So Far, Mets Far From Least in the East

You know things are going the Mets' way when a Phillies fan in Citizens Bank Park interferes with Carlos Beltran trying to catch a ball and the call goes against the Phillies. And now the Mets have beaten divisional rivals on the road three out of four.

And you know things are topsy turvy with the Subway Squawkers when Lisa goes out to Yankee Stadium to see "JoSoMo" only to say, "oh no!" when S0 is not even so-so and the Yankees blow the lead and the game.

Look on the bright side, Lisa - at least Rafael Soriano's meltdown should put a rest to that lame nickname for the bullpen.

However, if the nickname sticks, when Pedro Feliciano comes off the DL, the Yankees bullpen should then be known as AMJoSoMo (where A.M. stands for Abused Met).

As for the Mets, it's great to see them doing the abusing for a change. Picked by some to finish last in the NL East, they've beaten the Marlins two of three on the road and have now taken the first game from the Phillies. If anyone had told me that a pitcher would get knocked out in the third inning, I would have assumed it would be Chris Young, a flyball pitcher having to deal with the Phillies' bandbox, not "greatest rotation ever" charter member Cole Hamels.

Hamels probably just had a bad night and the Phillies do have an incredible rotation, but their lineup, already shaky at times last year (like when the Mets shut them out three straight) just isn't the same without Chase Utley and Jayson Werth. Utley was supposed to start jogging later this week, but now that's not happening. Sounds like the Phillies are going to be going through the uncertainty the Mets had last year when Beltran was recovering from knee surgery.

But whomever was in the Phillies' lineup, Met starting pitchers have now given up only two earned runs over their last three starts, totaling 18 1/3 IP. And, after tonight, the Mets now have a better record than the Yankees. Lisa, you need to go to more Yankee games!

The worst thing about Cliff Lee going to the Phillies

It's bad enough that the Mets will have to face a powerhouse Phillies team the next few years. But what's even worse is that the Phillies have become the kind of team star players take less money to join.

Last year, Roy Halladay signed a three-year contract extension with Philadelphia for $60 million. Halladay could have been a free agent after the 2010 season. Imagine what his market would have been. But Halladay was willing to give up future tens of millions of dollars to go to the Phillies. Now Cliff Lee has also left tens of millions of dollars on the table for a chance to play with Shane Victorino.

Most free agents end up where the most money is. But one would hope that, the money being equal, some players would prefer the Mets over other clubs. Instead, the Mets have often had to overcome a star's reluctance to join them. Flushing was reportedly "Beirut" to Jason Bay. Carlos Beltran reportedly was willing to take less money to go the Yankees. Carlos Delgado turned down a chance to play for the Mets in 2005 before the Mets traded for him the following year.

Under the new regime, I have confidence that the Mets will soon become a place where stars want to play and that Sandy Alderson and company will spend money, but do so wisely. However, I still expect that the Mets, like just about every other team, will ultimately have to outbid other clubs to get the players they want.

But it's hard to imagine players taking less money to join the Mets.

Alderson may eventually close the talent gap with the Phillies, but now he must close the likeability gap as well. As with the Phillies, the Mets need to become the kind of club that players want to join for reasons besides money.

W.C. Fields must be turning over in his grave. Who would have thought that, on the whole, star pitchers would rather be in Philadelphia?

A great October after all

Who would have thought that October would turn out to be the best month of the year for Met fans? First Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel get the ax, then the Yankees are sent packing. And now the two-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies will be playing golf while Cliff Lee and Pat Burrell are in the World Series.

Last month, I wrote how I was dreading another Yankees-Phillies World Series. The Phillies looked invincible with their H2O rotation. As for the Yankees:

The Yankees have had some ups and downs lately and there are no guarantees in the postseason, but is anyone really prepared at this point to predict Minnesota, Texas or Tampa Bay in the World Series?

And who would have predicted that both the Yankees and Phillies would miss out? It sounds too good to be true.

Now, instead of the same old tired faces in the World Series, there will be some welcome changes:

• Instead of "the Captain" (Jeter), we'll get "the Freak" (Tim Lincecum).
• Instead of Roy Halladay making his Series debut, we'll get Vladimir Guerrero making his Series debut.
• Instead of flawed superstar Alex Rodriguez, we'll get flawed superstar Josh Hamilton.
• Instead of Cliff Lee on the Phillies or Yankees, we'll get Cliff Lee on the Rangers.
• Instead of sour Shane Victorino, we'll get smiling Cody Ross.
• Instead of no Yankee facial hair, we'll get the black beards of the Giants.
• Instead of Haley Swindal singing "God Bless America," maybe we'll get Tammy Nelson and her giant hat.

Dreading another Yankees-Phillies World Series

2009 was supposed to be a one-time thing - an annus horribilis in which the Yankees and Phillies reached the World Series while the Mets, decimated by injuries, won only 70 games. Yet here we are a year later, with the healthier Mets still likely to finish well below .500 while the Phillies and Yankees are back on track for a Fall Classic rematch.

The Phillies have won ten in a row and are 17-3 in September. They are six games better than anyone else in the National League. In a short series, nobody will be able to match their starting pitching. Roy Halladay is tied for first in the NL in wins and strikeouts and is third in ERA. Cole Hamels has a 1.89 ERA and 0.93 WHIP since the All-Star break. Roy Oswalt is 7-1 with a 1.96 ERA since joining the Phillies at the end of July.

Despite their own wave of injuries, with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino all missing time, the Phillies are third in the league in runs scored.

So the Phillies have a great shot at getting back to the World Series for the third year in a row. They are about to win the NL East for the fourth year in a row, which will be only one fewer division title than the Mets have won in their history.

The Yankees have had some ups and downs lately and there are no guarantees in the postseason, but is anyone really prepared at this point to predict Minnesota, Texas or Tampa Bay in the World Series?

And this year, the previous round could also be very unpleasant for Met fans if the NLCS matchup features the Phillies against old Mets nemesis Bobby Cox and the Atlanta Braves.

At least the Mets won't be completely forgotten during the postseason. On October 7, the second day of the playoffs, Francisco Rodriguez is due back in court.