I know SNY has a formula and Jerry Manuel has an obligation during the post game show but for the remaining four games of the season, can they please dispense with the managerial interview?

I mean what’s the point? Last night Manuel said, “We have to put forth a better effort than we did tonight”. Is he joking? I actually started laughing. Put forth a better effort? Now, starting on September 30th?

Night after night, it has become just so tiring, hearing the same things over and over again. Jerry, don’t tell us, tell your team. We Mets fans, for better or worse, have been tuning in every night. We have shown more dedication than your team. You don’t need to tell us anymore. Besides, we’re sick of hearing it.

We knew what to expect the moment the Mets loaded the bases with no out in the first inning. Any other team against the Nationals, who have lost 103 games, would have scored four or five runs in the first inning. The Mets however, were able to get just one on a bases loaded walk issued to Carlos Beltran. You could have turned off your sets right there.

Fortunately for me, I had to go out. I remember wondering how the Mets would lose this one having squandered such an opportunity. Later when I got in the car to head home, I turned on WFAN.  I was just in time to hear Howie Rose’s call of Elijah Dukes’ wall crashing, game saving catch, off the bat of David Wright. Was I surprised the Mets had just lost the series to the Nationals? I can’t say I was.

When I got home, the masochism in me made me turn on SNY. As I did they were just starting another tedious Manuel interview. What is he supposed to say? What does anyone expect him to say? Do I blame Manuel for this mess? Not entirely but the malaise that has infested this ball club this month has to be blamed on someone.

We can blame everything in 2009 on injuries but there is more to it than that. Two time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells said you are what your record says you are. At 67-91, the Mets are what they are, a terrible baseball team. And that’s with David Wright and Carlos Beltran in the lineup.

I have maintained that if the Mets were healthy with Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado in there every day, the Mets would be in a much different place. But realistically, you cannot assume they would be in a better position than the Cardinals, Rockies, or Dodgers. Perhaps they would be contending for the division only because the Phillies’ bullpen has been so bad but a lock the Mets would not be.

There are too many things this team does wrong. Every error they make, every run they squander takes its toll on a pitching staff that was thin to begin with. Even with the injuries, had the Mets played fundamentally sound, there record would be much better than 24 games under .500.

Back at the beginning of August, I knew the Mets would not be in the post season but I expected them to at least compete and have some say over who would be. The fact that they have not even lived up to those watered down expectations is an indictment on the manager and perhaps his coaches. That’s why, if the Mets were a functional organization, they would make a change in the dugout after the season. Willie Randolph was let go at a time in the season when the Mets were playing far better than they are now so how do they justify not axing Manuel?

Jerry seems like a nice guy, someone you would want to be friends with. But that accounts for little in the world of wins and losses. In business, if a manager or executive had the kind of season Manuel has had, he would be on the unemployment line, regardless of excuses. But in baseball, because of the money the Mets owe him for next season, he will still be around, likely entertaining us during the SNY post game show at least for a while in 2010.

September 30, 1969

The Mets had the day off on this date 40 years ago. Unusual that the Mets enjoyed two consecutive scheduled off days.

Meanwhile, in the western division race, Atlanta won their game at home against Cincinnati by a score of 3-2. With the win, it became official. The Mets would play the Atlanta Braves in the first National League Championship Series in history.

There was no home field advantage back then. It was predetermined that in the National League, the west would host the first two games and the east would host the remaining games in the best of five series. With Atlanta's powerful lineup, the Mets were already considered the underdog. 

Recall how the last two seasons the Mets struggled down the stretch. Night after night, it was an excruciating loss as the Mets just could not get to the finish line for the division in ’07 and the wild card of ’08.

Of course, this season the Mets are completely irrelevant. But if you take a look at the races, there are a number of teams having difficulty closing the deal.

One is the Philadelphia Phillies who are blowing games late in pure Mets fashion. With a magic number of three, the Phillies should win the division but didn’t we say that about the Mets two seasons ago? Yesterday, with another chance to reduce their magic number,  the Phillies lost to the under .500 Astros by a score of 8-2. With six games left, the Phillies have a four game lead over Atlanta.

While the Phillies are limping to the finish line, the Braves are winning. Atlanta has won seven in a row putting pressure on both the Phillies and the Rockies who lead the wild card.

The Los Angeles Dodgers who are assured a playoff appearance of at least a wild card, need one to clinch the division. The Pirates did not give LA the chance to celebrate in Pittsburgh as they pummeled the Dodgers 11-1 yesterday. Regardless, like the Yankees and Cardinals, the Dodgers will be one of the elite eight.

