Prior to the Mets sweeping the weekend’s series against the Nationals (and Philadelphia dropping 2 of 3 to the Pirates), Stephen A. Smith (above) used the pages of The Inquirer to question the Phillies’ killer instinct (“you can’t just smell blood during this time of year; you’ve got to have a vampire’s mentality and drink it”), as well as vouch for the Mets’ vulnerability (“One pitcher in New York, John Maine, has been a shell of himself since the all-star break, going 3-3 with a 6.31 ERA in seven starts. Another, Oliver Perez (3-2, 4.33), hasn’t been much better. Tom Glavine is a senior citizen. The oft-injured Pedro Martinez has yet to make his season debut and has garnered little faith. More than a few have contemplated plots to get hold of the aging El Duque Hernandez’s birth certificate. And enough have wondered why a few other Mets – namely, Shawn Green and Carlos Delgado – have even been allowed to suit up because of their shaky play.”)  For Metsradamus, this is simply a case of “a columnist better known for basketball” swimming beyond his depth.

The premise of Smith’s article was basically : “Hey, the Phillies stink. But the Mets stink worse. So why can’t the Phillies win the division?” I’ll tell you why. Because while we’re busy beating the Pirates and Nationals 5 of 6, the Phillies are splitting with those same teams. Because while John Maine and Oliver Perez are struggling at the moment, and while they may not be the most established pitchers out there, would Stephen A. Smith take Kyle Lohse over either of them? Would you?

If Tom Glavine is ancient, what does that make Jamie Moyer? Spry?

So who’s next to take a swing at the Mets? Does Merrill Hoge want a piece? Perhaps Tommy Smith wants to say that the Mets are going to exit in the first round. Or maybe Carson Daly wants to tell us that the Mets farm system is weak.

Not only has Jason of Faith & Fear In Flushing been abducted by Phil Mushnick over the weekend, but he seems to be of the opinion that a TV commercial for Rob Zombie’s remake of “Halloween” is inappropriate for a 4 year-old.

I’m not going to argue with a concerned parent, but I find this highly ironic given the massive aesthetic debt Zombie’s films owe to the directorial efforts of Bill Webb.