It sucks to lose two of three to the Fish but it’s the first series the Mets have dropped all month so no screaming and yelling here about that. The major story of the day is the trade deadline and it looks like the Mets usually major players on deadline day will be standing pat. Maybe Omar has finally gotten it through his head that collecting old guys is not the way to go as it seems in every phone call involving a Mets deal the names Jon Neise (great Triple A debut last night) Dan Murphy (looks like he will be a big time hitter but needs a position) Eddie Kunz (the 8th inning gate man in about two weeks for Billy Wags) and of course The Teen Aged Hitting Machine (who should be brought up to the big team just to let the training staff work with him on stretching his hammys and conditioning a la Jose Reyes when Jose was a puppy) So if Manny Ramirez is NOT to be a Met then hopefully Omar leaves the phone off the hook.

Here in Massachusetts the big news is Manny. It’s 24 hours of Manny. What has seemed to have broken the hearts of the Fenway Faithful was Manny saying the Red Sox “Don’t deserve a player like him” but after he made those remarks he kind of back tracked and professed his love for the city of Boston and the Red Sox fans. Be that as it may the hot story here this morning has Manny going to the Fish, with Jeremy Hermidia going to the Bucs and Jason Bay and John Grabow going to the Red Sox. From all indications this is a done deal and all that awaits ato make it offical is The Used Car Salesman Seal of Approval. This sucks on three levels, first the Mets have no shot at Manny like I said it seems that the Mets front office has wised up and is done dealing kids of geezers even for geezers who can rake but it looks like the plan is to let the flowers grow. Second, it sucks if he goes to the Fish as this pennant race in the NL East is a three team affair Manny or no Manny (how do the Fish do it? They have to be the worst team ever to be in position to win a division) Third, there is going to be one sad soon to be thirteen year old boy going to Fenway for the first time Sunday if there is no Manny in LF.

Tons of Red Sox fans here on the Cape as to be expected some Highlanders fans as well but very few Mets fans which surprises me I guess we are all saving up money to get tickets to $iti Field so no vacations this year. Loads of European tourists as that Euro is very strong. Here is what I find here and at home in NYC, the Euro’s are the most impolite people on the face of the earth. They cut in front of you on line, are clueless on where they are going, have no regard for other people and the words please and thank you are never ever spoken . Use of any personal hygiene products  have not reached that side of the Atlantic. Just two swipes of deodorant Pierre under each armpit is all it takes.

One story I forgot to relay about Saturday night at Shea. I was sitting in Section 40 of the Upper Deck and next to us was a guy with no arms. He asked the guys in back of him if they were going up to the concession stand to let him know as he wanted a beer. So one of the guys tells hem he’s going up so the arm less guy whips off a shoe and with his toes grabs a ten dollar bill out of his shoe and hands (foots?) it to the beer runner. The beer runner comes back with a beer in a cup and armless says to place it right on the empty seat next to him. My son is in the next seat over and my daughter the next over and they both stopped watching the game and were fixated on the armless man as they watched him lower his head to the beer cup, grip it with his teeth and proceed to drink his beer. But that wasn’t the highlight of the night. When Carlos Delgado homered, the armless guy whips off both shoes and claps his feet like a seal.

God I love Shea Stadium.

Funny I don’t feel “Fitty”? I had a very nice birthday it would have benn better if the Mets could have won (thank you Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis) but I did get some very nice gifts. A Mets t-shirt with the NY in a shamrock, Fay Vincent’s book on old ballplayers, the Shea Stadium DVD with the Essential Games and an baseball scoreboard that works off satellite like a GPS that give you up to date scores, standings and probable pitchers for all MLB games. We had dinner in Hyannis and watched the Sawx as I think it’s a state law that no other baseball game but Red Sox games can be shown in public.

I see where Jon Maine was yanked from last nights game with  shoulder soreness that Old School Warthen says it is not serious but they will still send Maine to NYC for a “picture” as J-Man likes to call an MRI so my guess is by Friday Maine’s arm will be amputated.

With teams asking too much for Omar and the Mets to give up, it looks like unless the price for Raul Ibanez drops alot the Mets wil go with Fernando Tatis as the everyday LF’er and call up Dan Murphy to add his bat and limited defensive skills. I know Omar lusts for Manny but the Mets do not have the chips for a deal to be made. Don’t worry Manny Mets fans we will have all winter to pursue the Manny Trail.

