-And so, the New York baseball season is over and it really does feel weird that both the Mets and Yankees won’t be playing meaningful baseball as October gets ready to hit. I just can’t remember what this felt like. Sure. The two teams both finished with identical records winning 89 games which meant they didn’t stink by any stretch but when you have the kind of payrolls they do, so many expectations come with it for this spoiled city which makes it all the more disappointing.

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.

Last night, the final baseball game was played at legendary Yankee Stadium where the Yankees gave a memorable sendoff complete with honoring their storied 105-year tradition by remembering the best players at every position who contributed to those 26 World Championships and 39 pennants.

They were almost all there on what was the last night at The House that Ruth Built. Babe Ruth hit the first home run ever when the place opened in 1923 beginning that rich history on the way to the franchise’s first ever championship. From 1923 to 2000, they won 26 altogether- two more than the Montreal Canadiens’ 24. Most in professional sports history.

Yeah, they won which was how it should be. So, what are my thoughts on it? I have too many to express right now. All I know is that place will forever be like a grand cathedral. As a Yankee fan for over 20 years, it became special to go to games. I grew up during the 1980’s when the team wasn’t winning despite boasting my all-time favorite player Don Mattingly at first along with Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson and Willie Randolph. Those teams never had enough pitching and were run during the chaotic time when George Steinbrenner was The Boss.

As Mattingly went from being baseball’s premier superstar to just a good player who dealt with a bad back, the team became awful. I can recall many a time hopping the bus, Ferry and train with my friend Ivan to go see those early 1990’s teams. Boy did they stink! We never seemed to care though as they were our Yankees and we could easily walkup and buy upper deck seats for cheap. Most of all, it was fun as we were young and enjoyed cheering on our team saving our loudest for Donnie Baseball.

We didn’t care how bad the team was. When you’re young, you just want to go to games and root on your favorite players and team. Of course, you want them to win. But it was back in the carefree days before to quote my favorite character Sean Dillon from many a Jack Higgins novel said:

“Greed ruled the day.“

How true that quote is when it comes to almost anything these days. Especially baseball. Remember when Danny Tartabull was paid handsomely at five million per year by the Yanks and Bobby Bonilla similarly with the Mets and would “show them da Bronx” because he didn’t take to Bob Klapisch during the dog days when both New York teams fizzled?

Man. I can still remember that cover on the old Sports Card Trader which was my favorite price guide before Beckett put them out of business. Ah. Things were much simpler back then.

My good friend and NY Hockey Report co-host Joe McDonald had an interesting take on the final game at The Stadium. A very different one from my innocent childhood memories when things were much more affordable and a kid could be a kid and root for the home team to win. His piece is about how a once proud Stadium which really was beautiful and a place that should’ve remained the home for the Pinstripes much like Fenway Park for the hated Red Sox and Wrigley Field for those lovable Cubs became a place where greed took it down.

And why you ask? For a new stadium across the street where tennis courts and a park were torn down keeping inner city youths from staying off the streets. Sure. In a couple of years when every last Stadium piece of memorabilia is auctioned off on ebay, there’ll be a brand new state of the art park facility complete with track, tennis courts and football and soccer fields.

Now here’s a question for the geniuses who did this for all the wrong reason$? Why did they really do it? You know the answer. For the almighty buck. Greed has once again prevailed destroying a still wonderful Stadium for their beloved new one. And certainly, it looks like it will be a very nice place as they’re constructing it like how the original first looked preaching history and tradition.

But at what cost? Have you seen what the prices were the past few years just to go? And you know what happens when the new place (I refuse to say New Stadium cause there’s only one) opens up next April?!?!?!?!?!

$$$

Now I ask who exactly will be able to afford to go see the Yankees at the new place? Not me, my wonderful Dad or my brother Justin or many average diehards. Because they’re gonna sell that place out to the higher ups who can afford the hefty raises. You know they already were getting almost 10 bucks a pop for beer. And pretty much everything was already overpriced. So, who wins? Not the hardcore baseball fan who has to feed a family of four. Those days are becoming more extinct by the second.

So, how do I feel? Sad. That’s how! Not because of the ridiculousness of this whole charade. But sad that it’s really over. The end of an Era. One which never should’ve been allowed to commence. You can’t replace Yankee Stadium. And sure. What Yogi Berra said was true during a very well put together ESPN SC feature:

“It’s not gone. The memories are forever.”

Memories like Mel Hall (who knew he was such a low life) jacking a game-winning three-run home run to beat Jeff Reardon and the Red Sox on Memorial Day. A day I’ll never forget. Me and Ivan left our older Met buddy Stu celebrating and headed for the press area where players came out and saw Wade Boggs and other Sox get on the bus. Of course there was booing and other obscenities. By the time we ventured back to his car in the lot, he was sitting on top of it.

So many times, we went and I’d always buy the scorecard which back then was two bucks. I’d score it like any real fan. I always took pride in it even though I was young and new to the scoring system.

