NEW YORK -- It was barely a year ago that we were comparing the Phillies' and Mets' respective closers. Tom Gordon was on his way to an All-Star Game selection, while Billy Wagner, the guy he replaced, blew three of his first 10 save opportunities for the Mets.How times have changed.
Wagner recently set a franchise-record for consecutive saves, a tally that has reached 31 straight. Gordon, as you know, is on the disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff, and there isn't any timetable for when he'll return. Maybe before the All-Star break. Maybe. If the Phillies are lucky. Then again, with the way he pitched before getting injured (three blown saves in eight chances), he may not be much help.
Also, need I point out the irony that the Phillies weren't willing to give Wagner a four-year contract with an option for a fifth season because they had concerns about the durability of his left arm and yet the 39-year-old Gordon has had shoulder problems in each of the past two seasons?
* Citi Field, the future home of the Mets, is going up fast beyond the outfield wall at Shea. Even since the Phillies' last trip here in April, there's been significant progress on the shell of the stadium. It will open in 2009. Personally, I won't exactly be upset to see Shea reduced to rubble. I may even celebrate.
* So, let's get this straight: Lou Piniella gets a four-game suspension from MLB for his tantrum Saturday in Chicago, and Phillip Wellman, the double-A manager who lost his mind last week, gets only a three-game suspension from the Braves. I guess it's better to throw a rosin bag, grenade-style, at an umpire than to kick dirt and scream at one. It's certainly more original.
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