In reading all the AAOP posts, I'm  looking at a general kind of drift that's happening among us people who post.  I'm seeing a lot of similar items on the wish list. 

So here would be kind of an "average" player at each position, as close to a consensus as we can get as to whom we all "want," and what a 2010 roster might look like. Bear in mind, this is just s rough, eyball estimation and I haven't gone through each AAOP with a fine-tooth comb:

C - Omir Santos/Greg Zaun (Josh Thole in AAA, joining the big club sometime in mid-summer)

1B -  We seem to be split, here, with semi-equal numbers of us looking for a return of Carlos Delgado, a platoon of Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy, or a Nick Johnson signing.  In any case, we all seem to agree that whoever wins the 2010 1B sweepstakes, he'll just be a placeholder until iLIKE is ready.

2B - Placido Polanco, with some looking toward the O-Dawg.

SS - Jose Reyes

3B - David Wright

LF - Matt Holiday, overwhelmingly, but with a vocal bunch looking for Mike Cameron if this proves un-feasible.

CF - Carlos Beltran

RF - Seems to be an "ABF" kind of consensus -- Anybody But Francoeur.

SP - Johan Santana

SP - Mike Pelfrey

SP - Erik Bedard

SP - Ben Sheets

SP - Oliver Perez

Swingman - Nelson Figueroa

RP - Francisco Rodriguez

RP - Pedro Feliciano

RP - Brian Stokes

RP - Pat Misch

RP/Swing - Fernando Nieve

And Jonathan Niese getting seasonably warm in AAA

BENCH

Angel Pagan

Omir Santos/Greg Zaun

Daniel Murphy

Nick Evans

Wilson Valdez

Alex Cora, if he comes cheap.

That look about right?

I was thinking about the Mets' woes recently.  Well, I've been thinking about the Mets' woes constantly, to be more exact.  It's what I do.

There are the usual jokes:  what gypsy did they piss off?  Is CitiField built on a Mohawk burial ground?  Has the Satanic deal for '86 finally come due?  Then I realized:  it all started with the phantom Yorvit Torrealba signing.  That's when we should have known there would be something very, very wrong with 2009.  It was the first chip in the facade that covered the dysfunction.

Call 2009 Yorvit's Revenge.

RE: This September collapse...

The late-season El Fold-o has been a chronic problem for this team since the early-Bobby V days:

1998 -- had a Wild Card spot all but locked up heading into the 3rd week of Sept., but got swept by the Expos & Braves to get knocked out of it.

1999 -- had to scramble for wins vs. Pittsburgh the last 2 days of the year and get a 1-hit gem by Leiter over the Reds in a play-in game to secure their post-season spot

2000 -- survived a 2-7 start to September by going 13-7 the rest of the way, and were incredibly lucky to not have to face Atlanta in the NLCS for the 2nd straight year

2001 -- 9/11, John Franco & Armando Benitez. 'Nuff said...

2002 -- Had an outside shot at the beginning of August, but then were swept in a double-header at home vs. Arizona, highlighted by a crushing Craig Counsell HR in game 1

2003 -- Never had a shot, but went 7-19 in September just for the helluvit

2004 -- Thought they had a shot at the end of July, but then the Trade That Dare Not Speak Its Name happened

After 143 games, the Mets are 71-72, a .497 PCT.

If they continue at that pace for the next 19 games, they will win 80 games.

If they play .500 ball, they will win  81.

If they play .550 ball, they will win  82.

If they play .600 ball, they will win 82.

If they play .650 ball, they will win 83.

If they play .667 ball, they will win 84.

If they play .700 ball, they will win 84.

If they play .750 ball, they will win 85.

If they play 1.000 ball, they will win 90.

PS -- If they go 0-19, they will match last year's record.