Hate.  It’s an important part of life as a fan.  It’s the yin to the yang of loving your team unconditionally.  There will be plenty of hate flowing on Sunday at 1PM (EST) at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.  The Eagles and the Giants dislike each other,  which that makes sense.  They are competing for the same prize.  It’s natural.  As for the fans.  Well the reasons are a little less logical.  What fuels the fire of the fans?  Two fans gave some answers.

Jonathan Atwood-Hot Stove Philly/ Eagles Fan

There are certain expectations that go along with being an Eagles fan: chant “E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!” at random intervals at any sporting event you attend; buy a Dallas Sucks, TO Swallows T-shirt at some point in your life; hate the Cowboys with every fiber of your being; and, of course, hate the Giants.

Most Eagles fans hate the Cowboys more than the Giants, which is the same for all three NFC East teams not located in Dallas, but I actually hate the Giants more. It’s probably because I grew up in South Jersey, which does not have as many Giants fans as central or northern Jersey, but it has enough that you come to loathe the team’s very existence. I have to admit, I chuckled to myself a little every time Plaxico Burress did something stupid and decided that it must have been divine retribution against Giants’ fans (for all the joy they got out of watching TO destroy the Eagles) when he shot himself in the leg. I just hate the Giants, and here are the Top 5 reasons why:

Eli Manning

There is nothing I dislike more in sports than a player who is drafted and refuses to go play for that team. If you are a really good player, then you are going to get drafted high in the draft. Teams that draft high are, by definition, bad teams. That’s how bad teams get better; they get high draft picks to draft good players. And my dislike for this kind of behavior did not start with Eli and the Giants. It’s why I don’t like J.D. Drew, and why I don’t like John Elway (gasp!). It’s arrogant and unprofessional, and I wouldn’t like Eli no matter where he played; he just happens to have the added benefit of playing for the Giants.

Tom Coughlin

The idea that this guy is all of a sudden an incredible coach is laughable. He came very close to getting fired by the Giants several times, and was nearly run out of town by the second team in a row. He is an arrogant jerk who runs his team like it’s a boot camp. But all of a sudden, because his team won the SuperBowl, he is a genius. It’s the same with Manning. All of a sudden, this kid is the best quarterback in the league, despite the fact that every radio show, sports column, and fan was calling for his head on a platter right next to Coughlin’s.  It’s as absurd as saying that Andy Reid is now “the great motivator.” That’s crap. If Kevin Kolb had played well in the Baltimore game, then McNabb never would have played against the Cardinals. Reid simply got lucky because he drafted a crappy quarterback in the second round a couple years ago. Coughlin is a jerk and an OK coach. He’s obviously got some coaching talent, his team won the SuperBowl and he did pretty well in Carolina, but he is far from the likes of Parcells, Cowher, or Belichick.

Plaxico Burress

I am so sick of these jackass wide receivers. Why is it that this position attracts talented morons? T.O? Randy Moss? Keyshawn Johnson? Plaxico is another in a long line of wideout morons whose personality finally caught up with him. I understand that a lot of football players carry guns, but Plex shooting himself is just so very fitting. He is the type of player that makes me dislike football. These jive, arrogant, loud mouth players who think they are the greatest thing on God’s green earth, give the league a bad name. Guys like Burress, TO, and Neon Deion are what is wrong with the NFL. I, for one, am sad he’s gone from playing for the Giants, I thought they were a perfect match.

New York fans get away with being jerks

The reputation that Philadelphia is the toughest city to play in has never been stronger than it is today. With former players like moron Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith and former Giant “Toothless” Michael Strahan, publicly coming to the “defense” of Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb, it has brought the reputation back to the forefront of discussion in the national sports world. We, in Philadelphia, are supposedly too mean to Donovan; we apparently don’t appreciate the incredible athlete that we have and won’t appreciate him until he’s gone. Apparently it was our entire fan base that went to New York a decade ago with ultra-idiot Angelo Cataldi and booed Donovan when he was selected with the second pick in the draft over Ricky Williams (uh, there were 30 people there); apparently it was the entire fanbase that amassed to a smattering of boos during McNabb’s first incomplete pass against the Cardinals on Thanksgiving (apparently a stadium of some 60,000 fans booing only sounds like a couple thousand); apparently tying the Cincinnati Bengals and playing the worst six quarters of your life is no reason for the fans to be upset.

