The (other) Empire Strikes Back

What's that? The Mets still aren't tanking? Time for a post!

The Mets rolling off four straight victories the face of what the writers would call "adversity" has to do with two very simple things.

1) the starters are pitching better
2) the bullpen is pitching better

That's it. When they pitch, they win. They will always hit. Even when Shawn Green is in the lineup. There are a few games where the Mets MIGHT struggle to score some runs, but more or less, this has been the trend.

After the four game debacle in Philadelphia I remember hearing one writer/analyst talking about how the series could be a serious psychological blow to the Amazins. I (optimism) thought they had a chance to right the ship, but have been surprised at how quickly they have done so. It makes sense, however, considering the Phillies' recent slide has been just as surprising as the Mets' winning streak.

O well. Here's the important part: Just as Willie deserved criticism for some of the team's mistakes in Philly, so must he be complimented for the recent turnaround. Now I haven't listened to WFAN since Thursday, so I'm not sure how the majority of the fan base has reacted. I can only hope that some of the Willie-bashers have apologized at least a little bit.

Anyway, here's some notes from the recent victory over Cincinnati, which I failed to witness thanks to having a life (kind of).

• Pedro made his first start of the year! He gave up 2ER in 5IP with 4K and 3BB. Not great numbers, but everyone seemed optimistic about it.
  
• "'Can't ask for anything better than that,' manager Willie Randolph said. 'He's amazing. I shouldn't even be surprised, really. Pedro was superb.'"
• David Wright homered again. How can you not love number 5?
• Moises Alou: 3/3 plus a homer. His OPS is .897, but only 231 ABs
  
• Bullpen: 1ER in 4 innings. They've been phenomenal the last few games. They definitely deserve a pat on the back.

So, yeah, in other news, Penn State v. Notre Dame ticket prices are dropping dramatically thanks to ND's less than stellar showing against Georgia Tech. With PSU now a heavy favorite, fans can now acquire tickets with ease. Unfortunately, that, combined with Michigan's loss does little to help PSU's strength of schedule in the early going. Likewise, 4-0 looks a lot more possible than it did last week. That said, Michigan is still going to big VERY TOUGH (and likely a pretty big favorite) against PSU on September 22nd.

Still no Metroid Prime 3 impressions. I really can't wait to play this game; it's just that I need to find the right time to really get into it. Meanwhile, I can't get enough of the old-school games I've downloaded, Zelda I and Super Metroid. The online store works great, and now there's even a cool news channel that updates relatively frequently. It's just more proof that the Wii is superior (as though we needed it).