There's a school of thought in the city right now that the Mets and Yankees have somehow switched roles in the first quarter of the 2011 season.
The argument is centered on the notion that the Yankees have become team turmoil while the Mets are now the sober crew run by humorless chaps who have the kind of serious approach we haven't seen in Queens for a very long time. There's a fair amount of truth in this school of thought.
Jorge Posada's Roberto Duran imitation last weekend was just the latest blow in the ongoing war between Yankee players and the front office, which seems bent on trying to have things both ways. They want all the historical relevance of their dynastic players and are comfortable paying them ridiculous sums while simultaneously trying to act like the only thing that matters is the here and now.
It's the kind of misguided thinking that makes you wonder if Omar Minaya is now a consultant to the Yankees. He's certainly gone from the Mets where accountability is the new black and where members of the organization actually back up the claims they make to the fans and media.
Now you've got a Yankee team that's won three straight games, and players with a little bit of spring back in their step after the six-game losing streak. The team isn't perfect, but the weakest part of the team, the starting rotation, is performing the best and that bodes well for the future.
The Mets, meanwhile, enter Yankee Stadium in a seriously depleted state offensively. Ike Davis and David Wright must be kicking themselves to be out for three games with that short Stadium porch and the Mets don't have anyone to take their place.
Fernando Martinez, who was in Buffalo not too long ago, will bat fifth in the order on Friday night and 10 of the last 15 Mets runs have been driven in by Justin Turner. Turner was also a Buffalonian earlier this season, which means we admire the Mets' willingness to give everyone a look while also pointing out that they're missing the oomph needed to truly turn the baseball landscape of this city on its ear.
Local
So let's can the bigger picture stuff and just concentrate on the games at hand. And, yes, that means putting an end to articles about who has the best closer in New York.
That's not a knock on K-Rod, who has been great. It's just that you should actually want to have your closer on your team to consider him the best in the city.
Perhaps you disagree about the state of baseball in New York right now. Or perhaps this weekend will lead to a different conclusion.
We'll pick that up on Monday. Assuming, of course, that we see Monday.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter and he is also a contributor to Pro Football Talk.