I am so sick and tired of hearing about how mean and unappreciative we are in Philly of our sports athletes, while the equally as tough media and fanbase in New York gets away with it. Who died and gave them an eternal Get Out of Jail Free card? Yes, the fans and media in Philly are tough. Yes, they may be tougher than most other cities, especially wussy towns like St. Louis and Los Angeles. But it’s garbage to say that we are tougher or meaner than New York. We can’t help but fall all over ourselves to sing the praises of Charlie Manuel now, whereas Yankees’ fans constantly gave hell to Joe Torre. I’ve never seen a fanbase harder on a player then the Yankees were on Alex Rodriguez, despite the fact that he is the best player in the major leagues. Now don’t get me wrong, I can totally sympathize with Yankees fans at A-Rod’s infuriating inability to perform under pressure in the playoffs, and I’m not saying that New York fans are unnecessarily hard, but the national media can’t act like we are these mean SOBs in Philly, whereas New York is just New York.

The Giants play in New Jersey, not New York.

It drives me crazy that the Giants are called the New York Giants, whereas my tax dollars (as a New Jersey resident) fund the Giants. If I have to pay for them, then I would like to at least get the recognition that they play in my state. They are not the New York Giants; they are the New Jersey Giants. New York is more than welcome to have them, I sure as hell don’t really want them playing in New Jersey. But if New York City and its outlying New York suburbs refuse to house them (and their AFC counterpart the Jets), then they shouldn’t be able to lay claim to them. You get the Bills, that’s enough.

 

Kwame Flaherty-Hot Stove New York/Giants Fan

One of my favorite moments this NFL season was flipping over to Fox randomly during week 12.  To my delight, the Eagles were getting smoked by the Baltimore Ravens.  Pounded.  Destroyed.  The Ravens’, Ed Reed just took an interception to the house. Donovan McNabb was standing on the sidelines in a puffy coat and gloves, looking like someone had just stolen all of his Chunky Soup.  I couldn’t have been happier.

That is one of the best things about being a fan.  Seeing a player or team you hate getting rolled. And I hate the Eagles.  It’s not Dallas Cowboy hate (I found myself rooting for the Eagles in their season finale against Dallas, go figure), but still hate.  Why you ask? Well it’s simple really.

• Randall Cunningham- I will admit that part the hate for Randall Cunningham is born out of envy.  Randall Cunningham might have been the coolest quarterback ever.  Not the best. He didn’t learn how to read defenses until he was 45 and with the Vikings. But he was just cool. Everything he did was exciting.  He could heave it 80 yards. He could scramble for a 50 yard score. He could even punt. Despite being a disappointment. Philadelphia never deserved a player this fun to watch.

• Via Sikahimma-  He probably made one big play in his entire career and it was against the Giants. I’ve never hated a touchdown celebration by an opposing player more.

• The Vet – The Eagles used the Vet to take “home field advantage” to another    level. The field was simply not fit for playing professional football.   Or pee-wee football.  Or freeze tag. Opposing players routinely blew out knee ligaments because the turf was a mess.  There were exposed seems everywhere.  It was uneven. The “Astrotuf” had all the cushion and support of a bathroom mat.  But for some reason this was ok with the NFL and the Eagles.   When Michael Irvin’s career ended there, that was the only time I felt bad for a Dallas Cowboy.  Which brings us to….

