It's going to be an interesting off-season for the Mets.
Given the increasing drift of the team, both manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya are under some serious fire.
"These Mets are going nowhere fast, and it doesn't appear that anyone in the organization is capable of reversing the downward spiral," wrote Newsday's David Lennon.
The most compellingly nasty stat is this: The Mets are 10-32 in games in which their opponent has scored first.
What a whacko. Jeremy Mayfield not only is finished as a driver after twice testing positive for methamphetamine. He may also be losing his mind.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the driver has charged NASCAR with rigging the test results and accused his stepmother of murder for allegedly killing his father. (The death was ruled a suicide.)
He also compared NASCAR chairman Brian France to Al Capone.
To quote the Sentinel's George Díaz, "I'm no legal eagle, but fueling perceptions that your brain is fried on meth isn't the best defense strategy."
Meet me in St. Louie. There's an interesting feud brewing between Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and broadcaster Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky.
The broadcaster, a former Cardinals relief pitcher, ripped catcher Yadier Molina on the air last week for not running out a pop-up that was dropped. Hrabosky called the move "inexcusable" and said, "Molina did not run at all. . . . I'm not saying you've got to sprint down there, but you've got to do something a little more than this. That's terrible."
La Russa fired back on his own radio show last weekend, calling the accusation "garbage" and saying Hrabosky "should be ashamed of himself."
Last night, La Russa implied that Molina was slightly injured and continued to defend the catcher.
Hrabosky also returned fire.
"I guess I'm going to ask him for the list of who is tired and who is hurt, so I'll know how he wants me to do my job," Hrabosky told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm trying to take the high road. We need to have a conversation. He's entitled to his point of view, but I don't think I have to do any backtracking, and I'm not.
"It's commendable on his part to support his players, but he didn't have to take cheap shots at me."
Contact staff writer Don McKee at 215-854-4611 or
This article contains information from the Associated Press.