Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Barbara Barker's great story today asks, "Where were you for Righetti's no-hitter?"

Me, I was at Camp Kinder Ring in Hopewell Junction, NY. Most of the time, I heard the Yankees and Mets scores the morning after _ there was no Internet back then, baileywalk ;) I'd have to think that, since it was a day game, word must have spread that night what happened, although I can't swear to it.

Most nights at camp, after lights out, I would turn on my transistor radio and listen to Frank Messer and John Gordon call the Yankees games. The Mets were so awful that summer that I don't think I even bothered listening to them - and besides, the Mets games back then were on 1050 (then known as WHN), which didn't carry very well to upstate New York.

I remember listening to the All-Star Game that summer on the radio and being very excited about the American League's blowout victory. It marked the AL's first win since 1971, when I was roughly six months old.

When we had our "Summer Olympics," the team "fight songs" were written to the tunes of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing," Billy Joel's "Allentown," and Journey's "Separate Ways."

So where were you on July 4, 1983?

Thanks to the IMDb for the photo.

Quite an effort by the Yankees last night, eh? I've largely given the Yankees a free pass this season - the whole "transition year" deal" - but as I wrote in my column, I thought Joe Girardi was justified in calling an ultra-long team meeting.

Meanwhile, that lazy dog Jose Reyes hit a three-run triple to help the Mets blow out the Cardinals. Trade him! David Lennon shares my frustration on the matter of Reyes getting too much blame.

Thanks to this site for the photo.

1. In the second-place showdown at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees and Red Sox will split a four-game series. But everyone will be talking most about the "intro songs" used by the players. Alex Rodriguez will raise eyebrows by introducing "La Isla Bonita" into his repertoire. And then Derek Jeter will one-up his frenemy by coming up to "Fly Away."

2. After winning tonight's getaway game in St. Louis, the Mets will win three of four in Philadelphia to go above .500. "Not bad," Jerry Manuel will say late Monday night, "but let's not forget that the Phillies are the number two team here. If we had done this over the Eagles, then that would really be something."

3. Could we declare a moratorium or something on the Jose Reyes hating? How can you watch the Mets every night - like last night, for instance - and declare that he's even one of their main problems? Did you see how he busted out a triple in the fourth inning, then tagged up on Endy Chavez's shallow fly ball to left, then broke for home with Cardinals leftfield Skip Schumaker overthrew the catcher? He was clearly "into the game" and "left it on the field" and all that.

I'm stipulating that Reyes has miles and miles to go before he becomes a complete ballplayer, and maturity is a huge issue. But the guy cares, unquestionably. I don't know if we'll ever figure out precisely what happened in the second half last year, and if you want to forever hold that against them, that's your right. His production is back up, however. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage are well above his career averages.

It just seems to be that the negativity toward Reyes far outweighs what he deserves. I feel much like Homer did when he told Lisa, "I've had just about enough of your Vassar-bashing, young lady!"

But go ahead, tell me why I'm wrong. We're all about the debate here.

4. I'll be appearing on ESPNEWS' "The Pulse" Saturday at noon. On Sunday morning, at 8:30 on WNBC's 4.4 (also called "Universal Sports"), I'll be on "Press Box" with Jonas Schwartz.

5. Changes coming to the blog next week - not earth-shattering, but hopefully it'll provide more motivation to more of you to visit more often. Tune in on Monday for a full explanation

For some reason _ perhaps Steve from South Amboy can shed some light on this _ I don't suffer fools gladly. I'm not able to just shrug off what I perceive as ignorance by others.

So these live chats we're doing now at Newsday.com have presented a challenge, in that effect. We had another one yesterday _ thanks to Jim, Bob T., Dennis, J-Rock and Steve for checking in _ and I was taken aback by the number of people who asked something to the effect of, "Should the Mets start rebuilding toward next year?" I just re-counted, in the chat below. There were six questions built around that theme.

Look, I know the Mets have been "inconsistant," as Joe Morgan would put it, and SOFT, as Dennis would put it, and disappointing and head-scratching and aggravating and everything else. But today, with 79 games left to play, they sit three and a half games behind the Phillies in the NL East. Even if they lost the remaining six games on this road trip, it would still be too early to throw in the towel.

And I don't think they're going to lose the remaining six games on this trip. Their pitching is too good. Maybe their offense is too bad to pull off a sustained winning streak. I'm betting that enough pieces click, shortly enough, to put together some sort of positive stretch. Jerry Manuel showed a nice touch last night by starting Ramon Castro over Brian Schneider at catcher, and then seeing Castro produce a couple of big hits.

I thought Carlos Delgado's game last night was more encouraging than last Friday's 9-RBI game. First, because Delgado has performed so poorly at night. Second, because, the way he's been struggling, a few hits to the opposite field might speak more to his swing than a few homers he pulls off mediocre right-handed pitchers.