   

• The Fans – As fans we can trash talk in internet forums and bars all day.  Curse at the opposing team.  Put up banners. Mass produce offensive t-shirts.  Even the occasional fight in the stands is somewhat acceptable.  But Philly fans push things to another level.  They throw batteries. Spit at players. And cheer when a player for another team is injured.  Stay classy Philadelphia.

   

• Buddy Ryan- In a word, Buddy Ryan was simply an A-hole. Ryan didn’t just support dirty play and cheap shots, he encouraged it.  He put a bounty on a kicker. A KICKER!!  And he did all of this with a smile and a “so what it’s illegal” attitude. Bill Simmons always compares teams to the Cobra Kai.  The only real comparison can be the mid-80s Eagles.  Not only would they sweep the leg, they step on your crotch afterward.

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“We were out coached”

“We should have stayed with the run”

“We should have passed more”

“We should have blitzed more”

None of the above statements were said by New York Giants’ players after they were dismantled by the Cleveland Browns last week, 35-14. Granted the Giants didn’t lose a playoff game, and having a Superbowl ring tends to give players some perspective. But it’s a positive sign that the Giants didn’t revert back to their finger pointing ways after getting outplayed for 60 minutes on Monday Night Football. Usually when the media writes about players being a “distraction” or a “cancer in the locker room” versus being a “true leader” and the “heart and soul of the team” it’s just a way to sell newspapers. But maybe in this case it’s true. Without talented but attention seeking players like Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey, the potential for catchy back page headlines and interesting sports talk radio about the Giants has been reduced significantly. This can only be a good thing. Tom Coughlin’s time is better served making adjustments to the gameplan, not putting out fires through the media. Eli Manning is a better quarterback if he is watching film and correcting his mistakes, not explaining if his feelings are hurt when his tight end yells at him.  Does all of this team spirit guarantee another trip to the Superbowl? Of course not, but it sure can’t hurt.

Keys To New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers

Giants Linebackers and Safeties  vs.  Frank Gore and Vernon Davis

The Giants safeties and linebackers had trouble covering the Browns tight ends the entire game.  49er’s offensive coordinator Mike Martz likes to split Frank Gore out as a reciever and Vernon Davis is the most explosive athlete San Francisco has in the passing game.  The safety trio of Michael Johnson, James Butler and Kenny Phillips along with outside ‘backers, Brian Kehl and Danny Clark must hold up in coverage to give the Giants pass rush a chance to break down the 49er’s offensive line.

Fred Robbins and Jay Alford    vs.     The Interior of the 49er’s Offensive Line

The edge rushers get all the glory but the true mismatch in the Giants favor is deep in the trenches.  If the Giants can force San Francisco into 3rd and long situations, Fred Robbins and Jay Alford can use their superior athletic ability to win one-on-one match ups with guards Adam snyder and Tony Wragge and center Eric Heitmann.

Expect Big Blue to bounce back in a big way this week.   A week after not forcing a punt or a turnover , the defense will get their pass rush swagger back and the offense will control the clock.

Giants 27-49ers 13

In the wake of the New York Giants‘ 44-6 destruction of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, their biggest strength was revealed: Depth. Not many people doubted the Giants would beat Seattle. Some even thought Dominik Hixon, Plaxico Burress’ one game replacement, would play well. However, not many predicted that Sinorice Moss would look like a viable wide receiver. Or that starting right tackle Kareem McKenzie would leave with an injury and the offensive line would not miss a beat. Other teams may have more talented starting line-ups, but no team in the NFL has a better 53 man roster than the Giants.

On both sides of the ball, Big Blue has viable reserves that can step in and contribute. Many people have heard of Justin Tuck, but have you heard of Dave Tollefson? He’s a back-up defensive end in his second year in the league out of Northwest Missouri State. He has 2 sacks this season while playing primarily in the Giants nickel and dime defensive packages. This is just one example of the depth and versatility the Giants have. They’ve already survived Michael Strahan’s retirement and Osi Umenyiora’s season-ending knee injury as well as Plaxico Burress’ one game suspension.  Of course all NFL teams need to stay relatively healthy to have a successful season, and all bets are off if Eli Manning goes down. But the Giants are better prepared than any other team in the league to deal with the unexpected situations that come up during the season.

