In just a week and a half, the Mets travel to the house of horrors known as Turner Field in Atlanta. What was looking like a season where the Mets would finally exorcise the demons of Atlanta in an easy fashion now looks more like business as usual. I’m not saying the Mets will blow this huge lead and the Braves will win the division again. For that to happen with 70 or so games left, the Mets would have to suffer a monumental collapse and the Braves would have to play .700 ball the rest of the way. It’s not impossible but with the Mets cushion and their talent, it’s highly unlikely. What the Braves recent surge does suggest is that it will be no picnic when the Mets travel to Atlanta next week.

The Braves have now won five of their last six series. Prior to that Atlanta had lost seven series in a row. After destroying St. Louis last evening by a score of 15 to 3, the Braves have won six games in a row and are 8 and 2 in their last 10. Mind you they went into Busch Stadium and defeated a St. Louis club that had won 7 in a row prior to last night.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. The Braves are pitching well right now. After losing his first 6 starts (twice against the Mets) lefty Chuck James has won 4 in a row. He was the winning pitcher on Sunday and although he gave up 5 runs he benefited from a Braves lineup that scored 10 runs for him. Horacio Rameriz won last night while the Braves hitters scored 15 runs. And there is always Smoltz and Hudson at the top of the Brave’s rotation so while we have all enjoyed seeing the Braves down, they could be trouble as the season enters the dog days.

The Braves lineup is hitting and producing runs in bunches right now. At the moment they are a very hot team and with their history, as Mets fans, we have to be a tad nervous. However, before panicking realize the Mets are a very talented team. They have responded to adversity very well whether at home or on the road. Remember earlier this season, when the Mets climbed to a seven game lead then dropped back down to around a two or three game lead. We all felt doom and gloom. The Mets bounced right back never giving up the division lead.

Honestly, I want the Mets to win the division by raising the bar and playing better baseball then they have, not by the other teams in the division playing poorly. If this season is truly to be memorable, the Mets must win against teams that are playing well in addition to beating up the bad teams. If the division were to play poorly the rest of the season and hand the Mets the title, how will the Mets react in the playoffs where the level of competition will surely be greater.

It scares me to see the Braves play like the team that has won 14 consecutive division titles. On the other hand, it provides for the Mets the challenge they will need to succeed in winning the division and in the post season. A team that depends on other teams playing poorly will run into trouble eventually. The Mets have great character and a good Braves team chasing them will provide even more, no matter how jittery it makes me feel.

Extra Innings: In addition to being very opinionated in regards to the Mets I have strong political and religious opinions as well. But they will never ever appear on this blog. Mets blogging should be about the Mets and baseball in general, nothing more. Kudos to David Wright and the Mets for pulling the ad in which David was hawking some quack faith healer.

The Mets return to Cincinnati for the first time since they were swept last season to open the series. Remember opening day last year, that’s the game where Braden Looper gave up a two run shot to tie and a solo shot to win. Man, have the Mets come a long way. The Reds are hot having won four straight including a sweep of Colorado. The Reds currently lead in the wild card race 2.5 games over Arizona which has a .500 record. All other teams are under .500—scary.

Speaking of the Reds, last evening SNY showed the Mets-Reds wild card play-in game from October of 1999 (someone at SNY must be reading my blog, the last two Mets classics were on my must watch list of Mets games from the past). Anyway, in that game Al Leiter pitched a two hit shut out in defeating the Reds 5 to 0. Al Leiter earned every penny the Mets ever paid him that one evening. By winning that game, Leiter Mets return to the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

If you recall just a week earlier the Mets had almost fallen out of the wild card race for the second straight year. By sweeping the Pirates over the final weekend of the regular season, the Mets forced a one game playoff the following Monday evening. To the Reds credit they won against Milwaukee at County Stadium on Sunday evening otherwise the Mets would have won the wild card outright.

The Mets scored two runs in the top of the first at Riverfront Stadium. Al Leiter got in trouble early but worked out of jams before cruising through the middle innings without allowing a runner. A hit in the eighth was eliminated by a double play. Edguardo Alfonso made the final out by diving for a line drive up the middle which would have ruined the shutout.

Quite frankly I never understood the poor treatment Leiter has gotten from the Mets or their fans after what he did for this franchise. Al bled (and still does) orange and blue. Al Leiter was not responsible for the Scott Kasmir trade. Neither was John Franco. Unfortunately they both became scapegoats of an underachieving team.

Both Leiter and Franco are Mets icons and should be treated accordingly. The Mets should make amends with these two and somehow bring them back into the fold. It pains me to see Al Leiter broadcast Yankee games. Both these players were a big part of the Mets success from 1998 through 2001. The Mets should have a day for them.