One thing I haven't done in a while is look at power polls. So I went across the internet and have picked out four power polls for the MLB. They are ESPN, FOX, MLB and AOL. Two of them have the Mets above the Phillies, the other two have the Phillies above the Mets. So, the MLB have the Mets ranked at 8, and the Phillies are directly behind them ranked at 9. (They also have the Cubs ranked at number 1 and the Angels at 2). Here is what the MLB says about the Mets, followed by their statement about the Phillies:
“Blowing a seven-run lead in a loss to the Phillies started alarm bells
ringing, but the Mets ended the week still in first place, thanks to
Philadelphia's subsequent struggles at Wrigley Field. The Mets really
miss closer Billy Wagner. “They have the rotation to win the division and the bullpen to blow their postseason hopes for a second straight year,” said Braves reporter Mark Bowman.”
“The lift from the big rally to beat the Mets should have sent the
Phillies on their way, but the Cubs quickly brought them back to earth.”
I think that MLB.com got the situations on both teams down. The pen is the sore holding back the Mets. And the Phillies' heads weren't able to expand thanks to Cubs. But on top of that, I would add in the win by the Mets the next day, because even though they did not come back by the same amount the Phils did, but the act of coming back late in the game was enough to keep the Phils nervous and on their toes. I'll do the other rankings pretty quickly. Fox had the Mets at 6, the Phillies at 7, the Rays in first and the Cubs second. ESPN was one of the two polls that had the Phillies higher than the Mets, they ranked the Phils at 6 and the Mets at 8. In the top two spots they had the Cubs followed by the Rays. AOL rounds at the rankings with the Phillies at 7 and the Mets 8. In their top 2, they had Cubs at 1 and the Rays at 2.
I like reading the rankings, its interesting seeing what other people think that aren't Mets fans. But the Mets fan in me is always biased and sees the Mets as much better than many of the teams positioned above them.
