O M Gee, it's the second coming of Matlack

One of my earliest memories as a Mets fan is the 1976 season. I was 7 years old, and played a lot of baseball in the street with the kids down the block. And I recall very distinctly talking about the major league season that had just ended, when the Mets finished in third place, and thinking that was pretty good. Kids — so full of hope.

One of our favorite players was Jon Matlack. He was third on the staff behind Seaver and Koosman, but he was younger and kind of underrated. He won 17 games in 1976 and was awesome.

Then 1977 happened. Seaver was traded in the middle of June, the Mets fell off a cliff, and in December they traded Matlack -- a 26-year-old potential ace -- in a four-team trade that also saw them deal John Milner, only to get the immortal Willie Montanez, Tom Grieve and Ken Henderson (the player to be named later) in return.

It took seven years for the Mets to recover, and to their credit they put together a pretty good team. And while Matlack won 15 games the next year, he got hurt and was never the same.

(Another reason I liked Matlack was he looked just like Herman Munster. Or more accurately, Fred Gwynne.)

But when Matlack was a Met, he was fantastic. And now Dillon Gee has tied Matlack's team record for being the only rookies to start 5-0. Gee doesn't have the high leg kick of Matlack, but his delivery is effortless and while he doesn't have overpowering stuff, he knows how to mix his pitches and attack a lineup. He struck out eight Pirates Monday night and all of a sudden, we don't miss Chris Young as much.

Jose Reyes was out on bereavement leave at the passing of his grandmother, and Terry Collins still kept Jason Bay on the bench for a rest, despite the fact that he has a five-game hitting streak and we've been waiting forever for him to stay hot.

There wasn't much power in the lineup, but the Mets singled the Buccos to death. Josh Thole delivered the big hit, a two-run double that broke a 3-3 tie. Justin Turner added an RBI double the next inning and he continues to rake.

As for the Phillies series, it was frustrating but not discouraging. Yes, we dodged Lee and Halladay and you would have liked to have won two at home, but the first two games were good games ruined either by a misplay or bullpen failure. I had more of a problem with Collins removing Capuano when he did than I did when he took out Pelfrey, although isn't Byrdak our top lefty guy? Still, O'Connor had one job, to get one out, and he failed.

With three more against Pittsburgh, this could be the cure for what ails the Mets, who will be without Reyes until at least Wednesday. Hopefully Bay hasn't cooled off any and continues to hit, as does Daniel Murphy, who could be playing first for a while with the news that Ike Davis needs his ankle re-examined, which is never good. Hey, more at-bats for Turner.

Ain't nothin' but a Gee thang, baby

I've started and re-started this post three times now. I want to rip into the New York media, a few people in particular, for all but abandoning objectivity and trying to constantly control the narrative concerning the Mets, Fred Wilpon, the Madoff suit, everything.

But that's a fruitless and exhausting exercise, and this morning I just don't have the time or the energy, and for what purpose, anyway? Let's just say I watch the games, form my own opinions, and pretty much ignore the vast majority of what's written because I find it worthless. Keeps me sane.

As for the Mets' win Wednesday night, fantastic job by Dillon Gee getting past his first-inning woes and settling down. Gee is 4-0 and is perhaps proving that his AAA success, while surprising to some, really was a harbinger of things to come. He knows what he's doing out there and has some cojones.

I look at a rotation with Gee, and Niese and Pelfrey, three players with progressively more experience but all still developing, and wonder how much they would be helped simply by Johan Santana's presence. Santana's talent and on-field performance is certainly missed the most, but his effect on the young pitchers must be tremendous.

The Cubs' pitching and the rain helped big-time Wednesday night. Carlos Beltran had a big night with two hits, including a two-run double, and Daniel Murphy drove in two as well, one with a hit and one with a walk. Jose Reyes also had two hits. Boy, he and Beltran really look devastated.

No relievers needed in the rain-shortened win and so the bullpen is fresh for today's afternoon game at Wrigley, with R.A. Dickey on the hill. Winning the game and the series would be huge, what with the Phillies coming in for the weekend. The Mets could use some positive momentum.

As for ownership, there are several reports that hedge fund manager David Einhorn has been selected as a minority partner. According to his Wikipedia page, his firm, Greenlight Capital, "has historically generated greater than a twenty-two percent annualized net return for partners and investors."

