Another week gone, another week of embarrasment for the NYM Extended Spring Training team... yes, they've been downgraded...  as they were dominated by the two worst teams in the NL West, the Diamondbacks and Padres... yes, the 18 games under .500 Padres... to the tune of 2-5.

As for the lowlights...

- Well, everything except Johan Santana's superb performance last night... on the flip side, Santana likes to call out his teammates after games when team's don't go well... like in his last outing against the D-backs... so we would like to in the spirit of openess say, 'Hey Johan, giving up 5 runs over 8 innings is not exactly 'doing your job' so lay off the bullpen...'

- K-Rod... ouch, back to back blown saves, and in dramatic fashion...

- The DL keeps expanding with the season ending

After ToTT foolishly proclaimed on Monday that the Mets DL might be getting a little lighter later this month, the all-powerful voodoo returned to teach us who is really in charge here...

On Tuesday, with the Mets daring to have taken the lead from the Cardinals, Luis Castillo fell down the dugout stairs.  Two innings later, K-Rod coughed up the lead and the rest was history... or Pujolstory...

Today, Castillo was out of the lineup with an ankle sprain and the Mets took an early lead... Which lead to pitcher Jon Niese tearing a hamstring tendon after 1+ innings after stretching for to complete a double play.  He will need surgery and is out for the season.  Then, so as to not fully enjoy the rare shuout win, Gary Sheffield... yes, the one that came of the DL on Saturday

After teasing their fans by opening the week taking three straight from the wild card leading Rockies, cutting the gap in the WC to a seemingly manageable 5.5 games, the NY Mets Extended Spring Training Team would drop the last game of the series before then dropping 2 of the next 3 against the even worse (record-wise) Arizona Diamondbacks... thankfully, we never jumped back on the wagon after declaring the season over...

As for the lowlights:

• Not much truly to report.  The week was a 'success' in that the team finished with a 4-3 record, but still ended the same 7.5 back in the wild card that they were when the week started.
• The trading deadline came and went with no deals, which is good because there is no sense giving away prospects in a misguided effort to save a

In the most amazing, successful stretch in a month and a half... funny how things look once you lower your expectations... the Mets Spring Training Split Squad broke even at 3-3, even taking a series from the Astros in the process.  As for the low, and even occassional, highlights...

- The series against the Nationals was truly pathetic, with the NYM STSS scoring three runs in two losses

- On the flip side, the bats came alive against the previously streaking Astros, getting 38 hits and 22 runs in 3 games!

- Rookie Jon Niese was solid on Saturday, allowing one run and 4 hits over 7 innings, hopefully finally earning a permanent spot on the rotation.

- The oddest aspect of the week though was the Gary Sheffield saga, who's been out for close to a week with a leg 'cramp'... then

Well, we were going to wait until this weekend's series with the surging Astros was over for our weekly review, but why waste time. 

Last night, the Mets Spring Training Split Squad team lost to the MLB-worst Washington Nationals 3-1, on the heels of a 4-0 loss the night before.  The lineup, well take a look below and try not to laugh too hard:

1. A Pagan, CF
2. L Castillo, 2B
3. D Murphy, 1B
4. D Wright, 3B
5. J Francoeur, RF
6. C Sullivan, LF
7. A Berroa, SS
8. B Schneider, C

The Mets are now 10 behind the Phillies in the NL East and 7.5 behind the Rockies in the wild card.  And although neither is totally impossible to overcome, don't worry, the gap will be larger soon.  And with that, we proclaim the 2009 season officially over.

And we don't say it with anger, as no team

With the Mets Spring Training Split Squad team's season spiraling out of control... blanked by the Nationals last night.  Yes, those Nationals...

...ToTT begins to look ahead to happier times, the NFL season, and the start of training camp.  For the defendng NFC East champ New York Giants, workouts begin on August 3, a mere week and a half from now.

Now for the most part, the team is deep at every position and there are almost no major positional battles save for two.  The first one, which was one of the NYG weak areas last year is OLB, where former Falcon Michael Boley (below) was expected to step in as a starter but was not only injured and now in the middle of an 8-10 week recovery, but he also has been suspended for the first game of the season. 

So the

It was another typically atrocious week for the NYM Spring Training Split Squad Team* ... * ToTT copyright pending... as they were repeatedly spanked by the Atlanta Braves, going 1-3... thanks Mr. Santana... Thankfully, the All Star Break prevented their record from being worse than it could have been. 

As for the lowlights:

- NYM STSS scored four runs in their three losses

- The NYM STSS can't hit... and boy, do they stink

- The voodoo doll also came out firing on all cylinders after the Break, narrowly missing fully taking out Gary Sheffield yesterday... reportedly only out with a leg cramp, yet missing today's game... then picking off Fernando Nieve on his way to first in the second inning... he seemed to be in a lot of pain and had to be carted out.  Looked pretty bad. 

With the season at the unofficial halfway mark, ToTT takes a look back at the second quarter of the Mets season:

MVP - David Wright

After a slow start, Wright picked things up in June when he batted .365 and briefly led the NL in hitting.  July has not been as kind, as he is batting a meager .180 thru the first two weeks with very little power, but he still leads the team in RBIs, runs scored and stolen bases.

LVP - Dan Murphy

Yes, he is a rookie... and yes, he is playing out of position.  Yet, the Mets 1B batted .240 in June with 1HR and 7 RBIs, with a slight up to .258 in July... Not the numbers you want from a traditional power position.

Cy Young - Fernando Nieve

It is easy to choose Johan Santana, but the surprising Nieves kept the Mets afloat by delivering 3 of

It was another Jekyll-and-Hyde week for the team from Citi Field, starting off 1-3 against the Dodgers and Reds, all three losses being by shutout, before closing out the weekend with two wins in which they scored 13 runs, bringing the tally to 2-4. 

The Mets now sit at 42-45, with a season low 4th place standing and 6-1/2 games out of first, as the no-longer-struggling, first place Phillies used their feel-good sweep against the Mets to go on a 9-1 tear.  As for the lowlights:

• I apologize to the AAA affiliate Buffalo Bisons for referring to the Mets as the AAA team, as that was a put down to their abilities.  Going forward, we will change the reference to 'Spring Training Split Squad' when referring to the NYM.
• Yes, they scored a lot over the weekend, but the