The Mets introduced Johan Santana, their newest player and best attempt at getting back to the World Series, in Flushing yesterday. Just last week, the Mets and Santana agreed to a six-year $137.5 million contract that makes the Mets a favorite in the National League. Scores of press were on hand for the introduction, as well as David Wright, Omar Minaya, owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon, and Willie Randolph. Before his official introduction, the Mets......

Could this be it? Is our long nightmare about to end? It sounds like it might because there are strong indications out of Minnesota that the Twins are finally going to trade Johan Santana and the front-runners right now are the New York Mets! While the Mets haven’t been able to match the Red Sox or the Yankees in terms of top prospects, they appear to be willing to provide more prospects, up to five......

In the final year of baseball in Yankee Stadium, the legendary park will host the 2008 All-Star Game. In its 45th and final year, what does Shea Stadium get? A commemorative logo from the New York Mets. Fitting for the multi-purpose stadium that is a relic of the 1960s. Today, the Mets, the stadium's primary occupant since it opened in 1964, unveiled a logo that players will wear on their sleeves during the 2008 season.......

If Barry Melrose ever goes to Newark, he probably won't be getting a warm reception. Melrose, a hockey analyst for ESPN and a former player and manager, said some disparaging words about the city of Newark when talking about the new Devils arena on his webcast last week. Melrose said, "It looks great on the inside but don't go outside, especially if you got a wallet or anything else because the area around the building......

For a team used to making miracles, conjuring up a disaster had an especially bitter taste. With a sloppily played 8-1 loss to Florida and the Phillies' 6-1 win against the Nationals, the Mets' season ended about a month too early. The loss capped an agonizing stretch of two and a half weeks in which the Mets played some of the worst teams in the National League and still played their worst baseball of......

It took the Mets a little more than two weeks, but they've somehow managed to squander a seven-game lead in the National League East. Since September 12th, the lead has slowly gotten smaller and is now zero, zilch, zip, nadda, nil. With three games left in the regular season, the Mets are tied with the Phillies for first in the NL East. The last time the Mets weren't in sole possession of first place......

Mets 7, Marlins 6 (11 innings): A third straight win has pushed thoughts of panic to the back burner. Philadelphia lost, meaning the Mets' lead is 2 1/2. Stranger things have happened, but the Mets have buckled up in the driver's seat in the National League East. Please support David Wright for the MVP award. He put the team ahead in the 11th after another poor performance from the relievers. That bullpen still has to......

Marlins 8, Mets 7 (10 innings): Taking a three-run lead into the bottom of the ninth against the Marlins should be no problem right? Not when Billy Wagner is mysteriously absent -- the Mets later said he was having back spasms -- and his replacements are the not-so-capable Pedro Feliciano and the highly inflammable Jorge Sosa. They combined to cough up the lead in the bottom of the ninth, ruining a dramatic comeback posted by......

Phillies 5, Mets 3: After every one of these crushing losses, the Mets must thank someone that the Phillies don't play as well against the rest of the league as they do against New York. Pedro Martinez's six-inning, nine-strikeout performance was a distant memory when Carlos Beltran's field trip misplay turned what should have been an inning-ending lineout into a two-run triple. With the win -- the seventh straight against the Mets -- the Phillies......

Yankees 12, Mariners 3: Chien-Ming Wang doesn't deserve the American League Cy Young award, but he should get some lower votes. In a game the Yankees needed to win to keep their wild-card lead, Wang pitched 7 1/3 innings and kept the Mariners under wraps. That came as a welcome development after the Yankees learned that Roger Clemens will need a cortisone shot in his pitching elbow. Why was he out there Monday anyway? Horacio......

Tigers 16, Yankees 0: Needing a win to salvage a split in Detroit, the Yankees instead got a beating and left having lost three of the four games to the Tigers. Boston awaits New York for a three-game series that starts Tuesday, and the Yankees can't be blamed if they feel a sense of urgency. Mike Mussina has felt that way for a while now. The results, including Monday's performance against Detroit, haven't been pretty.......

Mets 8, Nationals 2: After fooling around with some of the National League's weaker teams, the Mets finished a sweep in Washington with this drubbing. Carlos Beltran led the way with two homers. His trip to the disabled list seems to have helped him out of his slump. Orlando Hernandez, who said his team had "good offense" and "good defense," won his fourth straight decision. He hasn't lost since July 4. Yankees 9, Tigers 3:......

Yankees 21, Devil Rays 4: Every Yankee starter had a hit, an RBI and a run scored. The team put up 20 hits in consecutive games for the first time in more than 100 years. It scored 38 runs in less than 24 hours. Shelley Duncan had two home runs .Too bad the Devil Rays and their suspect pitching staff can't stay in the Bronx a little longer. The good news? The Yankees move on......

Reds 8, Mets 4: Double, bunt single, walk, grand slam. That's how this game started for John Maine, and the Mets never recovered. The Reds needed four batters to score four runs. The Mets took all nine innings. With the Braves' win over the Pirates, the Mets' National League East lead has dwindled to 1 1/2 games. That said, there's no shame to losing to the Reds with Aaron Harang on the mound. Dumping one......

Jose Reyes did all he could for the National League in Tuesday's All-Star Game in San Francisco, but his team was still undone by the American League's best. Reyes played eight innings, had three hits and a run scored, but that wasn't enough. Perhaps his best performance came when he pulled back his fist from Carlos Beltran and David Wright during the pregame introductions. Billy Wagner's performance might have been the most damaging. The Mets......