Getting back to the main point, the Mets play in the National League, where the Rockies began their 2007 season with a 76-72 record before turning it on to make the World Series. Right now, their record notwithstanding, the Mets are hanging in there in the NL, where you don't need to be great. You just need to occasionally pitch well.

Finally, if they actually decided to bail, how much would it benefit them? They're not trading Jose Reyes, and I think we all need to calm down about him. As Joel Sherman pointed out yesterday, how come Paul O'Neill was regarded as a "warrior," but Reyes is a big baby every time he expresses disappointment or frustration? They're not trading Carlos Beltran, either.

Whom could they trade that would actually bring back value? I guess Billy Wagner. But then you're giving up on next year, too. Oliver Perez? He could bring back a second-tier prospect, perhaps. Delgado? The Mets would have to pay most, if not all, of the freight on him.

So these are your Mets, Mets fans, and love them or hate them (more the latter, understandably), they're going to make a run at it. You might as well enjoy the ride.

Interestingly, the most famous, questionably timed surrender in baseball history came when the 1997 White Sox pulled off what's now known as the "White Flag Trade." All of the details are here. As you can see, the White Sox were three and a half games behind the Indians in the AL Central, precisely where the Mets are now, when they gave up on the season. Their fans and the remaining players were devastated.

The trade did pay off down the line, though, when Keith Foulke and Bob Howry played significant roles on the 2000 White Sox, who won the AL Central. And that team was managed by...yes, Jerry Manuel.

Newsday's Ken Davidoff answers your baseball questions today in a special live chat at 11:30 a.m.

And so we begin baseball's craziest month, in which we'll deal with endless trade speculation and perhaps even some false rumors. Thirty days from now, we'll face the non-waivers trading deadline, and we'll see what kind of changes have occurred.

It looks like we'll have a really big catch this year _ the biggest in-season trade of a pitcher, arguably, since Randy Johnson went from Seattle to Houston on July 31, 1998. With Cleveland plummeting out of the pennant race, it makes sense that the Indians shop reigning AL Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia. At this point, I'd be very surprised if they didn't trade him.

The bar Indians GM Mark Shapiro will set is the two 2009 compensatory draft picks (a "sandwich" pick between the first and second round, and a selection in either the back half of the first round or front half of the second round) that he'd receive if he simply retained Sabathia and let him go via free agency. Any winning package of players will have to exceed the potential quality available in those two picks. That standard should be met and exceeded, given how much of a difference-maker Sabathia can be. Shapiro will probably winnow the field to four or five teams, at which point he'll begin serious negotiations.

I'd be surprised if any seriously bidding team asked for a negotiating window to try to sign Sabathia to a long-term deal. After all, if a front office is intelligent enough to have put together a farm system strong enough to land Sabathia, then you'd think those same people would have no interest investing nine figures in a pitcher whose rotund physique scares the daylights out of the industry _ not to mention the general principle that you shouldn't pour that many dollars in any one pitcher, regardless of what he looks like.

To echo a point Buster Olney made on his blog (linked on the left) on June 23, when you're trying to figure out Sabathia's most aggressive suitors, it's like determining the suspect in a crime. You need to find both means (the goods to get him) and motive (the desire to get him).

I think the Yankees have only the means. As Brian Cashman told Johnette Howard the other day, the Yankees are still trying to change the perception that they'll go out and sacrifice the future for the present. The Yankees have come this far in The Plan. Even if they miss the playoffs this year, which looks increasingly likely after nights like last night, I don't think they'll be seriously deterred.

The Mets are the opposite: They have only motive. As we've discussed recently, their farm system is thin. Besides, unless Moises Alou somehow finds the fountain of youth, the Mets' biggest need will probably be a bat at outfield and/or first base, John Maine's effort last night notwithstanding.

Buster's "top five" Sabathia suitors yesterday were Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, Boston, the Dodgers and the Cubs. That sounds right to me. The Cubs, still my corporate siblings just a little bit for a little longer, would probably rank first in motive, but don't have a wonderful farm system. The Brewers have a great minor-league system, and while 26 years (without a World Series appearance) isn't quite 100 years (without a World Series victory, for the Cubs), ownership in Milwaukee is pretty anxious to take the next step in Doug Melvin's plan.

The Sabathia talks figure to dominate the month, deservedly so. Otherwise... Erik Bedard? He's damaged goods right now. If I were Seattle, I'd hang onto Bedard, because right now, the Mariners are selling low. Sandy, you asked yesterday about the Mariners dealing Ichiro. I'd be shocked. He's the face of the franchise, and at the same time, he's overpaid, making his contract (he's in the first year of a five-year, $90-million deal) difficult to move.

