Our Homerun Problems are Back

I don't want to be the Debbie Downer of the bloggers, especially since the Mets are playing some inspired baseball of late.  That said, the offense is not anywhere close to where it needs to be, and I keep thinking that the house of cards can tumble down as quickly as it was raised this past week.

In a continuing theme, I'll once again look at homeruns as one indicator of offensive ability.

In March of last year, before the season began, I wrote a piece called "Jerry Has It Wrong on Power."  I wrote it because I was alarmed at the stance Jerry took on the offense during spring training in terms of how the Mets would generate enough runs to compete in the NL East.

In 2007 the team hit 177 homeruns and finished with an 88-74 record.  In 2008 the Mets hit 172 homeruns--124 homeruns in wins against only 48 homeruns in losses.  They finished second that year, with an 89-73 record. 

The 2008 homerun totals equate to  1.39 HR in each win against only .66 HR in a loss.

In 2009 the downward trend appeared, and the Mets had an awful season, finishing 70-92.  The Mets hit 95 homeruns total last year, 57 in their 70 wins against only 38 in their 92 losses.

This equates to  .81 HR in each win against only .41 HR in a loss.

And that brings us to 2010 and my worry of a repeat of an inability to have a sustained offense during the inevitable downturn in pitching.

The Mets are currently 24th in MLB in Hrs with only 13 on the season.

In their 10 wins they have 8 HRs.  In the 9 losses they have only 5.

This equated to .80 HR in each win against .55 HR in each loss.

Let's look at the last three seasons and see if there is a trend:

2008: 1.39 per W/.66 per L
2009: .81 per W/.41 per L
2010: .80 per W/.55 per L

It's a very simple level of analysis, but I believe it's worth paying attention to as the season progresses.

Bottom line is the sluggers need to slug, and they need to do so with some level of consistency.

The Mets starting pitching and bullpen have been very good thus far, but for the team to truly get to the next level, they need to channel their inner Kingman.

I Am Not Tom Singer

OK, now you're asking, "who the *%$* is Tom Singer?"

Tom Singer writes for mlb.com, and yesterday he gave us his moronic preview of the National League East.

Before we go any further, let's look at Tom Singer's prediction:

Predicted order of finish

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Yup, this genius, who somehow gets paid to produce this drivel, is predicting the Mets to finish behind the Washington Nationals.

This is the same Nationals team that finished with the worst record in baseball last year, 59-103.

Here is how Tom defended his picks:

The Nationals will be the most improved team, and not only because after 103 losses they have the most room for improvement. Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Kennedy and Jason Marquis reflect a major facelift, but of most immediate interest is when will the capitol's name be changed to Strasburg?

Meanwhile, the Mets' Medical Mystery Tour appears to be continuing, with Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez among the latest passengers. There is simply too much uncertainty obscuring the Mets' feat of the offseason's biggest free-agent position addition, Jason Bay. He may have a negligible impact on a team which had 27 fewer homers than any other last season.

So I guess the addition of Ivan Rodriguez (73 OPS+ last year), Adam Kennedy (89 OPS+ for his career), and Jason Marquis (league average middle of the rotation starter) somehow vaults those pesky Nats into contention.

And don't get me started on his assertion about Jason Bay, it's just too comical.

I'll tell you what Tom Singer, if you want to put up say, $1,000 right now on your prediction of the Mets finishing last, I will take that bet every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Just drop me a line and it's done.

My Plan to Take Over Citizen's Bank Park

Yes my friends, I am pulling out ALL the stops this year to ensure Met domination of the NL East.

Step 1: Take over Citizen's Bank Park

"How?" you ask.

Simple my amigos, I am going to work there as a "Phanstormer".

I call this project "Code Name Foli".

A Phanstormer is a energetic person who goes around trying to make the game experience more enjoyable for Philly fans.

Here is the job description:

Phanstormers - Philadelphia Phillies (Philadelphia, PA)

The Philadelphia Phillies are hiring energetic, versatile performers to join the 2010 Phanstormers. Phanstormers entertain the crowds at Citizens Bank Park before and during Phillies' home games. They welcome fans to the ballpark, perform Happy Birthdays and participate in prize giveaways. Phillies are looking for outgoing, friendly individuals to join the crew - improvisers, comedians, jugglers, magicians, musicians, etc. A love for baseball is a plus but not a necessity.

Auditions and interviews will be held on Sunday, February 28th from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please call Chris Long, Director of Entertainment at (215-218-5219) for more information and to schedule an audition.

