Up one day, down the next. Did you really think it would change? And to add insult to injury (literally), the team’s biggest star this year, Ryan Church, is out with another concussion, his second within 3 months. If you think he’s going to be back anytime soon, forget it. I would not be surprised if he is gone for a month. I just hope he doesn’t suffer from sever symptoms. Concussions close together can be dangerous. They will take their time with Church, you can be sure.

Is it just a case of the Mets running into 2 great pitching performances in the same day or do the Mets just stink? I mean they make it seem like every journeymen pitcher they come across is the second coming of Steve Carlton. In the first game Tom Glavine gave up a first inning homerun to Luis Castillo, of all people, then nothing else the rest of the day? You knew it was going to be a bad day right from the start. After Castillo hit his dinger of the year, the Mets loaded the bases. With one out, Moises Alou came up. Now I’m thinking, here we go again, just like the weekend in the Bronx. When am I going to learn? How many times must I be fooled before I realize the truth? To no fault of Alou, he smoked the ball. Unfortunately, Chipper Jones’s glove was at the other end of it. Then Carlos Delgado hit a ball which looked like it might be over Jeff Francoeur’s head but he made a great catch and that was it—for the rest of the day into the night when it ended with Ryan Church’s blood on the base paths.

So over the weekend the Mets move to 3 games over .500 then yesterday they move back to 1 over. Don’t be shocked if the Mets leave Atlanta 1 under .500. You get the feeling this is like that horrible 4 game series in Philadelphia last season. The Mets did win 2 in New York against the Braves but have not won a game in Atlanta this year. The Mets are the whipping boys of the Braves. Except for 2006, it’s the same old tired refrain.

We are closing in on the one year anniversary of the Mets era of mediocrity. It started on June 1st of last year and it hasn’t gotten any better. From that day through last night the Mets are 75-76. Here’s a look at the division over the same time frame –

This certainly tells a picture. In fairness however, last year has nothing to do with this year. Johan Santana was not on the team, neither was Ryan Church or Brian Schneider. These players could have made a difference last season. It seems it’s the Mets players from last year who have not been able to wake up.

I am beginning to think that Willie’s days are very numbered. After the subway series, I thought this was just the medicine Randolph needed to get him and the Mets back on track. But his remarks in regards to how he is being treated by the media paint a different picture. While I don’t feel race is the reason why SNY may be portraying Randolph a certain way, I could never claim to know what it’s like to be a black man in this country. The subtleties of what Willie perceives as racism I’m sure are more acute than mine. The point is I don’t think his remarks are the problem. To me the problem is his sensitivity to how he is being perceived. How does that manifest itself in the clubhouse? Insecurity is not an attribute that most admire in a leader. Regardless of what may have happened in the team meeting on Friday night, you wonder if the players simply have difficulty respecting Randolph. However, at any time the team cares to reel off 10 wins in a row, all of this stuff becomes moot.

If anything, 2008 has started off as a very frustrating season. It would be one thing if the Mets lacked the talent but they are loaded with players that should be playing more consistently than they have. The offense has been a huge problem this year. They cannot keep any momentum going. The hitters simply do not know how to play small ball, work the counts, do the fundamental things necessary to get on and move runners along. If Jose Reyes, with his speed, could get on with 2 more bunt singles a week he would add 100 hits to his total. Plus he would have 100 more opportunities to steel bases. But yet he continues to upper cut swinging for the fences. When is Carlos Beltran going to live up to his boasting during spring training? Actually he was accurate. The Mets do appear to be the team to beat, that’s why everyone else is beating them. There is one of two things going on here. Either the coaches and manager are not teaching or the players are not listening. Either one is a big problem.