May 23 -- JAKE WEIGHS IN

MIAMI GARDENS -- Caught up before last night's game with Mike Jacobs, one of the better players (and nicer guys) I covered during the time I worked in Binghamton, N.Y., home to the Mets' double-A team. Right now, "Jake" -- as the tattoo across his back reads in big, Gothic letters -- has some time to kill. He's on the disabled list with a broken right thumb. So, we talked about several things, including Wes Helms' homerless streak, which has reached 124 at-bats.

I also asked Jacobs for his evaluation of the Phillies. In spring training, he agreed with Jimmy Rollins that the Phils would be the "team to beat" in the NL East. And, while he still thinks they're dangerous, he's not sure anyone is going to catch the Mets.

"David Wright said something interesting the other day that I probably should've thought about," Jacobs said. "He said the Mets were the defending [NL East] champs, so they should've been [considered] the team to beat. And he's right. My hats off to them. They're playing great. You looked at the Mets in spring training, and you didn't really know if their pitching would work out. But it's all coming together for them. They're just really tough."

Finally, Jacobs said Brett Myers could be a dominating closer if the Phillies decide to leave him in that role. "He's got some of the best stuff I've ever seen," he said, "and it's even nastier when you look at it for just one or two innings. To me, he's pretty ideal as a closer."