The Detroit Tigers led the AL Central for most of the summer. But the Minnesota Twins, who always seem to get themselves in a race, are breathing down the Tigers neck only two games back. The Twins have a series in Detroit starting today with a day-night doubleheader because of a rain out last evening.

Then there is the Red Sox who backed into a tie for the AL wild card. Returning to Boston having watched the Yankees clinch the division on Sunday, the Sox were humiliated at Fenway when the Toronto Blue Jays spanked them for their fourth loss in a row. Had the Sox won, they could have waited around the clubhouse and celebrated after the Angels defeated the Rangers. The Sox lead the Rangers by six games in the AL wild card and will try to finish it off this evening.

While all of these teams have been feeling the heat, some have thrived down the wire. One is the Yankees who had no difficulty getting it done, assuring themselves of a playoff appearance a week ago.

The Rockies have played incredible ball for the second half of the season and should win the NL wild card but Atlanta is in hot pursuit only two games back now.

The Cardinals are in, having defeated the Rockies on Saturday night. Tony La Russa worked his magic again getting the Cardinals to the post season for the fourth time in six years.

So what does all this prove? While the Mets collapses of 2007 and 2008 are still painful, there are many teams that struggle to get the job done. It doesn’t mean the Phillies, Red Sox, or Rockies will blow it but it does show that when the pressure is on, players feel the heat and begin to press. That behavior forces players out of their rhythm, making it hard to relax and just take the same approach as if it were the end of May instead of September.

The big candidate to cough it up is Detroit. They have struggled in September while the Twins have been very hot. The Rockies could blow the wild card too but they have continued to play well. There is an outside shot the Phillies could blow it with their very ineffective bullpen. Wouldn't that be wonderful. But with a magic number of three and that tremendous offense, the Phillies should get it done.

All in all, I wish the Mets were in the position to blow it again on the final weekend. The feeling of your team being in the race, fully aware they could lose at the end is better than watching them lose their 90th game, don’t you think?

September 29, 1969

The Mets had the day off on this Monday, the last week of the regular season.

With no action scheduled in the National League, the Braves still had a magic number of one to clinch the western division.

It was a remarkable day in sports yesterday. Both the Jets and Giants won to go 3-0. The Yankees clinched their umpteenth division title and Tiger Woods won the Fed Ex Tournament grand prize even though he finished second this weekend to Phil Mickelson. Oh and let’s not forget our lowly New York Mets whose Pat Misch pitched the first complete game of the season. Not only was it a complete game, it was a shutout too.

Of course it doesn’t matter and nobody cares. You could only be a diehard Mets fan to even notice. I mean seriously, with all the other sports on TV yesterday in the New York Metro area, was there really more than 100 fans tuned into the Mets game at any one time?

This past weekend in Florida, the Mets actually embraced the role of spoiler. That is something they were unable to do against the Phillies and Braves. I give the Mets a B+ in giving the Marlins agita (would have given them an A had they swept). After all, it’s the least the Mets could have done in the wake of the last two seasons.

As you may recall in 2007 and 2008, the Marlins stuck it to the Mets good when they spoiled the Mets last ditch attempt to make the post season on the last game of both seasons. So turnabout is fair play.

With the Phillies and Mets win yesterday, Florida was eliminated from the division. Although the Mets did not actually eliminate the Marlins from the wild card, they certainly dealt them a hefty blow. The Marlins are currently five games back of Colorado with six to play. They must first hop over a red hot Atlanta, who they play three games this week, and hope Colorado collapses. With an elimination number of 2, it would take a miracle at this point.

And what’s with the complete game shutouts over the last three seasons when the Mets face the Marlins for the last time. In 2007, it was John Maine who flirted with a no hitter in the penultimate game of the season. Last year, Johan Santana shut down the Fish with a complete game shutout on a bad knee that required off season surgery. Go figure.

Misch’s shutout was not as impressive as Maine’s or Santana’s but he did battle for nine innings. Give the kid credit. If he was smart he would fake a stomach ache in five days so he can go into the off season on a positive note.

The Mets finish the season with six meaningless contests. They will play three starting tonight in Washington followed by three at Citi Field over the weekend against Houston to close out this disastrous season. The Mets will have to win all six to avoid losing 90 this season. Good luck with that.

Update - My mistake...John Maine pitched 7 and 2/3 shutout ball in 2007. The bullpen completed the game preserving the team shutout.

September 28, 1969

Connie Mack Stadium - The Mets won their fourth consecutive shutout, eighth consecutive game over all, sweeping the three game series from the Phillies. This 2-0 win was a combined shutout that provided Gary Gentry, Nolan Ryan, and Ron Taylor some tune up work for the playoffs.