1 was pitcher

2 was catcher

3 was first

4 = second

5 = third

6 = SS

7 = LF

8 = CF

9 = RF

There were different plays of course.

groundout to 2nd was 4-3

to 3rd across the diamond was 5-3

and SS was 6-3

double play hit to short, second to first = 6-4-3 which became known as my fave DP because of the art of the turning of it by the players. Such chemistry. even at Low-A, I witnessed a great DP combo with superb defense on display between SS Addison Maruszak and 2B David Adams. It was one of the things I enjoyed most about covering the 2008 Staten Island Yankees until I missed the final three weeks.

a pop to first is just 3

a flyout to center is 8

fly to RF is 9

to LF is 7

and so forth

What if a player flewout to left and a player tried to score from third but was thrown out?

that’s 7 for the first out. And then scored 7-2 cause it’s left fielder throwing to the catcher for an assist getting that second out (runner at plate).

In many ways, scoring a game with these cool number abbreviations is like a math formula in school. It’s almost like x = y though that’s much harder.

Then there were how to score hits, walks, strikeouts, etc.

single is a single line —-

double is 2 lines ——

——

triple is 3 lines or you can go 3b but that takes the fun out. I prefer the lines.

HR = four lines

walk = BB or W I like BB (Base on Ball)

strikeout = K or SO (K is better)

Other stuff:

hit batsmen = HP

intentional walk = IBB

wild pitch = WP

error is E and the player’s position. So if it’s an error on the second baseman, it’s E4.

shortstop would be E6

1b = E3

CF= E8

This has and will always be baseball etiquette. No wonder I took to it so well. The best game I ever scored was Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter against Seattle in 1996. I still have that scorecard saved with the ticket stubs in there up in our attic. That’s how special it was. I liked Doc growing up when he was on the Mets and also liked Darryl Strawberry, which is why it was always weird how they both wound up on the ‘96 world champion Yanks exactly a decade after leading the Amazin’s to their second world championship.

Best aspect of that no-no which came on Sock Night was I got to choose the game for free because when we went to Opening Day versus the Royals, there was some snow and icy 30 degree temps adding the new definition to early April baseball and why it’s wiser to start a little later. Just ask those fans in Coors who frequently get snowed out. It’s a Rockie tradition.

A free game and we got to see major league baseball history. How cool was that? And while Gooden made things interesting in that ninth walking a couple and hitting a batter leading to a run which meant game was on the line before he K’d Ken Griffey, Jr. and got the pop up to record one more no-hitter than the Mets have ever had. Crazy stuff. Huh? Imagine the darts being tossed at the TV set by Met fans at bars.

There also was that three-HR game from Darryl versus the White Sox which me and a few buddies from camp went to. Three straight and I promised to get drunk. It was fun!

These are the kind of memories which last forever. Like they said, passed down from generation to generation. Maybe I wasn’t there when they won one of those four World Series like buddies Ivan and Michael- the two biggest Yankee fans I know who definitely had a huge part of them die last night.

I could go on and post Mike’s email tribute to the place which Bob Sheppard made sound like God’s place. Well, that’s cause like Bob Costas, he truly was/is the Voice of God. That echo after the pronunciation of each player felt like it was coming from the sky in the Heavens above.

How else could you explain it? The guy is a legend. I don’t care how old he is. He’s been doing this forever and I sure hope he’s back next year to christen the new place even if I don’t plan to spend a dime. I can watch at home and hear that familiar voice which has been home to so many familiarizing us with our baseball heroes.

There’s much more that I want to say but need to take a break for now.

I will voice more later on why it was so special.

Only at one Stadium. Memories shall always last in our hearts.

-Listening to WFAN’s Tony Paige in his monologue of one of the worst Met losses and the overnight host is absolutely dead on about Johan Santana not being left in to start the ninth inning against the division rival Phillies. The Mets led 5-1 at one point until the former Twins’ AL Cy winner gave up a solo shot to Philly center fielder Shane Victorino in the seventh. Still, the Met ace on this night pitched like one getting through the eighth with a three-run lead intact. In fact, he had thrown just 105 pitches. You had to figure he had something left to maybe even finish what was the biggest game of the season at a packed Shea with first place up for grabs. Instead, on a night when he didn’t have Billy Wagner available (shoulder tightness), Jerry Manuel opted to pinch hit for Santana. Instead, he turned it over to Duaner Sanchez.

Paige took note of the intro of the AP game recap. One which is worth repeating:

When Jimmy Rollins saw New York reliever Duaner Sanchez come out to pitch the ninth inning instead of starter Johan Santana or closer Billy Wagner, he went straight to the batting tee to stay loose.

It didn’t matter that he was due up sixth and the Philadelphia Phillies trailed by three runs. He thought they had a chance.

The ever optimistic NL MVP was right.

