Even though I was only four months old the last time the Mets won the World Series, I love watching re-runs of classic games from 1986 against the Boston Red Sox. This year looks like there could be a rematch of that historic match-up in late October.
Like the old saying goes, you win some, you lose some. If the Mets and Red Sox want to play each other at the end of the season, they both need to start winning games now, rather than losing them.
With the baseball season winding down, six playoff spots are still up for grabs, specifically the National League and American League East divisions.
The two hottest teams in baseball right now are the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees, the two teams chasing the Mets and Red Sox.
The Phillies have gained five games on the Mets in the past six contests. After being behind by seven and a half games on Sept. 13, Philadelphia only trails the Mets by two and a half now.
If the Mets don't start playing playoff quality baseball soon, they will be watching the games from home rather than competing in them.
Even though I am a die-hard Mets fan, I believe that they do not deserve to make the post-season ahead of the fighting Phils.
Philadelphia has won seven in a row against my Metropolitans and has stepped up their game when it matters the most this season.
The terrible Philadelphia bullpen, which is last in the league, has stifled the Mets offense. Every pitcher out there impersonates Cy Young on the mound. The Mets can't generate any hits against a weak Phillies bullpen, striking for only eight runs in 26 innings.
Yes, Phillies pitching is terrible - it ranks 26th in the majors, with a 4.83 earned run average. However, Philadelphia is coming through with clutch hits in pressure situations, something the Mets have not done throughout the season.
Philadelphia's offense is one of the best in the game. It ranks second in runs scored with 841, has 196 home runs, which is third in the majors, and they lead the league in extra base hits with 548.
The Phillies offense is the main reason why they are still in the hunt to catch the Mets in the standings.
Now let's go to the other league - the league that I hate - the American League.
Until this point of the season, the Red Sox were the kings of baseball. They have had the best record overall since April.
Today, they are third best in their league and are barely holding off the powerhouse that is the New York Yankees.
Getting swept in a three game series at Yankee Stadium and losing two of out three this past weekend at home against the despised Yanks now shrinks their once 14.5 game lead to a meager game and a half.
Can anyone hear the cries and yells of loyal Sox fans? Does anybody really want to say the word "choke" in Beantown?
Some may say it doesn't matter who wins the division, since both teams will make the post-season anyways, but these people are wrong.
The Red Sox have to take first place and claim the A.L. East, because they have been sitting at the top of division standings since April.
The team's mindset just won't be the same if they end up winning the wild card and possibly facing the Los Angeles Angels out on the West Coast some 3,000 miles away.
The Boston bullpen has been shaky down the stretch. Reliever Eric Gagne, who was claimed at the trade deadline, has not worked out well. He currently has a 4.18 earned run average for the season and has a September ERA of over nine. Gagne is consistently booed in Boston when he walks out of the bullpen.
Another problem in the pen is rookie Hideki Okajima. Earlier in the year, he would get on the field and everyone knew he would get the job done. Recently, this has not been the case, as Okajima's given up six earned runs in the past two innings.
The offense has been inconsistent since outfielder Manny Ramirez got injured with an oblique injury. He has missed 21 games and Boston has scored 97 runs in that stretch. This comes out to less than five runs per game, which is not good in the hitter-friendly American League.
I know it's a 162 game schedule, but the Mets and Red Sox have to find their strong offenses and solid pitching soon or they will both be making early exits in October. Then my dream will die and I will have to wait one more year for another classic to happen.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
