Crowd shot from earlier today at Mets game

Terence is at the game…as are Media Goon and Randy from The Apple.   Terence sent this inearly int he game  but I was at soccer with Junior.

As I write this it’s the 11th inning…no Ollie yet.  I hope this game goes 37 innings so Ollie can pitch the final 14.

Click on the pic for a much bigger look. (It’s wide, so I had to shrink it)

Manuel doesn’t feel like he’s done with Mets | mets.com: News

“I just feel that it’s incomplete,” Manuel said of his Mets tenure, referencing his final days as White Sox manager in 2003. “I don’t feel that I’m done here for some reason. I just feel like I’m still not done here. I felt in Chicago that it was time to move on. For some reason, I don’t feel that here. I could be way off, but I just don’t feel that at this point.”

via Manuel doesn’t feel like he’s done with Mets | mets.com: News.

Playoffs Outsider: 2 divisions was better

Postseason Outsider doesn’t like the Wild Card.  Never did, never will.  Bobby V should win a division title before he gets crowned a genius (I mean, even Willie Randolph has a division titile.  Even Jerry Manuel has a division title.)

Division Titles are manly.   Mr. Girardi doesn’t want it badly enough and Saint George would be sad (I know, I’ve covered this.)

On this fine morning of Game 162, Playoffs Outsider misses the old days of East and West.    Now I admit that my argument below is shaky since the schedules might have been different, and managers surely would be managing differently if they didn’t have the wild card on which to fall back.   Let’s step into the What If machine and take a peek…

AL EAST

New York 95-64   —

Tampa 95-64  —

AL WEST

Minnesota   94-67   —

Texas  90-71    4

NL EAST

Philadelphia    97-64   —

NL WEST 90’s

San Francisco   91-70   —

San Diego  90-71  1

Cincinnati 90-71  1

NL WEST 70’s/80’s style

San Francisco   91-70   —

San Diego  90-71  1

Cincinnati 90-71  1

Atlanta 90-71 1

Go ahead and rave about this Giants-Padres series, and the whole what if there’s a three way tie angle but my scenario is much more fun.   The whole Yankees/Rays thing is like two teams trying to avoid winning.  Much better they run the risk of a game 163 on Monday (and each getting to “waste” their ace.)

As for the “ALDS” and “NLDS” they always seem lame.  The “real playoffs” to me start in that second round.

Like most things I type I expect very few people to agree.  Discuss!

Playoffs Outsider is written by a fat guy in sweatpants who knows almost nothing about the teams he is writing about this October.

Ultimate Jerry (Mets lineup)

And in the end…

Sunday, October 3rd Mets vs. Nationals

7          Jose Reyes                 SS

27        Jesus Feliciano          RF

5          David Wright             3B

29        Ike Davis                   1B

16        Angel Pagan              CF

21        Lucas Duda                LF

30       Josh Thole                 C

11        Ruben Tejada            2B

34        Mike Pelfrey             RHP