Is it just me or does that sound too Madoff-like for our own good?

Fred Wilpon finds his inner Col. Jessup, and we can't handle the truth

Think back to just over a month ago, when reaching .500 seemed as likely as Irving Picard being invited to throw out the first pitch at Citi Field.

The Mets were in freefall. Losers of five, six, then seven games in a row. Worst record in baseball. Left for dead by just about everyone in the media, locally or nationally, and by many fans as well.

Making mistakes. Looking awful. Not playing the game "the right way," as manager Terry Collins had promised.

Think about how you felt as a Mets fan. Was there any confidence? Any joy? Any optimism? In my case, there wasn't so much optimism as there was faint hope mixed with the knowledge that the season was far from over.

"But it's only April. There are five months of baseball left. Is that good or bad?"

I wrote that in a post after the Mets dropped a 4-3 decision on April 20 to the Astros, a loss that sunk their home record to a dismal 1-8. It was the final loss in a 2-12 stretch that marked the nadir of the Mets' young season.

It was also the night that Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker accompanied Fred Wilpon to a Mets game.

Toobin was working on a piece that would come out just over a month later, a 10,000-word exploration of Wilpon, Saul Katz, Sterling Enterprises, Bernie Madoff and the billion-dollar lawsuit filed by Picard.

The article portrays Wilpon and Katz positively in many ways. They are well-regarded personally and professionally. They are charitable. They are family men. They are self-made success stories who seem like regular guys who worked hard and earned everything that came to them, who went on to do something most baseball fans can only dream about: Own a major league team.

Certainly Wilpon knew who Toobin was and what kind of piece he was working on. Wilpon needed all the help he could get, and a piece that supported the contention that Wilpon and Katz — two "real estate guys" whose investing experience was not much more than trusting someone close to them — knew nothing about Madoff's Ponzi scheme in a magazine like The New Yorker was good press.

And granting Toobin access to the owner's box during a game must have seemed like a good opportunity to show Toobin that while he was the owner, he was at his core a fan, as die-hard as the folks wearing WRIGHT and REYES jerseys in the seats below.

Take what Wilpon said without attribution and it could pass as something almost any Mets fan could have uttered. Should Reyes get Crawford money? Not with his injury history. Is Wright a good kid, a great player, but not a superstar? With his rising strikeout totals and frequent slumps, you could make the argument. That Beltran was 70 percent of what he once was? Duh.

I know what you're thinking. He's the owner. He can't say that, even if it's true and he really believes it. Where are his PR people? What was he thinking?

Maybe he wasn't thinking. Maybe he was. Knowing Beltran wasn't coming back next year (and possibly leaving before that), he had no trouble lamenting the checked strike three against the Cardinals in 2006. (Wilpon seems bitter over Beltran's recent injury history, and possibly over his lengthy recovery last season and then poor performance once he finally came back. And that strikeout against Adam Wainwright clearly still stings, as it does for every Mets fan.) Maybe he wanted to downgrade Reyes and Wright because he wants to keep them but doesn't want the price to go up any higher.

But maybe, given the state of the Mets on April 20, Wilpon wanted to send a message. Like Colonel Jessup in "A Few Good Men," who in his heart wanted people to know he made a command decision and ordered the code red, Wilpon wanted people to know that he was pissed off at how the team was performing. And if that meant tweaking Reyes (who at the time was hitting one-something with runners in scoring position) or Wright (who was in yet another slump) or Beltran (who at the time hadn't shown he could play every day, which he soon would), then so be it.

Again, remember the timing. Do you think if Toobin came to the Mets game on May 19 — a 1-0 win over the Nationals, the team's second straight shutout win, a victory that moved the team to within a game of .500 — that Wilpon would have had anything bad to say about Reyes, who was leading the league in hits and lighting up Citi Field again? Or about Wright, who we now know was playing a month with a broken back? Or Beltran, who was showing remarkable health and consistency, which other teams would almost certainly be looking for? Do you really think he would say that Ike Davis is a great player on a shitty team?

No. Way.

But on April 20, with a writer from The New Yorker at his side, his Mets were playing like crap. So he let fly.

