Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Your updated playoff seedings:

AL
Angels (1) vs. Boston (4)
Tampa Bay (2) vs. Minnesota (3)

NL (final)
Cubs (1) vs. Dodgers (3)
Philadelphia (2) vs. Milwaukee (4)

Well, we have a game today, and not even a play-in game, which is unusual. The White Sox have to play a makeup against Detroit in Chicago. If the White Sox win, then it's a play-in game tomorrow night against the Twins in Chicago. If the Chisox lose, then the Twins win the AL Central, and our dreams of an all-Chicago World Series are spoiled.

So let's break down today's Tigers-White Sox tilt, position by position.

Catcher: Brandon Inge vs. A.J. Pierzynski. Gotta give the edge to Bridgehampton native Pierzynski and his 3.3 Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP). Although, say this for the Mike Francesa-loved Inge and his BABIP...

Nah, I'm just kidding with that. Let's talk Mets!

In honor of yesterday's game becoming the eighth memorably heartbreaking defeat in the team's history, here are eight thoughts on the Mets:

1. Here is my column from the game. I now think that, given what transpired over the last month, the Mets should just suck it up and sign K-Rod. They can't be doing the cutesy "closer audition" next spring, not after a horrible bullpen caused The Second Collapse, and not when there are ultra-expensive tickets waiting to be sold at Citi Field.

2. As I wrote in the column, and as I mentioned here last week, it would be foolhardy to trade Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes or David Wright, IMHO. And I don't think they will. Yes, it's true, the lineup didn't produce enough over the last week. I think they were just exhausted after fighting back so often. This offense did score 799 runs, second-most in the National League.

Besides, the whole choke/clutch/SOFT stuff is such a slippery slope. In the eighth inning yesterday, with two outs, Jose Reyes hit a ground-rule double _ Marlins centerfielder Cameron Maybin helped by taking a bizarre route to the ball - and Carlos Beltran walked. Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez went to his lefty specialist, 2,000-year-old man Arthur Rhodes, and Delgado hit a ball right on the screws, right to Josh Willingham on the warning track. So the Mets choked, right? But if Delgado had broken his bat and hit a bloop single to left, then they would've been clutch?

They can't sign Manny Ramirez. They have to get younger. I suggested signing Juan Rivera in my column today, and you'd bet on a Fernando Tatis return, too. If Daniel Murphy can actually play second base, the Mets would have an improved lineup.

3. Omar. You don't like him. I understand. He botched the bullpen, big-time, two years in a row. How painful was it to see Matt Lindstrom, whom the Mets gave up for essentially nothing, finishing them off with the fastball the Mets could use so badly?

It's a second straight emotional finish, but if the Mets are to straighten this out, they have to take a step back and look at their situation at least somewhat intellectually. 89 wins and a collapse is horrifying, but it's not horrible. Signing Minaya through 2013 seemed a bit excessive. But firing him would have been far more excessive, especially considering the success of youngsters like Daniel Murphy and Mike Pelfrey.

What really killed the Mets' bullpen was the downfalls of Aaron Heilman and Duaner Sanchez, who were supposed to be the safety nets for a Billy Wagner injury. So if they actually sign K-Rod, the Mets should back up their new closer with as many young, power arms as they can find. No more three-year deals for poor Scott Schoeneweis, who looked about as despondent as I've ever seen an athlete, and his breed of mediocrity.

4. Jerry Manuel. What struck me, having been in the Mets' clubhouse after Game 162 both this season and last, was how much more upbeat team officials were yesterday than last year. That reflects how much they like Manuel and how much they disliked Randolph. Remember, last year, they made Randolph sweat out his return for nearly 48 hours, but yesterday, Fred Wilpon and everyone beneath him made it clear that Manuel will get the full-time gig.

Remember, Randolph didn't get fired because of the '07 collapse. He lost his job because he failed to move the team beyond The Collapse. I think Manuel will be more up to such a challenge, given his better people skills.

5. Starting pitching. They're going to need to sign at least one veteran, and preferably two. Pedro Martinez has to go; the Mets can no longer employ part-time players like Pedro, as likeable as he is.

They should engage in negotiations with Oliver Perez, and who knows? Maybe this dreadful economy will actually keep Ollie's price on the reasonable side. He sure looked like a different pitcher for the better part of Dan Warthen's reign as pitching coach. Otherwise, the Mets should stay away from the big catches (CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Ben Sheets) and look at Derek Lowe, who can handle the pressure, and Jon Garland, who eats innings in the American League and should be even more proficient in the National League.

