Archie Bunker's Army

What's Uncle Bobby been smokin? Indeed a month to remember? Well, if a 16-9 record for July isn't particular spotless at least the closing certainly was spectacular. The hottest Mets in July were undoubtedly Paul LoDuca , who hit .410, Beltran of course, who had 10 homers and 32 RBIs and John Maine , surreptitiously sublime despite a deceiving 1-2 record with his sparkling 1.63 ERA 8 walks and 21 Ks in 27.2 innings of work. Well done, lads. ***** Backroom solutions to Tom Glavine's early late season swoon: Baseball Prospectus gives props in its Monday Morning Ten Pack to none other than Phillip Humber , making the scene with a magazine: RHP Philip Humber, High-A St. Lucie (Mets) Now, if you're looking for a Florida State League comeback that's real, here you go. Humber has been receiving rave reviews of late, and he looks to be all the way back from Tommy John surgery, showing the same stuff that made him the third overall pick in 2004. On Saturday, the former Ri...

It's taken nearly a year and a half but finally, the Carlos Beltran everyone hoped for, the Carlos Beltran of the 2004 NLDS, has arrived on the Mets. After a massive performance against the Mets most virulent rivals, leading the Mets to a season-ending three game sweep for the Braves, inclusive of back to back games with a brace of homeruns, his third grandslam of the month, four homeruns in all and twelve RBIs in three games. The 2006 Beltran is much improved. Incidentally, Beltran is only the eighth player in Major League history to hit three slams in a month. The last was Devon White in May 2001, when he played with the Brewers. Piazza hit three with the Dodgers in April 1998. Not to be left out, Carlos Delgado , a day after getting plunked by Tim Hudson , had four hits, including a two-run homer, and Reyes had three hits and scored three runs for the Mets, who had a season-high 19 hits. Once again the Mets used their time-tested formula for victory which is score early. T...

El Duque asks the question, Zito Who? A sixth inning 7 run explosion led by a three run homer from Beltran , his second of the game and 30th of the season, and capped by El Duque's two run single up the middle (his first career RBI) that realistically deflated any miscreant hopes the Atlanta Braves might have had about continuing their 14 season streak of NL East titles as the Mets crushed their most hated rivals 11-3 at Loser Field. And perhaps just as big a story as the crushing of the spirit of the Braves was El Duque's sterling performance in which he retired 17 in a row, allowed nil earned runs over 8 innings, no walks and 7 strikeouts and looked very cosy as a postseason solution. Meanwhile, amid the speculative frenzy, the oft-proclaimed saviour of the Mets postseason rotation, Barry Zito was surrendering a first inning grand slam to the Blue Jays before surging back with six scoreless innings and a victory thereafter. So forget Zito, (and the Army appears to be quite...

It certainly wasn't a pretty beginning. The game marked the fourth time this year, but merely the sixth time ever, that the Mets have begun a series leading the Braves in the standings: once -- April, 15, 1966 -- before divisional play, and again one day shy of 36 years later. (Reyes celebrates whilst bench coach Jerry Manual, looking more like Morgan Freeman every day, shares a larf.) Well, a lead off homer by Jose Reyes and two runs for the Mets in the opening frame was certainly cause for excitement and cause to quiet a record Turner Field crowd of 53,943, most of whom were probably there for the post-game fireworks show. But with a trepid Pedro, still recovering from food poisoning weight loss, in his first appearance in 30 days on the mound and giving up a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with none out in the bottom half of the first, it started getting ugly quick. Then Andruw Jones slams a two-run double to tie the score and in days of auld, this might be head...

Although the talk all preseason was about the infamous toe, what felled the Mighty Pedro in the end this season was an inflamed hip and some dirty Dominican chicken. But now, after the Mets have held their own in his nearly month-long absence, with the Mets having held off the Braves in spite of a hard charge by those vainglorious rubes south of the border, Pedro is returning to resume his glory and put his definative stamp on the Mets final sprint to the finish. Indeed, it is still only July and there is still much to be decided but a healthy and effective Pedro will do alot towards spelling a quick and painless end to any belated challenges from the Braves or anyone else in the nearly comotose NL East. Pedro will taking the mound to face the resurgent Horacio Ramirez, who allowed only a single run in each of his past two starts. Exclusive of an embarassing outing against Cincinnati on July 7, when he allowed seven runs in one-plus inning of work, and Ramirez has allowed only six earn...

No, not a new bizarre Mets torture ritual rather a celebration following Jose Valentin's two-out 10th inning game-winning RBI single off Chicago Cubs pitcher Glendon Rusch to give the Mets a 1-0 victory. So, here were the Mets sitting on a three game losing streak like an ostrich egg, the irredeemable Cubbies having humiliated them twice in a row and Mark Prior throwing a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings - who comes to the rescue? You might argue it was John Maine. The same John Maine who may have magically pitched his way out of the starting rotation with the return of Pedro Martinez. Willie would not guarantee Maine a start on the upcoming road trip. ""We'll see," Willie said with cryptic glee, "He needs to solidify a spot." Hmmm. Solidify? He pitched a shutout against Houston Friday, allowing just four hits and needing only 98 pitches. Yesterday, he threw 118 pitches, allowed three soft singles struck out seven and allowed a mere three hits. Loo...

Good news sportsfans! The hiatus is over and although the Army has been following the plights and exploits of the Mets from a respectable distance, it's now time to rejoin the human race of Mets supporters once again and play catch up on the season since we last looked in: 1. The Lead Is Still Double Digits! : (11 1/2 games and falling over the Atlanta Braves. A month ago, it was the same 11 1/2 games only it was over the Phillies and the Braves were 15 1/2 out. ***** Stats: Over the last 30 days, Paul Lo Duca is hitting .370, no homers, 7 doubles, 10 RBIs. Over the last 30 days, Mike Piazza is hitting .429 with 5 homers and 16 RBIs. Over the last 30 days, David Wright has 25 strikeouts and 10 walks. Over the last 30 days, Jose Reyes has 13 strikeouts and 6 walks. Over the last 30 days, the ERAs of the six Mets starters still standing: John Maine 1-2 2.18 ERA Tom Glavine 0-2 4.76 ERA Steve Trachsel 3-1 6.15 ERA El Duque 2-1 3....