Just as we suspected, Brian Stokes appeared tonight, wearing No. 43, and in place of Ruddy Lugo, who returns to AAA without having made an appearance. And Stokes, though not charged with a decision and guilty of surrendering two 2-run home runs, evidently pitched well enough, by Met standards, to remain with the club even after John Maine returns. Which probably means that Carlos Muniz would return to AAA when Maine comes back, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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Quick note to let you in on a great opportunity to see the Mets from a unique perspective before they dismantle Big Shea. Matt Silverman, my co-author for the Mets by the Numbers book and writer of a bunch of other great Mets-related books (Mets Essential, 100 Things, Total Mets, etc), has purchased a bunch of Picnic Area seats for the Sept. 24 game -- that's a Wednesday night vs. the Cubs -- and is selling a limited number at his website, MetSilverman.com. Details including pricing etc. are there. I'm here to tell you I will be there, and that Matt's a trustworthy guy who is likely to draw a crowd of knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans: If I were you, I'd be making plans to go. And do it quick -- prices go up Sept. 1.

The Mets saved their season with two great wins this weekend after nearly burning it all away Friday.

Quick note to point out Jesse Spector's Touching Base Column in the Daily News Sunday, which did a nice job on the proliferation of Mets No. 6s. Also, a reminder that I will be at the Queens Library in Flushing tonight (Monday, July 7), around 6 p.m., to speak about the Mets, baseball and writing with Greg Spira, co-editor of Meet the Mets. 41-17 Main Street, (718) 661-1200.

Just in case the AL needs to win home-field advantage in the late innings, Billy Wagner will be representing the Mets at the All-Star game. Has there been a more unlikeable Met than Wags? Or is it just me?

After a solid half-season rehabbing his career in AAA, the Mets rewarded Tony Armas with his first big-league appearance of the year. Tonight's start in St. Louis (off to a shaky start as I write) is designed to provide a bit of rest for a stretched-out rotation, after which it is expected Armas will stay with the club filling the long-relief role previously filled by Claudio Vargas, Nelson Figueroa and Jorge Sosa. Armas appears tonight in No. 44 -- the same jersey he wore this spring that was later issued to Brady Clark when Clark when the trip north and Armas did not.

Leave it Greg Prince of Faith & Fear in Flushing to point out the last time No. 44 appeared on the back of a Mets pitcher it was the Mercury Mets and Jason Isringhausen -- who made his last appearance for the Mets wearing that jersey in July of 1999. That and a lot more.

Meantime, MBTN reader Paul C., aka King Of All Screen Capturers, delivers the above image of Isringhausen's unique Mercury Mets look -- condensed fonts don't exist in the future, doncha know.

To make room for Armas the Mets designated infielder Andy Phillips for assignment -- easy come, easy go -- and are gambling a short bench won't bite them in the butt before Moises Alou makes a return. Yes, they're counting on that again. Yes, the Met offense is collapsing under the anticipation of his return once again.

Talkin' baseball: Join me in Flushing this coming Monday, July 7, as I appear along with Greg Spira, co-editor of Meet the Mets, in a discussion about the Mets, baseball, books and anything else. We will have books for sale and/or signature (including Matt Silverman's Mets Essential and 100 Things), and afterward, I'll be happy to join you for a beer to watch the Mets-Phillies game.

Details: 6 p.m., Monday July 7 at the Queens Library -- Flushing , 41-17 Main Street, (718) 661-1200.

What's a weirder sight -- Jay Horwitz wearing Jeromy Burntiz' hideous orange sportscoat... or Carlos Delgado wearing a uniform dirtier than Jason Giambi's lucky thong?

We got all that, plus Scott Schoeneweis wearing a satisfied smile, as the Mets' sudden winning streak reached 3 games Thursday night. They scored all eight runs with two men out, an unfathomable accomplishment at some times this year and perhaps... maybe ... a sign that they have turned the corner.

Before they go for four straight Friday, please stop by the Holiday Inn LaGuardia and the Pine Lounge -- that's the former Bobby Vee's -- at 37-10 114th Street, right across the Grand Central from Big Shea. I'll be there with Matthew Silverman. We'll have books to sell and sign, or just hang out and schmooze pre-game: We're headed to the game afterward.