6. Luis Castillo. He's just a symbol of The Second Collapse now. If the Mets are feeling very bold, they should eat $4 million a year for the next three years and shop him to a club as a three-year, $6-million player. If Murphy can play second base, they'd have a minimum-wage player there, which would dull the pain a tad.

7. Mets fans. Why the Mets planned yesterday's Shea farewell AFTER the game , I'll never understand. But when I was walking from the press box to the Mets' clubhouse after the game, I saw very few fans departing, and I thought that was great.

You Mets fans are a hearty lot, weathering repeated heartbreaks. You deserved to say goodbye to your loveable hellhole, and to acknowledge the contributions of players ranging from Willie Mays and Tom Seaver to Dwight Gooden and Mike Piazza. I missed the ceremony, as I was interviewing people in the clubhouse, but it sounded like a much better show than the Yankees' goodbye to the Stadium last week.

8. And in accordance with that, one final image: After finishing my work in the clubhouse, I happened to ride the elevator back upstairs to the press box with Keith Hernandez, who was still wearing his old Mets jersey from the ceremony.Everyone who crossed Keith's path smiled, shook his hand and thanked him. Hernandez smiled and said, "We'll get 'em next year."

That's the essence of sports right there, isn't it? Connecting with your favorite players. Sticking with your favorite team, no matter how difficult they make it to do so.

Meanwhile, up in Boston... Congrats to Mike Mussina, and from reading his quotes, I really think he'll retire.

I recalled a conversation a handful of reporters had with Mussina at Shea Stadium, during a regular season Subway Series. It had to be either 2002 or 2003, because those were the two seasons Mussina and David Wells were Yankees teammates.

Mussina said something like, "You don't want to hang around too long. You don't want to have the decision made for you. I think most players feel that way."

"But some players will hang around until there's no more money left, don't you think?" I countered. "Don't you think that Boomer will keep going until no one wants him?"

Mussina flashed his trademark, "I went to Stanford, and I'm smarter than everyone else in here" smile.

"Absolutely," he said.

And finally, Brian Cashman will decide on his future as soon as today. I'm sticking with the 55-45 chance that he stays. That kind of covers me either way, but seriously, from speaking to friends of the Yankees' GM, it sounds like he is seriously conflicted over what to do.

All right, so after yet another Mets bullpen collapse and a Brewers victory, it's very much on. The Mets are far from safe, with the ghosts of 2007 having purchased their tickets to see what happens this final week at Shea Stadium.

Team to watch this week: I certainly possess an East Coast bias, but how can you not say the Mets, after what happened last year? There's so much compelling stuff going on with them: Will Johan Santana save them from themselves with complete games? Will Jose Reyes, who had a good week, fully redeem himself by serving as a spark?

And why in the world won't Jerry Manuel use Bobby Parnell in a higher-leverage situation? Could he possibly be worse than what they're putting out there?

Here is my column from yesterday's Mets game.

Team to watch this week, silver medal: Yes, the Brewers. Will they use CC Sabathia on three days' rest twice more? Is Ben Sheets done for the year after taking himself out of last Thursday's game (he's listed for Friday)? Can they capitalize on their easy draw of Pittsburgh, tomorrow through Thursday?

The decider: The Cubs. Having already clinched the NL Central, the Cubbies (still a distant cousin of Newsday) close their regular-season schedule with four games at Shea and then three games at Miller Park. Their magic number to clinch the NL's top seed is one. So how seriously will Lou Piniella's guys approach these games? Two of their top starting pitchers, Rich Harden and Carlos Zambrano, could clearly use some rest; how far will the go in their scheduled starts, tomorrow and Wednesday? And traditionally when a team clinches, it gives its regular players a breather, too.

It aint' over...: Did anyone notice that Arizona has closed within two and a half games of the Dodgers in the NL West? The Dodgers still have the edge, though; next up is a three-game set against lowly San Diego at home _ yes, we know the Padres just swept Washington, but still _ while the Diamondbacks are in St. Louis for three.

The most boring race: Sorry, but is anyone else finding it difficult to follow the AL Central? It seems like Chicago Norm is, and he's a White Sox fan, for gosh sakes. At least it'll get interesting starting tomorrow night, when the White Sox and Twins kick off a three-game series at the Metrodome.

Players to Watch: 1) Santana. When he takes the ball tomorrow night, he could very well be looking to stop a three-game losing streak, since lefty rookie Jon Niese could struggle tonight against the Cubs' powerful righty lineup; 2) Ryan Howard. He has been ridiculously hot this month. 3) Dustin Pedroia. Can the possible AL MVP lead the Red Sox over the Rays for the AL East title? It'll be challenging, with the Sawx playing host to hot Cleveland and the Rays visiting cold Baltimore.