As for the reaction to the story, it was typical. No one quoted the line from Wilpon when he described Reyes as "a racehorse," which is a compliment. Instead, most headlines were along the lines of "Wilpon Rips Reyes." Really?

And then there was Adam Rubin of ESPN. My doctor has advised me not to read Rubin's Mets coverage because I take everything he says with so many grains of salt, I get hypertension. The guy has one of the biggest axes to grind with this organization, it is almost comical that he still covers the team. Could Rubin be a good reporter? Sure. Just go cover a team that you don't personally want (or need) to bury at every turn. Please.

Funny how of all the reactions to Toobin's story, the one I found I agreed with almost completely was by (gulp) Mike Francesa, who basically said that Mets fans want Wilpon to show that he cares, and then when he does, and says things that recall the days of George Steinbrenner, people get their knickers in a twist.

Wilpon, who posed for a photo for the magazine with Reyes, Wright, Bay and Collins, had no comment. It should be noted that The New Yorker had a fact checker run all the quotes by him and they all stayed in the story. Toobin himself said that Wilpon was a "stand-up guy."

Maybe this is just another lesson in accountability, a word we've heard a lot lately in reference to Collins and how it has helped the team manage to claw its way back to break-even despite so many injuries. Wilpon said what he said at a time when he felt the need to say it, and he's not denying it now.

If the players don't like it, that's fine. Prove him wrong. Play with a chip on your shoulder.

That's what a Brooklyn boy would do.

Satisfied with one win? Nope.

You tell yourself before the series that one win would be fine, it's a bonus if you get two, and a sweep is too much to even hope for. So when the Mets took game one on Friday night, we should have been satisfied with that, right?

Right?

Of course not. One win down so quickly, we're thinking two, minimum. But then the Yankees hit a couple of cheap homers on Saturday — loved this take at Optimetsic — and even the series. OK, fine, we've got Sunday's game, and the resurgent Mike Pelfrey against Ivan Nova. Sounds promising.

And for 6 1/2 innings, it sure was.

Then Big Pelf melted down like Ollie used to, Mets fan Pedro Beato got unlucky on a dribbler by A-Rod before allowing a legitimate RBI single, and then Pat Misch threw kerosene over everything in an eight-run eighth that could have been, should have been, a lot less damaging.

Pelf fell apart quickly, but the worst was not Jeter — damn him — but hitting Francisco Cervelli as he tried to bunt. So instead of one out, one on and two runs in after Jeter's seeing-eye grounder, it was no outs, first and third. Big difference. Maybe you get out of the former situation with the game tied.

Instead, you end up with bases loaded and one out for A-Rod, who delivered what Terry Collins wanted, a grounder. It was just too weakly hit. Figures. Then the roof caved in.

So now .500 is two games away again. For the Mets to regain that hill and move beyond it, they're going to have to figure out how to score more than three runs a game, especially when Justin Turner doesn't get a hit.

Strength in numbers

In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.  — Tom Seaver

Sorry, Tom, but we're gonna dwell on some tasty numbers today.

3: More hits for Justin Turner, who drove in the Mets' first run, after a double by Fernando Martinez (to whom Collins gave the start at DH).

5: The inning in which Jose Reyes made the play of the game, a diving stop of a grounder up the middle hit by A-Rod, who was gunned out by a step. Reyes went 0-for-4, but that play was worth a boatload of hits (which Reyes has, leading the league, by the way. Sandy Alderson is watching, right?)

6: Innings of four-hit ball thrown by R.A. Dickey, whose knuckler was finally knuckling.

9: Straight batter retired by relievers Mike O'Connor, Jason Isringhausen and K-Rod to end the game, striking out five in the process.

10: Wins in their last 14 games for the Mets.

11: Total strikeouts by Mets pitchers Friday night.

15: Consecutive saves for Frankie Rodriguez

17: Wins with 9 losses since the Mets opened at 5-13.

19: Straight scoreless innings for K-Rod.

22: The number of wins the Mets have this season (same as the number of losses).

23: The number of wins the Yankees have this season.
    
344: Feet (officially) traveled by Mark Texeira's solo home run in the third, a fly out at Citi Field and just about anywhere else. What a joke that park is. (Yes, Murphy's homer was just 346 feet, but down the line, that was a legit shot. Texeira's was basically a pop-up).

