A Pair Of Carloses Beats King High Howard

I realize it's a big literary risk to compare tonight's Mets game to the greatest scandal that the sport of baseball has ever seen...but I will anyway. I've already butchered the blogosphere beyond recognition, why not one more stain?

For the first four innings, didn't Oliver Perez remind you of the scene in "Eight Men Out", when Dickie Kerr is throwing that one-hitter against the Reds in Game 3 of the '19 series, where all he's doing is smiling and jumping around throwing that one hitter with that funky delivery while Kid Gleason's in the dugout with a look on his face as if to say "hey, this kid is actually kind of talented"?

Then of course, Ryan Howard comes up with the sacks full in the fifth and smacks a little reality into Oliver's life with a grannie. Life isn't so much like the movies now, is it?

Luckily, the Mets have a few players who can do special things like Ryan Howard can.

They have Carlos Beltran, who not only got the Mets going with a two run jack in the first, but whose acting may have been so good that he didn't need Gil Hodges to come out with the spare baseball pre-scuffed with shoe polish to get the hit by pitch call in the fateful seventh inning.

They have Carlos Delgado, who not only hit a bomb in the sixth to bring the Mets to within one run, but tied the game with a long enough sacrifice fly to move up not one...not two...but three runners, which started the vicious Philly cycle of walk the righty to get beat by the lefty.

They have Jose Reyes, who started the seventh inning rally off of former Met and current human white flag Rick White, and scored that tying run via the bat of Delgado. There has been some MVP talk surrounding Reyes over the past few weeks. But I'll give you another phrase that you would have to start using as it applies to Jose, Jose Jose Joseeeee. And that would be "leader". Watch Reyes score on the sac fly a little more closely. Notice that the wide eyed "happy to be there" look is now completely gone. See Jose clap with purpose. Watch as he points to guys to encourage them with a whole new sense of picking up other guys. Folks, you've witnessed the complete maturation of Reyes. For the first time, Reyes has 0% doubt that he's not only a major leaguer, but a damn good one too. We know Reyes can make others better with his play on the field...now we see Reyes devoid of the worry about whether he has the goods to play in this league taking on the responsibility of encouraging teammates to be better during his own down time.

They have Paul Lo Duca. Boy, when there's a game changing rally, Lo Duca has a hand in it, doesn't he?

They now have Shawn Green, who's habit of losing his cap every time he reaches second gear in the outfield has made him this generation's John Pacella. The Mets can only hope that Green will be responsible for more hits in Shea Stadium than Pacella was from the mound. Yeah, Green pressed swinging at two pieces of Aaron Fultz slop in his rush to impress his new organization and his new fans. That's OK. At least there is a rush to impress his new organization, and his new fans. The Mets are a better team for it.

And when Green's liner barely eluded Pat Burrell's hands of stone, the Mets had the lead again. The Phillies have now only begun to understand the method of Omar Minaya's madness. Sure, he was forced into trading Xavier Nady, but Minaya puts no fear, plenty of conviction, and perhaps an ounce of passion into every move he makes. A lesser GM would have feared that acquiring Shawn Green would be akin to admitting a mistake by trading Nady, thus giving up his whole freakin' farm system. Omar doesn't worry about that. He worries about improving the Mets in any way possible, but not at all cost. He gets it.

They have Endy Chavez. I know a phrase like this has been used before...probably in reference to some random hall of famer, but I'm going to use it anyway. Endy Chavez, right now, can roll out of bed and get three hits.

They have David Wright. Just wait until he starts hitting.

And because the Mets have all that and more (like a bullpen that keeps putting up bagels) at their disposal, the Mets now also have a magic number.