So after the All Star Break and one game the Mets are sitting tied for first place, riding a ten game winning streak, and looking to tie a club record today with their 11th consecutive game. So why, why after tormenting us at the start of the season with painful mediocrity why has this team decided now is the time to turn it around.

Well I have a couple of theories for this and they are as follows.

1. NO MORE WILLIE QUESTIONS -Whether or not it was all Willies fault cannot be said, but clearly a moved had to be made. Willie had lost the team and, the stress of his job hanging in the balance with every game since the end of the 2007 was wearing on the teams pschye. All though my personal opinion Willie was not the man for this team he just was not a good fit and should not have even started the season.

2.THE JERRY MANUEL FACTOR-Jerry seems to maintain a very loose atmosphere with the guys and has relaxed the rules on music in the clubhouse, facial hair, etc, etc. This is a team that play's better when their loose and relaxed and it clearly shows because the team has responded. This is no conincidence, dramatic turn arounds like this are never a conincidence.

3.BYE BYE BOO BIRDS-As much as the players would not want to admit it, the negativity around Shea clearly wore on the team. Even when they would come home from another West Coast trip, they were coming home to hostile territory. The atomosphere at Shea has almost been like a playoff atmosphere. (I was there last Sunday when Pelfry started and it was electric.) Having a good home to relax at after a long road trip is certainly a big help.

Now obviously, the fact that there are no more west coast trips left help the Mets out big time, the emergence of Mike Pelfry, Ollie finding the "Real" Ollie have all helped, but the 3 listed above are what I would consider the 3 biggest reasons for the Mets turnaround here at the halfway point of the season.   

Today it was announced that David Wright would be an All-Star as the National Coach Clint Hurdle (Rockies), said David Wright will replace the injured Alfonso Soriano on the National League roster.

Good for David, he earned it 70 RBI's at the halfway point that is a great pace that he's on so far, he is most definitely having a better season than the likes of Corey Hart (won the final player vote in which David finished second), Aramis Rameriez, and even Soriano.

DAMION DAMION DAMION DAMION!!! Damion Easley has been one of the most consistent Mets of late and he once again proved it tonight hitting the game winning homerun in the bottom of the 8th inning with 2 outs. Clutch that's all you can say about him....

I also liked what Damion said after the game I feel he said it perfectly in reference to the feeling around the Mets of late, "Right now we're playing with confidence, but the right kind of confidence, earned confidence."

Nothing say's it better than that, right now the Mets do have earned confidence. To go into hostile enviornment in Philadelphia and take 3 of 4, than to come home sweep the Giants, and than take the first game of the series against the Rockies in dramatic fashion its fair to say the Mets have earned confidence.

They're playing the game the right way now, hustling, running the bases, making key pitches, getting 2 out hits doing all those little things that winning teams do. The Mets weren't doing this in the beggining of the year however that has all changed with the managerial change as Jerry Manuel so far has been a very positive impact on this Mets team.

That's 7 in a row boy's most since August of 2006, let's keep it going tommrow.. 

The Mets victory tonight has made this four consecutive games that they have come away victorious. Mike Pelfry looked dominant, Delgado smashed one as did Beltran this team is just clicking right now.

We've said it all year that we just needed to string together a couple of games to get going, if only we could get out of the win one lose one cycle we'd be ok... Well the time has come and the Met's since Manuel has taken over have gained 5 games in the standings I believe they are something like 13-10 including tonights game but they just look completly different.

It's almost as if it were scripted, the Mets after last season's historic collapse and than struggling this year looked as if a team in dire neeed of revamping. Well their manager gets fired and now the team has seemed to rally behind Jerry Manuel. I don't know what it is, they are smiling again jumping around in the dugout and look more relaxed, look like their having fun again....

This seeems to be the difference and I am really enjoying this new look to the team, we have to remeber it's a boy's game played by men. However the game is best played when the men have fun and play like boy's.

Go Get em Guys 1st by the All-Star Break anyone?

Tonights game inspired me to write something a little bit different, not just a recap of the game because I know all of you saw the game or read about it in some form or another. Incase you didn't this is the recap I'm going to give you and than I'll get into my writing the Mets were up 10-1 at one point in this game, and than they managed to win it by the skin of their teeth 10-9.

Now usually most people would be surprised by something of this nature but not Mets fans we are a different breed because of the team in which we root for. This is a team who is known for having fielded quite possibly one of the worst teams in the history of the sport (1962), one of the biggest miracles in the history of the sport (1969, 1986) been a jugarnaut (2006) and had the biggest collapse in regular season history (2007). The life of a Mets fan is a topsy turvy one that is not for the weak stomached or the faint of heart.

