Mets terror level is at Red for possible collapse

If the department of homeland security issued warnings for baseball teams, then the current state of the Mets would be Red - severe risk of collapse. Had they won, the alert might have been orange - high risk of collapse. Of course had they stayed in first place (just two weeks ago, they were 3 1/2 games up), it might have been blue - for guarded - general risk of a collapse.

Make no mistake about it, the panic level is high and the panic button has been pushed, especially after Friday's 6-1 loss. As bad as the score was, the boxscore is even worse.



It took eight pitchers to play nine innings, according to the Mets post-game notes, that ties a team record. It was the fifth time that happened and second time in nine days. (not sure if I'd publicize that fact).

Other than the obvious reason (the bullpen), I have no idea why it happens. I couldn't tell you why teams play well and then falter. If I had to guess, it's the pressure, the demons and ghosts of the infamous seven-game lead with 17 to go.

It has to be, especially since this started with 17 games remaining.

But maybe, just maybe, there's some frustration starting to appear. When reporters were lingering in the clubhouse afterwards, it appeared that a phone had been ripped from the wall out of frustration.

It didn't look like a normal dismantling of an appliance. It looked like someone got frustrated with this happening again and vented by ripping a phone out.

Is that enough? Will Johan Santana be able to get it done or look anything like he did Tuesday on three days rest and after throwing 125 pitches? All year, we've heard having Johan Santana is the intangible difference, but that comment was intended for a fully rested pitcher.

"It's sometimes difficult to figure us out, you know. We do one thing one night, have a bad loss and get off the deck. ... In the position we're in, it's the kind of stuff we like. But my God, it's tough on me." - Jerry Manuel

"I don't know anything about pitching, but I like Johan." - David Wright

The pitchers haven't been able to say, I don't know anything about hitting but I like David, Ryan or Jose.

That's because other than Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado offense has been spotty or inconsistent, meaning that when they're going 0-for-3 or 1-for-4, the others haven't stepped it up.

Reyes is hitting .247 this month and the team is
Wright is hitting .243 with runners in scoring position with just four home runs
Church is hitting .228 this month

Also, a lot of people are criticizing Met fans for not showing up and while 49,000 were there, it is an expensive proposition to go to a game at most ballparks these days. The cheapest ticket for this series is 25.00. If you want to eat and drink at the game, figure on spending close to 20 and even more if you want a beer. If you want to drive, it's 15 to park while using up gas that costs nearly 4.00 a gallon.

Maybe the 49,000 that show up have the means to spend the money for some of these, but there's a large segment that don't.