You’d think by now some managers would learn. Especially when Wagner wasn’t around to close it out which meant Manuel was banking on Sanchez to come through in a different role. Instead, the setup man failed miserably giving up three straight base hits loading the bases forcing the interim skipper to pull him for second-year reliever Joe Smith. Smith closed games for the Single-A Cyclones a couple of years ago. Truthfully, it wasn’t his fault that Jose Reyes on a grounder missed the second base bag allowing a run to score and everyone to be safe. Still, he was out of the game replaced by lefty Pedro Feliciano. He’s been a fixture in seventh and eighth situations usually against lefties. Don’t believe me? Check the splits entering last night:

vs left .222

vs right .324

-Like many, I didn’t realize how hurt Tiger Woods was in winning the U.S. Open this past Monday. Who knew how far golf’s best would go just to return to the golf course and partake in another major, winning a historic 14th? It’s hard to believe that he was able to play all 91 holes including the dramatic playoff sudden death where he edged buddy Rocco Mediate for a third U.S. Open. I’m not going to say I’m an avid golf fan or a big Tiger supporter after how he dissed the Stanley Cup. However, his performance was not only heroic but one of the most courageous things ever in sports. It’s true that golfers don’t take the physicality of say football, hockey or even basketball or baseball. But to think he’d return prematurely against doctors’ wishes when they said he needed to shut it down for three more weeks tells you all you need to know about Tiger’s competitive fire. When I first heard him explain after winning that he couldn’t give up with all the supporters watching, I thought it was just a typical phony answer. But that proved to be otherwise as it was discovered that he would need reconstructive ACL knee surgery and will miss the rest of the PGA season. Even more amazing is that according to ESPN’s SportsCenter, Woods’ walked over 21 miles on the greens just to complete his 14th major championship. When you have a bad knee like he did, that is far from easy. He said it would go down as one of his top two majors. I have to beg to differ. For me, it’s No.1 on the list. And he did it as a first time father too. A tip of the cap to the greatest golfer I’ve ever seen. Congrats to him and best wishes for a speedy recovery as he chases Jack Nicklaus.

-You know. Lost amidst all the deserved criticism Mets management is receiving for their awful mishandling of Willie Randolph’s firing is that they’re just four and a half behind the suddenly struggling Phillies for the division. And three in the loss column. Omar Minaya did come off like a puppet at that bizarre press conference explaining the ridiculous timing after one road game which was the final ‘W’ under Willie. But the move had to be made because the questions only would’ve lingered hanging over the players’ heads. The pressure’s off even if it’s on because they no longer have to worry about who’s managing them. Now they can just go out and play baseball under Jerry Manuel which is the best thing they’ve needed all season. As I’ve echoed before in this space, this under .500 ballclub after last night’s 7-1 loss in Colorado is perfectly capable of going on a run and overtaking the Phils for the NL East. They boast the better staff and have enough talented hitters in that lineup to compete with anyone. The choice is theirs.

-So much for the Yanks’ seven-game win streak, huh? How do you lose two at home to the hapless Reds? It’s getting more difficult to take them seriously. Especially if the Rays keep winning. Tell you something else. Derek Jeter better get it going soon. He and Robinson Cano haven’t produced. When Melky Cabrera has more homers than both, that’s not a good sign.

-Mike Mussina has really pitched unreal this season and deserves a spot on the AL All-Star squad at the Stadium. It’s amazing to think how well he’s pitching at age 39 when he looked all done last year.

-I still say that Jose Reyes can carry the Mets back in it. There are few players who can impact the game more.

-Novak Djokovic sure has a big mouth for someone who’s won one grand slam. He beat Roger Federer at less than 100 percent back in January. You don’t think the rating five-time Wimbledon champion wants revenge if they meet in another slam semi? Here’s hoping Roger kicks the Serbian’s ass.

-It’s finally okay to tell the Lakers to guard a wide open Celtic. Jack Nicholson would’ve put up a better fight in Game Six.

The plug was officially pulled on Willie Randolph nearly an hour ago. Reported by the Daily News, word came down on WFAN’s overnight show via Tony Paige at around 3:20 AM.  

For a silly reason only known to Mets management, they waited until the team flew across the coast 3,000 miles away and won their first game of a six-game road trip 9-6 over the Angels on the bat of Carlos Beltran’s two home runs. Ironically, it was their third win in four pulling them within a game of .500 (34-35).

How does this make sense? Firing Randolph after a win is one thing but having the nerve to allow him to fly with the ballclub and get a final ‘W’ before giving them the axe is bush league. Or as he referred to it as Omar Minaya sharpening the machete three weeks prior.

As it turned out, Willie was ultimately proven right about the untouchable Mets GM giving him a vote of confidence being the “kiss of death.”

Sadly, the proverbial writing was on the wall when rumors resurfaced heading into the weekend via WFAN SI baseball reporter Jon Heyman who hinted that the former Yankee second baseman’s job could be in serious jeopardy. Why they waited until after they flied out to the Pacific is baffling. The timing just seems eerie. Already on Paige’s show in the last half hour, both FAN beat reporter Ed Coleman and Daily News Met beat writer Adam Rubin have trashed the move referring to it as “bush league” and “classless.”