Please come prepared to have fun and to showcase any special skills & talent. This a non-union, paid position.

Apply for this position

After I'm hired, the plan is to lay in wait until the first time the Mets invade Citizen Bank Park, and then put my evil plan in place.

During the 7th inning stretch, I will unleash my Mr Met t-shirt, get on top of the Philly dugout, and set a Philly Phanatic doll on fire while mooning Chase Utley and singing Meet the Mets.

Who among you has the courage to join me?

I would appreciate if one of you were at least ready with bail money.

NL East Bullpens: Just the Stats

As an update to our earlier piece, "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", that featured Bobby Parnell, Sean Green, JJ Putz, and Frankie Rodriguez, here are the current NL East bullpen stats.

Team	W	L	ERA	G	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HBP	BB	SO
Mets	1	2	1.80	11	3	3	35	30	10	7	1	1	12	33
Marlins	4	0	2.39	10	2	3	37.2	34	14	10	2	1	16	35
Nationals	0	4	5.97	10	0	2	37.2	42	27	25	7	4	17	37
Phillies	2	2	6.29	10	3	5	34.1	28	24	24	8	1	15	35
Braves	1	2	7.75	11	2	4	33.2	48	31	29	2	4	21	35

The Mets Secret Weapon: Jerry Manuel

For all of the hand wringing that's gone on since the Mets second consecutive disappointing finish, Mets fans can take heart.

One, the Mets signed not one, but two of the premier closers in the game this off-season.

Two, the team enters the season, at least to this point, in good health.

Three, Jerry Manuel is the manager.

Huh? What is all this "three" stuff?

Let's take a peek at Jerry's managerial record:

Year    League   Team     Age  G     W    L    WP   Finish
+----+-----------+--------+---+-----+----+----+------+------+
1998 AL Cent     ChicagoW  44   162   80   82   .494      2
1999 AL Cent     ChicagoW  45   161   75   86   .466      2
2000 AL Cent     ChicagoW  46   162   95   67   .586      1
2001 AL Cent     ChicagoW  47   162   83   79   .512      3
2002 AL Cent     ChicagoW  48   162   81   81   .500      2
2003 AL Cent     ChicagoW  49   162   86   76   .531      2
2008 NL East     NewYorkM  54    93   55   38   .591      2
+----+-----------+--------+---+-----+----+----+------+------+
             ChicagoW       971  500  471   .515
             NewYorkM        93   55   38   .591
+----+-----------+--------+---+-----+----+----+------+------+
 TOTAL                     1064  555  509   .522

That is a very good record of success. Like many managers and NFL coaches, it's the second go-around as the boss that generates the most success. Think Joe Torre and Bill Belichick.

The Mets played close to .600 ball after Jerry took the helm. Over a full season that works out to 96 wins.

The Phillies won the NL East with a 92-70 record.

The Players respond well to Jerry. He is excellent with a lineup card, and has a great knack for playing the right guy at the right time.

His biggest flaw in 2008 was trying to juggle a pitching staff that was without key starters, a bullpen that was without its closer, and using a bunch of middle relievers/long men to piece together outing after outing. It wasn't pretty.

So while all of the tea leaves tell us the Mets must sign one more starter (and they will), the fanbase should feel more confident than ever in their team.

The Mets will hit; the Mets will score; the Mets will close out games; the Mets will win.

They will do this with a steady hand at the tiller from Day 1...the hand of Jerry Manuel.

Mets Magic Number

With 8 games left in the season the Mets have two magic numbers.

The first is the big one, and it's 9.

A combination of Mets wins/Phillies losses that equals 9 gets them the NL East title and a showdown, most likely, with the Dodgers, who are pulling away from the Diamondbacks. It would also give them homefield advantage based on record.

The second one is 6, and it gets the Mets into the playoffs as the wildcard.

A combination of Mets wins/Brewers losses that equals 6 would give the Mets a chance to go to Chicago to face the powerful Cubs.

In the "beggers can't be choosers" world of Mets pennant races, both scenarios would be just fine. The Mets match up well with the Cubs, and the Dodgers seem to have found a nice groove.

The mission for the Mets: just win the games....let the magic take care of itself.

Good Morning Mets Fans! Back in 1st Place!

Daniel Murphy is a hitter--he hits, and hits, then he hits some more.

Leadoff hits, clutch hits, RBI hits, rally extending hits...he hits.

