ON THE CUSP . . .

Ok, so here we are. Magic number is 1. Considering the Pirates' awful record and the Phillies mediocrity, it's quite likely the Mets clinch tonight. And if not tonight, then this weekend.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

And may I announce that we are leaving tomorrow for a little jaunt around undisclosed regions of this fine nation of ours. Car trip in fall. Good stuff. And . . . we'll be back in time for all post-season festivities, about which I fully plan to post early, often, and obnoxiously. You can expect a venting of all my Met Fan neuroses, fears, anxieties, etc. In other words, if they win, fun, fun, fun for the whole family. If they {inaudible} then it'll be self-flagellation, maudlin whining, and other things inappropriate for a man of my age, marital status, and over-inflated sense of self-importance.

So, in other words, this is my Last Mets Post vefore they're crowned champ-eens of the NL East. That'd be that division the Braves have controlled as their personal fiefdom since George Bush Sr. was President. And the Mets haven't won the division since 1988, when Ronald Reagan was President. In September of 1988:

1. I was 20 years old.
2. Jose Reyes and David Wright were 5.
3. Julio Franco was 56.
4. Willie Randolph was in his last season as Yankee second baseman, finishing up a miserable campaign that saw him bat 230/322/300.
5. Jose Canseco was about to win the MVP on the strength of what seemed at the time to be huge numbers: 307/391/569.
6. The name Mike Scoscia didn't mean anything special to Met fans.
7. I had just bought my first CD player 9 months earlier, I didn't know anyone who owned a cellphone (nor would I have understood why anyone would want one), & the idea of a personal computer linked to servers all over the world was preposterous.
8. The Colorado Rockies were a defunct hockey franchise that had moved and called itself the New Jersey Devils, and the Florida Marlins sounded like a joke name for Dan Marino's football team.
9. Tom Glavine was a major league starter. (Wait, that's not a good example, is it?)
10. The Eternal Captain was the on-field Captain. And his hair was exactly the same color it is today.

So, by the time I get back from my vacation, the Mets'll be NL East Champions. I hope Willie uses the next two weeks wisely, resting his guys, setting the rotation, keeping the bullpen guys fresh, but not rusty. Over the next 17 games, I'd love to see Beltran, Reyes, Wright, Delgado, Valentin & LoDuca miss at least 3-5 games each. That'll also give some extra at-bats to Chavez, Floyd, Green, and Milledge, to get them sharpened up.

And while I hope he sticks to a tough pitch count, I want to see full rotation work for Pedro, Glavine & El Duque. They've gotta be ready, fully ready, in two-and-a-half weeks.

Wow. Meaningful, post-season baseball. Coming up. My preview when I return.