1,000: Approximate number of seats short of a sellout at Yankee Stadium for game one of the Subway Series. And there were plenty of Mets fans there filling the place out, as you could tell as K-Rod struck out Nick Swisher to end the game.

In the end, it's not about the numbers. It's about how this team, led by Terry Collins, has overcome the injuries to key players by stepping up as a group and being accountable. They're not waiting and wondering when the injured guy is coming back, they're plugging a new guy in there and saying, 'Go get 'em.'

It's a team of underdogs, always the best kind of Mets team to root for.

Now that the sweep has been avoided, the Mets will look to win the series either Saturday or Sunday. The pitching matchups are favorable, and you have to love the way this team is playing.

No no-no, but a great start by Gee as Mets head to the Bronx

Just a few days ago, the first installment of the 2011 Subway Series looked dead on arrival. Mets players were dropping like flies, and the Yankees were losing games while seemingly falling apart at the seams.

But now both teams come into this weekend's tilt at the House that George and His Spoiled Kids Built on winning streaks, and while the Mets will still be without three starters, it's the kids who are stepping up and keeping the team from sinking.

A two-game sweep of Washington saw consecutive shutouts, with tremendous starts by Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee. Sure, the Nats are a terrible offensive team, but Niese and Gee were on their games and delivered the kinds of performances the Mets are going to need, particularly when they're shorthanded at the plate, as they currently are.

Then again, when you have Justin Turner, what more do you need? Turner knocked in the only run, his 12th in his last 10 games. Incidentally, the Mets are 9-4 in their last 13 games.

Jason Bay had three hits, and with so much firepower out of the lineup the Mets really need him to get it going. Daniel Murphy is certainly not hitting, but his defense in these two games has been stellar. He also got a break in the eighth inning Thursday when his foot came off the bag on a throw from Turner, but umpire Phil Cuzzi called Jayson Werth out.

Hey, some breaks have to go the Mets' way, don't they?

Gee had a no-hitter into the sixth, when Livan Hernandez — in addition to shutting the Mets down on seven hits — singled with two outs. Figures.

You can see the pitching starting to come around, from Pelfrey on down; hopefully R.A. Dickey will get the memo.

And while they won't be back in time to play in the Bronx, word is that Ike Davis and Angel Pagan should be back within a week or so. Pedro Beato has already returned, and indications are that David Wright won't be out much longer than his required DL stay.

OK, so Irving Picard has a copy of a memo that he says indicates the Mets considered taking out fraud insurance. Big deal. They never did, which would have been a much more powerful indicator that the Wilpons knew something was up with Madoff. But Picard isn't letting go of that bone.

Hey, it can't all be good news, right?

Talk about a case of the Mondays

Could Monday have been any worse?

Turns out David Wright has a stress fracture in his back from making a diving tag almost a month ago. He's out a minimum of two weeks, possible more. The good news is that this type of injury, much like an oblique injury, isn't too serious but does require a lot of time and rest to heal.

So three regulars were out of the starting lineup for Monday's game against Josh Johnson and the Marlins, and yet the Mets still should have won. Johnson didn't have his best stuff but battled. Mike Pelfrey did have his best and had the lead in the seventh when Mike Stanton blasted a solo homer to center to tie the score.

In the ninth, Justin Turner reached second on a throwing error with none out but Jason Pridie failed to get the bunt down and struck out. Two intentional walks sandwiched a fielder's choice by F-Mart, and then Chin-lung Hu grounded out to end the threat.

Keith and Gary lamented Hu's bad luck, hitting it hard up the middle but right to Ramirez, but Hu just cannot hit. Not surprisingly, he was sent down after the game.

Then, first and second with one out in the tenth, and Turner hits a grounder to Ramirez, who boots it off his shoulder of all places, right to Omar Infante at second for the double play. Unreal.

Of course, the Marlins get the lead in the 11th on a two-out single by pitcher Burke Badenhop. Seriously. Dude's second career hit. Terry Collins admitted after the game he told Igarashi not to take Badenhop for granted, and maybe he should kept his mouth shut as a too-careful Igarashi fell behind early.

Jon Niese then hit a two-out triple in the bottom of the inning, but Jose Reyes — two hits, two steals, but no runs — struck out to end the game.