Mets pitchers had strung together 42 consecutive scoreless innings going back to Tuesday night's win against the Cardinals at Shea. The Mets offense scored their two runs in the second when journeyman Jim Gosger doubled in a run and Gentry hit a sac fly for the other. The Mets were not scoring much since they clinched the division but their pitching was simply outstanding.

Record 99-61, first place (clinched) 8 games ahead of Chicago.

Atlanta and San Francisco both won. With Atlanta's win over San Diego, they had clinched a tie for the west. Their magic number was one. 

September 27, 1969

Connie Mack Stadium - On this date, Seaver would be making his last start of the regular season. Once again, Seaver was magnificent as he shut out the Phillies on three hits. The Mets won by a score of 1-0. 

Seaver struck out four and walked two ending his season with a 25-7 record. He won his last nine decisions in a row. The last eight were all complete games including three shutouts. With 25 victories, Seaver won a quarter of the Mets total wins during this championship season.

The Mets scored their loan run in the eighth inning when Bobby Pfeil singled home Don Clendenon.

Record 98-61, first place (clinched) 8 games ahead of Chicago.

Atlanta won their eighth in a row while the Giants and Reds both lost. Cincinnati was eliminated as Atlanta's magic number over San Francsico was reduced to 2 to clinch the National League West.   

Let’s assume for the sake of discussion that the Wilpons, so brutalized by Bernie Madoff, are really hurting for money.  Now obviously they are not hurting like you and me, working our rear ends off just to pay our bills, but hurting in terms of running a baseball team in a major market.

Or let’s assume because the economy is still in bad shape, the Mets like many other teams in baseball, including the Yankees, plan to cut spending for 2010. Regardless of the reason, what if the Mets do not spend on new players and return next spring basically with the same roster? What will Mets fans do? What will you do?

I know, I know, you plan to not go to games—yada,  yada, yada. But the fact is once the sting of this horrific season is over there will be lots of Mets fans that can’t say no. They will return to Citi Field and I’m probably one of them. However, I won’t buy season tickets.  I never do anyway. I flirt with the idea every winter but as much of a Mets fan as I am, I prefer single game tickets.

The point is if the Mets don’t have the cash to significantly upgrade, will it be another lost season?  Hmm, I guess it could be, especially if the team’s stars spend more time with an MRI machine than a Jugs Machine. But since I am usually Mr. Positive, let’s look at the glass half full.

The Mets still have five of the best players in baseball, again assuming they are healthy. Johan Santana is the ace of the staff. Francisco Rodriguez is a premier closer.  Arguably there is no better all around center fielder than Carlos Beltran. One only has to look at 2009 to realize how much the Mets missed Jose Reyes and what he brings to the table when feeling well. And although David Wright’s power eluded him all season, he still is one of the best third baseman in the Major Leagues.  If these five players have career years, 365 days from today, we Mets fans could be in a lot better mood.

What about the rest of the roster you say. Well, the Mets are loaded with potential. Jeff Francoeur could turn out to be a tremendous acquisition or he could become the reason why the Braves traded him to begin with. If Francoeur can consistently stay in the strike zone and control that tendency to swing at pitches outside the strike zone, he could become a wonderful asset as he was his first season in Atlanta. Pitchers adjusted to Francoeur, he appears to be learning to adjust back. Plus he’s a great clubhouse leader, a positive influence on other players.

Mike Francesa does not want Daniel Murphy on the team. His claim that a first baseman must do better than eleven home runs and seventy RBI is valid. But we are talking about potential. Isn’t it possible that in his second full season next year, Murphy can improve? His work ethic is to be admired. He has shown significant improvement at first base. While he has made his share of blunders, he’s made some spectacular plays too. And during the last half of the season, his approach at the plate and his power stroke has gotten much better.

Angel Pagan has shown he can be a catalyst when his head is not firmly up his rear end.  He makes base running guffaws that make one scratch their head.  But he’s a fine hitter leading the team in triples. He has great speed in the outfield and while everyone thinks he’s only a very good fourth outfielder, he’s young enough that he could grow into a starter. Remember I said this is about potential.

Given the year Luis Castillo has had, and that the Mets still owe him plenty over the next two seasons, he will be back. If he has the same season next year as this one (minus the dropped pop up at Yankee Stadium), you would be crazy not to take it.

The Mets do need to get another catcher to platoon with Omir Santos. Josh Thole needs a year at triple A. A defensive left hand hitting complement to Santos is achievable, likely for a reasonable price.

What about pitching? Well again, the potential is in house. Hopefully Pelfrey has learned from his up and down season. Mike has great stuff and perhaps what he needs more than any mechanical advice over the winter is a therapist’s couch. If he can develop the confidence and killer instinct, the Mets might have that number two pitcher they think he can become.

