Pull The Trigger Already, Any Trigger
"A coward turns away, but a brave man's choice is danger." --Euripides

You've got to wonder what kind of sadistic pranksters reside in the Met front office.

Unexpectedly still in the NL East race despite a mediocre record, there has been an air of expectation that the trigger could be pulled on one or more trades that could provide the adrenal jump to move the Mets past Philly, Atlanta and the Marlins, none of whom seem particularly interested in adding any significant salaries to their payrolls.

This is precisely the scenario the Met owner Fred Wilpon was alluding to when, after cutting $40 million from their payroll, he promised to spend if the games "mattered".

With that expectation, the rumours have swirled about Randy Johnson or at the very least, Kris Benson adding depth to the back end of the rotation, not to mention the possibility of adding another arm to the bullpen.

Well, the Mets have unleashed their back end of the rotation in the form of Scott Erickson, after an absence of almost two years from the Major Leagues. Erickson was only able to muster a 3-3 record with a 4.50 ERA pitching against AAA competition and you'd have to wonder how much, injuries and all, he has left in the tank. Even when reasonably healthy, back in 2002, he who went 5-12 with a 5.55 ERA in 29 games with the Baltimore Orioles. In fact, you'd have to go all the way back to the 20th century to find a year Erickson had even remotely respectable numbers!

So naturally, when you're looking for a boost to your rotation, you should look first towards an injury-prone 36 year old who hasn't had a good season since the Clinton Administration.

And if you're looking to bolster your bullpen who else would you turn to but journeyman Mike DeJean with his career 4.40 ERA whose greatest claim to fame is saving 27 games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002. Let's not kid ourselves. Down the homestretch last season, after he'd lost the closer's role with the Milwaukee Brewers, the St Louis Cardinals opted to trade for DeJean's services and he impressed them so much during the stretch run that saw a Cardinal collapse that they declined to pick up his option.

So there you have it. Scott Erickson and Mike DeJean which is like bragging to your mates about what a hot pair of birds you're bringing to their party and then show up with Anne Ramsey and Sandra Bernhard instead of Daniela Pestova and Yamila Diaz-Rahi.

It's like ordering the filet mignon and lobster and getting cup o noodles and stale oyster crackers instead.

Or, if you want to go on Wilpon precedent, like hiring the Artless Howe instead of Lou Piniella to be your manager.

When there's a fire in your house, you don't call an accountant to come and put it out, do you then?

With the Braves winning 16 of their last 20, there isn't much time left for the Mets Idiot Collective to find answers instead of punchlines to jokes.

*****
Two players to keep an eye on as the season progresses whose return could have an impact on the AL and NL races, are Stewart Shannon for Minnesota and Marcus Giles for Atlanta.

It's amazing we haven't heard more about the O's 30 year old Melvin Mora replacement, David Newhan. Signed as a free agent in June after he languished in Texas' AAA farm team, the diminutive 5'10 180 pound slugger has been pounding the ball with Bondsian fervor, hitting at a .423 clip with 4 homers and 21 RBIs in 28 games, not to mention a .644 slugging percentage and a 1.118 OPS.

*****

Joe Torre's record as a player and manager in All-Star Games is 13-1-1. He noted that the only time he was on the losing side came in Detroit, in the 1971
All-Star Game. That's when the AL beat the NL for the only time in a 19-year span.