Key Matchups New York Giants vs. the Cleveland Browns

The Giants Secondary vs. The Browns Offensive Speed

While the Browns offense has been inept this season, they have playmakers on offense than can score from anywhere on the field.  Braylon Edwards, Joshua Cribbs and Syndric Steptoe can all get deep and give the Browns a punchers chance against the Giants dominate defense.

Kevin Boss and Steve Smith vs. The Browns Zone Defense

With the mismatches the Giants have offensively on the perimeter the Browns will probably be conservative in their pass coverages, playing mostly two-deep and three deep defenses.  Tight End Kevin Boss and slot receiver Steve Smith will be key in moving the chains and creating opportunities for Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer on the outside.

The Giants will methodically wear down an over matched Browns team.  The defense will pressure Derek Anderson all night while Eli Manning spreads the ball out in the passing game.  The Giants continue to roll 26-13.

A bad thing happened to the New York Giants during their bye week.  I’m not referring to Plaxico Burress’ one game suspension and rumors that he may have violated the NFL’s code of conduct policy.  Losing Burress is a big blow, especially if it is for more than one game. But what I’m talking about could be bigger than the Giants losing their star wide receiver.  I’m referring to how, without playing a game last week, the Giants got the “respect” that they’ve been complaining that haven’t been getting since Superbowl XLII ended.   With the Dallas Cowboys losing to the Washington Redskins last week, the Giants have been crowned (for this week anyway) by the media as the best team in the NFL.  Big Blue currently ranks first in ESPN’s power poll.  Foxsports.com also has them as the top team.  Sports Illustrated’s Peter King said they are the best team in the league at the quarter season mark, and even King’s colleague Paul Zimmerman ranked the Giants number one.   This is bad news for a team that plays the “underdog/no respect” card on an almost weekly basis.  In their recent history, the Giants have always performed better when expectations have been low.  It will be interesting to see how the team performs without the “no respect” security blanket that propelled them to a Superbowl victory last season and a 3-0 start this year.

Keys Matchups: Giants vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks Linebackers        vs.      The New York Giants Running Game

The Giants, who feature one of the best running games in the league, will look to pound the ball even more than usual with Burress serving his one game suspension.  Seattle probably has the best group of 4-3 linebackers in the NFL.  While they are undersized, Julian Peterson, Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill are smart, quick and good open field tacklers.  For Seattle to have any chance to slow down the Giants’ running game and force them into 3rd and long situations, the linebackers will have to use their speed to disrupt the Giants’ blocking schemes.

Seahawks Quarterback Matt Hasselback   vs.  Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo

In week three, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo brought pressure all game against Carson Palmer and the Bengals.  And while the defense racked up six sacks and numerous hits against Palmer, they almost lost the game as Palmer and his receivers beat the blitz for many big gains.  Matt Hasselback reads defenses well and has a quick release that may give the Giants trouble.  While Spagnuolo will never become a “bend but don’t break” play caller, he will have to pick his spots more carefully against Hasselback.

Expect a close game as the Giants play conservatively with Burress out of the line up.  The running game will wear Seattle down in the second half and the Giants will win 20-16.