Crappy weather, Wright gets injured, and the opposing relief pitcher, who didn't even have his own bat or batting helmet, delivers the game-winning hit. Now that's a bad day.

Time will tell if we'll look back on May 16 as a turning point for the season, or even this franchise.

Justin Turner Overdrive, takin' care of business

While Jorge Posada had a temper tantrum in the Bronx that put my 5-year-old to shame, Justin Turner kept quiet, put his head down and worked his way into an opportunity to make a difference with his club.

Certainly, the players and the circumstances are VASTLY different. Posada is a highly paid, highly accomplished veteran who has helped the Yankees win multiple titles, but is showing this season that he has next to nothing left in the tank.

Turner, meanwhile, is a 26-year-old who has been impressing folks in the Mets organization since last season, and is just now — thanks to his own solid play, the failure of Brad Emaus and an injury to Ike Davis — showing that he can be a contributor for the Mets.

On Sunday, Posada had to meekly apologize for his actions the day before, when he begged out of a game after seeing his name penciled in the No. 9 spot in the lineup. Turner, meanwhile, hit a three-run homer and doubled in two more runs as the Mets won their third straight series, beating the Astros, 7-4.

I love it.

Other than watching the Mets win and turn their season around, nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing the Yankees and their fans squirm. And the Yankees, just a couple of games better than a Mets team that a certain talk show host buried in the second week of April, have lots to worry about.

C.C. has not been much of an ace. Counting on Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to be major contributors is like depending on Charlie Sheen to be your designated driver. Derek Jeter is a slap hitter who's lost a step but is still getting paid like Tulowitzki. And A-Rod has already begun a steady decline that will see him steal millions before his contract is finally up. (By the way, Mariano can't pitch forever, either.)

The Mets, meanwhile, are looking better and the future is looking brighter. Jason Bay is still struggling at the plate but he made a game-saving defensive play down the line in left. Chris Capuano pitched another solid game and got the win. K-Rod is now throwing perfect innings. Jason Pridie stole home on a double-steal.

Sure, you have to be concerned about R.A. Dickey, but his situation isn't typical because of the pitch he throws, so you hope he figures it out. Pelfrey's been better lately, and he'll have a huge test Monday at home against Josh Johnson and the Marlins.

Two big games against Florida and two more at Citi Field against Washington before heading to the Boogie Down for a three-game set against the Geriatric Guild. We're counting the days.

On Beltran's blasts and the Dodgers back in Brooklyn

My son came running into the kitchen to tell me that Carlos Beltran had just hit a home run. I figured it was his second of the game — I had heard him hit the first one on the radio in the car earlier in the evening — but then Gary Cohen mentioned the three home runs and the six RBI and I realized that the middle homer was how the Mets got from five runs to seven (a period of the game I missed while my son was in karate class).

Of course, Beltran hitting three home runs in a game was just another reason for some to wonder how it will affect his trade value, for when the Mets inevitably deal him to a contender, probably in the American League, before the July 31 trade deadline (along with Jose Reyes, and maybe even David Wright, Mike Pelfrey and possible everyone not named Ike Davis).

This all presumes the Mets are not contenders in July, something that many in the media state practically as fact, like how the summer starts on June 21. For them, it may as well be on the calendar.

For me, I know Beltran won't be here next year, and I'll understand completely if the Mets do fall behind and deal him. I'd rather focus on his so-far remarkable comeback, remarkable not necessarily because of his production but because he has remained healthy.

It's what we've waited for, a Beltran who, while limited in the field, can still rake at the plate, from both sides. That he hit three out on a day when David Wright took his second day off, Davis went on the DL and Willie Harris played third was terrific timing. (And nice to see Harris finally contribute; he was on base each time Beltran went yard.)

Another series win, and now the Mets head to Houston for what should be another two of three. Why so few are willing to even entertain the idea that the Mets are as in contention for a playoff spot as anyone else is somewhat puzzling, but at this point I don't care what anyone else thinks.


Johan Santana is throwing off a mound. Jose Reyes and Beltran look renewed (contract years will do that). The pitching is slowly coming around. Jason Isringhausen (knock wood) has been borderline amazing.

I'm enjoying the season. Are you?