Also out along with Randolph are pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto. Former White Sox skipper Jerry Manuel will take over managing duties on an interim basis while Ken Oberfell, Dan Warthen and Luis Aguayo were all promoted.

Not only was this a move the organization knew they were forcing Minaya into but the GM was non-committal as to whether Randolph’s staff would be in uniform for last night’s game. There’s a right and wrong way to handle this kind of stuff. Sadly, the Amazin’s led by the dumb and dumber Wilpon duo chose the wrong path and come out looking pretty small.

The only salvation for Randolph is that the awful last month where the dark storm clouds were hanging over his head ready to strike at any moment are finally over. Perhaps that’s for the best. Clearly, this classy a man didn’t deserve the kind of second rate treatment he received. It had a similar feel to how lowly Hank Steinbrenner and nerd Randy Levine mistreated Joe Torre last year making him feel unwanted and wisely walking away before winding up across the coast in Dodger blue.

Now, the Mets have no more excuses and neither does a fanbase who had favored getting rid of the manager despite the improvement it showed in his three-plus years even capturing the NL East for the first time since 1988 getting within a game of the World Series two years ago.

Unfortunately, Randolph’s tenure will best be remembered not for how close they came but rather for the awful collapse last September blowing a seven-game lead with two weeks left to the Phillies to miss the playoffs.

Even with his team underperforming, Willie always kept a straight face and calmly answered questions when the situation had to be extremely stressful.

Is this the right move for the Mets going forward? We won’t know the answer until three months from now. They’re capable of playing much better. Maybe the change will work sparking energy.

Once the skipper goes, that usually means the players or guy who organized the roster are next. The pressure’s on the personnel to perform. If they don’t and miss October again, you could see an entirely different roster next year.

For now, it is what it is. Bush league.

Copyright Getty Images

The Mets have become the biggest story here in NYC. They finally have all the back pages as many of their diehards have craved for so long. Only thing is it’s not for how well their team is playing on the field and certainly not for the unnecessary distractions off it.

Just call it the circus in Flushing. For years, it’s always been the Yankees who perfected the art not knowing how to handle situations. Joe Torre had to deal with so much garbage. Well, now it’s former bench coach Willie Randolph who’s on the hot seat never really knowing day to day whether he’s staying or going.

Truthfully, it’s not all the former Yankee second baseman’s fault that his team has underachieved headed into a three-game set at the Angels two under .500 at 33 up and 35 down. Does the manager have a responsibility in this mess which has the Amazin’s trailing the Phillies by six and a half entering tonight? Of course. Ultimately, his ballclub hasn’t played the brand of baseball needed to make fans forget last year’s dreadful September collapse.

There’s just been zero consistency for a team many expected to not only win the NL East but had going to the World Series. That’s why they play the games. If talent and highest payrolls always won, then the Yankees wouldn’t be first round failures since that colossal choke job against the rival Red Sox. You can spend all the cash you want on a few of the best players the league has to offer but it doesn’t always account for chemistry.

Last winter, Omar Minaya patiently waited playing a perfect game of chess before cornering the Twins for lefty ace Johan Santana. This was the big deal that would put the Mets over the top. The same way once the Yanks acquired Alex Rodriguez, it was over for the rest of baseball. Despite two MVPs to his collection and a record-breaking new contract, how has that worked out? It’s been eight years since the Bronx Bombers won a 26th World Series.

There’s no such thing as a guarantee in sports unless it’s Rafael Nadal on clay or the Knicks continuing to suck no matter who Jim Dolan brings in.

Are the Mets a colossal disappointment through the first 68 games this season? Undoubtedly. So too are their crosstown rivals who finally got to four over by sweeping the Astros over the weekend. Despite that, they still got bad news when ace Chien-Ming Wang sprained his right foot tearing a tendon while scoring a run in yesterday’s 13-0 win. He’ll likely be lost till September. What that means for New York’s postseason aspirations is a giant sized question mark.

It’s never too late for the Mets to turn around their season. Five in the loss column can be made up quickly. Especially with this much time left. All they have to do is put together a hot streak and the Phils could comeback to the pack. It would be nice for the Queens club to at least demonstrate to their fans that they’re actually capable of that. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like they were coming around but then came that awful four-game series in San Diego and three vicious losses during a mediocre .500 homestand against Arizona and Texas.

After splitting a doubleheader with the Rangers thanks to a solid six from Pedro Martinez and the right move by the much maligned manager pulling his starter for pinch hitter Robinson Cancel who delivered the clutch two-run hit, the Mets headed West for six games against the Angels and the Rockies beginning tonight.

Despite taking two of three over the weekend, there was still a lingering question as to whether Randolph would still be managing them. Such is the chaotic nature of Met management letting the classy former player who grew up in Brooklyn hang in the wind. A published NY Post report indicated that Fred and Jeff Wilpon had given Minaya the authority to axe Randolph and his coaches if he felt it was warranted.

