Whether you’re buying or selling, there’s always players to be had in late July. As we’ve seen with the Mets, who have decided to not trade All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes in the hopes of re-signing him, they needed to slash payroll by getting rid of players that likely weren’t returning anyway. Such was the case when GM Sandy Alderson parted with closer Francisco Rodriguez earlier this month, sending him to Milwaukee for two future players they’ll choose from a list come September.

While curiosity awaits as to who they’ll get back from the Brew Crew, Alderson did as expected today by trading All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Giants in exchange for pitching prospect Zach Wheeler. Even if his team under some splendid managing from Terry Collins continues to hang around seven and a half behind wildcard frontrunner Atlanta, Alderson did right by his club maximizing a return nobody could’ve envisioned at the beginning of the season.

After missing so many games the past two years due to bad knees, Beltran was finally healthy enough to play everyday. A huge question entering 2011, all the 34-year old vet did was make the transition to right field and pace the Amazin’s in home runs (15), an NL-leading 30 doubles and RBI’s (66) while being selected to the All-Star Game ironically in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Written off by many Met fans who still blame him for the ’06 NLCS when he took called strike three leaving the bases loaded against St. Louis, Beltran worked hard to come back and that he did, putting together his best season since ’08 at Shea when he hit .284 with 27 dingers, 112 RBI’s and 25 steals in 161 games.

With his contract running out, Alderson had no choice, landing one of baseball’s top 50 prospects in 21 year-old righthander Wheeler, who the Giants hesitated to give up before agreeing in principle to a trade that will bolster their chances of repeating- adding a big bat to a weak offense that largely relies on a staff anchored by two-time Cy winner Tim Lincecum along with All-Stars Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong plus young hurler Madison Bumgarner. With not much consistent production outside of third baseman Pablo Sandoval, it made perfect sense for GM Brian Sabean to pull the trigger. Beltran immediately helps a lineup known for stranding runners, driving my Dad and other diehard Giant fans crazy.

Beltran didn’t quite deliver a third World Series to the Mets after signing a seven-year, $119 million contract, coming over from Houston off an amazing October. However, it’s easy to forget that he had three Amazin’ years, including a 41 homer ’06 campaign that tied the franchise record set by Todd Hundley. From ’06-08, he slugged 101 long balls while knocking in at least 112 with 66 stolen bases  in 74 attempts. Loose Translation: Beltran did it all even if they fell short to the hated Phillies in ’07 and ’08. That stolen base percentage is pretty special. You just don’t see that.

To hear ex-teammate David Wright tell it of that wild October night when Beltran was frozen by a 3-2 Adam Wainwright curve breaking Amazin’ hearts, it wasn’t fair to blame the All-Star center fielder for such an excruciating NLCS defeat.

“Carlos Beltran did not lose us that series,” the sizzling third baseman said before continuing his tear since returning from the DL with a three-run home run part of an 8-2 Met win in Cincinnati. “Carlos Beltran, if anything, kept us in that series longer than maybe we should have been.”

That’s the measure of a team leader who gets it. The ultimate team sport is a lot more than one player, where almost anyone can factor in. Especially in the senior circuit if it goes extras with skippers often going through the entire bench before even having to use pitchers to pinch-hit or even pinch-run. Sometimes, it’s easy to pin it on one guy when they’re getting paid the most. Ultimately, Beltran struck out. However, the Mets had plenty of chances to finish off the Cards earlier in that series and didn’t. Now, he moves on to a new phase, trying to win his first championship with the Giants, who become his fourth team. Before Queens celebrates, it won’t be easy to replace that kind of production. Is former Cyclone Lucas Duda up to the challenge? He hit a homer in tonight’s win, which at least is a good start.

As for Zach Wheeler, here’s a young arm that the Mets hope will be a big part of a future that includes 10-game sophomore Jonathon Niese, surprising rookie Dylan Gee and perhaps Dr. Jekyll and Hyde, Mike Pelfrey if Met brass decides to keep him. Ace Johan Santana will start his rehab assignment and hopefully return next month. If anyone can make it back, the crafty southpaw can.

This year, Wheeler is 7-5 with a 3.99 ERA in Hi-A while fanning 98 and walking 47 over 88 innings. MLB considers him the 33rd best prospect, which has to excite Met fans. A quality return for a veteran outfielder they didn’t even know would give them what he did. To get such a return is tremendous for Alderson and Co.

Overall, it looks like a great deal for both sides. For the Giants, it’s more of a rental in hopes of winning a second straight Series while the Mets look towards the future.

Back to the Knicks, who outscored the Nets 62-48 in the second half to erase a 10-point halftime deficit. Embarrassing would be one way to describe the first 24 minutes where the Nets got whatever they wanted. Deron Williams returned after six games to rest his wrist and sparkled throughout. The Nets scored at will in the paint with Brook Lopez and Kris “Kardashian” Humphries cleaning up. When Anthony Morrow wasn’t connecting from downtown (4 triples) en route to a team high 30, Lopez and Humphries shared a dunk-a-thon to Bronx cheers from The Garden.

Sure. Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups were in synch- combining for 95 points. But without better attention on the defensive side, they don’t post their second straight win. Something Billups made sure to point out after what must’ve been a heated locker room at the break.

“This was a big game for us. We’ve got a lot to lose, they don’t. They just looked like they wanted it more than we did and we talked about that,” Mr. Big Shot said. “We came out immediately in the second half and just kind of turned the tide, momentum kind of went our way.”