Miracle monitoring of the week: It would be fun, just a touch of drama, if the Red Sox lost, say, their games to the Indians tonight and tomorrow night while the Yankees won in Toronto tomorrow. We would have to start speculating about the Yankees' season-ending trip to Fenway Park actually meaning something; the Yankees would have to win out and the Red Sox would have to lose the rest of their games in order to have a one-game playoff. In reality, though, the Red Sox, who already have clinched a tie for a playoff spot, are just too good to create such excitement.

In any case, while it's dangerous to make rash judgments in September, the Yankees have at least added a touch of dignity to their season. It's evidence, if you choose to regard it as such, that the Yankees don't need to tear things down and start from scratch. Rather, they should stick to the development-heavy philosophy that got them here.

A year ago today, the Mets lost this ugly game, and just like last week's look back, I find myself humbled by our favorite game's survival of the fittest. The winning pitcher that day, Antonio Alfonseca, has been out of work this entire season, as far as I can tell. The losing pitcher, Jorge Sosa, wound up the year with the Astros' Triple-A Round Rock affiliate, after starting the season with the Mets; I admit, I had completely forgotten he began the year with the Mets until I read this.

On the flip side, Brett Myers picked up the save, and now, he's even more valuable to the Phillies.

All right, so with two weeks ago, in light of the Phillies' weekend whitewashing of the Brewers, which tied Milwaukee for the NL wild card, here are your updated playoff seedings:

AL
Angels (1) vs. Boston (4)
Tampa Bay (2) vs. White Sox (3)

NL
Cubs (1) vs. Dodgers (3) or Phillies (4)
Mets (2) vs. Brewers (4) or Dodgers (3)

And away we go:

Discussion of the Week: Which team is more likely to repeat its collapse of 2007, the Brewers or the Mets? Tough, tough weekend for the Mets, whose NL East over the Phillies is down to one game (two in the loss column, though). So will Dennis get his wish? Will the Mets' unreliable bullpen finally do them in?

I still say no, that the Mets have upgrades over last year in starting pitching, lineup and manager and will utilize those to stave off history and win the division. Of course, last year, the Mets had a larger cushion. They could go 10-4 the rest of the way, and the Phillies could go 11-1 and win the division.

The Brewers, meanwhile, now that's a choke job. You're hearing it everywhere around the industry: "Ned Yost is tight." I agree with Ken Rosenthal - Yost will have to go if the Brewers make it two straight September demises.

Series of the Week: Boston at Tampa Bay, tonight through Wednesday. No, it's no do-or-die for either club; both are going to make the playoffs. But the AL East champion gets to play the AL Central winner with the homefield advantage, while the wild card will start on the road against the Angels. That's a significant difference.

Cubs Good News of the Week: Seems like Carlos Zambrano is all right. Meanwhile, the Cubs will probably clinch the NL Central as soon as this week, becoming the second team to wrap up a postseason berth (after the Angels).

Team to Watch of the Week: The Astros, the victims of Zambrano's no-hitter last night. They've got the Cubs in Milwaukee again today, then it's off to Florida and Pittsburgh, all while their hometown is dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Ike. How will Houston respond?

See meaningful games in the Bronx!: Well, you know, the White Sox are in for four games, starting tonight.

Players to watch: 1) Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome are the guys who need to carry the White Sox, with Carlos Quentin likely out for the year; 2) The proverbial TBA, who is listed as the Phillies' scheduled starter for Wednesday in Atlanta. None of Philadelphia's options _ Adam Eaton, J.A. Happ or Kyle Kendrick _ can appeal very much to Philadelphia management.; 3) CC Sabathia, just like last week, who starts tomorrow for the drowning Brewers against the Cubs at Wrigley Field: "Hey, CC, I know you're 9-0 for us, but could you please save our season again? What? No, we have no interest in signing you long-term. Now, back to work!"

Yankees Musings: 1) Good job by Joe Girardi, finally benching Robinson Cano. He probably should have tried it about five months ago (UPDATE: Now I see that Anthony Rieber thought the same thing). Cano has been the greatest disappointment of the 2008 Yankees season, bar none. If the key truly has been the absence of coach Larry Bowa, that doesn't say much for Cano.