How nice. The owners have no backbone or common decency. Instead, they let their GM who hasn’t exactly done a good job this year bolstering a shaky pen or making the bench younger do all their dirty work cause they want nothing to do with it. It can’t possibly be that the $140 million they shelled out could produce such a mediocre club. Never occurred to them. At least Hank Steinbrenner is hands on even though he’s extremely irritating.

Where’s the accountability? If Minaya fires Randolph or say Howard Johnson, guru Rick Peterson or Sandy Alomar for that dreadful decision sending Brian Schneider which cost them a chance at a great comeback in the first game yesterday, who’s to say it’s going to change a team which can’t rely on Carlos Delgado or Moises “DL” Alou. Luis Castillo isn’t much better due to his knees yet was signed to a four-year extension.

Then there’s Ryan Church who was on his way to the All-Star Game in the Bronx before the Mets rushed him back from a concussion. You don’t ever do that under any consequence.

Will a new skipper automatically change Jose Reyes’ approach? What about the streakiness of stars Carlos Beltran and David Wright? Is it just Randolph’s fault that John Maine throws too many pitches to go more than six most nights? What about Oliver Perez’ continued Jekyll and Hyde act?

They also don’t have a complete game from Santana who makes too much money not to at least go nine once or twice and save the bullpen from wrecking a probable win as what transpired last week. Remarkably, Mike Pelfrey came the closest pitching into the ninth before Billy Wagner blew it serving up a tying three-run dinger. At least the Mets still won thanks to a Beltran extra inning blast.

The options to setup Wagner aren’t great with Pedro Feliciano and Scott Schoeneweis proving to be the best thus far. But both are lefties who can be taken yard. Aaron Heilman has struggled and Duaner Sanchez hasn’t done much better. Joe Smith’s been alright but is never a lock due to comman.

How can it all be on the skipper when this mess of a pen has repeatedly blown games? Isn’t that the GM’s responsibility?

How come a vast majority of the late inning options off the bench are all aging vets such as Damion Easley, Fernando Tatis or Marlon Anderson?

It sure seems like one person is being given a lot more leeway than the other. Why?

Copyright Getty Images

It’s not often you get entertained by frantic Mets fans. But that’s precisely what happened down in Park Slope at the Berkeley Carroll Athletic Center last night.

So there I was recovering from a tough workout cooling off downstairs as BCS Rob came over into the office to see how his Mets were doing. This is one of the quintissential good guys of many quality people who work in a nice location keeping things under control during the school year, etc. The guy’s always around on the job making certain things are in order. He takes it very seriously as does the head of the place Catherine.

If I don’t know last names, sorry. At least I’m getting the first names right after all this time. I’ve only spent the past couple of years scoring the school’s basketball games. Usually, I’m pretty good with names as I have a dope ass memory. But it took some time to remember the hard working security guard who’s usually there in the afternoon to greet you. Sometimes, it happens to even the best of us. It’s like I would have a block thinking so and so was someone else. Isn’t that the most embarrassing thing when you completely mess up and the person looks at you like you’re lower than dirt?

In any event, Rob has plenty of time to kill at nights as us people come and go from the gym or pool. When there’s nobody around, a decent amount is spent watching YouTube videos. Just yesterday, I showed him my first ever edition. It wasn’t much. Just one of my VG Shaolin homies P.J. rapping over a cool beat for nine seconds. Yeah. I just felt like adding one. I really need to upgrade so we can have some decent videos this summer. Oh. You bet your ass D Flex will be part of that shiznit!

So, who’s D Flex exactly? Well, ask my Stanford buddy John “JPG” Giagnorio and he’ll tell you that’s my tag name. See. I can freestyle for real. Amazingly, the name’s caught on. We even got my homies home calling me by it. Heck. Even Rob and pool instructor Frank refer to me by that code.

To be perfectly honest, I at first thought it was silly and kind of shied away from it. However, the more I rapped, the more JPG called me it. So I accepted it and realized it was pretty freaking cool. Now I’ve got players who finished highschool laughing their asses off at my renditions. They must be thinking wtf is this dude on? Sometimes, I don’t even know!

Bottom line: I have fun. Cause if you don’t, life will pass you by in a blink. My advice to anyone of the younger generation is quite simple. Live while you can.

I really do enjoy messing around with lyrics. Just go check out my Xanga and you’ll see what I’m getting at. It’s fun to freestyle and crack people up. But I’m a much better writer than rapper.

So, Rob likes YouTube. Well, who doesn’t? I mean heck. There are a lot of crazy videos out there. Some which are a complete utter waste of time like the one I linked above cause there really wasn’t anything of substance. But you occasionally discover talented individuals such as SupaDupaFlyGirl. And yeah. The name fits because she’s really hot and entertaining. This chick I think lives somewhere out here if you can fathom that. She’s not just a face though but a very smart person who knows how to have fun and utilize all her skills. I happen to think this is one of Liz’ best. It’s like a Charlie Chaplin satire.