The idea that no lead is safe wheather we're down by 20 or up by 10 is developed by a Mets fan there is no doubt in my mind about this one beacuse we have certainly been on both ends of the spectrum. We have seen that great 8th inning rally against the Braves capped off by a Mike Piazza home run that seemd to put an exclamation point on the rally. We have lived through the Armando Benenitz era were no game was ever safe from being blown.

Why people ask me all the time, why are you a Mets fan? Your father was born in the Bronx, your family are all die heart Yankees fans, you live in a city that boasts two great baseball tradtitions however some tell me that why wouldn't you choose the team with 26 world series championships.

No it was not to rebel against my dad, not because of proximity I think it's something else. Something else thats speacial about the Mets that draws us in they have a certain mystique about them, that is to expect the unexpected. Nothing is ever routine, no win is ever simple, no loss is ever a sure bet the Mets are a surprise waiting to happen. 

It's the allure of the Mets you just never know the game is never over regardless of if your up by 10 or down by 10 and they keep you on the edge of your seat, and I wouldn't want it any other way. The Mets are a team that will certainly make you want to cry but also could pull through that miracle season that you never expect and bring home the World Series.....

LETS GO METS GUYS   

Usually I won't do anything like this during a game but I need to vent now! And not the kind of venting you see in those Coors Light commercials or atleast not yet!! But are you kidding mee????? What the hell was that about the ump reversing their call this is the 3rd time the Mets have been screwed for lack of a better word on a home run call this season.

Now twice it's happend where it's been a Met's home run that was ruled in play or a foul ball, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado in that order. That was in Flordia for Beltran and at Yankee Stadium for Delgado and now this giving Ryan Howard a home run that should not have been.

Replay needs to be installed on the Major League level three strikes and your out and to me the way MLB does this now is out. It's terrible that these umps can make the right call orginally and then they get together think about it for a bit and the ump with the worst view will reverse the call theres now way he could have seen it! It's terrible and I must also say in all three instances this year the call has gone towards the home team umps a little shy of being boooed maybe doesn't want their car keyed? I mean come'on.

3.16
When there is spectator interference with any thrown or batted ball, the ball shall be dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties as in his opinion will nullify the act of interference.
APPROVED RULING: If spectator interference clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball, the umpire shall declare the batter out.
Rule 3.16 Comment: There is a difference between a ball which has been thrown or batted into the stands, touching a spectator thereby being out of play even though it rebounds onto the field and a spectator going onto the field or reaching over, under or through a barrier and touching a ball in play or touching or otherwise interfering with a player. In the latter case it is clearly intentional and shall be dealt with as intentional interference as in Rule 3.15. Batter and runners shall be placed where in the umpire's judgment they would have been had the interference not occurred.
(http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/game_preliminaries_3.jsp)

The way the rules are stated above from the offical rule book for Major League Baseball the ump's had the call right from the start giving Howard the double. AHHHHH THE BS gets me heated!!!

well on that note back to the game Bottom 8 Mets 10 Phillies 5 finish up strong boys.

Loooked like a sure bet, than it looked like a rain out victory then it seemed there was impending doom. Looked like a victory again after we got out of the 8th, than we were on the verge Philly down to their last strike a two run home run ties it. Can you believe that well it seems to have been the luck of the Mets this season, but this time the story had a different ending.

The Mets fought through it, they got out of the 9th and pushed the game until the 12th inning. When a hero again came through for the Mets in a place where the Mets have some haunting memories of a collapse last season. Where a banner flys out in the outfield of a lost season, something we should have celebrated. We lost it and they took full advantage of it and it left Mets fans yearning, yearning for another taste of playoff baseball but maybe those are all behind us now. Thanks to one man, Frenando Tatis hit his 2nd homerun of the season in the 12th inning to give the Mets the advantage they needed in order to win the game.

Joe Smith pitched 2 1/3 innings to get the victory for the Mets and even got in at bat in the game where he gave his best Ryan Howard impression, by striking out but hey atleast he swung even if he was standing nearly in the on deck circle. I know it's been said almost a thousand times by countless amounts of fans, analysts, oracales, Keith Hernendez and who ever else may have said it but this could be where they turn it around. Against their nemisis in Philly in hostile enviornment in a game where it seemed towards the end everything that could have gone wrong did. Murphy's law was in full effect but it was not enough.

The Mets won and left the Flushing Faithful with a good taste in their mouth atleast for one night. Goood Job guys let's take 3 outta 4 tommrow with Pedro on the hill ...

