Do the New York Mets Have Something Over the Yankees?

A New York team finally beat the Boston Red Sox this year. Granted, it was the New York METS, not the Yankees. But New York ers can be pleased anyway. And it does marginally increase the chances of a "Subway" (World) Series.

That's not necessarily because the New York Mets are a better team than the Yankees. Good as they are, Jose Reyes and David Wright are not better than Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez.

In fact, the Mets beat the Red Sox 5-3 with several people hurt. Jose Reyes was out, day-to-day with a sore calf, with Ramon Martinez as a replacement. Daniel Murphy substituted at first base for the injured Carlos Delgado, and Angel Pagan for Ryan Church.

Carlos Beltran was not up to playing his position. Fortunately, Fenway Park offered a DH spot for him to make an offensive contribution while Jeremy Reed fielded center.

And that may be the story.

The Yankees are a powerful team when firing on all cylinders. But what if they aren't, due to injuries or other reasons? Fans wonder: Are Cody Ransom and/or Ramon Pena adequate substitutes for Alex Rodriguez?

Can Brett Gardner play a decent center field when Melky Cabrera can't? Is Phil Hughes an adequate substitute for Chien-Ming Wang? And what do you do when Joba Chamberlain is also injured at the same time?

On the other hand, the Mets have two candidates, Tim Redding and Jonathan Niese who are better substitutes for Oliver Perez. Angel Pagan is arguably a better hitter, at least, than Ryan Church. Alex Cora and Luis Castillo "platoon" at second. Unlike the Yankees, the Mets' "B" team is not decidedly worse than their "A' team.

Maybe there will be a subway series this year. And maybe the Mets can win it.