When they all agreed that their first half was ‘unacceptable,’ that bodes well. A couple of nights after struggling to put away a shorthanded Magic, they knew they had to follow up with another ‘W.’ You knew the Nets would come hard. Especially with Deron back running the show to the tune of 22 points, eight dimes and eight rebounds. The kind of performance the electrifying former Utah All-Star’s capable of even if he missed a gimme that may have forced overtime in the waning seconds.

“I thought he was off a little bit, but man, he made some big plays for us,” Nets coach Avery Johnson noted. “Big shots, timely 3′s, good assists. But you could see there at the end, maybe he just ran out of gas a little bit.”

“Hopefully as we get better and mature, we can form a better rivalry,” Williams added.

Perhaps if Williams didn’t rush his final shot when he was more open than thought, it’s a different story. The do everything floor general also took a quick three in the final minute that didn’t come close. It was a couple of days prior that Billups forced up a three that allowed Orlando to force OT. Those types of baffling decisions are what frustrate us most about today’s game. Too often, star calibre talent are settling instead of taking the rock hard to the rim. As Justin said, what’s the rush? Use more clock and work for the good shot. Something Gene Hackman’s infamous Norman Dale would emphasize to Hickory in the classic Hoosiers.

It was the Knicks who got the job done, isolating Melo against Net waste of space Travis Outlaw for an easy deuce from about eight away on the left baseline. That’s where Anthony makes his living, reaching unguardable status in the game. Now, we’re seeing his best with three consecutive 35+ performances, becoming the third NBA player to accomplish that this season (Monta Ellis, LaMarcus Aldridge).

“It feels good, especially right now, the time that it’s happening,” a pleased Melo stated. “Must-win situations, games that we really need coming down the stretch, getting into the playoffs, it’s almost perfect timing for me to get into a groove like that.”

The Knicks (37-38) are now 9-12 with the former Nugget megastar. So much of it depends on Billups’ legs. When he returned from injury, the team struggled with Chauncey unable to guard anyone and inconsistent offensively. Last night, the big trio was more balanced, spreading the floor and creating better spacing.

While the offensive explosion was nice to see, credit Mike D’Antoni for utilizing Shelden Williams off the bench a fourth straight game. The big man provided a lift with solid D while also finishing strong twice. Jared Jeffries also atoned for his blunder with an outstanding effort, grabbing seven boards, four steals and even setting up teammates twice. Vet backup Anthony Carter also saw some big minutes in the final stanza, netting four and handing out five assists- even working well with Billups.

On a night they got nothing from Landry Fields and little production from supersub Toney Douglas, the orange and blue did what had to be done. We’d still like to see the talented rookie from Stanford look more comfortable with the more star-studded lineup. They must remember to involve Fields, who does many things well but suddenly isn’t as noticeable since the big trade that sent cohesive ex-mates Ray Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Timofy Mozgov to Denver.

In order for these Knicks to have any postseason success, they’ll need Fields to contribute. Finding the right chemistry is essential along with putting together a consistent 48 minutes on both ends. It’s still a work in progress but at least they’re finding ways to win.

The good news is Atlanta lost and they’re still 3.5 out of the wild card. And even Oli Perez pitched out of a bases loaded one out situation. However, they better start hitting soon or they’re ain’t gonna be a pennant race.

The World Cup is finally Spain's thanks to some late theatrics.

-Congrats to Spain on winning their first ever World Cup, edging Netherlands 1-0 in extra time. The hero was Andres Iniesta, who took a pass from Cesc Fabregas and blasted it past Maarten Stekelenburg with only a few minutes to spare- touching off a celebration. Iniesta slid to the ground and was mobbed by teammates. They’d hold off the Dutch for the remainder which included three extra minutes.

Unfortunately for Arjen Robben, he only got a couple of chances as Spain keyed on him in a hotly contested, physical match that featured plenty of fouls, yellow cards and even a red to John Heitinga in the second extra period which didn’t help Holland.

The Spanish were the aggressor controlling possession. Still, they found themselves deadlocked against a feisty opponent who did whatever they could to keep it scoreless. Quite a few hard fouls that prevented glorious chances, leading to kicks including one try that sailed high and wide. Spain also had another great opportunity but a sliding Stekelenburg stoned Fabregas point blank in extras. Robben came back the other way for a great chance but was blocked. There also was a close call where he would’ve been in all alone but was correctly whistled offside.

Iniesta’s winner came after the refs accidentally incorrectly ruled that Wesley Sneijder’s wide attempt went out of bounds without it touching anyone. However, replays showed that it deflected off a Spain player and out which would’ve meant a corner for Netherlands. Instead, Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas quickly made a good goal kick that led directly to the World Cup decider. With the Dutch caught, Spain completed a three-on-two with Fabregas passing across for Iniesta who didn’t disappoint, kicking it inside the right post for 1-0 in the 115th minute.

The right team won. Even if they screwed up. At least such a competitive championship game didn’t go to kicks. Congrats again to Spain on winning their first World Cup in the tournament’s 80-year history. Thanks again to Univision for outstanding coverage that dwarfs our country. And with Espana winning, the Spanish announcers went bonkers. What a great day for them. And of course, a memorable month that also saw tennis’ best player Rafael Nadal win his second Wimbledon last week. Not bad.

-I’m not gonna say much right now about it. Only that LeBron is LeFraud. Think it pretty much speaks for itself. ESPN is an embarrassment.

-That out of the way, I’m actually excited about the Knicks. Yeah. They overpaid A’mare Stoudemire in years and dough-5 for $100 million. But the former Sun wanted to be here and reunites with Mike D’Antoni while filling a need in the paint. Sure. The contract is risky for an injury prone big who’s battled knee and eye problems. But he’ll fit in nicely, running the floor, finishing with authority and providing an interior presence. 