---

Great story on ESPN from Howard Megdal on why the Dodgers should and could move back to Brooklyn. Sure, it'll never happen, but Megdal lays out a fairly convincing case that revolves around:

• The Yankees and Mets would be paid off to allow it — by waiving luxury tax for the Yanks and literally paying the Mets, who could use a cash infusion.
• NYC could easily handle three teams.
• The borough would welcome the team back with open arms (and there are several good locations for a new park).
• Los Angeles would get the Rays, a scenario where a weak market (Tampa) is eliminated in favor of two much stronger markets.
• Fred Wilpon would go down in history as helping bring the Dodgers back to Brooklyn.

Megdal doesn't expand on this, but I immediately thought that an ownership swap could be part of the deal, where the Wilpons would own the now-Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Mets get new owners.

Nah, it'll never happen. Still, read it.

Big Pelf steps up, Davis steps badly (ouch)

These West Coast games are a killer for the blog. They end late, and I am usually exhausted. Especially on Tuesday night, when I missed the game because of softball — 8 p.m. doubleheaders, baby.

Anyway, it was great to see Big Pelf get the win (suddenly, he's 3-3), and pitch into the seventh. He looked solid, despite the three solo homers, and he delivered the two-run double that was the difference in the game. Is he settling in, finally? Is Ronny Paulino working his magic? Whatever — just keep it up, Mike.

Amazing how good news is always paired with bad with these Mets. They take two of three from L.A. but lose Chris Young, probably for the season. They beat the Rockies but Ike Davis gets hurt in a collision with David Wright. It's always something.

Davis hopes to play in Wednesday afternoon's game but don't hold your breath. Wright's getting the day off too, so we're looking at a possible infield of Turner, Reyes, Hu and Murphy.

Loved the work by the bullpen, and the starters are also settling down as well, with Pelfrey's effort coming on the heels of a very strong start by Capuano. Even K-Rod is tossing 1-2-3 innings.

Also, tip the cap to Murphy for stepping back into first base and not missing a beat defensive, with a couple of terrific plays, including the diving stab of a shot down the line. The guy's got a glove. Just don't put him in the outfield.

Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose ... Jo-se! Jo-se!

The Mets failed to complete the sweep of the Dodgers on Sunday, settling instead for two out of three and three wins in their last four games before embarking to Colorado and Houston this week. But rather than recap the weekend, I much prefer to talk about Jose Reyes.

Four triples in his last four games, and the guy has been pure dynamite. I actually had a dream last night that Jose hit three triples in one game, prompting Gary Cohen to cry on the air. I can totally see that happening.

He is that kind of player. I have made plain my feelings on Reyes and why the Mets would be smart to keep him in Flushing, and I'm glad to see that others out there are feeling the same way. I don't want him going anywhere, and I think most Mets fans agree he's just too good a player — a game-changer, homegrown, dynamic, everything fans love.

That said, if he does get traded or even if he signs elsewhere, here is what I would like to see happen. And by writing it down in this humble blog, I hope to get the credit when, 40 years from now, someone asks, "Where did that come from?"

On February 25, 1979, Islanders captain and All-Star defenseman Denis Potvin checked promising Rangers winger Ulf Nilsson and broke his ankle. While the Rangers went on to eliminate the Islanders in the playoffs that season, the Rangers lost to the Canadiens in the finals, Nilsson was lost for the season and by all accounts was never the same again, and the following season the Islanders began their string of four straight Stanley Cup championships.

Rangers fans, who hated Potvin already, now had even more reason to despise him, and created a chant that piggybacked onto the end of "Let's Go Band," a popular tune played in stadiums and arenas. (Side note: At Boston University, the marching band would play the tune and after the final three notes — DUM-DUM-DUM — the crowd would chant, "GO B.U.! BEAT B.C! THEY SUCK SH*T!")

At Rangers games, the organist would play the tune and the fans would yell, "POT-VIN SUCKS!" The Garden banned the playing of the tune in the mid-eighties, but the savvy and resilient Rangers fans (I have to give them credit on this one, and I am an Islanders fan) got around the ban by WHISTLING the tune en masse, and then chanting, "POT-VIN SUCKS!"

More than 30 years later, Rangers fans still do that chant, both at home and at Islanders-Rangers games at Nassau Coliseum. It has become part of the fabric of New York sports.