Thanks to Joey Reynolds and WOR for having us on the other night, and by night, I mean, late night: I didn't wind up being much of a conversationalist at 2am, though Matt picked up the slack. The highlight of the experience was definitely getting an impromptu a capella "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by Nu Millenium A Capella Soul, who went on before us.

 

 

Stop us if you heard this before: The Mets on Tuesday sent ineffective reliever Matt Wise to the disabled list for the second time this year and for the second time this year, recalled New Orleans closer Carlos Muniz to replace him.

As you might also know, Wise's arrival over the offseason inadvertently triggered Muniz to switch from his first-issued No. 38 and alight in 32, which he was also dressed in earlier this year.

As you also already know, the Mets held an especially unsatisfying press conference Monday during which Omar Minaya acted as if he didn't want Willie Randolph fired and Randolph continued pretending his team was OK and plays hard for him. They gave vaguely encouraging lip-service to a need to try and improve the team and suggested they had a lot of the same ideas (such as?) while perpetuating the myth that Randolph's remarks to Ian O'Connor deserved the attention and scrutiny they received, and that Randolph necessarily had anything to apologize for but the revolting play of his team.

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A few more book-related events this week not to be missed: Tonight (actually Wednesday morning at 1 a.m., along with Matthew Silverman, guesting live in-studio on the Joey Reynolds Show on WOR-radio (and simulcast nationwide). You can listen to an archive of the event at the same address.

On Friday May 30, Matthew and I will host a book signing and pregame schmoozing at LaGuardia Holiday Inn's Pine Bar & Restaurant, at 5:30 p.m. Come on over, have a drink, buy a book for your Dad, or get yours signed. Afterwards we'll hoof it to Shea and catch the return of Joe Torre.

Alongside my partner, Matt Silverman, see below last week's Mets Weekly segment on uniform numbers. Incredibly, this performance did not disuade Max Siegel at SNY from inviting me back, and so I'm scheduled to re-appear on this week's show (Saturday, 12 noon), talking about how great it is when the Yankees lose. Met fans in Connecticut (and those on the North Shore of Long Island with rabbit ears) can view us Sunday at around 7:15ish on WTNH, Channel 8, where we'll talk Mets with morning news host Chris Velardi.

So I did guest spot on a radio show the other day.

As part as the publicity around the MBTN book, I’ve done a few of these in recent months, and while I still blurt out way too many “umms” and “yaknows” it feels like I’ve actually gotten better as I’ve gone along. My gameplan for these interviews has generally been to go up there with the idea of simply putting it in play: I might drive the right question to the gap and maybe leg out the extra base, but I’m mainly up there trying not to whiff.

At the risk of taking this tortured analogy any further, it was a rough first inning in Houston. I ably handled an introduction glitch before Richard Justice of KGOW 1560 The Game (and the Houston Chronicle) surprised me with a first-pitch curve.

“What’s wrong with the Mets?” he asked.

If you listen in I mumbled something about an inconsistent offense and pitching issues that staffs typically encounter in April, but I’m not sure that’s it at all, necessarily. I mean, not all of it. The fact is this has been a remarkably average team over the last year (68-68 since last May 30, says this guy) and I’d argue that stretch of averageness actually proceeds it, goes back to September of 2006 and foretold the lethargic offense that more than anything else cost the Mets a chance to play in another World Series that year. And that resembles 2005, results-wise at least, when the Mets rested at .500 at more points than in any other year in team history but somehow looked better doing so.

So maybe that’s it. Being an OK team in a pretty good era is pretty much what they are under Willie and Omar. And while they’re capable of more the record shows early 2006 was the exception and not the rule. Their particular problems haven’t been quite the same every year, much less every night, beyond injuries and age.

When Justice got to the part about whether Randolph should be fired I pleaded pateience. Until Memorial Day, at least.

Anyway, in the interest of being better prepared next time, I put it to you readers: Tell me how you'd answer: What’s wrong with the Mets? Use the comments below.

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Thanks to David Moore and Crooked Number for still more help with the web page, which continues to be a masterpiece in the making. You might notice that names on the player pages now read in in proper order. Mookie Wilson > Wilson, Mookie, don't you think?

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Moises Alou is rumored to rejoin the team in time for tonight’s opener in Phoenix but until I see 18 in left field I’m not holding my breath. Not clear at this point whether Brian Schneider gets DL’ed or whatever. Not that I'm interested in starting a reputation for the guy or anything but Schneider's had three separate injuries already and his next extra-base hit will be his first. Fitting right in.

