Straight Cash, Homey

If you're expecting more of me whining about how the Mets are the biggest choke artists this side of a Lexington Steele partner, well, give it another day or two. But this post is about one of the few guys who has stepped his game up every time he has been given the opportunity.

Even after the Cubs took a 2-0 lead Tuesday night, Mets fans who packed Shea Stadium and watching on TV knew that Johan Santana was about to put the hammer down on Chicago. Johan knew that while the rest of this team may be world-class chokers, he wasn't about to let himself be grouped in with the rest of the bunch. In other words, he was about to prove that he was worth every penny of that $137 million deal.

Santana allowed just 3 baserunners and struck out 6 after Mark DeRosa's RBI single in the 3rd, finishing with 10 K's and taking the NL ERA lead in the process as well as picking up his 15th win.

Collapse 2.0 may be in its final stages, but Johan did his damnedest to keep himself out of the media's crossfire. He gets why they brought him here, that games like these are his sole purpose of being in the blue and orange, why the fans were so eager to drop the savior label on him.

After the failed efforts (and feelings) of Tom Glavine in Game 162, and the bullpen and Jose Reyes, Mets fans were (and still are) desperate to find someone who welcomed the challenge and rose to it. Johan had a very good 1st half, but has gone his usual legendary self in the 2nd half, but there was a certain degree of difficulty to this one. While the Twins were in the chase during all of his tenure there, the scrutiny (no knock on Twins fans) wasn't as intense as New York and the Twins never stared down the 2nd biggest gag-job of the decade.

Santana hasn't shied away like Tom Terrible, as illustrated in the 1st inning of Tuesday night's game as he routinely buzzed Cubs hitters up and in and establishing the inside of the plate. After DeRosa's single and a couple bad calls from Phil Cuzzi, Santana showed that attitude of "That's the last they're getting on me. Alright guys, get on my back, we're not losing this game."

It's refreshing to see a Met deliever in the big spot time after time for arguably the first time since the 99-01 squads made it a science. Now if David Wright and Carlos Beltran could follow suit, this team may have a chance. But I'm not counting on it.