Willie Randolph shouldn't panic quite yet. His team has run into talented teams when it's not playing its best. Too bad the schedule doesn't get any easier. The Dodgers represent just the second of six playoff teams the Mets play in successive series. A road set against the Yankees plus a homestand against Minnesota, Oakland and St. Louis await. The string ends when the Mets visit Philadelphia, the club responsible for starting this New York slide. more ›

While in California discussing gang violence with sheriffs and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giuliani answered some questions about his relationship with son Andrew. The former mayor's 21-year-old son made some remarks to the NY Times about being estranged from his father due to a rocky relationship with stepmother Judi Nathan. Today, Giuliani said:

"My wife Judith is a very loving and caring ... mother and stepmother. She has done everything she can. The responsibility is mine. I believe that these problems with blended families, you know, are challenges -- sometimes they are. The more privacy I can have for my family, the better we are going to be able to deal with all these difficulties."