If John Maine remains healthy, he can return to the outstanding pitcher he was a couple of years ago. Often after shoulder surgery, the recovery is much longer than predicted. Just look at Pedro Martinez. Maine’s recent starts have been very encouraging. Jon Neise was showing that he could become a viable candidate for the rotation. He was pitching tremendously before the hamstring injury. Doctors say he will be fine by the start of spring training.

Then there is Oliver Perez, the enigma. Everyone wants Perez gone. But what if he gets back to where he was at the end of ’06 and through parts of ‘07? The lefty has great stuff and still has the potential (there’s that word again) of being a dominant starter.  If he can somehow get it together, he could be a reason the Mets turn it around next year. He’s still only 27 years old.

The Mets have a wealth of pitchers in the bullpen. Bobby Parnell, Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano, and Brian Stokes have all shown they have the ability to make up an outstanding bullpen. It will be interesting to see what the Mets do about J.J. Putz.

Now before you right me nasty-grams, hear me out. All I am saying is the potential is there for the Mets to have a bounce back year with the talent the team currently has. Because I am a critical thinker, I must also submit that with this same group of players, they could also have a year just like the one that ends in a week. 

Do I think the Mets should stand pat? No, I do not. In fact I wrote the other day how I would hope the Mets become more aggressive like their cross town rivals. I would love to see the Mets increase payroll and get the players that would support the core. That would prove to be more of a sure thing to get back to the post season and would certainly sell more tickets quicker. I am merely pointing out that if the Wilpons’ finances are in a total funk because of Madoff, the economy, or both, that we could be seeing a similar Mets roster next year. I hope that is not the case.

But what if it is? Are you really going to boycott the club? Are you really not going to tune in? Can you really walk away? I doubt it. I know I can’t. Sometimes I wish I could.

If it is true the Mets will only be able to spend 15 million this off season as some have reported, then I would hope they spend it on pitching. When you remove the injuries from the equation of 2009, it was the starting pitching that was extremely inconsistent. They need a pitcher or two to support Johan Santana, especially when he is coming back from elbow surgery.

Omar Minaya has a difficult off season ahead of him. 2010 is likely his last chance unless the Mets make the post season a year from now. But he may not have the funds to make radical changes on the roster. He had better hope the players that spent more than 1000 days collectively on the disabled list heals over the winter otherwise he will be a lame duck.

September 26, 1969

Connie Mack Stadium - Jerry Koosman would be making his next to last start of the regular season in this first game after clinching the National League East. Gil Hodges's lineup against Philadelphia was a bit different than usual so he could rest key players.

Rod Gaspar led off in right field. Twenty-two year old call up Bob Heise would be at short. Regular Cleon Jones was back in left followed by Donn Clendenon who got in a couple of at bats prior to Ed Kranepool taking over at first. Another farm hand, Amos Otis played center (if only the Mets knew what a great player Otis would become). Bobby Pfeil played third and Duffy Dyer caught. Al Weis would man second with Koosman looking for his 17th win of the season.

In the first inning, with two out Cleon Jones singled then Don Clendenon homered. It was his third home run in two games. The Mets added an unearned run in the second to take a 3-0 lead. The Mets rallied for two in the fifth aided by hits from Heise and Otis. The Mets won 5-0 on a dominant 4 hit complete game shutout by Jerry Koosman.

Record 97-61, first place (clinched) 7 games ahead of Chicago.

Atlanta and San Francisco won as well as Cincinnati who won a double header. The Braves still led the Giants by 1.5 games with a magic number of 4 to clinch the western division title. Cincinnati's number for elimination was 2.

September 25, 1969

The Mets were off today, likely nursing some serious hangovers. The grounds crew at Shea Stadium led by Pete Flynn worked tirelessly to put the field back together. After all, there would be more baseball to be played at Shea this year. Huge chunks of sod were ripped up by the fans. The place looked more like a battlefield than a ballpark.

Now that the Mets had clinched the division, as soon as their heads cleared, Hodges would be able to rest players and begin the process of getting ready for the first National League Championship Series in history. They could also contemplate who their opponent might be.

The Western Division still had three teams in the race. On this date, the Atlanta Braves, led by Hank Aaron, were in first place by 1.5 games over the San Francisco Giants and 3.5 games over the Reds. The Braves had just won six in a row. At the start of the streak, they trailed the Giants by a half game. The Reds, winners of five of six had moved past the Dodgers who lost seven in a row. LA's losing streak eliminated them from the playoffs. The magic number for the Braves to eliminate the Reds was reduced to three while the Giants number to disqualify was five.