The Yankees have to figure this guy out this winter - his swing, his psyhce, everything. To trade the one All-Star position player you've developed in the last 10 years, that wouldn't say much for the entire operation. We now how good Cano can be, and if he can reach those heights again, his contract will be a bargain. That said, it probably was a mistake to commit those dollars to Cano; it would've been better to keep dangling the carrot in front of him.

2) A daily Hank Steinbrenner thought. I just saw this story yesterday, which should have received more attention. Read Hank;s words, and you'd think that he's going to tear up the Yankees like his dad in the 1980s.

The first thing to remember is that Hank lacks his dad's power. Everything has to be done in conjunction with Hal Steinbrenner, and Hal is Felix to Hank's Oscar.

The second thing to remember is that Hank, to quote Chief Wiggum from this episode, writes checks that his butt can't cash. Remember from mid-December to late January, when Hank kept saying, "We're still talking to the Twins. I still might do the Santana deal"? They weren't talking to the Twins - except when the Twins would read those quotes and call Brian Cashman, and Cashman would say, "No, sorry, still not interested."

When Hank made his "advisory board" quotes the other day, I asked a Yankees official, "Is Hank serious about this, or is it the same old ___?" The official smiled and said, "It's the same old ___."

Intrusion on Someone Else's Blog: Now, why wasn't that the "Entourage" season premiere? Wasn't that like, a thousand times better than last week's episodes? I loved the heart-to-heart between Vince and Ari, and Ari's golf game with (show creator) Mark Wahlberg.

Guest Writer of the Week: Our very own Richie G. has taken on the weight-loss challenge and, courageously, written about it here, here and here. Keep it up (and off), Richie! Tonight We Ride!

As a reminder of how humbling our favorite game can be, on Sept. 8, 2007, the Mets defeated the Astros, 3-1, at Shea Stadium. The winning pitcher, Tom Glavine, is out for the year, and his career could be over. The losing pitcher, Woody Williams, retired after the Astros released him at the end of spring training. And the man who picked up the save, Billy Wagner, appears done for the season, too.

Anyway, when we get to the second Monday in September _ the first Monday after Labor Day, if that helps you (scroll down for this underrated George Costanza line) _ I feel like we're really in the stretch run. We'll take this Monday and the next two to take a broad view of things and see what we have in the week ahead.

First, with the Angels winning and Rays losing yesterday, here are your updated playoff seedings:

AL
Angels (1) vs. Boston (4)
Tampa Bay (2) vs. White Sox (3)

NL
Cubs (1) vs. Dodgers (3)
Mets (2) vs. Milwaukee (4)

Now, what have we got?

Biggest series this week: Rays at Red Sox, tonight through Wednesday, and Brewers at Phillies, Thursday through Sunday. If the Sawx sweep the reeling Rays, then they'll leap over the young upstarts in the AL East. Meanwhile, the Phillies, trailing the Brewers by four games in the NL wild-card chase, can put themselves legitimately in two races with a strong weekend at home.

Best divisional races: Mets-Phillies, because of last year, and Dodgers-Diamondbacks, because there's no safety net. While the Phils could sneak into the wild-card berth, which ever team loses the NL West will head home. Rays-Red Sox has the fallback of the wild card, unless the Blue Jays put together another undefeated week. The White Sox now lead the Twins by two and a half games; let's see how that race looks a week from now. The White Sox open a series with Toronto tonight.

Most banged-up team: Gotta be the Mets, doesn't it? It looks like they're going to have to fake it with their bullpen the rest of the way, John Maine is no cinch to come back and Pedro Martinez is a mess. Good thing the Mets' schedule is so easy, which leads us to...

Easiest schedule: The Dodgers: Three at San Diego, three at Colorado, four at Pittsburgh, three against San Francisco at home, three against San Diego at home, three at San Francisco. Twenty games, and not one against a winning team. I don't think any of us can appreciate how much Joe Torre will revel in his success and the Yankees' correlating misfortune if the Dodgers hold on here.

Earliest champagne order: The Angels' magic number to clinch the AL West is three.

Three Most Important Players: Right now, it feels like 1) Carlos Delgado, who just keeps bailing out the Mets when they need help; 2) Manny Ramirez; can you imagine a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series; and 3) CC Sabathia, who is simultaneously leading the Brewers to a long-awaited playoffs invitation and boosting his free-agency resume.

Three Inspirations to the lowly Yankees: 1) White Sox, who saw young starting pitchers John Danks and Gavin Floyd blossom a year later than anticipated; 2) Red Sox, who missed the 2006 playoffs (to the fury of their fans) and lived to celebrate another day; 3) Rays, who are showing the Steinbrenners in their own neighborhood the value of strong player development