Sky Kalkman, now of SB Nation saber site Beyond the Boxscore, throws cold water on the whole "Carlos Delgado for MVP" bandwagon. Sky points out what everyone already knew: based on season-long stats, Delgado has no business even being mentioned in the MVP conversation. His cumulative stats are not impressive, and even his second-half stats pale in comparison to those of Albert Pujols, who has quietly hit .362/.467/.655 this year while providing better defense and baserunning than Delgado. None of this means that Delgado won't get significant support for the award, or even win it, just that the numbers don't really support his candidacy.
According to Jerry Manuel, Aaron Heilman has been suffering from left knee tendinitis since spring training, which could explain some of his struggles this season. Specifically, his control has been worse than his career norms, so if he isn't getting proper stability from his left (landing) knee, that could definitely be a problem. I have no idea if Jerry is just blowing smoke here, but I think we often underestimate the effect of injuries on performance (Delgado much?), so if something really is bothering Heilman then his performance in 2008 can't be terribly surprising.
Jose Reyes is now the most prolific pilferer in Mets history, passing Mookie Wilson's franchise mark for career stolen bases last night. When the dust settles, Mook will be a distant second (or third!).
Over at the NY Sun, Tim Marchman looks at how Jerry Manuel and his resurgent Mets have likely saved Omar Minaya's job this season. Even if the Mets don't ultimately make the playoffs, the fact that there have even been "meaningful games" this September is enough to give Minaya a reprieve, despite the lofty payroll and even higher expectations.