The Mets young ball striker is hitting .374 on the season with a 1.012 OPS and 20 RBIs in 99 at-bats. In September he's hitting .467 (14-for-30) and is .500 on the current trip (5-for-10).

With the Mets and Braves tied 5-5 he hit a 1-out rocket to the wall that plated two. All told it was part of a 4-run inning that led to victory--a victory that put the Mets back in 1st place over a Phillies team that finally lost a game.

Murphy--a solid citizen who is thoroughly enjoying the ride, had this to say: "It's the biggest thing that's ever happened to me," said Murphy, who has been a force from the left side since being called up in early August. "I'm just happy to be able to help this team win, because they've welcomed me with open arms and made me feel comfortable."

Mets manager Jerry Manuel plans to ride Murphy's hot hand for the next week. "He is going to play," said Manuel, "Our next six games are against right-handed pitchers, so he's the left fielder. There's no question he's a guy we could play every day. It's just tough to not use other people when your lineup is so out of whack with lefties like it is right now."

In a wonderful season for Mets fans, Daniel Murphy has been a breath of fresh air, an invigorating presence, and a hope for the future.

Yesterday youth was served. In addition to 23-year old Murphy, 22-year old Nick Evans hit a HR, 25-year old Jose Reyes had 3 hits and 2 RBIs, and 25-year old David Wright had 2 hits and 2 RBIs.

Reyes started the game with a leadoff HR--he now has 69 extra-base hits on the year and is 4 hits away from 200 on the season. This is the Jose Reyes that is a force--the game changer, the leader, the turbocharger of the Mets offense. He is all smiles right now as the gritty Mets make their playoff push.

The Mets bullpen pitched fairly well. Yes Nelson Figueroa came on and was victimized by some poor defense, but all told the bullpen pitched 3 innings and did not allow an earned run.

Brian Stokes was especially impressive, throwing 2 innings and earning the win. Aaron Heilman got a big out, and it was hugs and handshakes after the game.

"For Aaron Heilman to get that out was not only big for us, but for him, too," Manuel said. "You could recognize the change in the flow of the game."

So the Mets have a Magic Number again (9) for the NL East, and another Magic Number (7) for the NL Wild Card.

2008 NL Standings
East	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	EXPW	EXPL	DIV	WC	POFF
New York	86	67	.562	-	762	668	90.6	71.4	54.6	32.7	87.4
Philadelphia	86	68	.558	0.5	759	651	90.8	71.2	44.8	45.5	90.2
Florida	81	72	.529	5	738	734	85.7	76.3	0.6	1.7	2.3
Atlanta	67	87	.435	19.5	711	745	70.5	91.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
Washington	58	96	.377	28.5	615	780	61.1	100.9	0.0	0.0	0.0

This is the Mets division to win--just keep winning--just keep riding the youth--just keep allowing Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado to drive in runs--just piece together enough solid bullpen to close out the games.

Sound easy, right?

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (86-67) «	1	0	3	1	0	0	0	4	0	9	12	3
Atlanta (67-87)	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	5	8	1

Player of the Game

New York

J. Reyes	AB	4
	R	3
	H	3
	HR	1
	RBI	2

NL East and Wildcard Playoff Race

Today, September 17th, marks the first day in a long time that the Mets are out of the NL East lead, while also being ahead in the NL Wildcard race.

How it shapes up from here on out is anyone's guess.

Here's where the Mets, Phillies and Brewers stand, along with the the remaining games.

2008 NL East Standings
East	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	EXPW	EXPL	DIV	WC	POFF
Philadelphia	84	67	.556	-	741	633	90.6	71.4	63.4	22.6	86.0
New York	83	67	.553	0.5	737	654	89.5	72.5	36.2	27.9	64.1
Florida	78	72	.520	5.5	702	723	84.0	78.0	0.4	0.6	0.9
Atlanta	67	84	.444	17	702	726	71.8	90.2	0.0	0.0	0.0
Washington	58	93	.384	26	600	753	62.4	99.6	0.0	0.0	0.0

Mets Remaining Schedule
vs. Team	PCT	H	A	Tot
ChiCubs	.611	4	0	4
Florida	.520	3	0	3
Atlanta	.444	0	3	3
Washington	.384	0	2	2
TOTAL	.509	7	5	12

Phils Remaining Schedule
vs. Team	PCT	H	A	Tot
Florida	.520	0	3	3
Atlanta	.444	3	2	5
Washington	.384	3	0	3
TOTAL	.448	6	5	11

Brewers Remaining Schedule
vs. Team	PCT	H	A	Tot
ChiCubs	.611	3	2	5
Cincinnati	.460	0	3	3
Pittsburgh	.417	3	0	3
TOTAL	.517	6	5	11

Remaining Games: Mets and Phils

As we come down to the wire, let's take a look at the Mets and Phillies remaining games courtesy of our friends at Coolstandings.com.

