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...

The Mets beat the Cardinals again last night, begging the question of how high they intend to build my hopes and dreams before crushing them to shards.  Not a whole lot to write home about in what was generally an enjoyable game, but I'll toss a few things out:

* During commercial breaks, MLB.TV displays a computerized baseball bouncing around the screen with "Blip!  Blip!  Blip!" noises, like a sports-themed Pong.  This was strangely hypnotic for about thirty seconds, but by the fifth inning we were amusing ourselves by reciting our own commercial jingles during the breaks.  It may have been the only game in Major League history to be (in our minds) sponsored by Folger's coffee, Jell-O, Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and Farfel the Nestle's Chocolate Dog.  Of course, we tossed in a few beer commercials and Bob Seger singing "Like a Rock," so the more traditional sponsors wouldn't feel left out.

* A misplay in the outfield by a man named Skip Schumaker, who sounds like he should have been a character in a 1940's screwball comedy, gets the Mets their second run.  That's two straight games in which an outfield error has cost the Cardinals.  Coincedence, I'm sure, but you usually expect a tight defense from them...

* El Duque pitches well and drives in a couple of runs, too.  His health and effectiveness is a big key for the Mets this season.  In the seventh, he gives up a homer and a couple of solid drives and one of the people I'm watching the game with suggests that when Hernandez starts to lose effectiveness, it goes quickly.  But just glancing over his splits from last season, the numbers don't seem to support that... El Duque was rather effective as the game went on.  But we all form those little impressions, I guess.

* Why isn't Aaron Heilman in the starting rotation?  I've been asking this for over a year now, and I've never heard a satisfying explanation beyond a general "We like having him as a setup man."  Well, yeah, I like having a setup man, too.  I'd like having a third starter even more.

* Speaking of setup men, Scott Schoeneweiss, whom I've always liked, gets us into a jam, intensifying my bullpen fears begun by Joe Smith yesterday, but Heilman gets Pujols to save our bacon.  Does this invalidate my previous comment about him?  Not really; I'd still rather see him do that three times a game.  Anyway, then comes Billy Wagner to close.  Ever since that game against the Yankees last year when he sel####estructed with a four-run lead, I've never quite trusted Wagner.  I can't explain it: His stats are good, and every closer melts down ONCE in a while, right?  Benitez used to do it all the time.  But the heart knows no logic.  The mystical bonds of trust have been broken.  Talk to me 50 saves down the road, maybe I'll feel differently...

John Maine pitches tonight.  Here's where we'll start to really tell about 2007...

So the Mets elected to try a novel new experiment last night.  They're going to try to go 162 games with just two starting pitchers.  Apparently it's more prestigious to win the National League East with a degree of difficulty.  (In Omar Minaya's defense, I wouldn't have shelled out umpteen million dollars for Gil Meche or a zillion quadrillion for Barry Zito, either.  It'd just be nice if we had somebody...)

Anyway, thanks to the wonder of televised baseball, I get to have thoughts on last night's game, even though it would be physically impossible for me to have been in Busch Stadium and guzzling diet soda on my couch at the same time.  To wit:

* Tommy Glavine looks good.  Nine more outings like that one and we can call it a career.  And there will so be another 300 game winner, by the way.  It'll be harder now, but I don't believe in saying records can't be acheived, especially since people were saying the same things before the last wave of 300-game winners hit.

* The defense was surprisingly effective last night; a couple of nice double plays, a runner thrown out at the plate, and a diving catch from Moises Alou, who apparently hasn't fossilized yet.  I still remember him whaling on the ball in the 1994 All-Star Game, back in the Pre-Cambrian Era...

* Joe Smith is probably The Most Anonymous Player in Major League History, joining an elite group that also includes The Most Anonymous Number-One Pick Ever, basketball player Joe Smith.  I hope our Joe is planning to get people out at some point.

* My mother, a fellow Mets fan, rooted for Carlos Delgado last night.  She's always been anti-Delgado (long story), and part of me wants to be glad she's coming around.  On the other hand, we went to the NLCS last year with her rooting for everybody on the team but him.  Now I'm afraid she's jinxed us.  Stay tuned...

All in all, an encouraging (if slightly less-than-thrilling) way to open the season.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to lobbying Major League Baseball to adopt a football schedule so that Glavine can pitch every week...