Last night I went to bed with a mixture of emotions.   Relieved that the Phillies lost, but dirty rooting for Chipper Larry Jones and the Braves.   Excited that the Mets showed life and tried to fight back in the bottom of the 9th.   Angry that Tom Glavine for what ever reason, didn’t show up last night.

       Something is wrong here, and I don’t know how to put my finger on it.   When this team is clicking on all fronts, this team can dominate the NL and AL.  I firmly believe that.  The problem is that the last time we saw that was in April.  Can the Mets find that same type of play again?  I believe that they can, of course that’s what being a fan is all about.  Talking about fans, can the people going to Shea tonight show some life!  If you aren’t going to go nuts tonight and scream for the Mets as hard as you can, then please give away your tickets and let real fans go to Shea Stadiu.  Now, lets deal with some facts here.

Fact 1:  The Mets basically need to win 3 out of 5 games for the rest of the year.   That’s all.   I don’t believe the Phillies can do that.  They actually have to play the Nationals too for the end of the season.  

Note:  I have come to really respect Acta and his ability to manage.   It says a lot when your team is in 4th place and playing like they are in 1st place for the last week of the season.  I have to say, National fans have a lot to look forward to.

Fact 2:  The rest of the National League doesn’t seem to want to win either.   Take a look around the NL.   The Cubs and Brewers can’t seem to buy a win between the two of them.  The West seems to be coming down to the surprising D-backs.   Meanwhile, the wild card might not be decided until the last day of the regular season, perhaps even taking an extra day for a playoff.   Going into the playoffs, it seems that the teams that will have the best chance to set up their pitching will be the D-backs and the Mets.  Otherwise, all the other teams look to be in a fight until the last day. 

Fact 3:  The playoffs can not be predicted.   You can waste your time with all the “expert” opinions that change with each game if not each inning.   However, I have come to learn that I have a better chance predicting the MegaMillion numbers than picking who will win in the playoffs.   The Mets have a team that if they can hot, can completely dominate the NL and beat an AL team.   The question is, will they get hot?   I can bet that no one will remember what happened the last week of September if they win the World Series in October. 

Additional Thoughts:

 My playoff rotation and why:   Glavine/Pedro, Maine, and Perez

Bullpen includes: Hernandez, Mota, Shoeneweis, Heilman, Feliciano, Sosa, Smith, Wagner

       Okay, let me explain my reasoning.   Obviously Glavine and Pedro will take games 1 and 2.   Which one takes what game will likely depend on rest and when the last time a pitcher pitched.   After that I have to go with Maine and Perez who have been starting all year and have been pitching down the stretch.   I believe these four pitchers can give the team 5 to 7 innings pitched each game along with a chance for the team to win each game.  Maine and Perez also have shown a knack for really stepping up in big games, which we saw last year and this year. 

      The bigger debate is the bullpen.   Let me first say I do NOT want Mota on the playoff roster let alone the bullpen.   However, we have to deal with reality.  For what ever reason Mota has constantly been used by Willie Randolph.   I don’t know what power Mota has over management, but I’ve given up trying to figure it out.  So with that, let’s look at the rest of my selections.  

       I want Orlando Hernandez in the bullpen for two reasons.   One, he hasn’t started in a game since September 11th with a foot injury.  He just doesn’t have enough time to actually start a game.  How is he going to get the endurance for 5 or 6 innings after not throwing a pitch in over 2 weeks?   If this was the regular season, then I would say go for it.  He’ll rebound and be back to normal in two or three starts.  However, the Mets don’t have two or three starts to get to the point.  However, he can get prepared to throw 1 to 3 innings.   Imagine if you will, that Perez goes 6 innings with the lead throwing a 93 mph fastball, in comes Hernandez in the 7th with a 55 mph curve ball.  1-2-3, people.   The bullpen has become much more solid.

     The rest of the bullpen is self explainatory I think.   Shoeneweis seems to have rebounded from what ever problems he had.   Is he perfect?  No, but he is certainly better than at the All Star break.   Smith, I think, has returned to form he had in April.  I think Smith gives the Mets another great look out of the bullpen and can become a real asset in the playoffs.  Finally, Sosa is a given for the playoffs.   I have no doubt about that.  However, I have concerns with him in the playoffs, but I think he can succeed if put in the right situations.