A.J. Burnett? Perhaps, but Toronto is starting to play a little better. It might be too early to give up. Or I might just be biased, because I made the questionable preseason prediction that the Jays would make the World Series.

Matt Holliday? Doubtful. Then we're talking about guys like San Diego's Brian Giles and Randy Wolf, the Indians' Paul Byrd, maybe some people from Kansas City. And the beauty of the sport is, there'll probably be some surprise buyers and sellers that will emerge over the course of the next month.

Before you even ask...no, that's not Baumbach running under the Triborough Bridge.

Over some 50 hours, we got four ballgames in two ballparks. So let's get right to work. It's a Subway Series II review.

1. I almost feel guilty ripping into Johan Santana, because it offends the statistical analyst in me. But after Santana took the loss Saturday, and even more important, after he declined to take even a sliver of accountability in his frustrating month, I decided it was time to go after Santana, if just a little.

He's been very good with the Mets so far, and as you know, I throw out that 7-7 record; it could be much better. But Santana is not as elite as he once was. We've been discussing that here - baileywalk, you pointed it out the earliest, I think - and if you read the linked column, you'll see that a veteran scout agrees.

What's even more disturbing is that, so far, Santana has not emitted the "Climb on my back, and I'll carry you to victory" aura that you want to see from an ace. You pretty much saw that from Oliver Perez yesterday.

Santana's post-game comments serve as Exhibit A. I'd love to hear him say, "I'm the highest-paid pitcher in baseball. If my teammates give me a 1-0 lead, my job is to protect it." Like the way Andy Pettitte beats himself up whenever he loses. But that hasn't happened, not at all. Instead, it's, "I'm not perfect."

Maybe this will all solve itself. Maybe Santana will turn in a trademark second half, and the Mets will finally start hitting. But the eyebrows that Santana has raised so far reflect the danger in investing nine figures ($137.5 million, in this intance) in a player you don't know. Because now he has created some tension, albeit minor, by pointing fingers (he did at David Wright in his previous start, as mentioned in the "Weekend Predictions" post beheath this), and that's not something you would've anticipated from him.

2. Meanwhile, the Mets went 9-6 in interleague play. The Phillies went 4-11, and the Marlins went 5-10. That's pretty significant. Where would be the Mets be now without their relative success in interleague play?

And now we get a big, big week for the Mets, their biggest test yet _ four games at NL wild-card leader St. Louis, and then four games at the division-leading Phillies. Knowing them, they'll probably go 4-4.

3. Sometimes you wonder whether Jerry Manuel drinks truth serum during every meal. His pre-game comments yesterday captured everyone's attention. I agree with my colleague Wally Matthews: Manuel was merely being honest, when he said the Mets were the second team in town. I really hope no one in the yakkosphere, not to mention no one in the Mets' front office, takes Manuel to task for his frank remarks.

4. Even though the Yankees lost yesterday, I was impressed with the way Joe Girardi ran the game, in particular his righty-heavy lineup against Oliver Perez and his throwing David Robertson in a high-leverage situation in Robertson's major-league debut. Neither worked, but they were good ideas.

Girardi possesses a luxury that Joe Torre lacked in his final years; this is not a "playoffs or bust" season. Girardi is capitalizing on that by experimenting with different lineups and bullpen maneuvers. He's utilizing his entire roster, which is something that Torre consistently failed to do.

5. But speaking of Torre, he's so brilliant that he managed his team to a victory without getting a hit Saturday night! I know, this isn't technically a Subway Series matter, but the Dodgers' victory while getting no-hit raised a pet peeve for me.

According to Major League Baseball's rules, this will not be recorded as a no-hitter, because the Angels pitched only eight innings. I say, why not? Who says you have to win a no-hitter? A no-hitter is a game in which a team doesn't surrender any hits. End of conversation.

I'd love to see MLB open up the record books for both losing, eight-inning no-hitters and rain-shortened no-hitters. You can notate them as such. But they should be in there.

6. Jorge Posada's throwing arm isn't near full-strength, so it looks like third catcher Chad Moeller is going to hang around for a while. Meanwhile, Posada started at first base yesterday. I'm very curious to see what the Yankees do at first base next year. Go after Mark Teixeira? Re-sign Jason Giambi? Go after a lesser player, in anticipation of playing Posada more there? The Yankees have another half-season to process information for that decision.

7. For those in the media who cover only the Yankees, like Newsday's Kat O'Brien, yesterday marked their final trip to Shea unless the Mets make the playoffs (I think they will, as you know). I have to say, I'm jealous. From a reporter's perspective, it doesn't get much worse than Shea.

What do you Mets fans think? Do any of you have a soft spot for Shea? Me, if I were running things, I'd open Citi Field for the next homestand, no matter its state of readiness.