Aside from watching YouTube, Rob AKA Mr. Met because he’s got so many damn newspaper pics of his beloved Amazin’s loves to follow his favorite baseball team via the MLB official site. Let’s just say I was in for a treat as he and BCS maintenance worker Tony both rooted on their team hoping and praying that Mike Pelfrey would be allowed to complete his best start in his young career.

Here you had the young righthander pitching the lights out shutting down the D-Backs outpitching 11-game winner Brandon Webb. Even more surprising than the Mets 3-0 lead which all took place in the home fourth on a Carlos Beltran two-run single and RBI fielder’s choice was that Pelfrey had K’d eight leaving Rob and Tony ecstatic. Every time I spoke to Mr. Met, there was a look of concern on his face due to Pelfrey having tossed 109 or 110 pitches entering the ninth inning. Loose translation: He wanted no part of the Met bullpen even if it meant normally reliable closer Billy Wagner.

So of course once the leadoff hitter got on, Willie Randolph came and got Pelfrey which was the appropriate move because you have to do what you can to win the game. And the former first rounder had probably never tossed that many pitches. Everyone knows how much the Mets have been struggling having dropped five straight before last night including the pen giving up six of Arizona’s nine runs (eight unanswered) in a dreadful 9-5 loss at Shea sounding off even more alarms.

Here they were again three outs away this time with Billy The Kid in a save situation hoping to atone for that Tony Clark three-run bomb which helped the hapless Padres sweep four over the weekend in San Diego. As if to make their worst fears realized, a D-Back double had runners in scoring position with one out. As I sat there, all I could think was, ‘No way is he going to blow this. He’s one of the better closers in the game.’

But there were Rob and Tony panicked out of their minds waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is what I love about Met fans. Sadly, I can’t say I blame them much given their team’s recent track record. No need to remind anyone. Besides, I’m a Yankee guy. We’ll just leave it at that.

Wagner had gotten the second out but went 3-2 on Arizona slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds. When mlb.com took long to tell us what had happened, we all were thinking the same thing wondering. Just before Reynolds at-bat, Rob predicted the doom and gloom of a tying three-run home run. I just sat there thinking it can’t happen. But this is how Met fans are trained to think. A minute later, there he was saying:

 ”My God. They tied it.”

At that point, I just gave the dude a pat and got out of there. Who the heck wanted to see what would happen next? It was sort of comical in a sad way. The worst was realized. Even if the game was only tied and the Mets would eventually go on to win thanks to Beltran’s two out 13th inning two-run walkoff bomb on ironically enough a Reynolds error, here you had a couple of glaring examples of what’s wrong with the team in Queens. They each expected Wagner to give it up and Rob even reiterated that he called it.

Who would ever believe that this is what a team which many picked to win the NL and challenge for the World Series would do to their fans as we approach mid-June. It’s no longer early. Yes. The Mets gained a game on the Phillies, who had a rare second defeat in a row thanks to a Dan Uggla grand slam walkoff in Florida. They’re six and a half out with 98 to go two under .500 (31-33).

Hey. The Yanks are back at .500 (33-33) trailing the Red Sox by seven. Who would you rather be? At this juncture, both New York teams have been major disappointments playing inconsistent ball. However, only one kind of fan is flooding the WFAN airwaves in full panic mode even after their team showed some guts and pulled one out.

You guessed right.

That’s how you tell the different between the two New York baseball fans. I got a good appetizer which made for a fun entry.

Who would’ve thunk it?

Normally, I list a whole bunch of random stuff floating around my brain. But being that it’s kind of late here in Shaolin, NYC and I need some rest, I did have this one random musing which I felt like issuing:

-This isn’t something I feel totally comfortable saying but it must be stated anyway. This blog represents a lot of things. I’ll never beat around the bush on any issue. I’m always game for pretty much anything. Especially revolving around sports. Lately, the Mets have been getting plenty of press both negative and positive for finally responding to management backing Willie Randolph. They had reeled off three in a row including a fascinating extra inning comeback win over the Marlins which was reminiscent of 2006. Then David Wright bashed the ball jacking a couple out off favorite Met target Brad Penny. They finally were back to .500 and starting to play the kind of winning baseball most had expected. Then came last night where resurgent reliever Aaron Heilman imploded. Given a one-run lead to protect, he permitted four straight hits allowing the Dodgers to score five in the eighth on their way to a 9-5 win evening the four-game series headed into the weekend. As usual, the customary boos were back at Shea from disgruntled fans who expect their team to win every game. Since when is that even plausible?!?!?!?!?! Let’s face it. New York sports fans are spoiled rotten. When our teams don’t perform on a given night, the majority of us including yours truly act like it’s the end of the world. When did it become this way? I don’t know. But it just seems common these days to have a sky is falling mentality. I’ll readily admit to bashing the Rangers even writing them off last February when they looked deader than Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign. Then they played to capability finishing fifth in the East and derailing the rival Devils in five before losing in identical fashion to the Pens the next round. As someone who’s been very critical of the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants and of recent Yankee teams which got off to miserable starts only to make October again, I have developed a more patient approach. These days, I’m not so caught up in how many games the Yanks are trailing Boston by or the wildcard. Baseball is an extremely long season and there’s still over 100 games to go. It just seems to me that our town has become lame. You read the papers and nerds like Kevin Kernan are psychoanalyzing everything like it really matters. Oh really?!?!?!?!?! Last I checked it was May 31st with four entire months left in the season. Does winning games now help teams down the road? Absolutely. It’s one less win they’ll need down the stretch. However, it’s far from life and death the way people in this town have made it become. Listening to the WFAN airwaves has become tedious. How many more recycled debates could they have? It’s just dull. How about covering other sports? The NBA Finals should be darn good and the Stanley Cup even if Sidney Crosby’s mug makes me want to vomit is at least watchable with the Pens trying to square their series tonight against the very gifted Red Wings. I just am fed up with how we handle stuff. There’s so much more out there. It truly is the best city in the world. My advice to those using bags to breath in and out on their beloved teams is get some air and suck it in. Live a little! It will pay off in the end.

