Trach is Back (Aug. 23): The Mets today welcomed back Steve Trachsel 29, and slotted him in the rotation on Friday. The drama as to who would be sacrificed to make room for him was satisfactorily resolved when washed-up mop-up man Danny Graves 32 was designated for assignment. On Monday, beefy reliever Heath Bell 19 was recalled from Norfolk while Dae Sung Koo 17 was demoted. On Sunday, reserve catcher Mike DeFelice 33 returned to the active roster when the Mets got around to disabling catcher Mike Piazza 31. Meanwhile, a massive three-run homer in his debut turn at bat Sunday appears to have saved a job for Mike Jacobs 27, who's now your starting first baseman.

MBTN reader Mike from Tennessee points out that Jacobs became the fourth Met to hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat -- and that each of them had ascending uni numbers: Benny Ayala 18; Mike Fitzgerald 20; Kaz Matsui 25; and Jacobs 27. This is the kind of useless history MBTN was designed to capture.

Site Updates (Aug. 23): Thanks to MBTN reader Pete for finding and identifying this rare photo of Cleon Jones. As he notes: It shows Cleon Jones looking to be wearing the #12 Jersey with the World's Fair patch which would be from 1965. The picture is taken at Wrigley Field. The Mets were there In late July and Mid-September of '65 after Jesse Gonder who had been wearing #12 was traded on July 21st of that year. It is probably from the September trip because Ron Hunt (#33) is in the picture and he was on the disabled list from May 11th until August 5th of '65. That confirms our suspicions that Jones did indeed wear No. 12 that year (after his recall Sept. 1, precisely) and officially qualifies him among three-numbered Mets (he wore 34 prior to '65 and 21 after). Thanks, Pete!

United Hairlines (Aug. 17): Just as Carlos Beltran 15 returned to the lineup, looking remarkably healthy despite a broken face bone, we learned that catcher Mike Piazza 31 will take at least a few days off with a hairline fracture of his own (he fractured his hand, not his hairline). To be certain we're in catchers, the Mets did a cool thing and recalled slugging, lefthanded-hitting AAer Mike Jacobs, who arrived at the park tonight wearing No. 27. To make room for him, the Mets designated reliever Jose Santiago 33, who failed to distinguish himself over a few weeks as the team's 6th or 7th reliever. 

Injury Update (Aug. 12): The Mets have recalled Victor Diaz 20 to fill Cameron's spot. Earlier this week, Kaz Matsui 25 returned from the disabled list while Doug Mientkiewicz 16 took his place.

Catching Up (Aug. 9): Jae Seo 26 was recalled from Norfolk to replace Kaz Ishii 23 on Saturday, and for the second time this year, pitched considerably better than him. As with his first recall, whether Seo stays in the rotation depends in part on what the Mets intend to do when an injured starter makes an expected return to the rotation: In May, it was Kris Benson; this time, it's Steve Trachsel, expected back shortly and whose injury led to acquiring the frustrating Ishii in the first place: He was sent to the minors for the first time in his MLB career. The Mets are also expecting a return from Kaz Matsui 25 any day now. Thankfully, they're on the road.