Wiphbeaters. Phillies Add Another Jerk To their Pitching Staff

The Phillies have obtained AAA right-handed reliever Julio Mateo from the Mariners for minor league shortstop Jesus Merchan .

This past May, Mateo was charged with third-degree assault after police said that he struck and bit his wife in a Manhattan hotel room.

The Mariners suspended Mateo for 10 days without pay for missing a game without permission the day after he was arrested, then optioned him to Class AAA Tacoma.

Today, Mariners GM Bill Bavasi said that "In discussions with Julio Mateo and his agent we agreed that Julio would be best suited to returning to the Majors in a different city," Bavasi said. "We had been looking for that opportunity for a while now, and were able to accomplish it today."

The Phillies are the perfect spot for this jerk. Mateo should get along great with fellow spouse-assaulting teammate Brett Myers, who is currently rehabbing from a shoulder injury. Fortunately that shoulder injury isn't from beating his wife, but unfortunately it's not from getting beat up by somebody, either.

A Pep Talk For Mets Fans

In today's papers, Wallace Matthews (who must get paid by the anti-Met word) in Newsday, but also John Harper in the Daily News write that the 2007 Mets don't feel quite as magical as the 2006 Mets.

They suggest that 2006 was our season, and 2007 must be another team's.

In response I have one word: 1999.

I think we can all agree that the 1999 Mets team felt way more "magical" than the 2000 squad. However, it was the 2000 team that made it to the Fall Classic, and the 199 team who fell to teh Braves. So, if we can capture a pennant (or more) this year, I'll happily trade in the 2006 magic. Wouldn't you?

Besides, the 2006 Cardinals made the regular season pretty much meaningless. That team barely made it into the playoffs, yet they won it all. The Mets were magic all year but their
mojo was useless against St. Louis.

Maybe, just maybe, we're saving our magic for October, when it counts?