Last night I headed out to Shea and watched the Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2  to stay one game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League wild card spot. But before I recap the experience, a quick back story:

Back in July, my wife calls me at work excited, telling me her job was giving out Mets tickets and that she got two for us.  She’s doesn’t like baseball so she told me to take a friend to the game.  Fast forward to yesterday.  While sitting in the nose bleed seats in right field with my friend “H” a group of about 50 adults come into the section, all at the same time.  To say this group of people were, “enthusastic” would be an understatement.  From the start they were excited to be there.  Singing along (badly) with the national anthem, shouting (constant) “encouragement” to the players,  and voicing (forcefully)displeasure with the umpires.  But something just was “different” about this group of fans.  Then it hit me.  My wife’s job probably had a block of tickets that they gave out to people at the organization.  That in itself isn’t unique.  Which is unique is that my wife works in the administrative office of a drug rehabilitation organization.  I spent probably my last regular season game at Shea with a group of ex-substance abusers.  Where they a little loud? Yea.  Did they always practice proper baseball game ettique? No.   But man, they loved being there.  They cheered. Hard.  And loud. Very loud. They participated in “the wave” like their life depended on it.   They had fun.  Can’t be mad at that.  

Other thoughts/observations:

It’s time to put Shea Stadium to rest.  Me and “H” spent part of the game naming things that we hope CitiField has that Shea doesn’t.  Like a ramp thats a little more forgiving on the knees.  Or cupholders at every seat.  Some actual leg room would be nice too.  Shea is a lovable dump, but a dump none the less.

Luis Castillo isn’t the most popular Met.  This never came across to me on television, but in person its strikingly obvious: the fans HATE Luis Castillo.  The mere mention of his name during batting practice was met with boos and groans.   There is no way he’s on the team next season.

Johan Santana is an outstanding pitcher and a complete player.  Until seeing him in person, I didn’t realize how good an athlete the Mets ace is.  Santana battles at the plate, and his fake-bunt-infield single woke up the lethargic crowd.  He also made a outstanding play on the run as the Mets attempted to turn a 3-6-1 double play.  It’s rare you can say an athlete was worth the money, but Johan has definately delivered this season.

The triple isn’t the most exciting play in baseball.  Jose Reyes’ triple to break the game open was exciting.  Once the ball got past Derrick Leeand headed to the corner in right field, everyone in the stadium knew he was headed to third.  Seeing the Mets shortstop turn on the jets between first and second is a sight.  But what was more exciting than that? Well during the Santana’s at bat in the 6th inning, a fan darted on to the field from the left field stands.  This fan weaved between the security guys in orange jackets like Barry Sanders in his prime.  He made it from shallow left field to second base before the lead footed Shea security guards finally got him to the ground. 

Mets’ fans love the Braves.  Well not really but at 9:55PM when the Braves/Phillies game went final on the scoreboard, the fans in right field broke out into the “tomahawk chop”.  A few pitches later, Luis Ayala recorded the final out.

All in all it was a great time.  I saw Jose Reyes run the bases, Johan Santana battle and will the team to victory, a guy get tackled by four men in orange jackets, and the Tomahawk chop in Queens.   Not a bad way to say goodbye to Shea.

When the NFL season schedule is released, any fan worth his authentic team jersey goes through each week and gives their team “wins”.  We’ve all done it: “they should definitely win that one, I can see them losing this one, that game could decide the season”.  When the New York Giants‘ schedule was released, you can bet that every fan circled “Week 2 @ Rams” as a win.    If there were any fans on the fence before the season began, the Eagles removed all doubt with a 38-3 beatdown of the Rams in week 1. Throw in the Giants road winning streak and all things point to an easy Giant victory.

Smells like a trap to me.

This has all the makings of a game where the Giants sleepwalk through for the first half.  I can see it now; the Rams home crowd comes out fired up, there is blown coverage in the Giants secondary, maybe there are a few penalties, and then things get dicey….     On to the key match-ups:

Giants Offensive Line vs The Rams Front Seven

The Giants should own the line of scrimmage against the Rams undersized defensive front. While the Rams have speed on defense, they cannot hold up to the Giants physical, power running game with Brandon Jacobs. Expect Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward to combine for over 150 yards on the ground.

Giants Linebackers vs. Steven Jackson

The Giants’ outside linebacker, Danny Clark and Gerris Wilkinson are still a question marks. Steven Jackson is a duel threat who will put pressure on the edge of Big Blues’ defense.  With the Giants tendency to bring pressure, Jackson could spring for some big plays on screens and check downs against man to man coverage.

