The door to the playing field has an email address?

I'm sure the Mets care what Mike Schmidt thinks.

I like that note, but I hope Schmidt emails a different one to the door every day until the race is over.

"The negativity in this locker room stinks. It stinks and it sucks and it stinks. Steve Carlton is not walking through that door. Bake McBride is not walking through that door. Warren Brusstar is not walking through that door. I am not walking through that door. And if we did, we'd be gray and old. No play for Mr. Gray. Love, Mike Schmidt"

"The Mets know you're better than they are"

C- Schneider/Castro over Coste/Ruiz
1B- Howard by a whisker, defense to Delgado
2B- Utley
SS- Reyes over Rollins
3B- Wright over that collection of crap
LF- Burrell, but not if Moises was healthy
CF- C'mon
RF- Church over Werth/Jenkins/Stairs
SP- 5 good starters to 2
RP- neither are that good, but Lidge is healthy

I wonder how many HRs Wright, Beltran, Reyes and Delgado would have in that joke stadium, and how much fewer Howard, Burrell, Victor-#######-rino and the rest would have in Shea.

Better?

LF- Burrell, but not if Moises was healthy

Based on his recent seasons Moises could only be expected to play half the games even if he was healthy. The Mets are probably getting more out of Tatis than they ever expected to get out of Moises.

RF- Church over Werth/Jenkins/Stairs

If Church was healthy, maybe. Werth is having a career year. Jenkins no longer exists.

SP- 5 good starters to 2

As I understand it, John Maine is injured (who knows when he'll be back) and Pedro Martinez is not what you'd call "good", at least not by any definition that excludes 3 of the Phillies starters.

Santana, Perez, Pelfrey, Martinez, Niese, that's 3 good starters and one average one and one unknown.
Hamels, Moyer, Myers, Blanton, Kendrick, that's 3 good starters and one average one and one guy who has been falling apart lately.

Note that Brett Myers has the second best ERA in the entire NL since the All-Star break.

I wonder how many HRs Wright, Beltran, Reyes and Delgado would have in that joke stadium, and how much fewer Howard, Burrell, Victor-#######-rino and the rest would have in Shea.

My guess is slightly less, and slightly more, respectively. The Phillies have hit 94 homers at home and 91 on the road this year. The Mets have hit 80 homers at home and 67 on the road. Nobody expected CBP to play as a neutral park this year, but it has.

It doesn't really matter who is better anymore. Anything can happen in 20 games.

I can't let that one comment go. Pedro is average, and Blanton and Kendrick good? On what planet?

Pedro is average

This season: 81 ERA+. He's worse than average.

Blanton and Kendrick good?

I think that's a bit of an exaggeration on WCGAO's part, but both are better than Martinez.

Other than that, his comment is spot on.

I'd take Coste over any of the Mets' catchers, Howard over Delgado (if we're taking future seasons into account; if not, your "whisker" comment is correct), Utley (obviously), Wright (obviously), Burrell in a landslide in LF, Beltran (obviously), and Werth over Church.

The Phillies' starting rotation is slightly better and more reliable, and the same goes for their bullpen.

Overall, the Phillies have an excellent defense. The Mets have better outfield defense than the Phillies but that's it. And the Phillies have a comparable bench. In particular, Greg Dobbs > anyone on the Mets' bench. It might not be a stretch to say the same about Matt Stairs.

CA, so you're saying the Phillies are better in 5 of the eight positions (assuming Reyes > Rollins), have the better rotation, the better bullpen, and the better bench. I guess the Mets should thank their lucky stars that they are even in the race at all! How have the Mets managed to post an OPS+ that is 7 points higher than that of the Phillies if the Phils lineup is so much better?


Overall, the Phillies have an excellent defense. The Mets have better outfield defense than the Phillies but that's it. And the Phillies have a comparable bench. In particular, Greg Dobbs > anyone on the Mets' bench. It might not be a stretch to say the same about Matt Stairs.

What about Fernando Tatis? He does have a 25 point advantage on Dobbs in OPS+ despite having more plate appearances.

The Phillies' bullpen has been much better than the Met bullpen this season despite the fact that they are comprised of the same type of pitchers. That's not something anyone should expect to continue. They might be better but the difference in talent isn't nearly as large as the difference in performance so far this season suggests.

The Met lineup has been better, the Philly bullpen better, and the starting pitching pretty even.

They are two evenly matched teams and one of them is going to win the NL East. There's little to choose between them.

I can't let that one comment go. Pedro is average, and Blanton and Kendrick good? On what planet?

No, you buffoon, I said Pedro was average, Blanton was average, and Oliver Perez, Santana, Pelfrey, Myers, Hamels, and Moyer are good.

The teams are extremely evenly matched...right now. Now that Myers is pitching like his old self and Maine is gone for an undisclosed length of time.

The Phillies have really been underperforming, though. Offensive BABIPs of .266, .269, and .228 in June, August, and September respectively will do that to a team.

I read it wrong, so I'm sorry. But namecalling is called for?