-First off, let’s just wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day out there. Yeah. It’s a bit late cause I was at a great barbecue here in Shaolin VG style. Thanks go out to Nick for putting it together. Whatever ya’ll did yesterday, hope it was as much of a blast as I had. Great food. Awesome people. Dope music. And freestyling!

It’s always worth noting what this day really means. Many of us might be able to kick back and enjoy ourselves but for a precious few who put their lives on the line, they are the true definition of heroes and what makes our country great. So a big thank you to all our troops for making so many big sacrifices. Without you, we wouldn’t be around to celebrate.

Now to some other thoughts:

-I’m never going to say that I’m the biggest lacrosse guy out there but the men’s NCAA championship always is fun to check out. Congrats to Syracuse on winning their school record 10th lacrosse title by defeating defending champion John Hopkins 13-10 yesterday in Foxborough. They held off Hopkins’ star Paul Rabil, who connected six times to keep his school in it. That included an amazing goal which made it interesting late. That guy is some player. The Orange were simply better getting a hat trick from Dan Hardy along with two apiece from Brendan Loftus and Kenny Nims. For the school which missed last year’s tournament for the first time since 1982 due to three players getting suspended, it was sweet redemption. Big ups to them on taking the trophy in front of a record crowd of 48,970.

-Nice to see the Pistons bounceback taking care of the Celtics 94-75 in Game Four to level their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Series. They got a big performance from Antonio McDyess, who went for a double/double (21 and 16) in sparking Detroit to a convincing home win to send the series back to Boston tied at two. The 33 year-old veteran big man shot an efficient 8-for-14 from the floor while connecting on 5-of-6 from the charity stripe while grabbing seven of his game high 16 boards on the offensive glass. The Pistons as a team had nine offensive rebounds and only 34 overall meaning that McDyess nearly accounted for half. Not bad for someone who’s closing in on the end of his career. Richard Hamilton added 20 points and seven assists. Chauncey Billups also dropped seven dimes. The Detroit guard duo’s combined 14 were two better than the entire Celtic roster. Key reserve Rodney Stuckey also added five assists as Detroit spread the ball around. Jason Maxiell also came off the bench to shoot 6-of-6 from the field with 14 points.

The Celtics shot a dreadful 31.8 percent from the field misfiring on 45 of 66 shots. Yikes. The Pistons by comparison shot 36-for-70 connecting at 51.4 percent. Another huge difference was the assist to turnover ratio. Detroit had 27 assists to only seven turnovers while Boston dished out just 12 assists and turned the ball over 14 times. You’re not winning many games with those kind of numbers.

-It’s okay for the Pens to remember to play the game. They’ve now been outscored 6-0 by the Red Wings in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Guess we didn’t miss much last night. Wonder what the ratings were for that one?

-I’m glad the Mets didn’t axe Willie Randolph but if they don’t put together a decent record on this seven-game homestand, who actually believes Omar Minaya when he says the organization wants Willie around for the duration of his contract through next season?!?!?!?!?!

-The Amazin’s sure didn’t get the kind of start at Shea they needed giving up the last five runs in a 7-3 defeat to the first place Marlins, whose payroll is a major league low $22 million. Despite that, they’re 10 over .500 following a three RBI game from veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez. His two-run double sparked a four-run fourth off losing Met starter Mike Pelfrey, who dropped to 2-6. Though shortstop Jose Reyes went deep twice, he also committed a key error in the first leading to a couple of unearned runs. The Met leadoff hitter is the definition of an enigma. He can be brilliant at times offensively but also sometimes has brain cramps. Whether it’s getting picked off or booting a routine grounder, Reyes has not played to capability. So much of how the Mets perform is on the shortstop. When he goes, they do. Unless he becomes more consistent, the Met season could go up in flames. At three under (23-26), they find themselves six and a half out. It’s important for them to respond with two wins to take this series against the Marlins. Ace Johan Santana will try to halt the losing when he faces Andrew Miller later tonight. Oliver Perez will battle Scott Olsen in the final game tomorrow.