I don’t think the Giants lose the game, but it will be much closer than it should be.

Final: Giants 24 Rams 16

The New England Patriots are still the team to beat-New England Patriots WR Randy Moss 

When Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard delivered the shot heard around the NFL world last week, fans around the league literally began to rejoice. No longer will they have to endure Randy Moss’ 

annoying endzone antics. They can take the television off of mute as they will not hear announcers gush over Bill Belichick’s “genius”.  They will not be subjected to Teddy Bruchi’s mascot-like, sadistic smile.  And most importantly, the NFL’s most hated team will become a shell of itself.  Life will go back to a simpler time when football coaches didn’t look like vagrants on the sideline, steroid using, cheap-shot artist, defensive backs weren’t considered “leaders” and the Patriots were a perennial sub .500 team.

Sorry to break this to the fans of the other 31 teams in the league (and it pains me to admit this), but the witch isn’t dead. Actually, the Patriots, aren’t going away anytime soon.

From a football standpoint, while losing Tom Brady is obviously devastating, the Patriots are still a talented team. They have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, game changing wide receivers in Randy Moss and Wes Welker, a virtual posse at running back and a very forgiving schedule. Even with a lifelong backup at quarterback, they will still be in the hunt for about 9 or 10 wins and the AFC East title.

And don’t think for a moment that the media isn’t still in love with the Pats. The easiest storyline to package for the television and print media is to draw parallels between Brady’s injury and Drew Bledsode’s injury in 2001. In case you didn’t know, the media loves easy storylines.  Expect a “Deja Vu” headline on some national sports publication with a picture of Brady being carried off the field.  The caption will read something along the lines of “Can Matt Cassell become Brady 2.0?” In addition to the layup of a storyline, the Patriots have dynamic and polarizing personalities in Moss, Belichick (he’s not dynamic, but definitely polarizing), owner Robert Kraft and their ”passionate” fans. Throw in the fact that there are currently four prime-time games on the Patriots schedule and believe me, you will definitely get your fill of Belichick’s crew.

So sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I advise everyone to cancel their “The Patriot’s are Done” parties.  Football’s Evil Empire is still breathing.

Thoughts going into the Mets biggest series of the year…

The Mets go into this series 3 games up and have won 10 of 15 against the Phillies this season. However this doesn’t make me feel at ease.

While I think being able to add 15 new players to a team in September is absurd, the added bodies, most notably the added arms, is huge for Jerry Manuel. He was already nursing his way through the late innings with what I call “the most exciting bullpen in baseball”. Now he’s almost to the point where he can use a reliever per out before he goes to Luis Ayala or whoever is the closer of the day.

Speaking of Ayala, he certainly fits right in with the rest of the bullpen. It’s to the point where I don’t even get scared anymore at the end of the game. Drama at the end of games is just a way of life for Mets fans.

Picking up Matt Stairs was a good move for Philly. He’s a good weapon to have coming of the bench late in the game.

For some reason, Jayson Werth scares the crap out of me. Maybe it’s because in 14 games against the Mets the season he’s batting .327 with a slugging percentage of .510.

At every opportunity, the Mets should:

• Pitch around Pat Burrell and to go after Ryan Howard

• Brush Burrell back, just because he’s annoying.

• Keep Aaron Heilman (7.00 ERA, 3 Homeruns allowed in 9 innings vs Philadelphia) out of the game as much as possible.

I despise all the usual subjects on the Phillies: Rollins, Burrell, Victorino, etc. But J.C. Romero is starting to move right into that elite class of annoying Phillies players.

Bad job by Major League Baseball with scheduling this series at the start of September. Obviously they can’t predict how the pennant races will shake out, but it makes more sense to hedge your bets and have rivals close the season against each other. At the very least, you ensure a decent attendance at the end of the season.

