Hello loyal readers! It’s that time of the week again…time to check in on the Amazin’ Mess and their “Key Stretch” of games before the All-Star break.

To recap, the Mets are in the midst of a difficult stretch of 29 games between June 9th and July 9th; 28 of which are against teams with winning records.

At the beginning of “the stretch,” many said that this could be the month that makes or breaks the Mess’ season. Now that we’re through 22 of the 29 games, it’s becoming clear that could be the case.

When last we checked in on the Mess (can you tell I’m the Yankee fan in the office?), they were 3-4 through the first week of the “stretch.”

Tennis beauty Anna Kournikova was scratched on her neck after getting into a scuffle last weekend in Las Vegas.

I couldn’t believe it when I heard that Derek Jeter was the top vote-getter in the American League for the upcoming All Star Game.

When I think of the best players in the AL, Jeter is far from the top of the list. Nothing against Jeet, I like the guy just fine, but what’s the deal?

A few possible explanations include a weak shortstop crop and the fact that Jeter is still wildly popular among the ladies.

I also guess there’s the matter of his having a pretty strong first half, too. Jeter is hitting .316 with 10 homers and 36 RBI. However inflated those numbers may be by the new Yankee Stadium, you can’t knock the guy for performing wherever he’s playing.

The Mets, if you can't tell... are in dire need of help. They have lost 3 in a row, 8 of their last 10 and are sinking fast. Miraculously, they started the weekend set against the Phillies just a game out of first and now they sit 4 games out. Under normal circumstamces you'd say that's not an insurmountable deficit. But not so for this team. This club struggles mightily. They have to play a perfect game to win. No errors, timely hits and great pitching. They did that in Milwaukee last week and barely won 1-0.

If you've read any of my blogs in the past, you know that Roy Halladay is someone I'd like to see in a Mets uniform. Now... It's not just a pipe dream of mine, it's a possibility. Blue Jays GM J.P. Riccardi is not necessarily shopping his ace pitcher but because Halladay has a no trade clause, he has to get Halladay's approval before he makes a trade. So Riccardi has told Halladay that he might be coming to him in the coming days and weeks to bounce trades off him. Why not a trade to the Mets?

I know it’s just one of 162, but tonight’s win against the Dodgers was one the Mets might be able to look at as the first step in salvaging this season.

The main reason for my optimism -- look no further than Oliver Perez. The most enigmatic Met in years finally made his return to the majors, and better yet, the win column!

Sure it was ugly at times (actually, seven walks are ugly at ALL times), but Ollie persevered, which is something you COULDN’T say about him 62 days ago when he last took the mound for a meltdown against the Phillies.

Everyone knows how important it is to get this guy back on track, and though he’s far from all the way there, the grit he showed tonight is a major step in the right direction.

My question to all you baseball GM's out there, what are you waiting for? Pedro Martinez is out there ready and waiting to pitch and no one is willing to take a chance on him.

By now we all know of the trade the Mets made; probably not the one fans were envisioning to right the ship and save this season (was/is there such a trade out there?), but FINALLY a deal nonetheless.

But what have the Mets really accomplished with this deal? On the surface it looks like a sideways move. Right fielder Jeff Francoeur for right fielder Ryan Church. Swapped straight up. In the same division.

Do you think that one team would have dealt with the other if they felt they weren’t getting equal value for the player they gave up? Of course not.

The only hope Mets fans have – and this is undoubtedly was what HAD to be going through Omar Minaya’s mind – was that somehow Francoeur can revert back to his “rising star” status circa 06-07.

What is it with the Angels? Whenever the Yankees see them they just lay down and lose. It's been that way since 2002 when the upstart Angels beat the heavily favored Yankees in the ALDS. Some of the faces have changed. Gone are the David Ecksteins and Darin Erstads of the world... replaced by the likes of Chone Figgins and Howie Kendrick... but still the Angels have a hex on the Bombers just the same way they did starting 7 years ago.