If anything the Mets look to need some bullpen help as Joe Smith and Scott Schoenwiess pitched awful last night as did Carlos Muniz and I am very disappointed in Muniz as he is getting his chance to show he belongs in the big leagues as he has not risen up to the task.

RHP Jon Neise was moved up to NOLA and looks like the guy who will take John Maine’s place if Maine is DL’d or even if the Mets decide to give him a start off.

Petey looks like he penciled in for Friday against the Astros with an 80 pitch limit let’s hope it not one and done for Petey.

Time to hit the treadmill as I had ice cream last night (hey it was my birthday) but now that I am officially an old man I have to watch my middle aged figure.

Greetings from Yarmouth as the first full day of vacation is under way. I am in the middle of Red Sox Nation where the Manny Being Manny talk is hot and heavy. With the Old Town Team dropping 2 of 3 to the Highlanders WEEI is all atwitter over Manny asking for his walking papers. Please Omar Please make the deal get this .300 30 HR 110+Rbi hitting machine to Shea and don’t worry Jose Reyes will keep Manny on the straight and narrow.

I got to hear the Met-Cards game coming up here yesterday (in torrential rain by the way) and I have to give a big tip of my Mets cap to Johan Santana for finally stepping up and being the ACE bu going 9 fill as the bullpen was exhausted after Saturday’s game. The Mets beat the crap out of Cardinal pitching and taking two of three was fine by me. I did get to see the remarkable catch by Carlos Reyes as we went to dinner and what a catch.

Speaking of Saturday I was a the Mets-Cards game at Shea but I have to confess we left in the 8th inning as with a 6 hour drive ahead of us the game ran longer than I anticipated. There were loads of Caridnal fans  at the game most of them from a tour group and I guess as I was leaving there were cops and security running all over the lodge down the ramp where I guess the Cardinal fan fell off the escalator trying to use it as a surf board.

That’s it for now as my birthday celebration continues at the pool. I hope to find a place here that has MLB Extra Innings and maybe the proprietor will put the Mets-Marlins game on for my birthday FAT CHANCE here in Red Sox Nation.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh vacation time, it’s wonderful. Before I leave for Cape Cod and a trip to Boston and Fenway Park I will be in attendance at Shea for tonight’s game as the turnaround season rolls on. No post tomorrow as it’s a long travel day but I hope to post Monday my “Fitty’ Birthday” by the way , so before I get some last minute stuff done and head to Shea a few thoughts:

Two of the biggest players of this turnaround have been Carlos Delgado and Mike Pelfrey and not surprisingly both players have been helped by the change in manager and pitching coach. Delgado seemed to hate being at the ball park when Willie Randolph was in charge as it seems Randolph’s reign in the clubhouse was a tension convention but for some reason the main streamers give us just bits and pieces of  life in Mets clubhouse under Willie. I guess theiy will let us know when their books come out. Rick Peterson told Mike Pelfrey to never throw a curveball again. Dean of School Dan Werthen worked with Pelfery on his breaking ball to go with his 90+ heater to make him a complete pitcher. No bracelets, no gem stones just good common sense.

I can’t figure out Dirty Duaner. He gets ahead of batters and can’t finish them off. Is it bad luck or poor performance?

Brandon Knight, the definition of a journeyman, makes his Mets debut tonight as a stand in for Petey. Knight has had a great year in NOLA and was ready to join Davey Johnson and Team USA in Beijing but on the insistence of Dan Werthen he was summoned for this spot start.

Looks like the Highlanders stole Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Bucs but I’m not worried about that as with all the rumors and names out there the guy I hope we land is Casey Blake. Blake has descent power and can player OF, 3B, and 1st  his one draw back is striking out a lot but we can live with that as Blake is the righty bat the Mets need.

Manny isn’t happy in Boston. The Red Sox front office, owners, players and fans are not happy with Manny.  I think you know where I’m going here, If I’m Omar I have to make a call in fact if Omar wants to give me Theo Epstein’s number and I’ll meet him for lunch when I get  into town.

Before I get to the Mets climbing atop first place in the NL East I need to discuss the bullshit that is coming from Philadelphia AND from “our guy” Boardwalk Lee Mazzilli when it comes to Jose Reyes. My question to ass hats like Larry Anderson and Chris Wheeler the Phillies broadcasters is “Were you this outraged over Brett Myers beating up his wife as you are over Jose Reyes home run trot”? I mean com’on get over it will you. Same goes for  catching instructor Mick Billmeyer (I’m not kidding here) you share a clubhouse with a man who beat up his wife in the street in Boston a few years back and I don’t remember hearing much outrage out of the Phillies clubhouse over that but Reyes reacting after hitting a big home run gets the blood boiling. The whole Philadelphia Phillies organization should be ashamed of themselves.  Boardwalk Lee is another pant load  with anti-Reyes venom Hey Lee I guess you forget the 1986 team that liked to stir the pot and got your washed up ass a World Series ring,

How about killing Jimmy Rollins for being late to yesterday’s game?  That’s a more serious crime I think than celebrating a home run don’t you think. I am so sick of the dumbass in the media I swear I’d like to do a Buzz Bissinger on all their sorry asses.   