Prediction: Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran have big series for the Mets. Rollins and Werth play well for Philadelphia. Ryan Howard continues to show how overrated he is.  Both bullpens have meltdowns. One of the Manuels gets tossed from a game, both teams at some point celebrate just a little too much.  Mets win the series 2-1, with Santana winning the last game of the series 7-4.

The day that strikes fear in the hearts of both NFL rookies and veterans-cut down day- has come and gone, with neither local NFL team making any surprising moves.

The Giants will keep the majority of their Superbowl winning roster in tact. On the bubble veteran defensive backs Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters made the team as did injury plagued wide receiver Sinorice Moss. Big Blue even retained five tailbacks, including nine-year pro Ruben Droughns, thought to be a prime candidate to lose his roster spot with the emergence of Georgia alum Danny Ware.  One notable cut was quarterback Andre Woodson, a sixth round pick out of Kentucky that was viewed as a long term prospect. With backup quarterback Anthony Wright on injured reserve, the Giants have only two quarterbacks currently on the active roster.

As for the Jets, the only notable veterans that did not make the roster was linebacker Matt Chatham and cornerback Hank Poteat. However there are some intriguing new faces on the team.  Rookie wideout David Clowney displayed outstanding deep speed in the preseason, averaging 27 yards a catch. Quarterback Brett Ratliff was arguably the best signal caller this summer for the New York Jets and will push Kellen Clemens for the vaunted “quarterback of the future” title. One potential feel good story is defensive back Ahmad Carrollmaking the team. Carroll has had his share of off the field problems and admitted that the Jets are probably his last chance at an NFL career. He adds depth to a Jets secondary that is in flux, so much so, that receiver Chansi Stuckey is being worked out as a defensive back.

Redemption is a story in sports that never gets old.

You know the drill. Player is a bust/disappointment. Fans want him gone. Coaches loose faith in him. Player looses his self-confidence.

But then, it happens. Mr. bust/disappointment is thrust into action at a key moment. Maybe one of his teammates is injured. Maybe the coach decides to plays a hunch. Maybe there’s no better alternative. For whatever reason he gets an opportunity, and Mr.bust/disappointment comes through. All is right with the world. Everyone lives happily ever after.

Well, why can’t Aaron Heilman be that guy? Granted, the odds of Heilman redeeming himself for all the bad performances this year are slim. But the chance is there. He’s got the first part of the scenario locked up already. He’s been a disappointment. A major disappointment. A 3-7, 5.40 ERA (including a 10.24 ERA in August), 9 homeruns allowed in 68 innings, disappointment. Actually, disappointment isn’t a strong enough word. He’s been terrible. Awful. Horrible. Disgraceful.

But here’s the thing, when it was discovered that Billy Wagner may miss the remainder of the season, Heilman became the most talented pitcher in the Mets bullpen. Think about it, which Mets reliever has better stuff than Heilman? Two years ago it would have been Duaner Sanchez. But shoulder injuries have robbed him of his fastball. Joe Smith and Pedro Feliciano are situational guys, and it seems like every pitch Scott Schoeneweis throws is the same. Heilman on the other hand still throws his sinker in the low 90s with good movement, features a change-up that falls off the table and has added a slider this season that, while inconsistent, shows promise. Right now he isn’t very good. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be.

While Jerry Manuel has stated he will go with a “closer by committee” approach, the reality is, only one pitcher can take the mound at a time. There will be situations late in games when Pat Burrell is at the plate, with runners on base, and the game on the line. Or maybe its Dan Uggla. Or Derrek Lee. Manuel will have to make a decision. Who in his ‘pen will get the big out? Not necessarily the save, but the most important out of the game. Maybe Manuel goes to Aaron Heilman. And maybe Heilman throws all the ugly numbers out the window. Maybe he doesn’t fall behind in the count. Or hang his change-up. Or leave his fastball up in the strike zone. Maybe he actually comes through this time, and turns a season full of boos into cheers. Maybe…