On the Mets beat

It's raining again here at Dolphin Stadium, which means tonight's game is being delayed for the second time in a little more than an hour. It's not the Marlins' fault that nobody comes to watch this plucky team make a run for the NL wild card. Who wants to spend an evening in South Florida getting rained on? Not the best way to spend your entertainment dollar, and I'm sure the huddled masses in plastic ponchos I'm looking at right now feel the same way.

Before the game, manager Willie Randolph didn't provide much insight into the postseason roster. And with the playoffs still more than two weeks away, he's already getting tired of the questions. The bottom line is that Mets will have four starters available for the Division Series, but they may not need to use all of them if the series goes the full five games. As GM Omar Minaya said, "We'll see how things are going." If the situation is dire, expect Tom Glavine to come back on three-day's rest for a Game 4 and Pedro Martinez for Game 5 on his regular turn.

Beyond that, the Mets are preparing to bid adieu to the Braves, who are one game away from having their run of 14 straight division titles ended. Tonight's game between Atlanta and the Phillies was rained out, so if the Mets and Marlins are postponed as well, the Braves may live for one more day. Either way, the streak will soon be over, and Minaya paid his respects this afternoon.

“If there was a Nobel Prize in baseball, they would be voted a Nobel Prize for the work they’ve done there,” Minaya said. “They’ve done it right. They’re like the model of success in the past 15 years.”