WHEW!!!

In the last week, my attitude toward the Mets went from supreme confidence that they would dominate the National League on their way to the World Series, to cautious hopefulness that we would get just enough starting pitching from those left standing and dominant performances by the offense and bullpen to reach the same goal.

The supreme confidence is back.

John Maine did a fine job in Game 1 of the LDS. Though it wasn't dominant by any means, and it wasn't even among some of the best performances he turned in during the regular season, Willie Randolph played that hand perfectly, taking the 4 1/3 good innings by Maine and making the most out of arguably the best bullpen of any other playoff squad.

Pedro Feliciano and Chad Bradford did exactly what they're paid to do, retiring a lefty and a righty, respectively, to get out of the fifth inning. Guillermo Mota, who to me will always be a pussy, pitched a dominant sixth inning, before allowing three runs, one earned, in the seventh (some of you who might have forgotten Mota vs. Piazza in spring training a few years back. Mota hits Piazza intentionally, then, when Mikey charges the mound, Mota turns tail and runs away, into the dugout).

The Mets offense looked like it did early in the season. Responding to every rally and coming up with huge hits from the middle of the lineup.

Carlos Delgado and David Wright were the catalysts in Game 1, with Cliff Floyd chiming in with a homer. These are the players that carried us early on, before Reyes and Beltran got hot, and it was great to see them get out of the gate in the postseason with their bats ablaze.

Aaron Heilman pitched a flawless eighth inning, and Billy Wagner got the job done in the ninth, despite giving up a run.

A HUGE win. Precisely the kind of victory the Mets needed to exorcize the negative vibe of the injuries to Pedro and El Duque.

Game 2 was about Tom Glavine, who showed the kind of veteran poise and experience that led the Mets to acquire him in the first place.

Glavine turned in six shutout innings in Game 2, and probably could have gone seven or eight, but, once again, Willie played to the team's strength, and went to the bullpen in the seventh inning, as the Mets won 4-1 -- a solo homer by Wilson Betemit off Heilman in the eighth the only blemish.

This one could have easily been 6-1 or 7-1, as a couple of balls by Wright and Floyd that would have been homers on most days, died on the warning track with the wind blowing in.

The biggest hit of the game, however, though it drove in what proved to be a meaningless run, was by Jose Reyes with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Let's face it, despite what others in the lineup may do, Reyes makes this offense go. He is the spark. The hit he delivered in the sixth is exactly the kind of hit that can get him going. He had been noticeably pressing during the first career postseason games -- swinging at bad pitches, looking to jack everything -- precisely the kinds of bad habits at the plate he displayed during his early days as a Met. Now that he has his first playoff hit under his belt, he can relax, bear down, get his ass on base, and turn the opponent's pitching staffs into nervous wrecks.

One other note; Carlos Beltran, despite having drawn four walks through the first two games, is not quite there yet. We need him. Look for him to break out on the road. One homer should get him going.

Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night in Los Angeles. Steve Trachsel vs. Greg Maddux.

Should be another good one. I don't fear Maddux. In fact, if I recall correctly, the Mets rattled him around pretty good earlier this season. And I have confidence in Trachsel to go out and give us a strong performance.

The confidence is back, baby. I'll be watching the game Saturday night with a broom well within reach!