Homecoming

This weekend was homecoming weekend on the campus that I am attending Graduate School. I wasn't as concerned with that as I was another homecoming of sorts that occurred today at Shea. First off let me apologize for my absence this weekend. I had to get away for the weekend, so unfortunately no updates. We all survived though, meanwhile the Mets continued to prosper.

Pedro Martinez was as good as we can expect from him. It seems as though it's been forever since we've seen signs for Pedro at Shea and it sure was nice to see the energy in the ballpark today. His velocity had improved since his last outing and he showed he was capable of getting guys out with a nasty pitch. He got into some jams, but most importantly, he got out of them. At this stage in his return the majors, that is all you can ask from him. To make his return Pedro-esque, of course he would hit a double.

Pedro's curtain call in the middle of the 5th was more than deserved. For the first time Shea was able to pat him on the back from the tedious work he has done to get back to this team. The way he approached his rehab was phenomenal and he is to be commended for the way he went about this surgery from day 1. Pedro has shown his dedication to this team and to the fans of New York; the reaction today from both Pedro and those in attendance defined the love affair between the two.

It's hard to forget how devastated Pedro was at this point last year when his injuries finally became too much to bear. Losing Pedro down the stretch last year was a huge blow to the team, yet I don't think we've seen how much of an impact is was until now. After Pedro went on the shelf in 2006, the Mets did play the rest of their season a bit flat, much like the majority of this season. But with the return of Pedro last week, this team seems to have found itself. I don't think that's a coincidence. After today it's quite easy to see, Pedro is without a doubt the pulse of this team.

This week is huge for the Mets. With the Braves and Phillies in town, this is the time for this team to finally put this thing away, rather than just talk about it. The Braves must be handled first, but I'm anxious for that series against Philly. Time to take care of business fellas...bring the division home!