The Mets' series against the Cardinals didn't so much come to an end last night as scream to a thunderous conclusion.  It was one of those games that makes you wince a little even if you're rooting for the winning side.  Somebody did remember to tell St. Louis that winning last year doesn't mean they're entitled to win every year, right?

Thoughts, comments, n' notes from the broadcast:

* The Cardinal starting pitcher, Braden Looper, was a valuable fill-in closer for the Mets for a couple of years (defined as, somebody who kept us from spending big money in seasons when there weren't a lot of wins to save anyway).  He pitched pretty well, but I can't see him as a starter because he always had a lot of trouble with left-handed bats.  I found myself wishing the Mets had stacked the lineup against him.  This might be the most interesting experiment of the early season...

* This time it was Preston Wilson misplaying two balls in the outfield.  These weren't, like, shots bouncing off people's gloves.  They've been flat misjudging stuff out there.  I want to wonder if it was a lighting problem, but wouldn't that affect the Mets, too?

* One of last night's announcers said something about "the best still yet to come" from Carlos Beltran.  Okay... he's 30 years old and playing in Shea Stadium.  He's a wonderful player, but the elevator goes down from here.  (Possible exception: If the Mets' new park turns out to be better for hitters, that could spike some people's numbers, but it won't change his real value much...)

* Best stat of the night for the Mets?  7 good innings (including 4 without a hit) from John Maine.  For the record, the no-hitter was broken up by a Scott Rolen single up the middle in the 5th.  Every time a no-hitter is broken up, a little part of me dies...

* Pitching the 9th... Aaron Sele?  It's clearly a mop-up role, but he's the reverse of Looper... I can't see him as a reliever because of all the hits he gives up.  I must admit, though, I cheered when he struck out Pujols.

* One of our announcers for the night: Orel Hershiser!  Man, oh, man... I don't think I've ever hated a player as much as I did Orel Hershiser for a couple of weeks in 1988.  As a fan of an opposing team, that's the sincerest compliment I know how to give.  He was other-worldly.  He later pitched a season for the Mets, which caused my skull to implode.

* Final, unrelated note: With the game soundly in hand, I found my attention drawn to a webcast of the Celtics-Bucks NBA game.  This one was actually better in my mind's eye, as I could imagine the two teams of deep-bench reserves trying desperately NOT to score on each other.  It was great!  People complain about bad teams tanking games, but just for entertainment value, I think it should be done more often.

Today: No Mets' game to watch, but Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his debut against former super-prospect Zack Greinke.  That's worth the price of MLB.TV right there...