Along with the sign and trade of David Lee to Golden State for a package that included Anthony Randolph, the Knicks are going in a different direction. With Ray Felton about to sign and sophomore Tony Douglas backing up, the orange and blue finally seem to have a plan. Don’t forget emerging star Danillo Galinari and athletic deluxe Wilson Chandler. This is a young nucleus who should made basketball at the Garden fun again. That’s what we’ve been looking for.

-So, the Nets’ big plan was to court LeFraud, fail miserably and then sign Travis Outlaw and Jordan Farmar. No offense. But how’s that big ad Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay Z took out across from MSG working out?!?!?!?!

-If a larger than life egomaniac barely even discussed puppet Jim Gray’s question about playing in the Big Apple, then he didn’t ever consider it. I don’t know about you but I don’t want guys like that on my team.

-RIP Bob Sheppard. The Voice Of God will always be synonymous with Yankee Stadium. When you heard the legendary Yankee PA announcer introduce lineups, you felt a Godly presence in the Bronx that’s hard to describe. There was just a feeling at the ballpark. It’s like everything stopped. Bob Sheppard will always be the Yankees’ only voice. God bless.

-Can someone explain how there are so many Yankees on the AL roster? I root for them but it’s ridiculous that Derek Jeter is on the team. And hell. Even Nick Swisher over Kevin Youkilis is a bit much even if the likeable right fielder deserves it. It’s about time they ditched the All-Star Game.

-The Mets got a second straight huge outing from Johan Santana, who followed up a shutout with seven more scoreless in a 3-0 win to salvage the last game of a series versus first place Atlanta. Instead of falling six games out and slipping behind suddenly resurgent Philly, the Amazin’s sit second four back. They are in it because of All-Stars David Wright and Jose Reyes, who each have had big first halfs.

However, without the production from rookie first baseman Ike Davis along with unsung heroes Angel Pagan and R.A. Dickey, they’d be sunk. Full marks to Jerry Manuel for keeping his team in it after a rough start. These Mets are resilient and easy to admire. Fasten your seatbelts for a great second half pennant race.

-I admit I was glad when Cliff Lee went to Texas even if it seems awfully strange how it happened after it sounded like they agreed to a deal with the Yanks that featured Jesus Montero, David Adams and Zach McAllister. I covered the latter two and really feel McAllister could crack the Yankee rotation in 2012. Starting pitching ain’t the problem. Relief and another bat remain needs. Besides, why sacrifice prospects when the biggest payroll can just flash the wallet at Lee this November?

-Is Joba still better than Phil Hughes?!?!?!?!?!

-Robby Cano’s having a great year but the MVP is Miguel Cabrera’s to lose.

-Ilya Kovalchuk, can you please make up your mind before September?

Despite losing last night, things aren't looking so bad for the Mets.

-The reality is the Mets have dropped three of five since losing a home series to the division leading Phillies. If you factor in that they lost the last two in that series, that’s a 2-5 record. They’re three over .500 or the same record as the Giants after getting swept by the red hot Halo’s. The big difference is the Amazin’s only are three out despite no Jose Reyes or Carlos Delgado while the Giants trail the first place Dodgers by eight and a half. So, it has more to do with how Philly’s played since losing four of five to Boston and Toronto so far. That’s why now a year on the job, Jerry Manuel should feel alright about his team’s chances.

-Hard to believe it’s been a year since the Mets unceremoniously dumped easy target Willie Randolph with the news not coming in until 3 AM here with WFAN’s Tony Paige getting the news with them on a West Coast trip. Of course, it was embarrassing to say the least. But a year has come and gone and now Willie is a bench coach with the first place Brewers. So, can you really feel bad for him these days? Exactly.

-In listening to Mike Francesa go on and on about his ‘centerfielder’ Nate McLouth, you’d think the Braves would be on a tear. Oh. What’s this? They lost yet again 4-3 to the Reds making it four straight losses, dropping them four under. Wake us up when McLouth makes a big impact in the NL East.

-Speaking of which, Andrew McCutchen went yard for his first major league dinger in a Pittsburgh 8-2 win over Minnesota. With a pair of hits, RBI’s and a run scored in the leadoff spot, the 22 year-old centerfield phenom continues to excel. In other words, the Pirates aren’t missing McLouth that much. Tell ya something else. With the improved run production from third baseman Andy LaRoche, who came over from L.A. in the Manny Ramirez/Jason Bay trade, suddenly Pitt’s getting a decent return. Especially with Delwyn Young also contributing. You start to look at that Pirate lineup and suddenly, given some of the kids in it including speedster Nyier Morgan along with a bounceback year for Adam LaRoche, it’s not bad. When they get back starting backstop Ryan Doumit, that should only help. Proven middle infielders like Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson aren’t bad either. Both could be available next month.

The Pirates (31-34) have also gotten good pitching from ace Zach Duke. They possess some strong arms including Ian Snell, who pitched better last night going six frames of two-run ball for only his second win. Paul Maholm ain’t bad either and former Yankee Ross Ohlendorf has given them some solid innings winning half a dozen. John Grabow has been a solid setup man and closer Matt Capps has saved 16 of 18. It’s true that Pittsburgh will likely sell at the trade deadline. However, if they play their cards right and continue developing players, eventually we might see them compete in that NL Central.

