Sports this 'n' that

50 years ago, the Mets were the dregs of the National League, but of course you know what happened that year, the first year of divisional play. They stalked and overtook the teams in front of them, claimed the division and league titles, then upset Baltimore for their first World Series title. The late relief pitcher Tug McGraw coined the phrase, "Ya gotta believe!", to rally the fan base.

"Ya gotta believe!"

Today, that phrase has resurfaced as the Mets have pulled themselves into playoff contention after being written off and left for dead by the media, including WNYT's Rodger Wyland, writing in the Albany Times-Union a few weeks back. The Mets have won 8 straight, 15 of the last 16, the last two in dramatic fashion vs. Washington.

The rumors of trading either Zack Wheeler or Noah Syndergaard last month may have had a hand in fueling this current run. Neither one was traded, and instead, Jason Vargas was dealt to Philadelphia. Marcus Stroman was acquired from Toronto. It's 2015 all over again, and Stroman is this year's Yoenis Cespedes.

Only now is the tabloid media in New York realizing what some of us already knew. The Mets' rookie GM, ex-agent Brodie Van Wagenen, pulled off the heist of the year in getting ex-Tri-City Valleycat J. D. Davis from Houston. Davis has made Washington's Patrick Corbin his personal patsy, having hit three homers off Corbin, including one Saturday night. The Nationals' pen, however, has been proven to be just as hazardous to second year skipper Dave Martinez's health as the Mets' bullpen was to Mickey Callaway until recently. Three of closer Sean Doolittle's five blown saves came against the Mets, including one on Friday. In all, out of their 10 losses to New York entering play today, the Nationals' bullpen has blown seven saves, the latest charged to Fernando Rodney on Saturday.

There's still time left in the season where things could go south, but the Mets will ride this momentum train as long as they can. You just gotta believe.
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The annual Jets-Giants game for bragging rights to the NY-NJ market took place earlier than usual this year, with the Giants winning on Thursday. It won't mean anything long term unless the two teams meet in the regular season, which only happens once every four years.
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Had the Little League World Series regionals on the tube Saturday night, and ESPN's bottom line showed that Houston had set a club record for runs in a single game. They bludgeoned Baltimore, 23-2. Ouch!!! This is what happens when the Orioles hire a no-name as their new manager (Brandon "Jekyll &" Hyde) to replace Buck Showalter. Toronto also has a no-name in their dugout, and they've won two straight from the Yankees, who've also mauled the Orioles this season. Go figure.
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One of the running urban legends in WWE these days suggests that CEO/Chairman Vince McMahon, who will turn 74 later this month, allegedly has a fetish for certain females on his roster, like Alexa Bliss, for example. Because of Bliss' injury history, she has been, in the eyes of detractors, over-protected the last few months, and taking fewer bumps in the ring. Currently 1/2 of the women's tag team champs with Scotland's Nikki Cross, Bliss (Lexi Kaufman) is still a pariah on some message boards, because while she has her supporters, she also has critics who feel she's still being heavily pushed just because of her looks and her blonde hair. At the same time, for every critic ragging on Bliss, they lose track of how many blondes are on the women's roster. While Bliss and Charlotte Flair (Ashley Fliehr) are getting the lion's share of the scorn from detractors, Canadian born Natalya Niedhart is getting a shot at one of the women's titles tonight when she faces Becky Lynch, but after 10 years on the main roster, Natalya is seen as boring, despite her pedigree.

Ex-Marine Lacey Evans was rushed to the main roster, and rushed into title matches vs. Lynch despite having so few TV matches under her belt. She's still on the road, but has been off TV since last month's Extreme Rules event. Ex-Riott Squad member Sarah Logan and Dana Brooke have been engaged in a series of matches on WWE Main Event, which few people see.

The real problem is in the creative office. Vince McMahon employs nearly two dozen writers for each of his primary shows. You know what they say about too many cooks spoiling the sauce. McMahon has rewritten the script for Smackdown by himself the last three weeks, and the results have been positive in a lot of places. Maybe the old man should take the hint and start trimming the fat in the writers' room.