Swept by the Yanks, Swept by Phillie

A Mets fan cannot be surprised by the sweep this weekend at the hands of division-leading Phillie, not with the scrap-heap lineup that Jerry Manuel is forced to throw out there day after day, but I can be thankful to myself for not making the trip to Philadelphia to take in a game.

Because Phille stinks nearly as bad as the Mets lately it's hard to completely write-off the team because once Reyes and Beltran come back, the lineup will have a little more life. And Ollie Perez, no matter how bad he pitches, is a step up from Tim Redding.

For a team that so desperately needs the All Star break, the Mets also need to win enough to keep within single digits of the Phillies in the 'Games Back' column by that point in order to have any chance of salvaging the season.

It's hard to blame GM Omar Minaya for not making a move as of yet, because the Mets have so many holes right now, but he can take the blame for relying on too many aging or declining veterans (Delgado, Castillo) year after year.

Omar is the only guy in New York that though Delgado could replicate his last four months of last season and there's no need to mention Castillo again- recent high average aside.

It's tough to watch the team these days and if the free fall continues, let's forget about meaningful games in September.