Now Its In Their Heads

crushing defeat for the mets tonight. just crushing. they fight back to tie the fish in the 9th, only to lose in the 10th. and they committed another error. and they only got 9 hits (tangent: however, only getting 9 hits and scoring 7 runs is pretty impressive, especially when the other team has no errors), and gave up 20.

the phillies, on the other hand, came back to beat the nats in 9. big win. huge. the only sad note is that the padres keep on winning. i think if i had to pick a team in the NL, besides the phillies, of course, it would be the padres. those guys just dont lose. its quite scary.

but as far as the mets go, i think a lot of this is psychological and if they dont get their act together, they are going to blow it big time. it'll be a more dramatic collapse than the '64 phillies (thank god!). i don't think it helps the mets either that the yankees, new york's true baseball team and true baseball love, is making an historic comeback on the red sox. the mets will always be second in this town. they might as well get used to finishing second in the division too. ha!

and don't just take my word for it. this is what jayson stark (someone who knows a little something about the phillies), my favorite baseball writer, has to say (from ESPN):

• It's shocking to listen to scouts and executives talk about the Mets these days. One scout on the Mets-Nationals series: "It was like the two teams changed uniforms." Here's another scout on the Phillies and Mets: "It's not about who's got the most talent. It's about how you play. The Phillies have a bunch of players who have got grit. I'm not sure the Mets have got anywhere near as many as they do." And here's one more review of the Mets from that sweep last weekend: "The Phillies were better prepared. The Phillies wanted it more. The Phillies had a plan, and they executed that plan. I don't think the Phillies are better. But the two guys in the middle of their infield [Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley] won't let them relax. They keep that team going every day."

• Whether the Phillies make it to the playoffs or not, one NL executive believes they have crossed a critical threshold this season: "Unlike in the past, they think they can win now," he said. "They absolutely think they can win, and I think there will definitely be a carryover next year with that group. That's a huge building block for those guys." Then again, a bigger building block might be assembling a pitching staff that can win, too.

Just When I Thought I Was Out They Pull Me Back In

after the phillies crapped the bed against the padres last week, i was ready to call it quits. they looked done. their pitching, for lack of a better word, sucked. cole hammels was on the DL. chase utley and shane victorino were still on the DL. ryan howard was slumping. it just seemed like their goose was cooked. they had a golden opportunity to gain ground on the wild card leading padres and let it slip through their fingers. they were headed in the wrong direction with a 4 game series against the mets looming ahead of them. then...

...utley returns. howard hits. victorino is back. hamels feels good. even adam eaton pitched well! they won the last game of the padres series then rode that momentum to take the first two from the mets. they are only 4 out of the division. the team is feeling good.

i hate to admit it, but i was about to jump ship. with all the emotional energy i have invested in this team, it was a hard choice, but it seemed like the rational choice. i don't know how i would have dealt with another september of "almost". but, you know what, this team does have a chance now. they are fighting. they have overcome adversity. they have what it takes. utley is back. jimmy is still leading by example. ryan howard is willing them to victory. cole is on the hill. the pieces are there.

LETS GO PHILLIES!!!