Author: hankkalet

I haven’t written about the Mets in a bit, but I wanted to weigh in a bit as we head move deeper into the second half.

1. The Mets are not quite as good as their record. They’ve benefited to a degree from a week division and a weaker league. That said, the only NL team that can really prevent them from getting to the World Series, as I see it, is the Cardinals. The Cards are still the class of the league and would have a near-identical record to the Mets had Pujols not missed some time.
2. The Mets need another starting pitcher. I want to see what Mike Pelfrey can do with another start or two, but even if he looks like he’s ready, the team needs another arm to a) give Pedro and Glavine some extra rest and b) ensure that the team does not have to rely on El Duque for big innings and c) keep the extra wear and tear off the bullpen. Likely suspects, according to the papers, include Livan Hernandez, Dontrelle Willis (not likely), Greg Maddux (bad fit), Jason Schmidt (not likely). Hernandez, because he eats innings and could come cheap, might be the best fit and the most likely arrival in Shea.
3. Aaron Heilman must regain his form from last year and early this year. This needs no explanation.
4. The lineup is the best in the NL, with the possible exception of the Cards, and is as good as most AL lineups — especially if Cliff Floyd finds his stroke (two dingers and five RBIs today).
5. Jose Valentin has to continue to play solid second base. He has looked good both with the bat and with the glove, stabilizing the infield and the lineup after the early season disaster that was Kaz Matsui.
6. Avoid injuries. The team has had some nicks and bruises and some bigger injuries to date — the entire outfield has missed some time, Jose Reyes (the team’s sparkplug) is sitting with an injured finger and Pedro has missed a start and will miss a second with a bruised hip and food poisoning. But the team has avoided the big injuries that have plagued their crosstown rivals. If Reyes, Wright or Beltran — or any of their starting pitchers — go down for extended time, the current 12-game lead could disappear quickly.

It’s been fun so far, but there is a lot of baseball left. October is still a long way off.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

Here are two of my more recent efforts.

UNTITLED

like the marigolds at the back of the raised garden that summer
burned by the brick, brown at the edges, dried and curled
like old parchment or a notebook left to warp in the heat of an
      unshaded window,
a catastrophe of sins, mistakes remembered, carried like an old
      work injury,
the back hunching weighing down the gait with worries, wondering
if that one moment could change, would change it all,
everything that followed and asking, really, would he want it to?

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS

We talked about this
but he didn’t answer,
the cold water dripping from the faucet in the tub,
pooling up, drain clogged,
just a bit of drain opener, a new gasket,
that’s all it needs,
but he doesn’t answer,
doesn’t talk
so I open the mail and sort the bills,
the fliers, the junk,
wonder how much of this to pay,
how much of that,
numbers running on, the interest mounting.

We talked about this
but he didn’t answer,
TV on in the den flickering,
a magnet for his attention,
sitting, waiting for the ball scores
as the announcer talks about some new medical breakthrough,
dog sleeping at his feet,
stuck in that same sad chair,
same sad place,
everyday, rarely stirring except
to go to the toilet, maybe get a beer –

We talked about this
but he doesn’t answer,
six months now
house sold, his wife,
settled in and safe,
but he still sits silent like that,
night after night,
watching the news,
waiting as if the weather forecast
will unlock a secret
that will stop the clocks, set them back, bring her home.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

A day at the beach can do wonders for the psyche. After reading and reporting on so much violence and deceit (i.e., the Middle East, American politics, etc.), it was nice to just hang out in Long Beach Island, wade into the ocean up to my waist (the temperature was a frigid 57 degrees yesterday) and ignore the world/

Too bad, the world refuses to be ignored. Waking up to the newspapers today, I — like the rest of the world — faced the prospect of World War III (this, this, this and this, and then later in the day, this and this).

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

This should not have been a surprise:

Seven million Americans enrolled in the new Medicare drug plan are facing a massive gap in benefits that will force them to pay out of pocket for pricey prescriptions, a state advocacy group said Wednesday.

Here is what I wrote way back when:

Overall, the drug plan is rather complicated. Seniors will pay about $420 a year for drug coverage and have to meet a $250 deductible, after which the plan pays 75 percent of the next $2,000, up to total drug costs of $2,250. Once they hit that magic number, seniors must pay all of their next $1,350 in prescription costs out of their own pockets. After spending $3,600 for the year, the new insurance would again kick in, picking up 95 percent of the rest.

All told, seniors will be asked to pay $2,100 of the first $3,600 in prescription costs themselves, not including the premium — a rather large nut for seniors to crack.

So now, for most seniors, they are entering the doughnut hole — more accurately described as the black hole — and they will be forced to remain there the rest of the year. I wonder what Tom Kean and the rest of his party have to say about that.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

Here’s a road map the state can follow, if it is truly serious about fixing its finances and reforming its tax structure.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press