Mets:

2008 Remaining Schedule
vs. Team	PCT	H	A	Tot
ChiCubs	.616	4	0	4
Milwaukee	.584	0	2	2
Philadelphia	.543	3	0	3
Florida	.507	3	0	3
Atlanta	.428	3	3	6
Washington	.384	2	4	6
TOTAL	.486	15	9	24

Phillies:

2008 Remaining Schedule
vs. Team	PCT	H	A	Tot
Milwaukee	.584	4	0	4
NYMets	.558	0	3	3
Florida	.507	3	3	6
Atlanta	.428	3	3	6
Washington	.384	3	2	5
TOTAL	.481	13	11	24

I would give the Mets a slight advantage, primarily because of the remaining home games for each team.

It really looks like these next 5 games will tell us a great deal about who will win the NL East.

Mets Sweep Braves, Extend Lead in the NL East

The Mets won again and swept the Braves. The red-hot team and extended their lead in the NL East to 2.5 games over the Phillies and 6 games over the floundering fish.

We'll have the full game report in the morning.

National League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
N.Y. Mets	71	57	.551	-	38-23	32-34	28-20	13-16	20-15	8-2	W 3
Philadelphia	68	59	.535	2½	34-28	34-31	27-22	21-14	16-12	4-6	L 1
Florida	65	63	.508	6	35-31	30-32	27-21	15-17	18-15	3-7	L 2
Atlanta	56	72	.441	15	34-31	22-40	20-26	11-24	17-14	1-9	L 4
Washington	45	83	.352	26	23-39	22-44	17-30	14-23	6-20	1-9	W 1

Good Morning Mets Fans!

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that every mother thinks her baby is beautiful.

Some may call it ugly, some may call it beautiful...to most fans the Mets game yesterday was "pretty enough."

They split the series on the road against a Reds team that is 28-21 at home, and for the second time in the last few weeks battered around a Cy Young frontrunner.

Tim Lincecum and Edinson Volquez are 23-3 between them, and the Mets tattooed them both.

At a time of the season where every game means just a little bit more than the one that proceeded it, the Mets managed to come out on top in an extra-inning affair and re-gain a share of first-place in the suddenly ultra-tight NL East.

The Marlins took 2 of 3 from the slumping Phillies, and now a scant half game separates the top 3 teams.

National League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
N.Y. Mets	53	46	.535	-	28-18	25-28	18-16	8-10	18-14	8-2	W 1
Philadelphia	53	46	.535	-	27-23	26-23	18-16	17-12	14-7	5-5	L 2
Florida	52	46	.531	½	28-21	24-25	21-15	11-10	15-11	7-3	W 2
Atlanta	46	52	.469	6½	31-20	15-32	17-21	9-16	12-8	5-5	L 2
Washington	38	61	.384	15	20-30	18-31	16-22	11-19	3-10	4-6	W 2

As all Mets fans know, the Phils come to Shea tomorrow night for a 3-game showdown that has Mets fans licking their lips in anticipation. The players know it, the coaches know it, and the fans know it--this is going to be a battle.

"It's going to be exciting because we always have a war with them," catcher Ramon Castro said. "We're tied now. We have to win at least two."

"It's a lot better than playing them in Philadelphia," closer Billy Wagner said. "I hope our fans are ready."

Yesterday's game featured a lot of offense, the long ball, semi-disappointing outings from two of the wunderkind starting pitchers in the NL, and some pretty bad defense.

On the defensive side of the ball Jose Reyes let one go right through the wickets, but that wasn't close to being the worst play of the game.

Ken Griffey, Jr hit a soft fly ball to left that Marlon Anderson apparently never got a bead on--he kind of aimlessly loped toward the stands as if chasing a foul ball he had no chance at. A moment later the ball dropped in fair territory, just a few feet away from him as he was looking into the stands along the foul line.

"I was pretty upset," Manuel said about Anderson's gaffe.

