The Word of the Day is Potential

Magic Number: 9

Deep breath in...and now exhale slowly. Phew. A nice, solid win. You almost forgot what it felt like right? I had to laugh tonight though. The panic we have all been feeling even shook the marketing offices of the Mets. Tonight during the game as Gary Cohen is giving his usual plug to register for your opportunity to get postseason tickets...the promo on the bottom of my screen pops up that used to say "2007 Postseason Tickets." What did it say tonight? "2007 Potential Postseason Tickets." Willie may be all about even-keel but someone out there is shakin' in their boots. Thanks though, it made me chuckle.

This ballclub has so much potential though. That's where the root of our frustrations have come from this year. Watching a team play 75% of its season under the fan's opinion of their potential is enough to drive even the most adamant "Ya Gotta Believe"-ers nuts. But potential is an imaginary concept if you can't stack up the W's. Tonight was a relief, but they have to keep moving in the right direction tomorrow night in Miami.

Speaking of right, David Wright is still a potential MVP in my eyes. If not of the National League, he is this team's MVP. To think that just 3 years ago I saw him play with the Mets in Montreal as a mid-season call up, all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed to be a big leaguers, and now he's a veteran on this team is very hard to believe.

Mike Pelfrey. I know many Mets fan had enough of Mr. Pelfrey after his 0-7 stint, but from Spring Training I really liked this kid. He is tonight's definition of potential. He was in a tough spot tonight. Despite the fact he was facing the Nationals, he had to step up and stop the bleeding. For the most part, he fought hard and answered the bell. If he continues to gain some poise and confidence in his stuff, he's going to make many of you happy in the future.

The bullpen has the potential to be good...if you delete half of the members.

The fact that the Yankees are 1.5 games behind the Red Sox has the potential of making me throw up.

And this picture from Yahoo...well it struck me in an ironic, corny kind of way. In all the struggles the Mets have faced this year, many fans including myself have questioned Willie Randolph's potential as a manager. I think so many people involved with this organization, from the marketers, to the media, to the fans felt a sense of entitlement with this team. That they deserved to be in the postseason because of last season and the names on the roster. But that expectation has set us up for a potential letdown because nothing in baseball is guaranteed. Willie Randolph has faced so much criticism this season; some of it deserved, some of it because our own personal expectations have not been fulfilled. In the face of it all he has remained true to himself and his way, even though he may not have support of the masses. Although I don't always agree with Willie, I respect him for that. So don't lose sight of the big picture everyone. We are still in first place. And it is Willie who has contributed to the turnaround of this organization. I don't know how long this will last, but I personally am going to try to be less critical of him (for now), because without him, we may not have a picture to look at.