Photograph of Mets pitcher Livan Hernandez waiting as the Cardinals' Rick Ankiel rounds the bases by Jeff Roberson/AP
- Cardinals 12, Mets 8: Maybe the Mets should have just stayed in New York. Their three-game road trip to St. Louis turned out miserably, and it was capped by this disaster under the Gateway Arch. Livan Hernandez allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings, and the Mets' late rallies were a day late and a dollar short. Panic is beginning to set in, but everyone needs to calm down. A 6-9 record is not the end of the world. With Johan Santana set to face the Nationals, the Mets' four-game losing streak should be history Friday evening, too.
- Devils 1, Hurricanes 0: Martin Brodeur tied another record with his 23rd playoff shutout. This one is 100-percent legitimate -- unlike his wins record which includes shootout wins -- and it put the Devils on the doorstep of the second round. He made 44 saves in a thrilling duel with Carolina's Cam Ward. David Clarkson scored near the midway point of the second period. Carolina had a flurry of chances at the end -- remember the Hurricanes scored with 0.2 seconds remaining in Game 4. The Devils can advance Sunday if they win in Raleigh.
- Wizards 1, Red Bulls 0: Carlos Johnson got sent off in the second minute -- that's the fastest red card in league history -- and the Red Bulls couldn't double their win total.





"A 6-9 record is not the end of the world."
Facing a season with just one legitimate starter, though, may be. Since Santana's last start, Mets starters have given up 19 runs in 20 2/3 innings. Leave Santana out, and the ERA of the rest of the Mets starters so far for the season is 7.32.
Yeah, good thing we fixed that bullpen!
100% legitimate?
Don't feed the flames, k? That crap reminds me of how ranger fans used to say the '95 cup wasn't "legit" either...
Give it till next season, and the "official" record will be his then too.
I was going to say something.. but it's not worth it. Any asterisk will go away early next season. Then they'll start claiming that it's the defense's record, not Marty's. Haters will always have some excuse.
"This one is 100-percent legitimate -- unlike his wins record which includes shootout wins"
I don't get it. If you're arguing that the win record isn't "legitimate" because overtime wins have given him more chances to win than goaltenders had in the past (which I assume is the argument), then the fact that there are now 16 teams in the playoffs through as many as four rounds also has given him more opportunities for playoff wins than goaltenders once had.
Basically that argument is saying that any record set since the Original Six years is not legitimate.
Brodeur is amazing-he is the backbone of the Devils organization. It's easy for Ranger fans to hate him-they trade away their franchise players and suck for generations. The Rangers' claim to fame is they were one of the "Original Six"—not much else. I just love seeing bloated Ranger fans poured into their Messier jerseys outside the Garden.
Two things I know about baseball: the Mets and the Cubs will ALWAYS break your heart.
DON'T MESS WITH THE DEVILS!!!