This Is Why Rock Fights Are Fun

So, there was this predictable exchange between the front desk guy in my apartment building and another guy as I went out to grab some smokes while the Phillies were down 7-1 in the 4th inning last night to the Mets. "Of course they'd come down to earth. Take 4 from the Dodgers then they get blown out the next day..." Always seems to happen that way. Except with the Mets. Granted, this is still not an official "rivalry" in the minds of certain individuals currently employed by New York magazine (or, better, "The New Yorker") but the Phillies and Mets have taken on a life of its own beyond just the usual second class citizenry. No, these teams for the last couple years now are seemingly in sync with upsetting each other's momentum at opportune times. Given last year's remarkable collapse, the Mets have more to prove in the last final weeks of the season than the Phillies do. (Remember: Carlos Beltran is the one who declared they're the "team to beat" this year.) And they are, still. Even though the Phillies do hold that precarious half-game lead right now in the NL East, that'll change. Plenty. The Phillies will come out of this homestand emotionally drained and then have to fly to Chicago for a four-game series with the seemingly unbeatable Cubs. A split would be a gift. The Mets will retool once again and find their footing, bounce back and do everything possible to redeem themselves from last year (and last night's loss.) Granted, even though the National League pretty much begins and ends with Chicago, the Mets and Phillies have carved out their own personal series that'll probably be much more exciting the rest of the season than either one of their prospects in October. Nobody's thinking about a wildcard spot. And when September rolls around and both teams are once again facing the spoilers of the National League East (the Marlins, Nats always seem to give both these teams trouble when it matters most) a Phillies win will almost be as electrifying as a Mets loss. (For me, at least. The opposite holds true for you cretins from Queens, obviously.) But the way this is shaping up, it appears that remarkably there won't be an empty seat in Citizens Bank Park on Sundays this year even when football season begins. So, enjoy it. This is good. This is a rivalry. See you tonight. Faith and Fear in Flushing:

So put down the scalpel and by all means protect your vision. You'll need it tonight to see what staff ace Johan Santana does to answer a question that, at Mets 7 Phillies 0, appeared ridiculous: How do we get even in this series and back into first place after probably the worst loss ever etched into the annals of worsts, losses, etchings or annals? Do what you're supposed to do, Ace. After a Rollinsian debacle of Rogersesque proportions, we require all the help we can afford.

Mets Find A New Way To Collapse [NY Daily News] Mets Fans Are Highly Irritable [The Fightins]