On Saturday night at 7:30 PM the Phillies will face the Giants in Philadelphia to begin the NLCS.

While it’s true I’m a Mets fan, I’m a BASEBALL fan first, and therefore excited to watch this game. Why? Because it pits two of the best pitchers of our generation in a playoff contest — and those two pitchers are coming off two of the greatest postseason pitching performances in baseball history. All signs are pointing to extreme entertainment value for hard-core baseball enthusiasts.

Which team will I root for? Hard to say … probably neither. Likely, I’ll be watching rather than rooting — though what happens during the course of the contest may change that. Sure, as a Mets fan I can’t stand either club, but I’m going to approach this game the same as I would a movie: for entertainment value; to enjoy the story. I will sit and enjoy the plot of the game develop, and “root” for a hero when and if one emerges.

Of course, it’s very possible that one or both of the starting pitchers craps the bed and the game becomes something less dramatic than what we are expecting. And if that’s the case, well, maybe there will be something interesting to watch on Spike! or HGTV … and Saturday Night Live will be on at 11:30.

While we’re on the subject of pitching freaks, be sure to check out Greg Prince’s article about Lincecum and Christy Mathewson at The New York Times. It is a good read by a great guy; Greg and Jason Fry were among the first Mets bloggers on the interwebs (see Faith and Fear, if you haven’t already), and both are truly fine gentlemen. Congrats to Greg for contributing to such a venerable and highly respected publication as The Times — it’s nice to see good things happen to good people!

Jason Fry wants to see evidence of a plan from the New York Mets.

Along the same lines, his co-author at FaithAndFear Greg Prince wonders what happened to Omar Minaya’s alchemy?

MetsPolice “detective” Dan Twohiggoes straight to the top with his questions, sending a letter to Fred Wilpon

TheRealDirty ponders Carlos Delgado’s Cooperstown candidacy

Not long ago, I gave you five reasons to root for the Phillies in the World Series.

Which team to pull for was a difficult decision for any Mets fan. But now that the World Serious is over, and the Yankees are the 2009 World Champions, I have a question for those Mets fans who chose to root for the Bronx Bombers: would you now reconsider that decision?

I ask because it is now five days after the final game, and yet the YES network is still showing that goddamn parade 24 hours a day. Sure, it’s easy to avoid the channel, but when I’m surfing or looking through the on-screen TV guide, that damn thing pops out like an inflamed wart. And if you frequent NJ’s Route 3 highway, you’ve no doubt noticed that a digital sign just past the Meadowlands STILL states “Friday – Celebration Parade in Manhattan”.

But it’s not just the parade. I turned on the Giants football game on Sunday — the first time I’ve put the Giants on since they won the Super Bowl — and, lo and behold, the Yankees “general manager” Joe Girardi was honored in a pregame ceremony.

Then of course, there was the “key to the city” thing. If the Phillies had won the World Series, I doubt I would be reading about Pedro Martinez getting a key to the city of Philadelphia — that news simply wouldn’t get up here (NOTE: this post does not apply to anyone living in the South Jersey / Philly area).

Similarly, I probably wouldn’t be seeing Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs, and other Phillies bench players hawking various products and promoting local businesses the way I suspect we’ll be seeing people like Jerry Hairston, Jr. on local cable channels and newspaper ads this winter.

I also doubt sincerely that I’d be seeing people coming out of the woodwork wearing Phillies hats all over my town, on the ferry, on the bus, on the subway, and in random coffee shops — such as I and others are seeing NY Yankee hats infiltrate their neighborhoods.

And I’m certain I would not be running into at least one acquaintance every day who just happened to be a Phillies fan, knifing me with their gloating smiles and condescending quips like “I’m sure the Mets will turn things around soon”.

Again, I’m sure things would be / are much different in the South Jersey / Philly area. But here in the New York City Metropolitan Area, there is no escape from the daily reminders that the “other” New York team won the World Series.

As fellow blogger Greg Prince of Faith and Fear opines:

“Tell me how this isn’t tangibly more hellish than a Phillies victory.”

It’s going to be a long, cold winter, Mets fans.

This week’s heat wave has me thinking about the beach, where I tend to do a lot of reading. Here are three Mets books worth considering for your beach reading this spring / summer.

From my blogging friend Greg Prince is Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets. I don’t know how he kept it to 320 pages … he’s written longer blog posts (just kidding, Greg!).

From Keith Hernandez, Shea Good Bye: The Untold Inside Story of the Historic 2008 Season.

From Ron Darling, The Complete Game: Reflections on Baseball, Pitching, and Life on the Mound

Nothing yet from Gary Cohen … or Kevin Burkhardt, for that matter.

Speaking of books, one last item, which is not Mets-specific, but is pretty cool nonetheless: the Amazon Kindle. The first generation Kindle had its kinks — if you were able to obtain one (they were perpetually out of stock). This second try at digital book reading is much more stable and easy to use. As soon as a major media outlet bankrolls MetsToday I will be buying one of these devices for myself. Buy it here: Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)