FINALLY!!!

By Shari Forst
Posted Saturday, September 15, 2007

Since that awful four-game skid that we won't talk about in Philadelphia, the Mets finally got up some courage to face their arch enemies: THE DREADED BRAVES.

I said all along that if this team cannot prove they can beat every team in their division they don't deserve a pennant. I stand by those words. Think about it — had the Mets skirted around the Braves this season, would the pennant be as sweet than actually knocking them out of the running?

I often talk about the season of 2000 — yeah the team was pretty good but I still believe they got to face the Yankees at the World Series purely on luck. Had the Cardinals not knocked out the Braves in the playoffs I don't believe the Mets would have gotten there. It has bothered me for almost seven years until last season when the Mets took the division by storm, leaving the Braves and everyone else in the dust.

That didn't happen early in 2007 like it did in 2006. Many thought the Mets would have a dogfight on their hands until the beginning of September rolled around. Currently, the Mets have a six-game lead on the Phillies, who come to town on Friday and they have an 8.5 or 9 game lead over the Braves as of Thursday night.

Something seemed to have snapped in the team's mind after that last series in Philly. The Mets came back not only to take the series from the Braves, but to sweep them at Turner Field. In my mind, it was then that the 2007 team finally has proven themselves worthy of the pennant. They then took a series from Cincinnati and THEN took another series from the Braves at Shea.

Proving the series at Turner Field was not a fluke, it was even more gratifying to me that they won this past series from the Braves at Shea Stadium last weekend. Aside from getting the monkey off their back so to speak, it helped the Mets leave the Phillies and Braves in their rearview mirrors and the timing couldn't be more perfect. If you remember last season, the Mets sort of limped into the post-season with a September swoon. They got guys like Alou back, who is now finally healthy and swinging a great bat. No, I am not singing Moises' praises when I trashed this signing all season. I still don't love the fact that they guy can only be healthy 1/4 of the season — but he came back at the right time to protect Wright and Beltran in the lineup.

Now the team also has Paul Lo Duca back, and his bat is starting to come around, and fan favorite Endy Chavez has recently rejoined the lineup just in the nick of time. We can only hope that the return of Pedro Martinez continues to spark the team the rest of the way, and I think it will. Just his presence in the dugout seems to lift the team's spirits. Let's just hope Delgado comes back soon — and completely healthy. His bat was first coming alive when he went down with the hip problem. The team will need him back healthy and strong for October. In the meantime, let's finish off the Phillies this weekend!