Anderson said he had trouble picking it back up after running in the general vicinity of the ball with his head down. "If I'd have seen it, I would have caught it," he said. "I dropped my head and ran trying to get to the spot, and once I looked up, I didn't see it. It almost hit me in the head."

That was the start of Mike Pelfrey's "bad inning." After the Griffey double (hometown scoring), the Reds scored 3 more runs, one on a homerun by Encarnacion, and tied the game at 4. Up to that point Pelfrey had been cruising, only allowing 1 run on an Adam Dunn HR in the bandbox.

Brandon Phillips took Pelfrey deep in the 6th, but Pelfrey otherwise limited the damage and went 7 innings to keep his team in the game.

"I feel like I'm getting better," Pelfrey said. "I thought not pitching in nine days, my command was a little off, especially with the sinker. The sinker wasn't very good today. That's my out pitch. It just wasn't very good. Command wise, I was just a little off.

"It definitely wasn't a quality start, but I thought I kept the team in the game and the bottom line is we won." There was also some timely hitting by the Mets that led to the victory.

Carlos Delgado continues to rake. He was 3 for 4 on the day, drove in two runs, and is absolutely flying in July. He has 57 RBIs on the year and a very respectable .815 OPS. In July Carlos is hitting .397 with 10 RBIs to go along with a .707 slugging percentage.

Jose Reyes was a spark, going 4 for 6 and scoring 3 runs. Argenis Reyes acquitted himself well in the start and was in the middle of the 10th inning rally. Ramon Castro hit a big homerun, and Robinson Cancel started it all off in the 10th with a clutch double.

Duaner Sanchez pitched two innings of shutout ball to get the win, and Billy Wagner struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th to get the save.

Wagner, as we reported yesterday, suffered some tightness in his deltoid and will be examined today.

So bring on the Phils and let's have us a little bit of old-time NL East fun....Big Dog vs Big Dog, and there is only one fire hydrant.

Johan Santana vs newly acquired Joe Blanton kicks off the showdown at Shea, and Mets fans can't wait.

It's definitely an interesting time to be a Mets fan.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final 10th	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (53-46) «	1	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	7	14	2
Cincinnati (48-52)	0	1	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	5	6	1

Players of the Game

Cincinnati B. Phillips AB 4 R 2 H 2 HR 1 RBI 2

New York J. Reyes AB 6 R 3 H 4 HR 0 RBI 0

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	6	3	4	0	0	1	0	.300
Argenis Reyes, 2B	5	0	1	0	0	1	2	.308
David Wright, 3B	2	1	0	1	3	0	3	.286
Carlos Beltran, CF	6	0	2	1	0	1	5	.271
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	1	3	2	1	0	1	.261
Marlon Anderson, LF	3	0	1	0	0	1	4	.205
a- Fernando Tatis, PH-LF	1	0	0	0	2	1	2	.295
Ramon Castro, C	5	1	2	2	0	1	7	.289
Endy Chavez, RF	5	0	0	0	0	1	6	.255
Mike Pelfrey, P	2	0	0	0	1	1	0	.118
b- Damion Easley, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.277
Duaner Sanchez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
c- Robinson Cancel, PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.286
Billy Wagner, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	41	7	14	6	7	9
a-walked for Anderson in the 7th
b-struck out for Pelfrey in the 8th
c-doubled for Sanchez in the 10th
Batting
2B - Carlos Delgado (20, Volquez), Robinson Cancel (1, Bray)
3B - Jose Reyes (11, Volquez)
HR - Ramon Castro (4, Volquez)
SF - David Wright (7), Carlos Delgado (4)
RBI - David Wright (76), Carlos Beltran (68), Carlos Delgado 2 (57), Ramon Castro 2 (16)
2-OUT RBI - Ramon Castro 2 (12)
SB - Jose Reyes (33, 3rd base off Volquez/Bako), David Wright (12, 2nd base off Affeldt/Bako), Carlos Beltran (16, 2nd base off Cordero/Bako)
CS - Carlos Beltran (2, 3rd base by Cordero/Bako)
Team LOB - 14
Fielding
DP - Reyes-A. Reyes-Delgado, Reyes-A. Reyes-Delgado
E - Ramon Castro (3, Throwing), Jose Reyes (13, Misplayed grounder)