The Home Run Derby showcased what some guys can do in extreme heat. I remembered the tongues wagging at Mets Spring Training during Jerry Manuel's 80 pitches in 6 minutes drill--constantly swinging the bat is tiring! So what do I think of All Star week? As a player I understand the honor of being one of the chosen ones on the field, but I have to think that getting some rest during the long season is pretty darn nice too.

I honestly don't even root for my "home team" guys nor really care about the outcome of the game. It's one of those...if it's on, I will watch; if not, I won't rush to a TV set. It's all become extremely commercial too and me, I like my baseball pure and simple. I know what producer, Bobby, would say: what if a player gets hurt? He is deathly afraid David Wright or any Met will tweak something. The team needs an injury like a hole in the head. I think the guys know to take it easy though. No one wants to compromise their health and ability to play when it's "for real". Maybe that's it, I know its not "real" so I don't care too much. It's like preseason. When it counts, then count me in!

Well... here we are at the halfway point... Let's take stock of the locals... The Mets are 6 and a half games out of first place at 42-45. They've had a slew of injuries, as we know. They are fortunate not to be even further down in the standings. For a while, the Phillies couldn't get out of their own way. The Yankees are 51-37, just 3 games behind Boston. Both local clubs, were expected to make noise at the start of the season, but are going in different directions.

So I know a few Mets fans who are annoyed that Pedro Martinez signed with the Phillies today. Martinez told Cheesesteak City reporters that he wasn't healthy, that he "was too brave" and that he shouldn't have pitched at times the last few seasons-particularly last year.

Pedro also intimated that the Mets didn't want him back. Does this surprise you? Martinez himself admitted he was "horrible." So trying to jab at the Mets-and there are many things you can drill them for-makes no sense. Martinez is done. If he is NOW healthy, if he NOW at 37 pitches with any kind of consistency, then his supposed "bravery" last year was foolhardy and costly to the Mets.

My take? The Mets knew when they signed Martinez in 2005 that he might not give them 4 good seasons-and that's what happened. They got 1 decent season. Now, he's Philly's problem.

Who is Richard Gasquet, and what is he doing in this blog? In case you're not a tennis fan, Gasquet is a French tennis player who a few years ago was ranked as high as number 7 in the world.

Two months ago, Gasquet tested positive for cocaine, and faced a ban from the International Tennis Federation of up to two years. However, in the "Strange But True" category, the ITF believed Gasquet's defense.

It seems that the admittedly hard partying Gasquet was in a London nightclub when he kissed a girl he knew only as "Pamela." According to Gasquet, during the smooch "Pamela" "contaminated" (the official report's word) the Frenchman with the drug. The ITF believes that Gasquet's a man of good character: the case unusual "to the point of being unique."

Gasquet's other argument:He wasn't competing at the time of the drug test because of a shoulder injury. Cocaine is ONLY a banned substance for COMPETING players. Huh??? That seems fishy to me.

Maybe Manny Ramirez could have used that excuse. He wasn't on the field or at plate when he tested positive for PED's and served a 50 game suspension. He was in a men's room submitting a urine sample

Accidental or not, athletes, like all adults, have to keep tabs on what's going into their bodies. There's no report that Gasquet went running to a hospital or his own doctor saying, "Oh, no, what did I just swallow?!" It happens all the time: Celebrities escaping trouble because of their celebrity. This case is just a bit more ridiculous.

If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you’ll recall a series of posts about the Mets and a very difficult stretch of 29 games spanning June 9th to July 9th.

Dubbed by us here at the Huddle as the “Mets Key Stretch,” we took predictions on how the Mets would fare and regularly updated their progress (or lack thereof) throughout the month.

Well, the results are in, and they are NOT pretty for the Mets (but the same can’t be said for those who made VERY accurate predictions…we’ll get to those in a bit).

During this 29 game stretch in which the Mets played 28 games against teams with winning records, they only managed to go 10-19, a winning percentage of .349. Yikes.

We theorized here on the blog that the “Key Stretch” could very well make or break the Mets’ season; and upon further analysis, that seems to be holding true. Granted the Mets played with a depleted roster, but the games count the same, and the Mets didn’t win very many of them.

We’ll know by September if the Mets were able to salvage this season and make a serious playoff run, but if it turns out that isn’t the case, the experts will most certainly point to their dismal play during the “Key Stretch” as a main culprit.

Now with that being said, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: THE “KEY STRETCH” PREDICTION RESULTS!!

I obviously should not be thinking and predicting (as you can see from my poor performance in Matt's little predication contest) with my emotions but I wear my heart on my sleeve...what can I tell you? I will keep this short and sweet.

All I want from the Mets in the second half of the season is some consistency. Give me a couple of series wins. I am not greedy. I don't need 11, 14, 19 straight wins, just some series under our belts. Capitilize on the weaker teams (yes there are weaker teams than the Mets right now) and like Gary Sheffield said, put it all together, playing fundamental baseball ("throw to the right bases", "catch balls") with the guys you have RIGHT NOW. You can't wait for something or someone to happen so just play GOOD baseball. Happily married, I ask you, Mets, to be my STEADY ....

Only the cynics among us wouldn't smile at the goings on at Turnberry this morning. 59 year old Tom Watson, shot a 65 on the historic course in Scotland. Great as that was, Watson still TRAILS "youngster" 45 year old Miguel Jimenez by a shot. Jimenez carded a 6 under 64!

Still, the story is Watson, 5 time winner of the Claret Jug. Today, he had his best round at the Open Championship in 15 years! Long time fans remember Watson's "Duel In The Sun" with Jack Nicklaus in 1977. Yesterday, Jack's wife Barbara sent Watson a text message wishing him well.

Wouldn't it be awesome if Watson and Tiger Woods were in the last pairing on Sunday? Eldrick is 6 shots off the pace, easily in striking distance for him. It might be tough for Watson to keep up the pace, but it was wonderful to see him go bogey free, and turn back the clock, at Turnberry.

Mets GM Omar Minaya said the Mets are talking to a couple of teams and add the Mets "have a plan" but what the plan is is a mystery. That scares me! Here's why....we saw a little of Jose Reyes working out down in Port St Lucie but Minaya says the shortstop has limited burst on his running. To me that means he can't run! Period! That's no good.

Carlos Delgado is taking grounders...woopee! (sarcastic) Carlos Beltran can't do any real workouts after another MRI revealed the same bone bruise in his knee. And STILL Minaya says that he is not ready to mortgage the youth of the team because he is waiting for injured players to return. News alert...they are not coming back anytime soon! We are looking at the final two weeks in July and it seems neither of the guys will make it back by months end and how ready will they be to actually play good baseball? If you believe in catching up and making a run THIS season, ACT NOW! Make some moves, gets some folks and at least try. Ugh another loss tonight...don't get me wrong, the guys on this team are definitely trying but we need some umph. Mets fans, even the diehards, can't take it if the team doesn't bring in reenforcements. What happens when people stop watching and going to games? ...NAH it's Mets fans...there 'till the end...or not? Talk to me...

It's a good/REAL BAD weekend situation for TNT and ABC this weekend. The Good: Tom Watson has a share of the lead heading into the final two rounds of the British Open at Turnberry. THE REALLY BAD NEWS: You can hope, but not expect the 59 year old Watson to keep playing well. Tough for TV when you have no fallback plan.

That's right: For only the second time at the British, Tiger Woods is flying back to Florida early. The world's best golfer failed to make the cut. I don't know about you, but unless Watson is still there after tomorrow's third round, I am not getting up at 7 am to see if Steve Marino can grab the Claret Jug.

Don't shed any tears though: Unlike the Mets, Tiger will rebound. So will the advertisers who may have to take a little less money for the Open next year after this weekend's ratings sink lower than the Metsies in the NL East standings. Who knows? Maybe Watson or some unknown will make Sunday at Turnberry worthwhile-someone that will make Tiger take notice from his palatial mansion near Orlando.

Tonight's Mets-Braves game on WPIX (and you have to be foolish to watch at this point) is not even over. It's 10-0 Braves in the 6th. I will say this now, even with the very slight chance the Mets rally tonight. They are done, No playoffs, no division or wild card race. NOTHING. I'm not the first to say it, but I am saying it officially on the record. The Mets are DEAD. Season over.

Sadly, there is not any facet of this team outside of Johan Santana (and he has been human of late) that you can say is even of contending caliber. More examples tonight: Mike Pelfrey stunk up the joint for 9 runs in less than 5 innings. The offense has done zilch against Jair Jurrjens. Worst of all, 40 year old Gary Sheffield injured his right leg. Early reports say his leg was cramping. But it sure didn't look good on TV and when you're 40 with a recent history of breaking down-NOT good.

I'm joining Mark from Wyckoff and Eric on Long Island: Why watch this crap? I'd rather have vertigo and the flu at the same time. I never imagined this, but we are looking at meaningless AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER games

Like the overblown coverage on Michael Jackson, they'll be plenty of time to talk about what changes need to be made. Tonight is about mourning what Mets fans thought would be a potentially terrific season. We'll pass the blame later. For now, I grieve a lost year with Mets fans.

…really appreciate how good Chipper Jones is. And also a handful of players currently in the game who’ve been overshadowed by baseball’s tainted decade-plus.

Watching Chipper homer in addition to being his usual awesome self this afternoon against the Mets got me thinking about how good this guy really is.

And while we’re on the subject, throw Jim Thome in there, too. They are two players who have amassed spectacular numbers AND are believed to have done it drug-free.

Currently, Thome ranks 13th on the all-time home run list. Of active players, only Ken Griffey Jr. (#5, 621) and Alex Rodriguez (#10, 570) have more dingers than Thome’s 557.

Griffey, like Thome and Chipper, is believed to be clean. A-Rod, as we know, is not. (I’ve omitted Griffey from my argument because it’s already understood that he’s an all-time great.) Active players trailing Thome on the home run list include Manny Ramirez (#15, 536), Gary Sheffield (#24, 509), and Jason Giambi (#43, 407). They, like A-Rod, are cheaters.

Thome (as far as we know) has done it the right way. Take the following leap of faith with me:

Some labeling it his latest self-promotion stunt, Terrell Owens is hoping his new reality series shows the world a different side of T.O.

Michael Vick has been unleashed (cheap shot)!

Vick is officially finished with this 23-month federal prison sentence for dog fighting and he’s now free to resurrect his NFL career.

So my question to you, The Huddle Nation, is this: If you’re the GM of an NFL team, do you sign Michael Vick?

Let me start off the debate: I say…

Huge news broke late tonight as word from SI.com came down that the Mets turned down a trade for Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay.

The Mets reasoning; the Jays’ asking price was too steep! This coming from a team with a supposedly barren farm system.

What was that asking price? Supposedly the Blue Jays asked for Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell and prospect Ruben Tejada.

Ok, that’s pretty much every blue-chipper the Mets have to offer, but still, if you’re the Mets YOU MAKE THIS TRADE!!

Take one day off for jury duty and all hell breaks loose. Let me get this straight: Toronto offers the Mets Roy Halladay for Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell and prospect Ruben Tejada and the Mets say no thanks! What? My colleague Matt Estreich excellently covered this last night but I had to chime in. On July 7th I wrote that the Mets should look into getting him. With the barren farm system the Mets have, I wasn't sure that they would be able to put together a package to get him. But obviously the Jays have settled on some players they would take so what's the problem?

Marc Anthony has become a minority owner in the Miami Dolphins, along with Gloria & Emilio Estefan. By association, Marc adds his wife, Jennifer Lopez, "owns everything he owns" so she too can be considered part owner. These two are lifelong New Yorkers, Marc a huge Mets fan, and "Jenny from the Block", a Yankee follower. So why are we holding up the aquamarine and orange?

Am I super upset? Not really--too many other things to worry about than how Marc and Jennifer spend their millions--BUT couldn't you have helped a local? We know the Mets could use any punch they can get right now, even in the form of a spicy duo putting money into a team Marc loves and follows intensely. (Maybe that trade--no it's not a trade!--could have happened. I'm speculating but you never know, right? ) Now all the excitement is down in sunny Florida and here in rain soaked NY, we are left with no salsa and spice. Marc and Jennifer are apparently looking for residence in Miami, hence the purchase and office for Marc at Dolphin Stadium. I fear: are we losing them all? If Marc goes, does it mean the start of fans retreating? Someone find me Jerry Seinfeld...quick!

Somewhere in New Jersey, Willie Randolph is chuckling to himself. We've written a few times that the Mets lackluster play last year and this season may leave the classy Randolph feeling further vindicated now.

The Yankees are in first place! That might be tough for many New Yorkers to ponder, considering all the bad publicity the Mets have gotten lately.

But the Bronx Bombers are rolling now-6 wins in a row, A-Rod getting just about an RBI a hit; A.J. Burnett wins his 4th straight this afternoon; Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada contributing big hits, and Mariano Rivera keeps rolling right along.

Let's face it: The Yankees are the best team and best ON THE FIELD story in town. Hard to imagine, but it's the Mets, not the Yanks, that are getting negative press for things on and off the diamond. The Mets biggest problem right now: Trying to gert ANYTHING positive going on. The Yanks? THey still have to figure out how to beat good teams. First place or no, the Red Sox, Angels, Tigers are all just as good or better. In the National League, Joe Girardi's club would have a tough time with the Phillies or (gulp!) the Dodgers if they reached the World Series.

But figuring out HOW to win and having two months to do it before October postseason baseball is much different than being an embarrassment and playing out the string. The Yanks will have the focus of the tough NY spotlight on them soon enough. Meanwhile, the Mets will be an afterthought once Tony Bernazard is rightly fired and they do nothing at the trading deadline. It's true: As they have most of the last 15 years, the Yankees own New York.

There was Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger at the team's training facility earlier today, bashing a Nevada casino hostess who has brought a civil suit against the Pro Bowll signal caller. Andrea McNulty claims Roethlisberger raped her in July of last year.

Strangely, McNulty has not filed a criminal complaint against Roethlisberger, claiming that her employers wouldn't have believed her employer would side with the quarterback. To prove her point, McNulty claims she was told in March that she would take a vacation when the casino sponsored a celebrity golf tournament that Roethlisberger participated in. That event happened last week.

Let me be clear: NO woman, NO person, deserves to be sexually assaulted. Is it possible that McNulty is just going after money? Is it possible that she's "depressed" over an oppurtnity to gain money from one of this country's greatest athlrtes? You bet. Is it also possible McNultry is so traumatized by Roethlisberger that she couldn't bring the matter to light earlier. Possible, yes-though in today's world that argument doesn't hold as much water. McNultry is an adult, not a minor. Every workplace knows that inappropriate behavior is not tolerated.

Now, it's up to Roethlisberger. Today, he called the charges, "false" and "vicious." The ball is in his court. Here's hoping that he doesn't end up as another guy that Commissioner Roger Goodell has to deal with to figure out when Big Ben can play again, I'm getting tired of hearing about Pacman Jones, Plaxico Burress, Michael Vick, Dante' Stallworth, et al. For once, let's hope Big Ben the person is as exemplary as Big Ben the football player. For his sake-never mind the NFL-he better be.

In a season where everything’s gone wrong for the Mets, you can add Mark Buehrle’s perfect game to the list.

Why, you ask? The Mets weren’t even playing Thursday!

Correct. But, a former Met was…and he had a huge impact on Buehrle’s perfect-o. Just take a look at the picture below. See the guy about to be the first one to embrace Mark Buehrle on the mound?

Yep, that’s Ramon Castro. He was Buehrle’s catcher. One of only 18 in major league history to call a perfect game. And the Mets traded him to Chicago in May.

Nearly 500 runners wearing just their skivies gathered in Central Park to break the Guiness World Record for "largest gathering of people in underwear". They did it...HURRAH!

I think that takes guts too. I am a former runner and did a lot of it wearing "almost underwear" but now as a 33 year old mom, I will keep the running shorts on, thank you very much. How about you? I love the fact people were having fun with the event! We caught up with some of the participants to get their take on the event....check out the video player on the right side of the page!

Footnote: I am only speaking of people who have chosen to be out in their underwear. In light of the Erin Andrews "Peeping Tom" issue, I don't want to seem insensitive. She was violated and I hope it doesn't happen to anyone ever again. Kudos to ESPN for having her back in a big way and reprimanding those who have sensationalize the incident.

*Also, thanks to New York City Triathlon for the picture.

Normally I wouldn’t recommend sitting inside on a Sunday to watch a bunch of old guys make some speeches, but tomorrow’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony IS REQUIRED WATCHING.

Why? Because Rickey Henderson is being enshrined and that guy is ALREADY a Hall of Famer when it comes to uniquely butchering the English language.

Need a couple of examples? Newsday thoroughly covers some of Rickey’s greatest hits in this article. Check it out…also highly recommended.

Tomorrow’s gonna be a wash-out anyway. The weather calls for rain all day. What else are you gonna do? Coverage starts at 12:30 pm on the MLB Network.

Not only is Rickey’s speech guaranteed to be unforgettable, I’m guessing his wardrobe won’t disappoint, either.

Sunday, Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Henderson was the greatest base stealer of all time... He'll tell you that himself... He gets the call in his first year of eligibility while Rice, who was one of the most feared hitters of his time (Yankees fans-- tell it!!) has to wait 15 years for his trip to Cooperstown. Could it be for the simple reason that he was salty to the baseball writers? Wow!! Are the writers that petty? If you look at the stats, the guy is in. But it's funny, because of the time that has passed, it's likely that a lot of the writers who voted him in this time didn't cover him or see him play. That might have actually been a good thing. They probably had no personal bias. Rice didn't blow them off after a bad loss. So the writers judged him on his on field accomplishments. If folks want to know about Jim Rice, look up the story about the day when a foul ball hit a young fan in the stands. Rice rushed the young boy to the trainers room where he was given immediate medical attention that saved his life. This was all during a ball game. Rice deserves to be in the Hall.. And he's finally there. Henderson, always a character... Ricky being Ricky... He makes the Hall as well. Ricky always talked to the press... Ricky liked the media... Ricky always talked about Ricky in the third person.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get much worse for the Mets, it has, GM Omar Minaya came off as a coward and a fool today during a press conference that disintegrated into a "he said, he said" soap opera.

The story SHOULD have been that the Mets had fired VP of Player Development Tony Bernazard. Instead, the story will lead sportscasts and talk radio shows was Minaya insinuating that the original stories about Bernazard's volatile personality that were published by Daily News reporter Adam Rubin were written because, in Omar's words, Rubin had asked Minaya and others in the Mets organization about replacing Bernazard or working in the Player Development Department. Rubin VEHEMENTLY denies this. Our Lolita Lopez will comment about what this means to her as a journalist. My point here:

Minaya once again makes the Mets look bad. The whole season has done nothing but demonstrate that the team's infrastructure is in tatters. Bernazard definitely was part of many bizarre and inappropriate incidents. But instead of just announcing that Bernazard was fired on his own merits (make that failures), Omar deliberately tried to deflect attention from the real issues, and used a beat reporter to do it. Lost to Minaya is the fact the team wasn't properly balanced to be a contender, and didn't have a Plan B for the injuries that came. Plus, the organization continued its recent history of doing enough to make the team good on paper (signing K-Rod and Putz to bolster the bullpen), but not filling in gaps to bolster what should be a complete team with real complentary and bench players.

Interestingly, as of 6:50 pm tonight, the Mets website mentions NOTHING about Minaya's confrontation with the Daily News reporter. Looks like the Mets have pulled an ESPN, looking the other way the way "The Worldwide Leader In Sports" prevented its entities from reporting on the Ben Roethlisberger saga.

.The Wilpon family, Minaya & Bernazard are all to blame for this Mets mess. Tonight, Omar apologized for bringing Rubin into today's "forum", though he didn't back away from "the message." It's sad that the Mets are in such bad straits and so paranoid that the supposed head of the organization turns the Bernazard firing into a footnote.

What really burns about this matter is how Minaya went after Adam Rubin. He is a journalist, a very good one, who has done nothing but cover this team with poise for the last six years. Rubin is knowledgeable and thorough in my dealings with him and a man who takes pride in every word he writes. To call him out and disparage his work and integrity with no real basis is inexcusable!

How is Rubin supposed to work with the Mets now? Think about how BIG this is: Minaya's careless words have now potentially taken away the livelihood of this young man. Could the Daily News change his position? Sure but why?... because someone falsely accused him of something that is no crime? Now Rubin's life is turned upside down, all because Minaya spoke out of turn. And what about the beat writers that remain? If they have some intriguing information to share with the public, they must feel pressure to keep it under wraps, worried, they too will get called out, shunned or delicately handled by the Mets? It's hard enough to do any semblance of "journalism" when you have sales breathing down your neck and deals with companies that make it difficult to criticize because they might pay some of the bill.

Rubin did his job. Subsequently, he was not wrong. Tony Bernazard was fired after all due to his reports, and it might have been a blessing considering the HR file Bernazard ALREADY had with the Mets Human Resources Dept. I was told last night that Omar was "emotional" (Tony was a good friend) and it was a "hard day". Seriously, grow up! I have a five year old that I advise every day to control her emotions, breath and think before speaking. Minaya is an adult; he is a role model; he is a father. As a mother, my most important responsibility in life is to lead by example. I can't fly off the handle when something happens. My daughter sees that and gets the impression, she too can react this way. We all have our moments but on live TV at a press conference on the firing of a senior staffer...that's why there's an office to yell and scream before walking out in front of cameras.

Ultimately though and I am being sincere, I hope Omar figures out what led to such an emotional outburst. If it's too much, then get out, really...life is too precious to have to stress out to the point you lose your cool. Be defined by WHAT you do NOT by what position you might have or how important you might be. I know Adam will build off this incident and heck, maybe find himself a killer job in the process.

Here is Adam Rubin in his own words: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/07/28/2009-07-28_undressing_mets.html

After an absolute fiasco of a press conference at Citi Field on Monday, Jeff Wilpon had an impromptu meeting with the media before Tuesday's game with the Colorado Rockies. In that meeting, Wilpon did some damage control, apologizing on behalf of the organization to Adam Rubin for Omar Minaya's comments yesterday. Wilpon re-iterated what Minaya said on Monday, saying it was the wrong place to make those comments to Rubin. Wilpon's comments were good but could have been better. Wilpon got the idea of contrition over convincingly. But my problem was that Wilpon had to be asked if Rubin did anything wrong before he commented on it. Wilpon's comments focussed on how badly Omar felt, which is fine, but did not dismiss the comments' merit. He should have said: "Of course we didn't think Rubin was angling for Bernazard's job." When Kevin Burkhardt of SNY asked Wilpon if Rubin did anything wrong, Wilpon finally said he did not. Rubin merely asked for career advice, which is not angling for someone's job. On a personal note, although I haven't used my access to teams to talk about jobs, but I've thought about it. I don't think there would be anything wrong with that. There would be something wrong if I deliberately wrote bad things about someone to try and get them fired. There's no proof that Rubin did that. Oh and there's one other problem... What Rubin wrote was true. Sometimes the truth hurts. It obviously hurt Minaya yesterday when he had to let go a friend of his. If Minaya really thought Rubin wrote that stuff to take down Bernazard, he should have pulled him aside to talk to him. I find it hard to believe that Rubin really would have done that because as far as I know, Rubin has no experience in a baseball front office... Especially on that level. So how would he expect to get such a position? On a side note, Wilpon said Omar Minaya is their GM. I don't know if Omar should feel so safe. Didn't Willie Randolph get a vote of confidence too??

It comes as no surprise that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are among the 104 players that tested positive during baseball's sample testing in 2003. I am still surprised that the rest of the names aren't out yet. They should be.

I imagine a fair amount of Yankee fans, like me, had this initial reaction to the news that David Ortiz (allegedly) tested positive for steroids:

“HE WAS CHEATING DURING BOSTON’S COMBACK IN THE 2004 ALCS!!!”

Yes, Ortiz played a huge role (probably the BIGGEST) in rallying the Red Sox from a three-games-to-none deficit to overcome the Yankees and advance to the World Series.

But sorry Yankee fans, you can’t cry foul. Sure, it appears Ortiz was cheating (and for that matter, Manny Ramirez, too), but you can’t say that Boston’s run in 2004 was tainted.

As hard as it is to admit - especially for a fan like me who counts “The Collapse” as one of the most traumatic experiences of my life - we Yankee fans don’t have a leg to stand on.

And that’s because our guys were as guilty as theirs.

Here’s a new feature to The Huddle, “The Mets Joke of The Day!”

Seeing how I’m not too funny, something tells me this will be the only time the feature makes an appearance on the blog.

With that being said here it is:

So….Mets 2nd baseman Luis Castillo had a baby today!

What did the doctor say to Luis when he handed him his baby for the first time?

“TWO HANDS!!!”

Ok, that might have been lame, but I bet it made you smile.

Seriously though, how cool was it that Castillo played in the second game of the Mets’ doubleheader today?

Actually, the better question probably is; how cool is MRS. Castillo for letting Luis bolt the hospital for Citi Field?

VERY cool if you ask me. Congrats to them on the birth of a 7-pound 4-ounce girl named Adonai.

Matt “Seinfeld” Estreich for The Huddle

So there were no real shockers before today's trade deadline. In fact, for me the REAL story is who didn't do much. Toronto made a trade but NOT with the headline guy, Roy Halladay. He gets his wish to stay in his longtime home. Don't know who the Mets could have really acquired who would have made a huge difference this season? Maybe you have some thoughts. If so, let us know. Meanwhile, review the trades that did go down as the minutes ticked down to 4PM (EST) today and pick your winners:

*Jerry Hairston, Jr. (IN/OF) to Yankees from Reds (for minor league catcher Chase Weems)

*Victor Martinez (catcher) to Red Sox from Cleveland (for 3 pitchers)

*Adam LaRoche (1B) to Atlanta from Boston via Pittsburgh--remember he was acquired from the Pirates July 22. (for Casey Kotchman-1B and cash)

*Jake Peavy (RHP) to White Sox from Padres (for 4 pitchers)

*Jarrod Washburn (LHP) to Detroit from Seattle (for 2 pitchers)

*Joe Beimel (LHP) to Colorado from Washington (for 2 pitchers and cash)

*Nick Johnson (1B) to Florida from Washington (for minor league pitcher)

*Scott Rolen (3B) to Reds from Toronto (for Edwin Encarnacion-3B, RHP Josh Roenicke and minor leaguer)

*Orlando Cabrera (SS) to Twins from Oakland (for minor league SS and cash)

*Claudio Vargas (RHP) to Milwaukee from Dodgers (for minor league catcher/1B)
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Earlier trades:

*Cliff Lee (LHP) and Ben Francisco (OF) to Phillies from Indians (for 4 players)

*Matt Holliday (LF) to Cardinals from Oakland (for 3 prospects)

*Freddy Sanchez (INF) to Giants from Pittsburgh (for P Tim Alderson)

Golf is a fantastic sport that mixes athletic ability with technical form in such a way that unless you have a little of both, you won't be successful. That's why you can play golf at any age. As you get older, your athletic ability may wane but if you keep a consistent swing and read lines well etc., you can remain competitive. I love that! What I don't love is how anxious I get when I play. I want to just GET IT and get it right then and there. First off, I need to go to the course more than once in a blue moon and secondly, I need to remember that you don't just GET golf. What a way to learn this and other life lessons than in my nine holes with my husband and two new friends, Frank and Henry earlier this week. (in picture below)