What does this have to do with Reyes? Well, should Reyes leave the Mets, at the first non-Reyes game at Citi Field — whether it is a regular season game in 2011 or the first home game of the 2012 season — Mets fans should, when the Mets' leadoff hitter steps up to the plate in the bottom of the first, start the JO-SE, JOSE, JOSE, JOSE chant.

And keep it up for the whole opening inning. And do that for every home game after. For the rest of the season, and for every game in every season to follow.

Can you imagine what that would be like? What better way for the fans to let their feelings known — other than by not buying tickets or merchandise. No signs that could be taken away by eagle-eyed ushers. There would be no way for the Mets to silence thousands of fans.

It would be incredibly emotional at first, but as time went on, the chant would become part of the regular home game routine. A haunting tribute to a player who transcended sabermetric analysis, who turbocharged not only his own team but the fans. Whose departure would suck the life from a fan base that has been battered the last five years.

Like I said, I hope Reyes stays. But if he goes, this has to happen. And when I'm at a Mets game with my grandchildren and they ask me, "What are the fans singing?" I will have some story to tell them.

Mets win, Pelfrey pitches well, but the cranks are still cranky

This post should really be about Mike Pelfrey showing signs of life, pitching into the seventh inning for the second time in his last three starts to help the Mets avoid the sweep Thursday, 5-2. It should be about how Pelfrey may be starting to turn things around, and how we shouldn't have been too shocked that he started off slow, considering his personality, the extra pressure of having to be "the man" in Santana's absence, and the death of his friend and confidante, sports psychologist Harvey Dorfman.

It should be about the win. It should be about Beltran continuing to hit and also play almost every day. It should be about Jason Bay coming back and doubling immediately, about Jose Reyes tripling in two runs, or about K-Rod walking the tight wire again but still getting the save and still, despite all the baserunners, not allowing a run.

But it's not.

You know I've cut Francesa out of my life, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be. Well, now Joe and Evan have been cut from the rotation.

I'm getting lunch and listening to the FAN prior to Thursday's game and a bumper comes on with Chris Capuano promoting the Mets Box Office Blitz. Evan follows by saying, "Be the fifth caller — and five is probably what Capuano's ERA is going to be at the end of the year..."

Are you shitting me?

This is on the day after Capuano pitched reasonably well in a 2-0 duel with Tim Lincecum, allowing two runs in 6 1/3. But no, the Mets are losers, let's just crap on them at every given opportunity.

Of course, misery loves company, and who is more miserable than Joe Benigno? A few minutes later, they're running through the Giants' lineup and noting how awful most of the batters are, and Joe chimes in with, "Well, Pelfrey's pitching tonight so they'll probably score 10 runs."

Evan mindessly agrees, and, like clockwork, Joe adds, "Oh, the pain."

Tune into Mac and Tierney at noon on ESPN 1050, folks.

Metsblog gets into the act as well. We don't need to see the wild card standings every day. And yes, Matt, since you're asking, May 6 is too early to worry about games behind. So cut the standings update back to maybe once a week, if that? Thanks.

And I understand why there is speculation about the Giants maybe trading for Reyes. It makes sense. Reyes is going to be a free agent, the Giants' offense sucks, they have no decent shortstop, they having pitching to spare, and they were in town for three games. You could see it coming a mile away.

But beyond that, can we have a chance to enjoy the season, and enjoy Reyes, before the stories speculating on his future become incessant? Can we at least wait until June? We're starting already on May 1? Come on.

I'm also getting tired of reading about how the Mets may not want to give "too many years and too much money" on a player "who relies on his legs."

First off, if you're going to sign a star player, you are definitely going to pay too much money and run the risk of giving too many years. It's just how it goes. If you're never going to do that, then you're never going to acquire a star player. Simple as that. And make no mistake, Reyes is a star player.

Regarding his legs, it seems to me that players who rely on their legs primarily are the ones who keep their legs the longest. One of them is coaching first, Mookie Wilson. What about Rickey Henderson? Kenny Lofton? These guys were athletes and runners first, like Reyes, and maintained that edge well into their 30s, and played into their 40s.

