Nothing Succeeds Like Success.

Rien ne réussit comme le succès.

     Nothing succeeds like success.

                 Alexandre Dumas 

*****

And sometimes success after repeated failure comes when and from WHERE you least expect it.

*****

Hats off to, yes, OUR BULLPEN last night!  And, specifically, the success of last night’s win goes to [drum roll, please] Guillermo Mota and Scott Schoeneweis!  Hats off to you, gentlemen!!  Heck, Mota even batted and almost took a fast ball to the head!!

I would say that I owe each of you an apology for having booed you at Shea, but as frustrated as I have been with each of you at various times over the course of the summer, I can honestly say that at each of those times, I have assumed that you have done your very best in the given situation and have kept my mouth shut.

But perhaps inspired by each of your successes in last night’s game and by LoDuca’s playing in spite of being in obvious pain and with his hand swollen–as well as by Carlos Beltran surprising everyone by being in the day’s line-up after an injury in last night’s game (probably ************* it up" because of where we are in the season)–Ollie pitched the way we desperately needed him to.  He walked no one, and we got eight full innings out of him, giving our bedraggled bullpen a sorely needed day off.

Although the most obvious "feel good" stories about the past two games are about (1) the wins and (2) about the pitching, let’s not forget about Moises Alou setting a new franchise record for consecutive days (26 now) with a hit.  This guy is on FIRE!  I particularly like the sign that flashes on the scoreboard at Shea when he gets a big hit:  "HOLY MOISES!"

Add to that our clutch pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson.  And the fact that not only is Delgado back but that it seems he’s wasting no time warming up and is getting right back to the business of hitting.  And how about Castro’s two-out three-run home run?  And the double-play Castillo managed to turn in spite of runner Todd Linden knocking him down? 

So, guys, my advice is: 

1.  Repeat the mantra–

"STILL IN FIRST PLACE!  STILL IN FIRST PLACE!"

2.  Forget about what the Phillies are doing and, like a former Mets’ psychologist has come forward to say: relax a bit and return to that quiet confidence that you know how to play like the champions you truly are.

AND

3.  Continue to build on these recent successes.

Personally, I have a gut feeling that this is going to happen all on its own.