via nydailynews.com.  Johan is ready.

The Mets are 10.5 games back in the division and 7.5 games back in the Wild Card.  The team's Pecota-adjusted odds of making the playoffs are 3.7%.  We may sit back as fans and ask, "Why on earth would we want to put ourselves through 68 more games of this?"

1. Johan Santana.  So far, Santana is 10-7 with a 3.09 ERA in the first half.  Last year by that time, he was 8-7 with a 2.84 ERA and went on to pitch brilliantly, offering 3 complete games along the way to finishing 2nd in the Cy Young voting.  The team may not be in the running for a division title but Santana is always in the running for a Cy Young.  20 wins to go along with his usual sterling ERA and a handful of memorable performances could earn him his first hardware as a Met.  This would also be the team's first since Dwight Gooden, passing on the torch from Tom Seaver, in turn, to Johan Santana.

2. Gary, Keith and Ron.  As the games become less and less important and it becomes clear that the team is just going through the motions, you can expect a lot of gems from the broadcast booth.  Keith, in particular, is at his best when he's bored.

3. David Wright.  Juxtaposed with the awful supporting cast, Wright's excellence should only be more stark.  Who knows, he could even win a batting title.

4. The Three Stooges.  There's plenty of front office faux pas in store for the second half.  Sooner or later it will cease to be embarrassing and just become pure entertainment.  Tony Bernazard's Grand Theft Auto-style golf cart rampage?  Omar Minaya speaking in tongues during press conferences?  Jerry Manuel's emergency 200 pitch bunting drill?  Every stupid thing they do brings them closer to the exit.

5. The Return of the Core.  It's been so long that we've forgotten what it's like to field a good team.  Getting Wright, Reyes, Beltran and Delgado back on the team, perhaps sometime in August, will make us optimistic again, not for the postseason but for good, honest baseball.   You've earned it.

These are my reasons for still watching, what are yours?