Now we have a rivalry and hopefully MLB and the Used Car Salesman will stay out of the way and let this play out. Please no warnings or discussions let the players take care of business. If the benches have to clear let them clear and don’t worry about the media that I swear is made up of guys who were either picked last on teams as kids or had their lunch money taken from them.  Anyone you has played organized sports know that emotions at time run high and shit happens I guess if the Phillies have a problem with Jose Reyes ( How about Shane Victorino spouting off, I guess it was ok to acted like trained seal looking for a sardine at second base the other day)  then bring it on. I have more faith in Warlord Jerry that even though he reads the works of Gandi, he has some Malcolm X in him.

YES, YES, YES I was ready to burry Carlos Delgado and YES, YES, YES I was wrong but can he sustain this production for the next two months that’s the question.

How can you not like Billy Wags after his quote yesterday when asked if he was worried facing Jimmy Rollins in the 9th inning yesterday:

“Not really, I mean it’s Jimmy Rollins-not Barry Bonds”

Yeah it’s on mo’ fo’s  it’ on!!!!

Speaking of celebrations I was ready to see D-Wright turn to the Phillies dugout and give a double middle finger salute, I have never seen Wright as fired up as he was yesterday and although no one on the team will say it, it seems Willie Randolph did all he could to suppress his players from showing emotion and doing things the Highlander Way (see how that worked out <eyeroll>) where as Warlord Jerry wants his team to be emotional. Yes I love being hated like this and I like that the team is shedding it’s scardy cat imagine I just hope it’s the real Mets and not as Springsteen says a “Brilliant Disguise”.

I’m sitting on the Staten Island Ferry this morning crossing the Lower New York Bay reading my Daily News when I turn to page 74 and I screamed out YYYYYYIIIIIKKKKKKEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! There was a picture of Petey’s late father lying in his coffin.  Stay classy Daily News

Lost in all the hoopla of the Mets regaining first place is Oliver Perez making another quality start. OP had an ERA of  5.70 on 6/24 and now has brought that number down to 4.15 as of yesterday. Look at the big shit eatin’ grin on Scott Boras face.

It hard to explain to people what it’s like to root for the New York Mets. Any time I’m asked either by a friend, acquaintance or co-worker or in an interview . I pause for a while as I try to collect my thoughts and I still have a hard time explaining what it’s like to root for the Orange and Blue. I mean ask a Highlander fan why they root for their team and you will get bulldozed with 26 World Championships and the “we are better than anyone else in the whole wide world” rant that is just disgustingly self-serving and boorish. Ask a Red Sox fan why he aligned with the Old Town Team and he will tell you of  Teddy Ballgame, Yaz, Lynn, Rice, Fisk, Bill Lee all players with a great history with their team and of course Fenway Park . Cubs fans, Cardinals fans, Indians fans all baseball fans root root root for their home team but no group of fans are more scrutinized than Mets fans.

Just look at the last two games the Mets have played. In Tuesday’s game the atmosphere at Shea was a combination block party/ post season. Our top starter was mowing down our new hated rival; our newly resurrected first baseman has become a middle aged hitting machine. We were anticipating looking at the standings at the end of the game to see METS atop the standings of the NL East and joining hands and skipping all the way home, TRA-LA-LA, TRA-LA-LA but then…………………you know what happened.

Folks on the outside reacted to our outrage, our anger, our venom toward our team. What is wrong with those Mets fans they say? One minute we are giving out contract extensions the next we are releasing the whole fucking team and starting over again. That Jose Reyes is the greatest player in baseball. That Jose Reyes is a jive ass baby. We got Johan Santana HURRRRRAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!. Goddamn Santana can’t you pitch a complete game. Delgado you piece of shit get lost. I knew Delgado would bounce back. Fucking Beltran why are you bunting. Boy I tell ya, Beltran is the best centerfielder in baseball. Oh shit Billy Wagner. Thank God for Billy Wagner. Ryan Church and Brain Schneider for Lastings Milledge are you kidding? Ryan Church please get well soon. We need your potent bat.

