Mets might be fresh but wind up with the same results.

In the pregame show on SNY, if you saw it, Jeremy Reed commented that everyone is fresh and ready to go and will be playing hard in the 2nd half of the 09 Mets season. Well they played hard and still lost. A couple of things that were positive did stand out.

The Mets finally just lost a game without beating themselves by sloppy play in the field. No missed pop ups. No throws over someone’s head . No throwing to the wrong base. It was nice to see if need to pull out something positive. Also Oliver Perez seemed to mature a little with his pitching. After giving back to back homers in the 2nd inning he didn’t get mad he got smart. He started using his breaking pitches a lot more and seem to keep the Braves off balance.

The Mets were down 2-0 and battled back. They still lack that big hit . I mean can David Wright just go back to old ways. No one wants a hitter batting 3rd with 5 dingers.

Bobby Parnell needs to stop relying on his fastball . I wish Bobbie Ojeda was a coach because he would beat that into Parnell's head. Guys in the majors can hit 95 mph fastballs especially Larry.

The Mets are now 7.5 games out. Omar said before the game that he spoke to 5 GM's about possible trades. It is getting to the point of why bother.

The latest injury update on F-Mart, John Maine and Carlos Beltran.

Ahh at least its news. It is not the most promising news but at least its something. According to Adams Rubins blog Fernando Martinez had surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks. He was being used in centerfield while Beltran has been on the DL. Beltran seems no closer to playing in games as of yet. The bruise has not gone done much. So doubtful we will see him at all this month.

John Maine pitched batting practice to Jose Reyes. Both could be back by the end of the month but as per the report from Omar, Reyes is not cutting on the bases.

My question is this. If all along we were told the Mets need to keep it afloat until the All-Star break, what will be the new mantra now? See you in ’10?

The Worst Insult Of All

Mike Silva - NY Baseball Digest has brought to light a theory, speculation if you will, that many have been rumbling about all season. The Mets will not be adding payroll to this years’ team. In fact, he goes as far as to say that the acquisition of Jeff Francoeur might very well to the only “significant” piece they will add.

Silva bases his beliefs on an article published in the NY Post (Bart Hubbuch) on July 14th, that suggests that the Wilpon’s might have lost as much as $700M to Bernard Madoff in his now notorious Ponzi scheme.

Legally and morally, the Wilpon’s conduct Sterling Enterprises and the New York Mets as separate businesses like they should, but having been burnt badly, and with the ongoing terrible economy, Fred and Jeff might be remiss to go spending oodles of dough. They have the highest payroll in the NL at $145M committed to players this year. Silva goes as far as to say, “Maybe just being shamed by a “good friend” is enough to disengage them from spending money, regardless of whether it’s the baseball team, or real estate.”

Silva states some of the well known ‘embarrassments’ the Mets have suffered: Mike Scioscia’s HR, the 'Worst Team Money Could Buy', Scott Kazmir, and the collapses – but for the Mets and their fans to accept that as of now there is no present and no future due to Madoff, that would be the “worst insult.”

Mets finally start second half in Atlanta tonight. No word on Reyes and Beltran

With the Mets finally getting the 2nd half started in Atlanta tonight we have to taper our enthusiasm since they still will not have Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran in the lineup.

Beltran has felt better but no word when he might get into rehab games. Reyes might be the closest to come back but no date has been set.

The Mets will send Oliver Perez to the mound against Derick Lowe tonight with Mike Pelfrey going friday and Johan on Saturday.

The Mets have 75 games left in the season . Papers have said the Mets need to go at a .640 clip to make it to 90 games. Dont see it. If the Mets can get some of these boys back sooner then later I see the Mets going 42-33 in there last 75. I don't see the Mets making the playoffs being 6 games over .500. Also watch the teams that make trades before the deadline. If a NL team gets Roy boy from Toronto and its not the Phillies, the Mets might be looking up to 2010 and not the NL Wild Card.

Check out our poll about how many wins these rag tag boys will get in the 2nd half.

Meet The New Nuke LaLoosh

David Wright should be banned from talking to the press. He is nothing more than a corporate mouth-piece, and the more he talks, the more he sounds like Nuke LaLoosh , Tim Robbins character in the baseball classic, Bull Durham .

These quotes are from Today's Daily News :

On the Mets chances in the second half:

"It gives us some momentum and, more importantly, some confidence going into the second half. I'm excited the way we swung the bats and got some big hits, took some walks, (got) some big RBI."

"Of course. That's why we go out there and play the games. Hopefully everybody feels the same. Go out there, get rested up and get some of the guys on the DL back and make a nice run."

On the acquisition of Jeff Francoeur:

"Anybody that comes in and gets hits is going to help this offense out," Wright said. "We've all seen first hand what he can do when he's hot. Hopefully he can find his stroke and (be) be a new beginning for him."

David Wright needs a Crash Davis to better advise him. He is so Milquetoast that it's nauseating. I am pleading with not only the NY media, but media all over the country - do not seek out David Wright for a quote. Just go to the Bull Durham script , and insert some of Nuke LaLoosh's quotes. They are exactly the same. Remember David, breathe through your eyes!

Ex Teammate Says Francoeur Will Do Well In Flushing

Jeff Francoeur's former Braves teammate and best friend, Brian McCann, says that Francoeur will produce and do well in Flushing.

In an article by Adam Rubin - NY Daily News, he quotes McCann as saying, "Going to a new city, a new team - a fresh start - I think it's going to be great for him. He's gotten two hits both games (with the Mets). And he got three hits the game before he left. I think he's on his way back to really driving the baseball, getting some RBIs and being a run producer."

On whether Francoeur can find the success he had prior to 2008, McCann said, "One hundred percent. He's one of the best athletes I've ever been around. The guy can do it all on a baseball field. He's just got to get back to driving the baseball up the middle and the other way."

McCann believes that Francoeur will be well received when he returns to Atlanta, unlike Tom Glavine when he returned to Atlanta as (Ugggggggh!) a Met: "I think it's totally different. Jeff has done so much for the Atlanta Braves organization for the time he was there, on and off the field. The charity work he did in Atlanta is more than a lot of people do. I hope he gets a pretty good reception. He did a lot for Atlanta."

Francoeur played football, and according to McCann, he was a better football player: "He's one of the best football players I've ever witnessed. He was better at football than he was in baseball in high school. He was going to Clemson to play football. I think he had like 16 interceptions in 14 games."

For once, I hope the Braves, mainly McCann, is correct.

Johan Santana did not play in All Star game. Let the speculation begin.

With no games played over a 3 days time span with the All Star game break there has to be things to write about. Well now when you turn on the boobs on talk radio there is chatter that the Mets told the Phillies not to use there ace Johan Santana. Well why you ask? Well of course because he is hurt why else!! This of course according to the radio boys.

Why would they say that unless he is on track to start this Friday and they didn’t want to him to pitch too many pitches in the 1 inning he might have played in last night. The last time during the All Star break Johan was awful in his first start back so they probably just want to keep him in rhythm . Also they did not want him to be pushed backed in his starts so that way he might have 1 less start during the second half of the season.

I mean in that case does it really matter? For the Mets to even win 90 games this year they need to go 48-27 in the second half. It might be touch since none of there big guns are due back right away