Old-Timers' Year at Shea

Bursitis. Bunions. Hernias. Infections. Are these your grandparents' ailments? No, these are injuries suffered by the New York Mets. Throw in the usual hammies, groin pulls and concussions, and it's no wonder there isn't a spring in the collective step of the Mets in 2008. They're one broken hip away from gathering around before each game to watch Matlock reruns. But with their latest hot streak they may be ready to film Cocoon III: The Healing Waters of Flushing's Raw Sewage at Shea this summer. Maybe this team will have some 1973-like magic in them after all?an Endy Chavez pinch-hit home run here, a Tatis walk-off hit there. They've played 49 games of blas? baseball followed by six games of inspired ball. Let's see if they can sustain their new-found energy because they have a long way to go. We'll give them till the trade deadline, and if they're still in fourth place, put Ralph Kiner back in the booth for every game and just let the 1986 Mets play the rest of the season. They may be in their forties and fifties but they'll probably show more toughness and effort than the team on the field has shown over the last year. Can we believe the 2008 Mets are for real? One week's not enough to tell but it's a lot more exciting than waiting for Moises Alou to come off the disabled list only to slowly shuffle up to the plate using a walker.