So as you see it is very hard to pinpoint what it’s like to be a Mets fan. If you want to have your emotions go from sky high (1969 World Champs, Game 6 1986 World Series, the Piazza trade, winning the 2000 NL Pennant, first game after 9/11, the 2006 season) to deep depression (Death of Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver traded, Terry Pendleton, Mike Soccica, 2006 NLCS, The Collapse of 2007) then the Mets are the team for you but be careful the feeling you have today will be quite different from the feeling you have tomorrow.

Condolences to Petey and his family on the passing of his father.

If juking and jiving make Jose Reyes play like he did last night then juke and jive away Jose

Freddy Skill Sets was in True Confession mode yesterday as he agreed the Mets botched up the Randolph execution and that he has sleepless nights (which I think is more because the franchise is in Jeffy’s hands than the team play of late) and that he is sensitive to the negative press he, Jeffy and Omar have gotten (I guess I shouldn’t be checking the mail for my press pass eh Freddy?)

The Cheesesteakers will start 76 year old lefty Jamie Moyer today at high noon at Shea. That Ramon Castro will start behind the plate. Hopefully some told him that is 12 PM EDT  

We are all getting a kick out of the new Mets manager, Warlord Jerry. He’s been cool and hip two things Willie Randolph will never be called. He’s funny and engaging with his “Goin’ Gangsta” and all but last night it all changed as the cool, hip and intellectual (a baseball version of Phil Jackson if you will) came up small in the biggest game of his interim as the Mets Head Gangsta.

With Johan Santana going great guns and making last night look like an instant Ulti-Mets Classic Manuel over thought and over managed in the biggest spot of the biggest game. You don’t even ask your Ace, your Horse if he wants to go out for the 9th in a game that you know your closer is down ,you  don’t say anything you just give him the ball and let him go. Now that doesn’t mean you don’t get guys up in the bullpen of course you do and the guy you get up is Dirty Duaner as he moves from set up to closer. Now I’m sure J-Man went over all this with his bullpen before the game as the biggest difference with how he runs his pen than how Randolph ran his is he gives out defined roles. So I’m sure Heilman, Smith and Feliciano were told they would be the late innings set up on the road to Dauner. But what we saw in the 9th inning was pure panic.

Leave out that Santana should have pitched the 9th    OK you go with Sanchez. Dirty had nothing as he got tagged for three straight singles Way to step up there Duaner. So J-Man has seen enough and he brings in Joe Smith. Good move as Smith with his down under delivery is the best bet for a ground ball and a much needed double play and that’s what Smith gets Carlos Ruiz to do hit it on the ground to Jose Reyes but instead of flipping the ball to Easley (why did Argenis Reyes stay in the game for defense?) Reyes tries to beat Victorino to second base and misses the base with his toe. So now everyone is safe and instead of two outs and a 5-3 lead it’s bases loaded and still no outs. Here is where Manuel over managed. Who is the better pitcher right now Joe Smith or Pedro Feliciano? Forget the lefty/righty bullshit. Smith is far better pitcher right now than Feliciano who has sucked all season. You knew this was going to be a disaster as soon as Feliciano was summand from the pen. I will give the batter So Tagguci credit for a fantastic at bat as he fell behind 0-2, he battled back after Feliciano missed way outside on the next two pitches and then Taguchi hung in and fouled off a couple (one in which he just threw his bat at the ball) and then came through with a big two run double over the head of Endy Chavez in right to tie the game a 5-5. Then Jimmy Rollins comes up and Feliciano is STILL in the game and he gives up a double to left to the reining MVP for a 7-5 lead that left the Mets and Mets fans stunned. 

So here I am 12 hours after this latest kick in the stomach by my favorite baseball team and still can figure out how this team can never rise up and step on the opponents throat when they have the chance. This loss is on J-Man, Luis Aguyo, Jose Reyes and the bullpen.  Lets hope Omar doesn’t panic and make a deal that cripples the organization for years to come. Maybe this group just doesn’t have the balls to be the Kings.

If you look to the West there is a guy in Japan, with a big wide grin on his face who may just find out YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN!!!!!!!