Yankees 12, Angels 0: While the Yankees take three days off, they'll have pleasant thoughts about a rare laugher against the nemesis Angels. Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano all hit three-run homers off Ervin Santana, one player involved in last winter's trade rumors surrounding Rodriguez. Despite winning five of seven, the Yanks enter the break under .500 for the first time since 1995. The good news? They made the playoffs as the wild-card......

Phillies 5, Mets 3: Mike Pelfrey's appearance as a last-minute replacement for Oliver Perez didn't come out as planned, costing the Mets their sweep of the rival Phillies. Carlos Delgado continued his revival by hitting another home run. On the negative side, Aaron Heilman allowed two runs in another shaky relief outing. The Mets lead the Phillies by five and the Braves by four in the National League East. A's 11, Yankees 5: Scott Proctor's......

Mets 6, Phillies 5; Mets 5, Phillies 2: Things couldn't have gone much better for the Mets. Brothers Carlos, who have been struggling of late, combined for three homers. Orlando Hernandez and John Maine combined to hold the Phillies in check. New York leads Philadelphia by five games in the National League East. Of all the developments, Beltran's and Delgado's homers have to be the most welcome. Billy Wagner also deserves plenty of recognition, even......

Mets 2, Cardinals 1 (11 innings): No matter how many times the Mets beat the Cardinals in the regular season, the sting from last year's loss in the National League Championship Series won't disappear until New York takes a pennant. Going 4-0 in their first four games against the Cardinals this season doesn't hurt, though. Shawn Green hit a 3-2 pitch off the scoreboard in right field to give the Mets a walk-off win.......

If you're a believer in the Sports Illustrated cover curse, things could get ugly for the Mets pretty soon (or better if you think the team's recent play is due to the cover). General Manager Omar Minaya is featured in a cover story this week about his journey from the Dominican Republic, to becoming the first Hispanic G.M. in the Majors (with the Expos), to his success with the Mets. The feel-good story details Minaya's......

Yankees 10, White Sox 3: When Mike Mussina pitches well these days, he doesn't last too long. He cruised into the seventh inning in Chicago on Thursday before being derailed and helping give up a one-run lead. That didn't stop the Yankees, who used a Bobby Abreu double to take the lead for good in the eighth. Thinks got dicey with Kyle Farnsworth's appearance in the bottom of the inning, but an Alex Rodriguez......

Yankees 6, Red Sox 5: Alex Rodriguez really makes himself the center of attention, doesn't he? The Yankees third baseman hit a go-ahead home run off Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the ninth to give the Yankees a comeback win in Boston. The Yankees blew a 4-0 lead and trailed, 5-4, entering the eighth, but they managed to win the game and the series in Boston. They're still 12 1/2 games out of first......

The first release numbers for All-Star Game balloting was released yesterday for the National League and four Mets are leading in the yearly popularity contest. Jose Reyes, David Wright, Paul Lo Duca, and Carlos Beltran lead at their respective positions, with Beltran as the leading vote-getter in the National League across all positions. Reyes and Wright made their first appearances at the "Midsummer Classic" last season, while Lo Duca is a four-time All Star and......

Mets 6 Marlins 4: It is the best of times for the Mets. 32-17, best record in the National League and fresh off a sweep of the Marlins. Sunday’s win was a balanced effort with Jorge Sosa giving a solid start, the bullpen doing its job and the offense taking advantage of seven walks. Damion Easley showed his versatility, starting in left field and contributing 2 hits. Five different Mets had a RBI and the......

Mets 7, Marlins 2: Reports of Carlos Delgado's demise have been greatly exaggerated. At least for now. He hit two home runs as the Mets romped past the Marlins and moved 3 1/2 games in front of the Braves in the National League East. Delgado's poor play -- he has fewer homers than Damion Easley, after all -- had been a source of concern for the Mets. But his two-homer game backed John Maine,......

Nets 83, Cavaliers 72: No one's going to give the Nets style points, but New Jersey will take Game 6 nonetheless. Jason Kidd's crew won this game on defense and tenacity. How else can a team win a game in which it scores six points in the fourth quarter? Mikki Moore did the job yet again. He's scored in double figures in every game this series and his development is a credit to Lawrence Frank's......

The most devoted baseball friend we know grew up in Hartford, CT. Halfway between NYC and New England, Hartford is a baseball fan's crucible, where one must decide at an early age whether you're for the Red Sox or the Yankees. If geography poses a dillema in Connecticut, it really is a problem once you're living in the boroughs or its neighboring towns. The New York Times notices today a growing movement of Mets fan......

With the news that Roger Clemens is returning to the Yankees, reactions from the local media and Yankee fans are generally positive. Clemens made the announcement during the 7th inning of yesterday's 5-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. After the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," Bob Sheppard directed the crowd to the owner's box for a special announcement. Only then did the public find out that Clemens would be returning to......

Yankees 8, Indians 6: All that talk of Alex Rodriguez's problems in important -- so-called "clutch" -- spots seems to be a thing of the past. So did the Yankees third baseman suddenly discover the ability to perform when it matters, or did people give him too hard a time to begin with? He doesn't seem to care. The Yankees entered the ninth inning down by four runs, and the first two men in the......

Windows of opportunity in baseball often come in small sizes. After coming within a run of the National League pennant last season, the Mets hope their chance hasn't run out yet. Make no mistake, the Mets remain a force to be reckoned with and could end up finishing with a better result than they did last season. But they shouldn't expect the regular-season cakewalk they had last season, and they can't hope to be......