On the Mets beat

After last night's 9-2 loss to the Phillies, Orlando Hernandez was the first one to get his hands on the remote control for the two hanging TVs in the near-empty visitors clubhouse. Apparently, El Duque was uninterested in Pedro Martinez's start for St. Lucie because he only watched a few pitches before settling on the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle, "Bloodsport."

Most onlookers recognized Van Damme, but few could place the movie, until Paul Lo Duca wandered out of the trainer's room, peered up at the screen and yelled, "Bloodsport!"

Van Damme -- Frank Dux in the movie -- took a few kicks to the face, a punch or two to the solar plexus and even had some grainy substance thrown into his eyes, which had a blinding effect. In other words, it was only a little more heated than Monday's interactions between David Wright and plate umpire CB Bucknor.

But Wright managed to restrain himself until the end of the eighth inning, when he finally was ejected. It was indicative of the team-wide frustration from a loss the Mets need to get past quick. With three more games against the Phillies, followed by three in Atlanta, this is no time for the Mets to slip into a funk. As Lo Duca said before Monday's game, the slogan for this week should be, "No Mercy."

That's a movie, too, only with Richard Gere and Kim Basinger. Perhaps the Mets should stick with Van Damme for motivational purposes.