-Meanwhile, the Orioles snapped the Yanks’ five-game win streak defeating them 6-1 at Camden Yards Monday afternoon. Nick Markakis broke a scoreless tie with a solo blast in the sixth off losing starter Darrell Rasner, who fell to 3-1. The great Yankee pen headed by LaTroy Hawkins made certain of that by giving up five runs in the seventh. Aubrey Huff’s three-run two out blast off Jose Veras broke it open as the Birds moved a half game ahead of the Pinstripes putting them back in last place. The lone bright spot for the Yanks was Hideki Matsui, who had three hits and scored their only run on a Chad Moeller ninth inning RBI single. Baltimore rookie starter Garrett Olson worked seven scoreless while fanning seven to win his fourth. The Yanks will look to even the series when rookie Ian Kennedy goes for his first win trying to build on last week’s good outing. He’ll oppose four-game winner Brian Buress.

-In by far the biggest offensive explosion of the day, the Phillies scored 20 times and pounded out 19 hits in a 20-5 home rout of the Rockies. Second baseman Chase Utley hammered Colorado pitching for three hits including a three-run dinger for No.16 on the season and six RBI’s. The Phils scored half a dozen runs in the fourth and sixth improving to a season best five over (29-24) to remain tied with the Braves for second two and a half out.

-In the French Open first round, Roger Federer was a straight set winner over American Sam Querrey defeating him 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in abbreviated play due to the rain at Roland Garros. Eighth seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet pulled out with a left knee injury.

-Congrats to Gustavo Kuerten on a great career. The popular Brazilian who won three French Opens was never the same due to a bad hip. He was eliminated in the opening round by Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. It’s too bad because he was a fiery competitor who had lots of flambuoyance energizing crowds. Still, he had a great career and will be sorely missed.

-The Willie Randolph watch continues after the Mets fell to the Rockies 4-1 to drop two of three to a depleted Colorado club who placed NL MVP runner-up Matt Holliday on the DL before the game. Jose Reyes gaveth and taketh away literally. The enigmatic shortstop’s runscoring single had given John Maine a one-run lead. But his E6 of a potential inning-ending double play ball proved costly when a batter later, Seth Smith slugged his first career home run to put the Rockies ahead 3-1. Despite Colorado only getting three hits, Smith’s big one was plenty for starter Aaron Cook, who had the Amazin’s off balance all day going the distance tossing a four-hitter to win for the seventh time. His team has only 20 wins. So he’s accounted for 35 percent of them.

For the Mets, it ended a brutal week which saw them go 1-6 in Atlanta and Colorado after sweeping the A-Rod less Yanks last weekend. Now, they’ll fly home and Randolph will have his pow wow with Met management tomorrow before hosting the first place Marlins for a crucial three-game set at Shea with his team two under .500. Will Willie still be in the dugout? Who knows anymore? I guess we’ll have a better idea sometime on Memorial Day.

-The Yanks continued their winning ways rallying past the Mariners by scoring four in the eighth to pull out a 6-5 win making it five in a row and pulling them within four and a half of Boston, who again lost at Oakland. Following a Bobby Abreu RBI double, Hideki Matsui’s infield hit and Robinson Cano’s sac fly off Seattle closer J.J. Putz tied the game taking Chien-Ming Wang off the hook despite permitting five earned in six-plus. Backup catcher Jose Molina delivered the winning hit with an opposite field runscoring double which plated Matsui allowing the Bronx Bombers to sweep a bad Mariner team which is now a dismal 18-33. So much for contending. Closer Mariano Rivera got the M’s in order fanning a couple including Raul Ibanez swinging to notch career save No.455 (12th of season). Reliever Edwar Ramirez picked up his first win working one and two thirds scoreless and K-ing a couple to keep his perfect ERA.

Suddenly, the Pinstripes are back at .500 25 up and 25 down out of cellar half a game in front of Baltimore. They’re also no longer just looking up at Boston but rather the Rays, who won again and are 10 over .500 a half game better than the Red Sox in the AL East. Don’t look now but the Blue Jays have also reeled off four in a row and are four out. The Yanks sit five back which is much better than it could’ve been. Is the sudden turnaround due to Alex Rodriguez? The offense has been clicking much better since the rating AL MVP returned after the Met series. It makes a huge difference having that big righty bat in there relieving pressure off other teammates.

The Yanks will now take to the road for three in Camden beginning tomorrow afternoon.

-I wish I cared about this Stanley Cup between the Pens and Red Wings but I just can’t get into it. Not with the ridiculous overhype of Sid The Kid. I honestly tuned out of the All Pens Network last night and opted for the radio. I have decided I can’t deal with the insanity of network TV. It really is disgusting.

-Could these Laker-Spurs games be anymore competitive?!?!?!?!?!

-The French Open is here. So here are my picks:

Women’s champion: Jelena Jankovic def. Anna Chakvetadze to capture first slam

Men’s champion: Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer again