Monday Notes....

...I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm frankly exhausted after this past weekend, which consisted of a two-day marathon of shopping, cooking and having company, somehow intermingled with some good old Mets baseball, the "good old" something which I probably couldn't have said about Mets baseball about six weeks ago! So, right now, life for a Mets fan is pretty good, thank you very much.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here's some stuff for you to chew on this Monday morning:

1. Truly Awkward Moments, Part Uno. And I'm speaking, of course, of the Truly Awkward Moment on the FOX pre-game show Saturday between Ken Rosenthal (whom I'm starting to like more and more, read on) and Mark Grace. Recall that this past weekend was Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown. Cut to the FOX pregame show, and either Jeannie Zelasko or Kevin Kennedy, I don't remember which, putting Ken Rosenthal on the hot seat by asking him, in front of Gracie (whom I'm truly starting to dislike more and more, read on), who is eligible for the Hall of Fame next year, whether or not he (Rosenthal) would vote for Gracie. And what could have been a light moment or at the very least simply another moment rapidly became a Truly Awkward Moment, when Rosenthal, who gets a vote for the Hall of Fame, flat out stated on the air in front of Gracie (did I say that already??) that Gracie is NOT a Hall of Famer. Well, if looks could kill.... a bona fide Truly Awkward Moment. I have to wonder how much love is truly out there for Gracie, whom I'm starting to believe is a bit of an arrogant jerk.

2. Manny Ramirez being Manny Ramirez. Well, it's started again, or, er... maybe it's just a continuation of Manny being Manny. First he basically refuses to play Friday night in the series opener against the Yankees (more on that later), then he's back in the lineup, then he's having Media Moments at Fenway basically daring the Red Sox to trade him; I think he even said he'd play in Iran. Which, come to think of it, might not even be as bad as some baseball venues, but that's neither here nor there. This, of course, on the heels of the incident with the guy from the front office earlier this year, spun, of course, as more "Manny Being Manny." One thing I will say -- the Red Sox front office is GENIUS for the spin they seem to be able to consistently place on the many Manny incidents. Stay tuned to see if Manny will stay a Red Sock for the rest of 2008. Smart money is betting that smart money is too smart to even think of predicting what will happen here, because it seems as if everything surrounding Manny Ramirez is always at least a bit unreal, a bit out of synch, a bit unique and individually tailored. In other words, there ain't no rules that apply to anything to do with Manny.

3. How sick am I of Derek Fucking Jeter and The Fucking New York Yankees? Very sick, that's how sick. Between Derek's Edge, the Yankee machinery once again cranking at full steam, the acquisition of former Met Xavier Nady, and the potential acquisition of Jared Washburn, it's just enough to make any Yankee hater vomit pinstripes. ENOUGH of the fucking Yankees already. ENOUGH.

4. Johan Santana Is Now Officially A Met. That's right, he's now done what every single Mets fan has been looking for him to do since Opening Day; he's turned in The Big Performance. His performance yesterday at Shea was so huge on so many levels it's not even up for debate. He took the ball, he ran with it, he pitched with it, he hit with it, he finished what he started in grand fashion, and on the heels of Saturday's gut wrenching exhausting marathon, gave the pitching staff a much needed rest, going into another very important series with the surprisingly resilient Marlins. What a day for King Johan. Long Live The King.

5. Who's Tougher? It's now that time of year where I'm officially thinking about which team, the Phillies or the Marlins, might prove to be the tougher nut to crack, assuming we don't step on our own, uh, well, you know. And no matter which way I turn it, I actually think the Marlins might be tougher. They're younger, more hungry, have better pitching, seem to have a better team persona, strike out a lot less, are tough, scrappy, resilient, play in a nice warm weather climate, and I hate Jimmy Rollins. The last of course being the primary motivating factor here. So I'm saying right now that the Mets will have the tougher time with the Phish than with the Phils. How's that for baiting the hook? Let's see whose bait proves more attractive beginning tonight in Florida.