I don't have too much to say about today's game other than they played well. I was only able to watch about 3/4's of the game in which I saw the 3 runs the Met's scored and I saw Mike Pelfry throwing a whale of a ball game..I missed the rest however because I was attending the wake of a friend of mine.

Joe Karcz was 18 years old, about to be a sophmore at Mount Saint Mary's University. He passed away Thursday of last week. While I still haven't heard the results from the autopsy it was said that he was in a severe automobile accident the week before and it is suspected that this is what resulted in his death.

This was a pretty hard day for me and to see a fellow classmate, and friend of mine really puts things into perspective. Sports are a great getaway and yes we can and do get fired up as a result of our loyalties to our team's, our city, our country etc. However at the end of the day sports are just that sports. Both sides go home to their families and relax and live their lives as we the fans do as well.

So tonight we are happy that our team won but I just want to make sure everyone remebers the truley important things in life. Tell your family members you love them, and tell your friends how much they mean to you because that is what is truley important....

RIP Joe Karcz

I plan on making this a regular thing so stay tuned but here is my rant for the week.

The energy that this team is showing is just simply amazing right now and you can feel it even just through the televison it has been some time since I have seen the Met's play like this, I'm going to go out on a limb and say I have not seen or felt this kind of energy from this bunch since 2006. They finnally are looking like a team and it is such a relief ot finnally see this.

Just simple things, they are not getting down on each other any more. When they are losing games they don't roll over and die as they had been for some time since last September's collapse. It was almost as if they were waiting to see what would happen next to make them lose, and when they got down it was, "Well here we go again." They would than proceed to pack it in and try and go after it the next night. This is what led to the first quater of the season being just simply mediecore at best.

One thing I liked, alot was John Maine waiting on the mound when he was pulled from the game for Joe Smith. Maine waited there to tell him, "Go get em" or atleast that's what he told the press after the game. This team attitude where everyone is looking out for eachother and everyone is rooting for each other is exactly what the club hasn't had in a long time. It's what the team in 2006 had, it's what the Amazin Mets of 86 had its the kind of thing that wins championships.

The team's mojo is rising, and it showed with that comeback win against the Angels, with them not qutting in Colorado against a pitcher who had shut them down the last time he mad a start against them, and quite honestly I like what I see!

Well its about time that the first pitch is going to be thrown so I'm outta here....

Get em Pedro LETS GO METS!!

Welll it's been some time since I have had time to write anything here, but don't worry I have my reasons and I am back with my opinion's on everything that has gone on ......

First of all the reason for my lack of writing was I was waiting to see if their original shot at a turn around was going to be a legit turn around or a bust, well it turned out to be a bust Willie finnally got canned, and now the team is under the contorl of Jerry Manuel.

So this is where I start, I like what Jerry brings to the table he is a quality guy, he seems to have a little bit more of a fire to him than Willie did and you know what it just seems that the guys tend to respond to him better than they did Willie. This is no knock on Willie as he was great here for a little bit but he just lost the clubhouse. The guy's didn't care wheather he stayed or left and it is ultimatly what led to his demise as Mets manager. Second of all Jerry seems to have a little more spine than Willie did in terms of benching guys who don't perform and just let's it be known that he is in charge of that clubhouse and he alone is.

My thoughts on the firing of Willie however are as follows. Classless absoulutly terrible how the organization handled this. It turned into a media firestorm afterwards because of how bush league it was. You don't make the guy fly 3000 miles to the other side of the country to have him win a game and than fire him. That's just not how it works, there is nothing that happend during that win that would have justified Omar Minaya's desire to fire Willie immediatly following that game. It was tasteless and unprofessional and Willie did deserve a little better than that.

That being said, Omar your on the hot seat now, you better hope these guys can make it happen under Jerry Manuel or else your next on the Pink Slip watch just thought you should know that.

Good luck to Willie in the future I do hope he get's another chance to manage because I think he is a classy guy who deserves better than the raw deal he got out here but it was his time to go from here. The team neeeded to make this descison to either let Willie leave or to say this is our guy and they made the descision regardless of how professional it was or unprofessional it was done and it's time to move on....

UP NEXT

• Two more against the Rockies tonight at 8 and tommrow at 3.
• 3 against the Mariners at Shea who might just be more of a mess right now than we are.

GOOOD TO KNOWS

-With last night's win the Mets moved to .500 and are only 4 games back of the Phillies, certainly a very catchable margin despite how poorly they have played to start the season. This is a great oppurtunity for the Met's to gain some ground on our I-95 foes.

Lets go Mets...

ps

sorry for the wait from this point on I will try and keep the posts on a regular schedule at least once a day I'll see what I can do...