Thursday Applesauce

Thanks to Nomaaaaahhhhhh and the Phillies' now-shoddy bullpen, the Mets are again tied for NL East supremacy.

Billy Wagner begins his rehab assignment tonight with Double-A Binghamton

Though details of Shea's closing ceremonies are still barely known, a Mets source leaked the following bit of information about one of the players in attendance: Mike Piazza will be there. Good news for Mets fans, though murky news for Piazza, who probably thought he'd still be playing now. Given Brian Schneider's performance to date, I have little doubt that Piazza would still represent a significant offensive upgrade.

Johan Santana might not play in next year's World Baseball Classic because the Venezuelan contingent treated its players like they were merely regular people, expecting them to pay for their own tickets and hotel rooms, and serving up Burger King after games. For shame!

Things got heated yesterday at a press conference held by the NYCEDC to discuss the rezoning of Willets Point. Chris McShane has coverage here and here, and gives his take on the opposition's stance here.

At The Hardball Times, Dave Studeman reveals the results of last week's ethical ranking poll, which asked THT users to rank the greatest ethical transgressions in the history of baseball.

Tim Marchman looks at the 2009 Yankees and concludes that they will look an awful lot like the 2008 Yankees.