figueroa was not terribly sharp but he limited the damage against a Dodgers lineup that has been crushing the ball. And things looked great when the Mets grabbed their 4-1 lead, especially after Alou stole home. Confidence was high.

Enter Met-killer Hong Chih-Kuo. The guy struck out 8 of the 13 batters he faced and is now 3-0 against the Mets.

This morning Craig Carton said he expects the Mets to win "minimum" six of their next eight games prior to the Yankees series, "if you want Willie to keep his job."

Relax, please!

The Unhappy Recap: Dodgers 5, Mets 1

Ollie Perez has become the Debbie Downer of the Mets staff. Just when the team has a little momentum and is having some fun again, Perez comes along to throw a damper on the festivities, with the baseball equivalent of saying, "By the way, it's official - I can't have children."

Perez allowed five runs and six hits over six innings with two walks, and in his last three starts he has pitched 13 1/3 innings and allowed 17 runs (12 earned), 14 hits and 11 walks with just eight strikeouts. Guess what? He lost all three games.

Maybe Ollie doesn't understand the term "walk year" and thinks you either have to walk a lot of guys or pitch so badly your team wants you to take a walk.

The loss killed any momentum the Mets had after winning two of three in Arizona, their home away from home. The Mets beat Micah Owings and Danny Haren but couldn't take out the unbeatable Brandon Webb on Saturday. Still, an impressive showing, and thanks to the return of Moises Alou and Brian Schneider, the Mets finally were able to play their projected opening day lineup.

As bad as Perez has been, blame the offense just as much for allowing the Dodgers to win the ninth of their last 10 games. Chad Billingsley proved the theorem that the Mets cannot beat a young pitcher they have never faced, allowing a run and five hits in six-plus innings, striking out four and walking four.

Clutch hitting also abandoned the Mets, as they put men on base in every inning except the first, and stranded four runners in scoring position. Weak.

Speaking of weak, Carlos Beltran is hitting just .221. And how is it that Jorge Sosa, who has been lit up several times this season, leads the team in wins with four? Weird.

Wagner telling it like it is

I'm sure there are a number of Mets fans out there who would like Billy Wagner to just shut the f#*k up. But that's not Billy's style, and frankly, I'm glad someone on this team isn't afraid to speak up and speak his mind.

First off, the Mets' situation is far from dire. Despite injuries to key personnel, they're solidly in the mix and the Phillies and Braves are actually behind them in the standings, and Florida will fall eventually. And it's only April, for crying out loud!

That said, there is a perception among fans and media that there's something not quite right here, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't sense it myself. The team hasn't found its groove, true, but when you look back to last June, you see a .500 team and there's way more talent here than that.

Enter Wagner, who clearly doesn't want to see this team fall into a swoon again, particularly considering the Mets will be playing the red-hot D-Backs in Arizona this week. It's a bad time to be flat, so maybe Wagner was issuing the wake-up call. It's one thing to say "we've got to play better," but it's another to basically call out the team for lacking effort and desire as bluntly as Wagner did.

Then there's Ollie Perez. As frustrating as it is to be a fan watching him pitch, it must be equally frustrating to be his teammate, especially Wednesday. Wagner was right on to point out that Perez has to do better for a team that exhausted its bullpen the night before, and to Perez's credit, he owned up after the game.

It's becoming pretty clear that the Mets won't re-sign Perez after this season and will allow Scott Boras to get top dollar elsewhere. Too much Bad Ollie to counter the Good Ollie we get from time to time. Hopefully, he'll realize it's a walk year and pick it up.

As far as the Willie job watch goes, it's pretty ludicrous to think he's on the hot seat already. But is the perception of the Mets the reality? They haven't been terrible but they have underperformed for almost a year straight and the collapse is Willie's albatross. Maybe the team isn't responding to him, or doesn't want to play for him -- although that runs counter to everything the players have said all along.

We'll get a clearer idea of what this team can do once Alou and Schneider are back in the fold and when (if) Pedro starts pitching again. Until then, enjoy the late-night baseball.