I hadn't noticed until he got the win against the Mets last night, but Dan Wheeler is following up on his breakthrough playoff performance with a hell of a season. After the Mets traded him last August (while using roster spots for Franco, Stanton, etc), Wheeler pitched 8 scoreless innings in the playoffs. So far this year, he has a 1.54 ERA in 46.2 innings, with 47 Ks and 12 BBs.

Billy, if everyone in the Mets lineup sucked as much as Cameron, the Mets would be in first place.<sup>1

1</sup>According to BaseballSuckspectus.com, Cameron's SAAP (suckiness above average player) is -9.83. Multiply that by 8, and the Mets' lineup would have a league worst (or least suckiest) SAAP of -78.64.

Good to see Cameron back to his old tricks. 4 Ks in a game? Was Sam pitching?

It's time to dust off the website I made up last season with a name I can't remember... something like "mikecameronsucksprospectus.com"...

Sports Guy's quote of the day:

"You're not going to play for me if you don't put out." -- Mets manager Willie Randolph

As I make my final preparations to fail the Bar tomorrow, I'd like to point out that on May 11, I took issue with all the Jason Giambi doubters in the media and the Yankee organization who wanted to send him to the minors.
Since that time, he's had the second best OPS in baseball (behind Derrek Lee).

Playoffs?
Prospectus' Playoff Odds Report has the Mets at about a 25% chance of making the playoffs.
And, actually, looking at the standings, it doesn't seem that far-fetched.
Conceding that the Braves will probably once again win the division, the wild card is pretty wide open. The Mets are 5 back of the Nationals, but like many, I think the Nationals are due for a decline, and I think it's very likely that someone (Astros, Cubs, Mets, Phillies, Marlins?) will pass them. I don't necessarily think it'll be the Mets, but they are (very slightly) leading that pack right now. If a bunch of things go right (Meinty and Beltran starting to hit), the Mets could squeeze into the playoffs. Ya gotta' believe!

Don't fuck with Cow-Bell Man.

Hey, the Mets signed another guy to a big deal who'll never make the majors (most likely)!

From espn.com:

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- The New York Mets have signed a 16-year-old outfielder in one of the richest deals for a prospect from the Dominican Republic.

Fernando Martinez got a $1.4 million contract last week, even though he can't play in the United States until he turns 18.

"I didn't expect something of this size," Martinez said Saturday at his home in Rio San Juan.

Even with his lucrative deal, Martinez said he wants to attend college and study business administration. The Mets included $100,000 to pay for his studies as part of the package.

Martinez, who bats left-handed and throws righty, was signed by former major league shortstop Rafael Bournigal, the Mets' director of international scouting.

Because of his arm strength, a number of scouts had expressed interest in Martinez, comparing him to fellow Dominicans Raul Mondesi and Jose Guillen.

The Mets have a baseball academy in the Dominican and a team in the Dominican summer league. The training complex in San Cristobal is in operation all year long.

Three facts:
The Washington Nationals are in first place.
The Nationals have the second best record in the NL.
Today, the Nationals' cleanup hitter is Carlos Baerga.