Did you think a month ago we’d be as amped up for this Phillies series? The mind set of the Mets fan just 30 days ago when the Seattle Mariners came into Shea and bitch slapped our heroes it looked like the last summer at Shea would be one huge disappointment. But here were are one month later and everything is set up for a classic three gamer at the Dive Bar known as Shea. All the elements are in place, heat, humidity, a packed house and Johan Santana who I think will be make his mark tonight as a Met. As pessimistic as I have been about this team this season with the win one-lose one way of playing and I am now coming around to the team will find a way to win. I wanted to go out to Shea for at least one of these games but due to running out of the office early for the past two weeks to play Casey Stengel and starting my vacation next week (two weeks in Cape Cod with a trip to Boston and a visit to Fenway Park and yes have laptop will travel so I will try to post as much as I can)  I have to catch up on my work so I will be watching from the comfort of my living room (I might even have the laptop on so I may do some posts during the game)   It’s all you can ask as a fan for your team to give you a summer and stretch run and the Mets are giving us that right now.

Billy Wagner says it’s nothing but the Mets are still sending him to the doctor to check out his arm which still bothered him yesterday. Now we wait and see how he feels this morning before the send him back to the doctor and maybe an MRI. What would have been the problem with giving Wagner the MRI yesterday? Why wait until today? Have the Mets and the medical staff learned anything from the botched diagnosis of Ryan Church?

WOW who knew there were so many Marlon Anderson fans out there. The comments and E mail I’ve gotten seems to put me in the minority when it comes to Mets spare part. My contention is that J-Mann can not afford to put Anderson in the outfield as he is and awful outfielder and as far as second base goes there is no way he should play over Damian Easley or Argenis Reyes as Easley is the better hitter and A. Reyes the superior fielder. As for first base it’s to bad Anderson isn’t a righty hitter as that would be perfect. So the question is would you rather have a guy that you can use exclusively as a pinch hitter or would you rather keep a third catcher or send Nick Evans back to Bingo. I’d keep both the third catcher and Evans due to his righty bat and let Anderson go.

The cooks in the Diamond Club will be churning out some extra grub as Philly Phats is coming to town to cover this series. Here is his column today where he asks why Cole Hamels is not going against Santana in game 1

Top Prospect Alert has a revised list of the top 10 Mets prospects. Of course the Teen Aged Hitting Machine is #1 but the surprise is  Ike Davis  at #2 and Reese Havens  at #3 and no ranking of RHP Brad Holt who is on a faster track to the big leagues than either of those  players.

I don’t hide my hatred for the New York Highlanders, not so much the players but it’s their management that I despise. I hate the way they go through you bags to get into that overrated ball park and if you have a back pack or a brief case they will not allow you to bring them into stadium and force you with no choice but to go across the street to the bowling alley and pay five bucks for them to watch your bag while you go to the game. They have the unmitigated balls to justify this as threats to Homeland Security that goes also with their phony patriotism by playing God Bless America during the 7th inning at every single home game. Well, just when you think the Bronx Bastards have managed to cover every facet of douchebagery they come up with something so outrageous that it’s hard to believe. The storm troopers at the gates of Highlander Stadium will now confiscate sun block (yes you read that right SUN BLOCK) that fans are bringing into the stadium because are you ready for this, it may cause a terrorist threat. Un-fucking-believable. But get this, they SELL sun screen at the concession stands for $5.00 for a one once container. I guess this is justified under the Patriot Act. My favorite quote in the story though comes from Mr. Sean Gavin, a fan attending a recent game:

“I was really pissed because, since I am Irish and I have a bald head, I need my sun block,” said Sean Gavin, 40, who had to toss his SPF 30 at the gate Saturday.

“After they saw me dousing myself with it, it should have been obvious to them that it was sun block and not some explosive.”

Right On my bare headed Irish Brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the on field part of my baseball season is over after our LL All Stars lost an elimination game last night 6-1. The lack of hitting was a problem ( my son was robbed of an extra base hit that would have drove in two runs on a running one handed catch by the opposition left fielder) but the biggest flaw of our team was defense and the lack of fundamentals that had us fighting from behind early in both games. Oh well. Now I can put all my time and energy into the Mets run to the post season and working with my son on strengthening his arm to pitch next season.

A spilt with the Reds on the road is ok as the Mets ended the week in a tie for first place and that sets up a big three gamer with the Cheesesteakers at Shea. Every thing is setting up nicely for the Mets as we are in the middle of a NYC heat wave (you know your in the middle of summer in the City when the urine smell at the 14 th Street stop of the 2 and 3 train is so strong you check the front of your pants to make sure it’s not you causing this stink) as the start of the series begins with Johan Santana on the mound. Santana has pitched very well against the Phillies this season with a win and a no decision (that 4^th of July game that we have gone over ad nauseum) with only Chase Utley (2-7 .286 1 HR) and Pat Burrell (2-7 .286) doing any kind of hitting against him. Joe Blanton will make his Phillies debut and the one Met who has success against him won’t be in the line up. Gimp Castillo is 7-14 against the plow horse Blanton.

