August is almost over, and...

...the Mets are in first place by 1.5 games over the Phils...the only way last season becomes a really distant memory is for the Mets to dash the hopes of Phils' fans and beat them down the stretch and put even more distance between the 2 teams...

...the Marlins are now 5 back and falling, and their lack of defense and youth carried them further than anyone thought possible- kudos to the entire organization (and it's not over yet!)...

...the Mets have been able to bring up positive reinforcements, in the form of Daniel Murphy, Nick Evans, Argenis Reyes, Eddie Kunz, Brian Stokes and Fernando Tatis!!! Stokes and Tatis, of course, are recycled major leaguers, but Murphy, Evans and Kunz are all top AA prospects who never appeared anywhere in the 'Baseball America Top 100' and weren't given a second glance in the preseason by any NY sportswriters...although Joel Sherman of the Post tries to make up for that with his article today that lauds the Mets' youth and wonders where all of those supposed "great" Yankee prospects went...what a difference a summer makes, huh?...

...Carlos Lee of the Astros is one of the most under-rated talents in the game. He's hitting .314 with 28 homers and 100 RBI's - and hasn't played in a game in over a week!! The 32-year old Lee has 1001 RBI's lifetime, and when he is healthy again next season, look for yet another 100+ RBI season for this consistent (and over-looked) vet! Even though he'll basically miss almost 2 months of the regular season (he's out for the season), his final numbers in early August are enviable for an entire season!!! Who would have thought that the state of Texas would produce the 2 best RBI guys in the game (along with the Ranger's Josh Hamilton!)...

...speaking of Hamilton, he remains the best story of the season, hitting over .300, with nearly 30 dingers and over 115 RBI's...I just love how this story has played out, and with Nolan Ryan at the helm of the team and such great players as Kinsler, Young and Murphy around him, this team might finally have a chance at the play-offs in a year or two with the right pitching additions and the continued development of their top prospects. Nice to see the old Met succeeding yet again!...

...Oliver Perez is coming through big-time in his contract drive on the way to free agency, and you just know that someone is itching to give him $13 mil a season for 4-5 years, a la Carlos Silva, etc...let's hope that there's some way that the Mets can resign this Boras client, to a more reasonable contract for 3-4 seasons, as in combination with Santana, Maine and Pelfrey, we'd continue to have one of the strongest rotations in the game for a number of years to come...

...Speaking of Pelfrey, it was great to see him take it through all nine yesterday, in the shortest game the Mets have had all season. Even though they stink this season, it's still gratifying any time we beat the Braves, and showing off how far big Pelf has come in front of them is that much sweeter...yes, we all thought that it would have been better to send Pelf down to the minors to work on his pitches earlier in the season- BFP - or "before firing Peterson" - but under Dan Warthen's guidance, Pelf has taken off and he looks like the high first rounder he was drafted as and hopefully will continue on his path to becoming an ace! AND he's leading the team in wins with 12- go figure!!!...

...A lot of people thought Brandon Webb was slowing down after the all-star break- yes, he lost a couple of decisions and looked hittable two or three times- but it's only August 21st and he already has 18 wins (against 4 losses) and pitches again today in his quest for 20 before the end of the month- THAT would be a most impressive feat, and he's on pace to win 25 games this year. Talk about dominating!!! He and Cliff Lee are running away with their respective Cy Young Awards, making it more frustrating to see the lack of support Johan has received this season!!!...

...sorry that we've been away for the past month- I've left my job and am consulting right now, so time hasn't been an ally lately, and John Young is still in the process of moving from New York to Florida, and we hope to have him back at the helm soon. I'll be more regular from now on- promise!! - and will see you tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel!!!