-If the Mets are looking for a more affordable first base option, try Seattle where bargain basement vet Russ Branyan is having a great year hitting over .300 with 15 homers, which would easily pace the Queens club. It’s worth exploring instead of overpaying for injury prone Nick Johnson or defenseless Aubrey Huff. Besides, it’s highly unlikely the Padres would give away Adrian Gonzalez. Another possible solution could be proven vet Kevin Millar (Mill-ah) if the Blue Jays fall out of the race. Who wouldn’t want a professional bat like his?

-Kudos to Long Beach, NY native John Lannan on baffling the Yankees- pitching into the ninth allowing just two earned on four hits walking one and fanning four for his fourth victory on the lowly Nats. How do you lose to a team that’s 30 under in your own launching pad? Was it any surprise Robinson Cano didn’t deliver in a big spot, instead bouncing into a 6-4-3 twin killing against retread Mike MacDougal with the tying run 90 feet away? The second baseman’s got good numbers but he’s hardly dependable. A-Rod ain’t the only Yankee that leaves fans scratching their heads.

-How did Joe Girardi’s continued faith in Chien-Ming Wang work out?

5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 91 pitches

And he took the loss falling to 0-5 with a 12.65 ERA. In the same game, Phil Hughes continued to make a strong case tossing two scoreless while fanning a pair. When does Girardi wake up?

-With a homer and his 28th stolen base, Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury continues to improve daily.  How about a top of the order of rating AL MVP Dustin Pedroia and Ellsbury before big boppers Kevin Youkilis, Bay and Mike Lowell? And that’s with Papi hitting sixth finally showing signs.

-MVP caliber:

2B Ian Kinsler .271-17-47, 47 Runs, 13 SB

All while batting leadoff for the surprising first place Rangers.

-So Sammy Sosa becomes the latest former slugger to test positive for steroids. And this is news?

-The NY-Penn League kicks off tomorrow night in Coney Island with one of the best rivalries reuniting when the Staten Island Yankees visit the Brooklyn Cyclones. The Baby Bombers will be hosting Media Day later today and will have their home opener at the ballpark by the Ferry terminal Saturday night versus the ‘Clones. Looking forward to a great summer!

Sure. It might not have quite the appeal of Boston vs Los Angeles. But think about it. It would feature two teams which aren’t associated with winning. You have the Phillies who haven’t been to the WS in 15 years when Joe Carter was last seen circling the bases celebrating the only walkoff home run in Series history for the Jays’ repeat. It’s also a city associated with losing with nobody winning since the 1983 76ers. The Flyers lost three Stanley Cups and the Eagles lost in the Super Bowl. Plus the exasperation of Mitch Williams’ implosion during that 1993 Series which led to a six-game defeat with Carter winning it.

Then you got the Rays who before this year were always associated with losing becoming baseball’s laughingstock franchise. They won only 66 games last season giving no indication they could go from worst to first similarly to how the 1991 Twins did when they edged the Braves in another improbably yet riveting Series which went seven and had its own dramatics. Those two teams were last place clubs the year before who turned it around and gave us a memorable conclusion.

Now with both teams up 3-1 in winning positions, the reality could be here of a surprising Tampa Bay-Philadelphia series which probably would be excellent due to each ballclubs’ grit and perseverance. It wouldn’t be the ratings bonanza a Boston-LA series could bring.  But just maybe these are the best two teams and either way we’d see something we hadn’t in a while. A fresh champion.

Ain’t that better than watching the Red Sox win another Series? But their potential downfall ain’t got nothing to do without Manny Ramirez. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone that including a few choice local columnists who keep advising the Mets and Yanks not to go after the best righty slugging hitter in the game. I don’t care about all his baggage and don’t approve of how he got his way out of Massachusetts. However, even at 36 going on 37, he’s still a constant threat at the plate. Nobody’s figured out how to get him out since he became a Dodger. And this postseason, the guy’s been money.

For all the talk that teams shouldn’t commit three or four years to a player who doesn’t always give his best, were they saying that a few years ago when the Mets overcommitted for Pedro? Ramirez has a lot more left and while he might not be as great in say the final year, he can put a team that’s close over the top. Don’t you think Manny would look awfully nice batting cleanup behind David Wright with Carlos Delgado fifth and Carlos Beltran either second or sixth?

Correct me if I’m wrong here. But isn’t it about winning with the Amazin’s cause I’m not sure that’s the case anymore with the Yankee management team? Manny can win you a championship. Just look at the impact he had with a weak hitting Dodger club immediately making young emerging players like James Loney, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp better players. Before he arrived, they were under .500 despite a nice roster and were looking at missing October.

Then the slugger came and carried them with a huge September making up over six games on Arizona to win the NL West going away. With him such a factor, the Cubs never had a prayer despite owning the NL’s best record.

Understand this. For all the risks with an aging player of Manny’s caliber, there’s still no other hitter in baseball you’d want up in a key situation at this time of year. He certainly has done his part for the Dodgers who find themselves a game from elimination due to some mismanaging from Torre and a pen implosion.

Manny’s loose personality has been seen as uncaring and unmotivated. But if that were really the case, he wouldn’t have such a well disciplined approach at the plate taking his hacks. You know he’s either going to walk or hit the ball hard somewhere. It’s that same cool persona which allows him to swing free and easy because the guy doesn’t feel any pressure. He doesn’t care what’s written and is just going to let it hang all out there.

That approach works a lot better than a couple of third base sluggers’ recent track records in this area.

The Sox added two runs in the ninth off LA setup man Scot Shields with rookie Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz adding RBI base hits for the final margin giving the defending world champs home field with Josh Beckett waiting to go in Game Three at Fenway. At worst, the Red Sox come away with a split. Game Two isn’t till tomorrow night with Dice-K taking on Ervin Santana.

Boston’s Jon Lester rewarded Terry Francona with a solid seven frames allowing only a run on six hits while walking one and striking out seven to pickup the win.

-Meanwhile for the Angels, the question becomes can they overcome Boston’s psychological edge which has seen them take 10 straight, matching a major league record for consecutive wins in the postseason over one opponent tying Oakland’s dominance over Boston (1988-03). Ironically, it was in 2003 when the Red Sox overcame an 0-2 deficit winning three straight over the A’s including the deciding game on the road advancing to the first of two memorable ALCS versus the archrival Yankees.

Can the Halos recover psychologically to get back in this series or will they continue not to hit in money situations stranding 14 Wednesday. They need Santana to deliver tomorrow but must deliver big hits as well to take pressure off. We’ll see what Mike Scioscia’s ballclub is made of

-The Rays got off to a good start today in their first ever postseason in the franchise’s 11-year history posting a 6-4 Game One home win over the White Sox. The big story was rookie third baseman Evan Longoria, who hit homers in his first two at bats off losing Chicago starter Javier Vazquez. With the game scoreless, he started the second inning by taking Vazquez’ first offering deep to left center for his first career postseason dinger.

The White Sox responded thanks to Dewayne Wise’s three-run homer off Tampa starter James Shields in the third to go ahead 3-1. However, the pesky Rays came right back with three in the bottom frame thanks to Akinori Iwamura’s run scoring triple, replacement first baseman Willy Aybar’s sac fly (came in for Carlos Pena who left with eye injury) and then Longoria drilled a two out solo shot for his second homer in two at bats allowing the Rays to reclaim a 4-3 lead.

The former 2006 No.3 overall pick’s big day wasn’t done. With two runners on, he drove home his third run of the day with an RBI single plating B.J. Upton increasing the lead to 5-3. Carl Crawford singled home Aybar making it a three-run lead. What a brilliant start to Longoria’s playoff career!

Shields, who settled down after Wise’s homer ran into trouble in the seventh walking a couple to load the bases with one out forcing Joe Maddon to go to his pen calling on hard thrower Grant Balfour to get out of it. It proved to be a great move as Balfour dialed up his mid-90′s heater striking out an overmatched Juan Uribe and Orlando Cabrera with the latter allowing the reliever to get extra pumped up due to the White Sox shortstop’s foolish kicking of the dirt after ball one as the two exchanged heated words. Balfour responded by getting him swinging and telling him to take a seat. Good to see such intensity under big circumstances. Though we’re still not sure what provoked it. But it made for entertaining playoff baseball like you’ve seen in Major League I and II.

With veteran closer Troy Percival unavailable for this round, the Rays got a 1-2-3 eighth and two K’s from J.P. Howell and then veteran Dan Wheeler worked around a leadoff Paul Konerko solo blast retiring the next three for the save in their 6-4 win.

The Rays aim to go up 2-0 sending Scott Kazmir against Mark Buehrle in a battle of lefties tomorrow.

-In the second game today, so far it’s been mostly Phillies as they used a Shane Victorino two out second inning grand slam following a Pedro Feliz RBI double to score all five of their runs off Milwaukee ace C.C. Sabathia, who’s shown some exhaustion in his fourth consecutive start on three days rest. Staked to a one-run lead on a J.J. Hardy RBI walk off Philly starter Brett Myers, the potential NL Cy Young ran into trouble having a loss of control with two outs in the second. With a run already in on Feliz’ two-bagger, he lost Myers walking him and then walked Jimmy Rollins on four straight pitches loading them up for scrappy center fielder Victorino. I could tell he was in trouble and when he fell behind, I told buddy Brian Sanborn I felt a bases clearing triple coming. With the count 2-1, Victorino did one better drilling the next pitch over the left field wall for a huge grand slam suddenly making it a five-run inning to put the Phils in control up 5-1.

That’s where they still are after a scoreless fourth from Myers, who settled down after loading the bases early walking in one before getting Corey Hart to chase grounding into a 1-2-3 inning ending twin killing.

Entering the fourth, Sabathia’s thrown 72 pitches. We’ll see if he can keep the deficit at four and give his team a chance.

-In other MLB news, no surprise as both Brian Cashman and Omar Minaya were renewed by the Yanks and Mets respectively a day apart. Yesterday, Cashman re-signed for three years, six million and today, Minaya got his much rumored four-year extension through 2012 that includes options for 2013 and 2014.

After seeing his team miss on the final day of the regular season against the Marlins at home a second straight year blowing another division lead with 17 left, Minaya’s being given yet another opportunity to make fans forget this mess and improve the team enough to finally get back to October and compete for a World Series.

Ditto for Cashman, who saw the Yanks miss the postseason entirely for the first time in 15 years with him passing on Johan Santana, who performed very well in his first season at Shea even overcoming a torn cartilage in his left knee to toss one of the best games in Met history- shutting out Florida on three hits while fanning nine on the second last game of the season giving his team a chance. The 29 year-old veteran southpaw underwent successful knee surgery yesterday and is expected to be ready for Spring Training. He finished 16-7 with an NL best 2.53 ERA with 206 strikeouts in 234 and a third- eclipsing 200 K’s for a fifth straight time.

A quote from Mets owner Jeff Wilpon pretty much applies not just to his team’s situation but to Cashman’s as well as he attempts to restore order in the Bronx moving forward in what promises to be a busy offseason for both NY teams:

“Hopefully, the fans understand that as owners, we’re here as the voice of the fans, and we’re asking all these questions. And after some intense review this offseason, we’re going to find out why we fell short the last two seasons. And it’s up to Omar and his staff to correct that. But we are asking those tough questions.”

-The Phils have them loaded again with a gassed Sabathia coming out. We’ll update what happens later.

-Don’t forget a must win for the Cubs who send Carlos Zambrano to the hill tonight against Dodger 16-game winner Chad Billingsley. Sweet Lou’s club needs a win for their psyche.

Unfortunately for Cub fans, TBS analyst Ron Darling was right on the money indicating that continuing to rely on the splitter could result in a pitch being up which was eventually what happened allowing Loney to get his bat around on one for a go-ahead grand slam to dead center. A couple of innings prior, a pair of walks and a single had seen Dempster escape by fanning Andre Ethier. But he lost the plate against him and Loney made him pay the price. If you continue putting batters on, it’s usually a recipe for disaster.

The Cubs didn’t do much with Derek Lowe, who settled in nicely working six solid innings of two-run ball scattering seven hits while issuing just one walk and K-ing six including an overmatched Alfonso Soriano twice to boos. Soriano continued to struggle in the postseason turning in an 0-for-5 performance leaving three on which won’t get it done this series. They need him to get on base and wreak havoc.

Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez did as expected finishing with a pair of hits, a walk and a solo blast to left center golfing a Sean Marshall offering 20 rows up. Casey Blake added an eighth inning RBI single and Dodger catcher Russell Martin went yard in the ninth to close the scoring.

Joe Torre’s pen tossed three scoreless closing it out to take a 1-0 series lead putting the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Cubs Game 2 starter Carlos Zambrano, who will be battling 16-game winner Chad Billingsley. They desperately need a big performance from Big Z. We’ll see if he’s up to the challenge.

-In the third and final opening game of the night, the Red Sox and Angels are scoreless in the second with Jon Lester taking on John Lackey. Can the Halos finally get a win over Boston in October. We’ll have a better answer by the end of the night.

-I realize Brad Lidge escaped by the hair on his chinny chin chin notching the save stranding the tying runners in scoring position but would it have killed Charlie Manuel to stick with his ace Cole Hamels, who dominated the first eight innings against the Brewers permitting two hits and fanning nine on 101 pitches? What’s wrong with allowing a big starter to finish what they started?

-WFAN’s Chris Carlin says the Yankees rewarding Brian Cashman with three more years aren’t about winning World Series anymore and how can we argue given the Yankee GM’s recent track record. Until proven otherwise, the Yanks are heading the wrong way with Boston, Tampa and maybe even Toronto making the AL East baseball’s toughest division.

-There’s been a lot of discussion about this but if the Mets trade either pair of 25 year-old stars David Wright or Jose Reyes, they’ve lost their minds as much as some of their fans along with Mr. Know It All Mike Francesa.

In the end, both teams despite big names proved to be flawed which was why they fell short in their postseason bids. Injuries aside, the Yankees didn’t have enough pitching or timely hitting. For some reason, they never hit the way they could’ve and too often couldn’t deliver in the clutch. That along with being a very streaky team which sometimes lacked energy kept them from putting together that run with their best ball coming way too late when the season was already lost.

The Mets also had their share of injuries but severely underperformed the first 10 weeks getting Willie Randolph axed before waking up under Jerry Manuel to get back in the race. Despite no pen to speak of, they persevered and once again were in great position to win their division before it all came crashing down in the final couple of weeks though not as badly as last year. While the pen could never be trusted and cost them a ton of games, what was most baffling was the offense which at times disappeared. How do you explain getting shutout 1-0 against the majors’ worst team the Nats? And what about scoring only five runs in the do or die weekend series against the same Marlins who danced on their field eliminating them last year? Questions will continue to linger about David Wright and Jose Reyes until they stop disappearing and carry this team back to October and beyond.

Now, it will be a long offseason for Omar Minaya with plenty of angry customers wondering why next year will be different at Citi Field. Getting a real second baseman while unloading Luis Castillo along with revamping the bullpen are just a couple of topics he must address with new record closer Francisco Rodriguez at the top of the list. It’s also likely Pedro Martinez pitched his final game as a Met after struggling mightily. And then there’s Oliver Perez, who will be seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $12-16 million per year under greedy agent Scott Boras$. Is he really worth that kind of money longterm? I say no. He’s just too unpredictable to get to that next level. What about Carlos Delgado? Do they pick up the $12 million option rewarding him for his brilliant second half or do they try to get younger going for better defense? If they let him go, it won’t be easy to replace his big bat.

As for the Yankees, they will need to decide on center field moving forward along with what they intend to do with Joba Chamberlain. If they make him a starter, then they must continue to shore up their pen. Bringing back 20-game winner Mike Mussina should be at the top of Brian Cashman’s list. Figure Andy Pettite to either retire or go elsewhere following a dismal second half. The Yanks of course need a real ace and should be in the running for C.C. Sabathia, John Lackey or A.J. Burnett with him expected to opt out of Toronto. There’s also the first base situation where they could be competing with the Angels and Mets for Mark Teixeira. Figure Jason Giambi to go elsewhere after a productive season proving he can still be a valuable DH somewhere. As for Bobby Abreu, he’s a solid run producer who gets on base but leaves something to be desired for in right which is why we see Xavier Nady shifting.

Whatever transpires over the next three months, New York baseball fans know full well their rosters won’t look the same following a quiet October.

Get ready for chaos.

-Just in case we forgot, there’s still one more regular season game to be played later today when the Twins visit the Windy City against the White Sox, who earned the one-game home playoff by getting a grand slam from overlooked rookie second baseman Alexei Ramirez in an 8-2 win over the Tigers in a makeup game Monday. They get the game despite winning their first in six thanks to the Twins dropping two of three to the Royals despite sweeping three from Ozzie Guillen’s club to pull half a game up. It’ll be John Danks going on three days rest against Nick Blackburn to decide the AL Central for the final playoff berth.

One team will advance to play the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series while Boston travels to California to meet the 100-win Angels.

The NL of course is all set with the Cubs taking on the Dodgers while the Phillies host the Brewers, who are in their first postseason in 26 years.

We’ll have more playoff stuff later on.

-It’s hard to choose one between each but our pick for NL MVP would be Ryan Howard for how he carried the Phillies the final month having one of the best Septembers eerily similar to when he clubbed 58 home runs and knocking in 149 to win the award two years ago. I’ve always been a huge fan of Manny Ramirez and he sure stepped up carrying the Dodgers in the final two months impacting their lineup while coming back to win the NL West. But it’s hard to pick him over Howard with how well the first base slugger finished leading his team to a 13-3 record over the final 16 pressure packed games in a very tight race.

-The same could be said for the NL Cy Young where worthy candidates like Johan Santana, Brandon Webb and Tim Lincecum all are in the running against Milwaukee rental Sabathia, who tossed a remarkable seven complete games pacing the league while turning in a money performance following Santana’s gem to get the Brewers in. For that, we’ll give the nod to Sabathia over Lincecum with Santana third and Webb fourth.

-AL MVP is a little easier and could depend on if the Twins win with Justin Morneau once again in the running against Boston tandem Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. It’s hard to ignore Carlos Quentin’s impact with the White Sox, who haven’t been the same since he went down. To be honest, he would’ve been a lock had he not broken his wrist. If the Twins get in, Morneau should win his second MVP in three years this time edging another do everything infielder Pedroia, who resembles a young Derek Jeter. If not, give the award to Pedroia because he’s been his team’s best player since the Manny trade.

-As for AL Cy Young, Cliff Lee should get the nod handily edging out K-Rod, Dice-K and Roy Halladay. I know he won’t get a lot of consideration but Moose deserves a few votes for how well he pitched in the Bronx this year.

-What else can Joe Girardi be two-faced about and purposely hide from the media?

-It’s nice to see Brett Favre finally be allowed to open it up and get on the same page with Laveranues Coles, who caught three touchdowns for the first time in his career- half of Favre’s career high six in the Jets’ 56-35 win over Kurt Warner and the Cards. I just wonder if Gang Green fans can be pleased about their D turning a 34-0 halftime cushion into a game by allowing three straight TDs in the third quarter before Favre and the Jet offense put it away.

-Did anyone ever think the Bills and Titans would both be the only remaining unbeatens in the AFC looking like playoff locks?

-How come Terrell Owens always blames Dallas defeats on not getting him involved enough when it was about as believable as anything Sarah Palin says? Can’t he ever give credit to the opponent because the Redskins played a heck of a game and have certainly turned things around since the NFL Opener defeat to the Giants? But hey. T-Ho will always be a selfserving primadona who doesn’t care about the team concept despite his talent which is why I’d never take him on my team.

-I could do a better job than Scott Linehan did with the Rams.

-It sure took long enough for the Lions to realize Matt Millen wasn’t a good Team President. I wonder what keyed them in on that.

-When someone takes shots at the Yanks and Mets for not qualifying, just remember you could be the Tigers who gave up the world for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, who now looks like a serious rebuilding project. Tell ya one thing. Cameron Maybin sure looks good in center for the Marlins. And if Andrew Miller pans out, that’s gonna be one heck of a rotation in 2009. The Mets and Phillies might have some competition for the NL East.

-Just how ridiculous is Jim Dolan? Idiotic enough to continue bringing back Allan Houston while refusing to payoff Stephon Marbury to get him off the Knicks roster. That’s why no matter who’s running it, they’ll always be the same laughingstock.

-Now would be a good time to tell the Rangers that the NHL regular season begins in a few days over in Europe cause they have looked really bad so far. I wonder what Glen Sather thinks now of investing six years and six and a half per on Wade Redden. Just wait till the season starts up. You ain’t seen nothing yet.

-What I like about the Giant organization is they stick to their rules disciplining Plaxico Burress for missing two straight days of practice even if it was due to a personal family matter. The wideout still should’ve communicated better this way he wouldn’t be fined and have to sit out next week’s home game versus Seattle. However, there aren’t any excuses and no exceptions under Coach Coughlin which is why I believe this team can repeat. They get it!

-Someone might want to tell Jerry Jones that this isn’t the 50′s anymore when he last played organized football. He doesn’t belong on the sideline.

-Boomer and Carton are a fun listen on WFAN in the morning because they work well and have solid chemistry. Listening to them rant over the Mets’ latest disappointment was good radio. Loved Carton’s nickname for Wright for failing to deliver in the clutch: “D-Rod.” A reference to Alex Rodriguez.

-I feel bad for diehard Met fans like Steve Somers, Tony Paige, Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno, who live and die with their team all year long. You can feel the emotion and terrible bitterness in their voices. Particularly Somers, who last week coming back from a great Weezer concert sounded heartbroken over a costly extra inning defeat to the Cubs. You could really tell how badly he wanted to see them get in and reverse last year.

They all did and showed so much. Maybe if the Mets had played with as much energy as they brought to the WFAN airwaves, they wouldn’t be sitting home instead getting ready for Lou Piniella’s Cubs. They might get paid to talk sports but they wear the Mets’ logo as a badge of honor as did outstanding play-by-play man Howie Rose.

