Okay, I know. Everyone of us is trying to find a headline that plays off of Lastings Milledge name. Today I chose "Lasting Power". The Daily News used "Build to last(clever) and the Post has "Mighty Milledge". Hmm...very unlike the Post to take the high road. Never the less, gees what do we do with this guy when Nady comes back? I guess he goes back to Norfolk...not! Honestly, what's refreshing about Omar Minaya is that he doesn't think like the Mets' GMs of the past, you know the ultra-conservative type. As long as Milledge puts up numbers and plays defense the way he has, Lastings will last. There, I did it again.

Look, not only is Milledge putting up great numbers, he's making a difference in games. His home run last night capped the scoring for the Mets. That was a crucial blow considering the way the Dodgers kept coming back. Then in the eighth he threw out Garciaparra at second to help suppress a potential rally. On Sunday down to his last strike with the Mets facing a loss, Milledge hits a game tying home run against Armando Benitez. So there is no way the Mets will be sending Milledge down anytime soon. I guess its a nice problem to have. Nady will become the fourth outfielder. But with Floyd's wheels always being a problem, X should get quite a bit of playing time. Of course it's easy to get excited by Milledge's play but his weaknesses will be exposed as pitchers get familiar with him. Pitchers around the league will learn fast then Lastings will have to adjust. That's when we'll really know if he's ready to stay.

The core group is here. Reyes, Wright, Beltran and now Milledge. These four players will be in the Mets lineup for a long time. With the veterans they have now and the players that will be imported or come up from the farm, the Mets future looks very bright. Now we need to see the farm produce some pitching the way it has added offense. Alay Soler is a good start. Soon, hopefully we will see Mike Pelfrey and perhaps Evan McClane. These pitchers will stabilize the staff. The Mets need El Duque and Trachsel to hold the fort in the mean time.

Lastly: ...now cut that out... The Mets start their series in Arizona tonight with their seventh chance of the season to move to 13 games above .500. They have failed in every previous attempt. El Duque takes the hill against his old team mates.

The D'backs have just been swept by the surging Phillies. Speaking of surging teams, the Reds have won seven in a row and don't look now but they'll be at Shea Stadium in two weeks for a four game set.

The Mets have won 5 out of the last 6 series. Each one a three game set. None of them were sweeps. The Mets have swept three series all year. A three game set against Washington and two two game series against Florida and Pittsburgh. 

With the conclusion of the Dodger series in LA, the Mets have already completed California play for 2006. After the series in AZ, the furthest west the Mets will travel is to Colorado at the very end of August. So much for Jet lag being a factor.