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Cool new book review published by Baseball America (pictured above) and featured, quiz-style, in the latest issue of Mets Inside Pitch.

Got the following email recently from reader Steve:

I bought a Rawlings authentic jersey on eBay a few weeks ago. The seller listed it as a Jose Reyes jersey but I knew it couldn't have been because: 1) it's a Rawlings and 2) it just had the "7", with no player name, on the back. So, upon seeing it, I immediately thought it was a '99 Todd Pratt jersey (I was excited someone liked Pratt as much as I did, that they'd actually get a Pratt jersey). That all changed, however, when I got it in the mail.

For starters, the authentic tag is on the inside of the jersey, not the outside, which is where it is when players get them. It also has the "flag tag" hanging from it, indicating size "42", the Rawlings jerseys had tags in the collars with the size. Third, it has the MLB logo sewn on the back of the neck, which wasn't done until 2000. So, all these things made me very confused. So, I got to thinking that maybe this was a minor league issued jersey (maybe the B-Mets) but I just don't know. I was hoping there might be some way you could help. Was there someone on the B-Mets who was small enough to wear a "42" sometime after 2000 and before they started using Majestic?

As I explained to Steve, I'm not an expert at all when it comes to jersey make/models but as he did, I suspect he must have purchased a B-Mets jersey. But I don't know for sure, and I hope you might. To sum up, Steve is looking at a "game-worn" jersey that:

 

1) No. 7, no name on the back

2) Size 42

3) MLB logo on the back

4) Rawlings make

 

If you have some ideas as to the origin of this jersey, please share them in the comments section below.

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Thanks to all who showed up at last night's event at Word Books, where I discussed Mets by the Numbers and Spike Vrusho told tales from his book on baseball brawls, flawlessly brought to life by Caryn of MetsGrrl (who I know must be saddened today by the passing of E- Streeter Danny Federici). The event was a lot of fun, and though we'd missed most of last night's regularly-scheduled Mets game to do the event, the Mets were kind enough to give us plenty of time for drinks and triumphant game-watching afterward at Red Star.

Had a good time last night in New Jersey, where Mets by the Numbers was sucked into the awesome gravitational pull of Gary Carter, whose new book pictured here was the featured attraction at Bookends book store.

In addition to us, Dan Reilly, the original Mr. Met, was selling/signing his book as was George “Shotgun” Shuba, the ex-Brooklyn Dodger and Montreal teammate of Jackie Robinson. Both Dan — who was a Shea ticket salesman picked to become the first live-action costumed mascot and knows that Ed Kranepool was originally assigned No. 21 — and George were great, and we all owe one to Gary Carter for being Macy's to our Spencer's Gifts. I also got to meet longtime MBTN contributor Gordon for the first time after years of exchanged scorecards and emails.

After the crowd thinned out some we had a chance to make a gift of our book to Gary, who just as you might expect, was polite and charming and promised to read it. You can catch up to Gary at 12:30pm today at the Barnes & Noble at 46th & 5th Ave.

Tonight, the MBTN World Tour continues with a stop in my backyard, Word Books in Greenpoint, Brooklyn at 7:30 pm. The event includes Spike Vrusho, author of Benchclearing: Baseball’s Greatest Fights & Riots and is moderated by Caryn Rose of Metsgrrl. Word is located on Franklin Street at Milton, a short walk form the Greenpoint Ave. stop on the G.

I was at Shea last night for the first time this year thanks to my co-writer, and now co-star in a potential future episode of Mets Weekly. We were joined by two other swell guys, and we had a great time, the Mets looked resplendent, especially with the blue hats, matching 42 jerseys (anyone other than me remember Chuck Taylor?) and no names on the back. Sweet.

Worth noting was that the scoreboard identified the players by their assigned numbers but the Shea PA announcer introduced them all as No. 42. I'll address how to integrate this event into the database when I've had some time to think about it.

I missed the announcement pre-game so I was delighted to see Duaner Sanchez trot in from the bullpen for the the 9th inning. The quietly effective Carlos Muniz was shipped back to the minors to make room. Just an all-around terrific night.

6 p.m. Tonight, we're opening for Gary Carter at Bookends in Ridewood, N.J. Thursday at 7:30, I'll discuss the Mets and baseball with Metsgrrl and Spike Vrusho (author of Benchclearing) at Word Books in Greenpoint (beer and snacks to be served)!