The same article for 25 years at least.

The Mets are playing better than the Yankees.

No one anywhere is saying otherwise.

You know how I know the Mets are playing better than the Yankees? I looked at the standings. The "last ten games" and such. This fact isn't officially verified because Mike Lupica says so.

So why does anyone even care if the Yankees are "overshadowing" the Mets? What does that even mean? Where does Mike Lupica think sports fans are going to consume sports information?

If you're a Mets fan, you pay attention to the Mets. If you're a Yankee fan, you pay attention to the Yankees.

If you want to read about the Mets, you have plenty of places devoted specifically to the Mets. Most of the WFAN hosts are Mets fans. The only time WFAN talks about the first-place Yankees is to complain about them.

The boring Yankees have a three-game lead on the Orioles. The mediocre Yankees have the best record in the AL. The tedious Yankees just won a game on an Aaron Judge grand slam. The meh Yankees sell out every game.

The Mets will probably make the playoffs, but they might not. If they miss the playoffs, that would take the wind out of Lupica's sails, wouldn't it?

The Mets don't have nearly as much room for error as the Yankees, that's for sure.

One blown save or a ball lost in the sun and they lose a game they should have won. The Braves go on a winning streak of their own and suddenly the Mets are on the outside looking in. Lupica's next article is about how the Mets would have won the World Series if Bader had just hit the cutoff man that one time.

It's why you play 162.

It's why games in April and May count.