So Billy Wagner is going for an MRI this morning and the Mets tell us to move along nothing to see here. If that MRI shows something that shuts Wagner down who takes over as the closer? Dirty? Heilman?, Eddie Kunz? Oy Vey!

The biggest reason for the Mets turnaround has been the born again slugger Carlos Delgado. Who saw this coming? On June 21 Delgado was pulling down the offense hitting (if you want to call it that) at .241/.315/.417/.732 and I was ready for the Mets to eat his contract and dump his sorry ass. Well, one month later Delgado has been on a tear bring his stats up .261/.343/.472..815. The twenty point rise in batting average is very good as is the jump in OBP but the biggest spike was in slugging of .55 which shows that not only has Delgado regain his stroke but he is hitting with power.  A lot of the improvement stems from Delgado laying off that inside pitch that he couldn’t collapse his back elbow on to hit the other way. He now recognizes that pitch and lets it go for a ball and helping him get into hitters counts. As great as the resurgence has been the Mets still could use a righty bat to spell Delgado against lefties.

Why do we need Marlon Anderson anymore?

Every time I hear the name of Reds pitching coach, Dick Pole,  I laugh because (a) I’m an idiot and (b) it reminds me of a kid I went to grammar school with whose name was Lewis Lipschitz. Every time the teacher would call out the attendance and said “Lewis Lipschitz” we would all laugh and say “Lipschitz? What’s your ass do whistle?”  I still laugh at that.  I guess I need to grow up.

Howard Megdal has a fine column today in the New York Observer on the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Mets top three draft picks RHP Brad Holt, 1B Ike Davis and INF Reese Havens. Megdal goes in to detail on Holt’s performance and I agree 100 % that Holt will be on a fast track through the organizations farm system

Bad baseball day all around for me. First, the Little League All Star team I’m coaching on lost 7-1 setting up an elimination game tonight. We played the team from South Shore Little League which is where the tournament was held. Our kids were a bit tight in the first inning with a couple of fielding miscues and our starter giving up a couple of extra base hits in the gap of left center to put us behind 3-0. I knew it wouldn’t be our day as I took my position in the third base coaches box and saw the home team had rigged an electrical line in order to use a fan in their dugout. The dugouts at this facility are narrow and cover from top to bottom in a chain link fence so add that with about 100 degree temps and me in long pants, I was one cranky coach.

From there we went home showered and changed and headed to St. George to watch the Brooklyn Cyclones take on the Staten Island Highlanders. The Brooklyn games are the only ones at Richmond County Ball Park that sell out as the fans from Brooklyn cough up the 10 bucks to cross the Verrazano Bridge and the transplanted Brooklynites like myself show up strong. The game was also Boy Scout night as Boy Scout troops from around the city were at the game and were allowed to sleep over on the outfield over night. My wife and kids and my in laws and niece and nephew all slept on the field while I retreated to the air conditioned comfort of my home. After throwing pre game BP and coaching a game the last thing I needed was to sleep on field with a bunch of kids running around all night. As my family arrive home at 7 AM (the woke up at 6AM) my wife was mad at me for not telling her the field is sloped. She slept like she was upside down. Best choice I made all day was sleeping at home.

As for the game, it was the second week in a row I saw Brad Holt pitch for the Cyclones and although he was not as dominating as the last start this young man will be on a fast track to Flushing. Holt K’d 7 in5 1/3 innings but his most impressive performance of the night was in the bottom of the 2^nd when he faced baseses loaded and one out and struck out the next two batters. LHP Roy Merritt came on in relief had looked like a lefty Joe Smith as he throws from the side and was very effective as well. Then Steve Clyne came on to protect a 2 run lead and gave up a game winning 3 run HR to Melky Mesa for a 5-4 SI win.

Then there were the Mets as they have now dropped two to the Reds and Carlos Beltran had a night to forget in the field and at bat as did Pedro Feliciano who gave up four big runs. How about J-Man pulling Endy Chavez for a pinch hitter in the 7^th ? This is the second time this week Warlord Jerry has done this first hitting Nick Evans for Endy and yesterday hitting Argenis Reyes Looks like Endy is not Gangsta’ enough J-Man.