Nobody ever likes to get their hearts broken. Especially by their favorite sports team which is what can make following sports so crazy. One minute, you’re as high as the sky and the next you feel like burying yourself under the sand.

It’s the real diehards who never abandon ship who shall always get my sorrows. Cause it takes a lot sometimes to stay with a team that constantly gives you heartache.

Now it comes down to another Sunday late in September at Shea just like last year against the very same Florida team who still can spoil the final ever regular season game at the old ballpark. However, that wouldn’t be possible without the former Twin two-time AL Cy Young winner pitching like an ace earning every penny of his big contract for his 16th victory improving to 9-0 in 17 starts since late June.

The best aspect was that the 29 year-old southpaw demanded to pitch taking on the large responsibility for a flawed team which is real thin on pitching. Right away, you could tell Santana had superb stuff with his fastball hitting 94 on the gun and his bread and butter slider change biting out of the strike zone fooling batters.

This was the kind of special performance which can energize a team desperately looking for a much better result than the morgue Shea turned into last year. But wasn’t it John Maine who was utterly brilliant on a Saturday giving that team life before Tom Glavine destroyed it in less than one inning? Why will it be different this time? You might say because this Met team has a pulse and is much more together under Manuel wanting October so badly despite no bullpen to speak of.

They fight to the bitter end this time and don’t want today to be the last ever game played at Shea before they move into their new park next store at Citi Field. It’s not possible without Santana who has had exactly the kind of second half he needed turning around a so/so season into the NL’s best ERA lowering it to 2.53 and putting himself in play for the Cy Young. Though the field should be packed with contenders including Milwaukee rental C.C. Sabathia, who’ll be once again going on short rest trying to deliver the same sort of virtuoso performance to make Brewer fans forget that their team hasn’t seen the postseason in 26 years when they were still in the AL East.

Santana’s shall be a tough act to follow after how he dialed up 117 more pitches following a career high 125 in a win over the Cubs Tuesday to three-hit a dangerous hitting Marlin team. With his team up a pair in the fifth, he escaped a bases loaded two out jam by getting rookie catcher John Baker to line out to right fielder Ryan Church who was positioned perfectly preserving the two-run lead.

From that point, he only got stronger cruising through the next three innings by getting a few batters to chase that change which helped him ring up nine strikeouts.

“I just went out there and tried to finish it. I didn’t do anything crazy,” he later acknowledged. “I knew the situation we were in.”

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen, given the situation,” praised potential Monday sudden death starter Pedro Martinez.

At 104 after eight which was right around Manuel’s limit, there was no doubt that he wasn’t coming out of such a crucial game. Not with the hardest three outs to get. Especially if you root for these Mets.

“You couldn’t have pulled him out. He wouldn’t have let you,” the cool skipper said while going on to add:

“How many did he pitch? How many did he throw? Wow, wow, wow, wow. I think if I had to describe that one, I would say that was gangsta. That was real gangsta.”

When it looked like he’d finish without any drama, a one out Josh Willingham double off the left field wall made things interesting again. Still a couple of outs to go. But then Santana made Dan Uggla look silly chasing three changes for out two.

One more. Even if you weren’t a Met fan, you had to be into it wanting to see him finish such a gem. He quickly got ahead of Cody Ross 0-2 before the count went to 1-2. One more pitch would do it but what would it be without making Met fans hearts race?

Then Ross put a really good swing on one of the few Santana pitches which got enough of the plate sending it deep making fans fear the worst. Could it possibly be? But much like Met great Mike Piazza’s home run swing off Mariano Rivera which turned into the final out of the 2000 World Series, Ross’ ball died on the warning track safely into left fielder Endy Chavez’ glove.

Game over. Met season saved and very much in play thanks to Lou Piniella, who wisely pulled Jason Marquis when the Brewers suddenly had them loaded down a run before Michael Wuertz got dangerous first base slugger Prince Fielder to bounce into an inning ending twin killing. In a previous match-up versus Marquis, he had a bases clearing double in the Brew Crew’s only win in three last week at Wrigley.

The Met season probably hung in the balance with that at bat. Instead, Wuertz induced the ground ball and the Cubs got insurance off struggling Milwaukee closer Salomon Torres highlighted by Kosuke Fukudome’s two-run home run and then tacked on one more for good measure.

“It’s obviously been a roller-coaster ride,” Milwaukee interim manager Dale Sveum pointed out after his team blew a five and a half game WC lead before passing the Mets only to have their five-game win streak stopped making Game 162 a must win. “But the fact of the matter is, when we started, if somebody said, ‘You’re tied after game 161, would you take that in spring training?’ Thirty teams would have done that.”

Now we get another riveting conclusion to a wild season which won’t soon be forgotten. The Mets will send out Oliver Perez hoping the good one will show up at the ballpark when he takes on fellow lefty Scott Olsen. They’ll honor their past before the big game and then start up less than an hour before Sabathia gets the ball against Cub no-name Angel Guzman, who’s subbing in place of Carlos Zambrano much to Met fans’ chagrin.

Such is the situation when the NL’s best team has nothing to play for and will probably sit out many regulars in preparation for Wednesday.

“I didn’t think about tomorrow, I thought about today,” Santana added while keeping perspective for why he had such success.

Now, it all comes down to this with a possible one game playoff at Shea tomorrow if necessary.

Martinez then appropriately shouted as he departed the one word which sums it up:

“Manana!”

Only time shall tell for these Amazin’s.