R-E-S-P-E-C-T

My wife and I, devoted agnostics both, like to spend our Sunday mornings reading the Times and eating bagels. (It's a stereotype, but someone has to live it.) Today she pointed out that I share the same complaint every week during baseball season: what will it take for the Mets to receive top billing in the sports section? Every Sunday, regardless of how high the Mets are in the standings, they get second class treatment. Today was a rare exception. Unfortunately, it took an offensive explosion (overcoming a four-run deficit en route to plating 12 runs) combined with an outfield collision that yielded a shattered leg (poor, poor Nick Johnson). Adding to the irony of this morning's front page status is the fact that, including today's 5-1 loss, the Mets have now lost seven of their last 10.