Will Reyes? Who knows? But to flatly state that it doesn't make sense to give a 28-year-old a multiyear deal because he runs well is ridiculous. He'll be 34 at the end of seven years, and seven likely the longest anyone would go on him. Sure, you could expect some kind of decline by then, but you'd likely have some pretty good prime years in between.

I think you can take to the bank that K-Rod will not finish 55 games this year, or he'll be traded. So that's $12 million off the books to go along with the $19 million for Beltran, and another $18 million for Ollie and Castillo. That's $49 million leaving.

The free agent list isn't terribly impressive and one would think with ownership issues and new management they are not going after the likes of Albert Pujols or anyone else too expensive anyway. But this is still a New York team charging New York prices competing in the New York market with the Yankees and in a division where the Phillies added Cliff Lee to Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

They may cut payroll, but they can never go cheap. This ain't Oakland.

Reyes gets $11 million now. Considering the dearth of talent at shortstop, why not pay an extra $5 million or so a year to keep the guy who you already have, a player who when he plays, your team wins, who is beloved by the fans, who is the third-best shortstop in the game, who puts people in the seats at a time when you really need people in the seats?

It's almost mind-boggling. And then you get the people saying it doesn't make sense to trade Reyes unless you trade Wright, too, and bring back a ton of new players to start over.

Really? You think fans are staying away in droves now?

It's depressing, at a time of the year when none of us should be depressed. It's early May, for God's sake! But no, there's no time to just enjoy baseball, to see how this all plays out, to see whether Santana comes back, to enjoy guys like Reyes and Beltran finally playing every day, healthy.

The Dodgers are in town for three this weekend. Which of course means more stories of how these two franchises are on the rocks and doomed.

Sounds like fun.

Perfect night: Mets beat Phillies in extras, bin Laden is dead

I watch most Mets games on the DVR. I've got two kids and the bedtime routines start around the same time as the night games do, so I usually don't start watching til 9 or so.

The plus side is I get to fast forward through the commercial breaks, and from pitch to pitch if I want. I don't do the latter that often because it means I'd miss the chatter from Gary, Keith and Ron. Except when the game is on Fox or ESPN, when there's no chance I'm missing any kind of substantive commentary. The national TV teams are patently awful compared to the SNY crew, but we all know that.

So I'm riding the FF button when I see the crawl change to BREAKING NEWS. It took me a second or two to realize that the crawl had something to do with the crowd shots of people on their iPhones and BlackBerrys. Osama bin Laden was (finally) dead.

Ten years ago this fall, the Mets played the first major league baseball game after 9/11, a night when Mike Piazza homered to beat the Braves and give the city something to cheer about. Ironic that the bin Laden news broke during a Mets game, and with Bobby Valentine in the broadcast booth, no less.

Chris Young said after the game that it would be a night he'd never forget. His seven shutout innings — hanging inning for inning with Cliff Lee while dealing 85 mph fastballs — will have something to do with it, as will the fact that the Mets won, 2-1, in 14 innings to avoid the Philly sweep and salvage a 3-3 road trip.

But what will stick with Young will be the same thing we'll all remember about this May 1 baseball game. Where we were when bin Laden, 9/11 architect and Public Enemy No. 1 since G.W. Bush said he was "Wanted, dead or alive," was finally brought down. And not in some cave in the mountains, but in a mansion with 18-foot walls in a Pakistani suburb.

The bin Laden news overshadowed the extra-inning victory, but that's probably a good thing since so much of the game story was negative for the Mets. Not the pitching — that was outstanding, with the exceptions of Izzy and Tim Byrdak not getting it done in the eighth.

It was the old bugaboo, hitting with runners on base and runners in scoring position. The Mets had baserunners on in almost every inning and outhit the Phillies but could only scratch across two runs. Of course the Phillies were just as impotent, despite playing at their home bandbox, managing just the one run in the eighth on an opposite-field hit by Ryan Howard.

Thank God for Ronny Paulino! Five hits, including the game-winner, on his first game with the team after Visa and health problems. And he threw a runner out in a key spot. Welcome to the club, Ronny.

So on an off day where we'd normally be talking about how Jason Bay has stopped hitting, or how good Pedro Beato continues to look, we'll rightly be spending our time discussing an event of historic importance. An event that, once again, has ties to the Mets. Amazing.