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Mike Pelfrey	7	6	5	5	1	4	3	3.81
Duaner Sanchez (W,5-1)	2	0	0	0	1	2	0	3.32
Billy Wagner (S,24)	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	2.20
Pitches-Strikes - Mike Pelfrey 89-57, Duaner Sanchez 30-16, Billy Wagner 16-10
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Mike Pelfrey 8-8, Duaner Sanchez 2-2
Batters Faced - Mike Pelfrey 27, Duaner Sanchez 7, Billy Wagner 3

Mets Season Projections and the Playoffs

The Mets are currently 28-27 through the first 55 games of the year. So with 107 games remaining, here is what the Mets will need to accomplish to win--

100 Games: 72-35 .673 winning % from here on out, .617 overall result
95 Games: 67-40 .626 winning % from here on out, .586 overall result
90 Games: 62-45 .579 winning % from here on out, .555 overall result

So what will it take to make the playoffs?

In 2007, the Phillies won the NL East with an 89-63 mark, .549 win %
In 2006, the Mets won the NL East with a 97-65 mark, .599 win %
In 2005, the Braves won the NL East with a 90-72 mark, .556 win %

Looking at those last three years we can see that 95 wins is a very good number, and 90 will be competitive to contend for the division crown.

Both win totals are well within the Mets potential.

And what about the Wild card?

2007: Rockies 90-73
2006: Dodgers 88-74
2005: Astros 89-73

Bottom line is the Mets, despite all of their early season woes, are well poised to make a run at it once again this year.

Yes it's early, but for all of the crestfallen who counted the team out a week ago, remember that in the end, baseball is all about numbers.

Win at a .600 clip the rest of the year and the chips will fall into place nicely for a 90+ win season.

Momentum Swept Away: Willie Randolph May be Fired Today

In a series where everything was right in front of the Mets for the taking, they did the opposite and gave away the momentum and post team meeting energy they built over the weekend.

Pitchers didn't pitch; hitters were in consistent; fielding miscues abounded; baserunning errors cost them runs.

And now what? Have the Mets hit rock bottom in 2008, or is the worst yet to come?

At sub-.500, on the road, with health concerns still tearing away at the fabric of the team, we all sit and wonder what the future holds?

One thing is certain: the Mets need to make a change at the top, and whether that is the right or wrong move isn't really the subject for debate any longer, it is simply reality.

Willie Randolph could be fired as quickly as today--in fact I expect it to happen.

My gut says Jerry Manuel is named interim manager this afternoon, and then the team can go about and try to pick up the pieces for 2008.

It should never have come to this.

National League
East	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Florida Marlins	27	19	.587	--	16-11	11-8	12-5	9-8	5-4	Won 3	5-5
Atlanta Braves	26	21	.553	1.5	20-5	6-16	13-12	5-5	6-3	Won 5	7-3
Philadelphia Phillies	27	22	.551	1.5	13-11	14-11	7-8	10-6	9-6	Won 3	6-4
New York Mets	22	23	.489	4.5	12-9	10-14	13-14	4-6	3-3	Lost 4	3-7
Washington Nationals	20	28	.417	8.0	11-13	9-15	13-19	6-7	0-0	Lost 2	5-5
Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Chicago Cubs	28	19	.596	--	19-8	9-11	4-4	17-13	7-2	Lost 2	6-4
St. Louis Cardinals	28	21	.571	1.0	17-10	11-11	3-0	14-12	9-8	Won 1	5-5
Houston Astros	27	22	.551	2.0	13-8	14-14	5-5	10-7	11-8	Lost 1	5-5
Pittsburgh Pirates	22	25	.468	6.0	13-10	9-15	10-11	8-12	4-2	Won 1	4-6
Milwaukee Brewers	22	25	.468	6.0	11-9	11-16	4-7	14-13	4-2	Lost 1	4-6
Cincinnati Reds	21	27	.438	7.5	14-9	7-18	6-7	7-13	5-7	Lost 4	6-4
West	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Arizona Diamondbacks	28	19	.596	--	19-8	9-11	3-7	3-6	20-5	Lost 3	5-5
Los Angeles Dodgers	25	21	.543	2.5	14-9	11-12	5-4	8-6	11-9	Won 3	6-4
San Francisco Giants	19	29	.396	9.5	11-15	8-14	3-3	6-14	10-9	Won 2	3-7
Colorado Rockies	18	29	.383	10.0	10-13	8-16	3-2	6-6	7-20	Lost 2	3-7
San Diego Padres	18	31	.367	11.0	10-12	8-19	2-7	6-8	9-14	Won 1	4-6