Jerry Manuel has seen a lot through those black rimmed glasses in his first eight games managing the Mets.  While the Mets have shown attitude, edge and toughness that was previously absent, they have also carried over plenty of old fashioned cold hitting and bad pitching.  The stoic and polite Randolph Mets have been replaced by the unpredictable and considerably more fiery Manuel Mets, and even if the results are the same, at least its more entertaining.

I like how the Met starters have been lingering on the mound to personally hand the ball of to the reliever, a new tradition that sprang up under Manuel; I think it encourages team pride.  I like that Manuel isn’t afraid to demote Oliver Perez after another atroicous outing.  I also liked the speed with which Manuel ran out to yell at home plate umpire Brian Runge in Tuesday night’s 11-0 thrashing by the merciless Mariners.  Runge clearly crossed the line by pulling his whole “time to dust the plate and get in your face” routine on an unusually angry and frustrated Carlos Beltran, who was arguing the strike zone.  Any manager would run out at a moment like that but credit Manuel for instantly appearing in Runge’s face like an angry leprechaun.  

Was Runge afraid that Manuel, an avowed knife-wielding “gangsta” was going to “cut him” as he threatened to do to Jose Reyes earlier in the week?  Perhaps, as Runge’s proactive chest bump on Manuel was epic, Runge defintely seemed threatened by the maniacal Manuel before initiating contact and then tossing the Met skipper.  Ordinarily I’m not a fan of letting emotions boil over in a game in which the team is getting buried, but the way this played out it ended up being a classic case of umpires overstepping their bounds and became a meaningful emotional expression for the Mets. 

As for Manuel’s colorful language in his dressing down of Reyes, I actually like the toughness and the use of humor.  I’ll leave the sociological implications of promoting “gangsta-ism” to someone else, I think Manuel’s bravado is funny and makes a point that Reyes is forced to acknowledge.  OK, but I draw the line at the whole gender reversal thing, referring to Reyes as a “she”…”she made a mistake…”  Please.  That was so silly and tired when Parcells did it, why bring it back.  And to compare Reyes’s maturity level to women in general? That’s insulting to women! 

Manuel ends up looking like a genius for resting David Wright Tuesday as Wright came back fresh and hit two home runs in tonight’s victory.  Wright had played every game so far this season and was perhaps mentally worn down when he made a big mistake Monday, his bobble on a routine ball that opened the door for the Freaky Felix Salami.  I refer of course to Mariners pitching phenom Felix Hernandez and the grand slam he hit off Johan Santana Monday with his “eyes closed” (according to Santana), the first salami by an AL pitcher in 37 years. 

Stepping out of my team loyalty, what an awesome moment, the “new Johan” from Venezuela going up against the original Johan, flailing his bat right into the high fastball and air mailing it the other way.  That moment was right out of “The Natural” and should remind everyone why NL baseball rules!!! Then Felix showboats around the bases and the baseball gods punish him with a sprained ankle (later on in the game when he gets bowled over by Beltran while ineptly trying to cover home on a wild pitch).  I chalk the loss up to strange forces and choose not to blame Santana at all.

In the big picture, the Mets are hanging around in the NL East, only 4 games behind the Phlailing Phillies.  The Phillies have cooled off big time, losing six straight and currently slogging through a trip to Oakland while averaging under two runs a game over the last seven.  Chase Utley in particular has gone from MVP buzz to virtually 0-for the week and shedding 30 points off his average.  While the Mets have failed to capitalize, the Marlins have managed to hang in a game behind the Phillies.  The NL East could either be considered the best division in baseball top to bottom or the most inept, depending on your perspective.  Its shaping up to be a war of attrition with no front runner, and one in which the winning punch isn’t landed until the last round.

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