Number One In Da Hood? Gee!

So I wake up this morning to the news that the Mets have acquired ownership of New York City.

You know what that means folks...a higher tax bracket.

It's scary how much of a dearth of imagination exists in New York's newspapers. You have an off day for both New York baseball teams, and the Post, News, and Newsday all have the same back cover story. (And if you're wondering how somebody who didn't write anything for yesterday's off day can call out New York's tabloids for a lack of imagination, well you're just going to figure that one out for yourselves.) Isn't there anything else to talk about? Which crappy bullpen in the American League is clamoring for Heath Bell's help? Steve Trachsel bobblehead night? Endy Chavez's breakfast habits?

I have to agree with Matt on this one. Can you stop jinxing the Mets, please? I mean, one article is fine...especially when it tweaks Yankee fans because it's written by Mike Lupica. It freaks them out whenever Lupica writes something complimentary about the Mets because he has a relationship with the Wilpons...although that's the very thing that should make Met fans tread carefully about whatever he writes. I have to admit thought that the thought of Yankee fans becoming more and more irrational and grumpy makes me smile.

Two articles might be a bit much, but at least Mike Vaccaro takes a slightly more even-handed approach.

Three articles? Now I'm scared.

All this one day after Carlos Beltran wins "player of the week" honors, David Wright overtakes Scott Rolen in the all-star balloting, the Mets are ranked second in all of baseball in John Donovan's power rankings, and I get randomly asked how it feels to root for the best team in the National League? How exactly am I supposed to answer that? It blows? NO! It feels damn good...and I'm going to enjoy it.

To a point.

Let's all remember one very important thing: It's June. There's still plenty of time for a catastrophic turn of events. There's time for Cuban authorities to produce a valid birth certificate for Orlando Hernandez. There's time for Jason Grimsley to out Carlos Beltran as an HGH user. And there's time for David Wright to take up motorcycle riding with Ben Roethlisberger.

So let's keep this "ownership of the city" talk to a bare minimum. For as good as the Mets have been, the Yankees are still very close to first place in their own division, and you know their fans are hoping for a Phillies sweep starting tonight so they can serve a Hungry Man portion of crow. And if you think that three unimaginative back pages are reason enough to start tweaking your slightly more obnoxious brothers in the Bronx, then I can't defend you when it's time to pay the piper. (Trust me, you don't want to start playing the extended version of "Let's Go Mets Go" in your office in the middle of June...I tell you this from experience.)

The Mets haven't won anything yet...besides some hearts and minds here and there which is a good start. Let's continue to lease the city with an option to buy in October.

Or at least on Friday if the Mets sweep the Phillies.