We are back with Five-Thought Friday:

1. With all the matters that have arisen for the Mets in 2007, they woke up Friday morning with the NL’s best record. That says something about the weakness of the NL, but it also says something about the Mets.

2. My suspicion is that Lastings Milledge will always find a way to get himself in trouble. But even when the Mets regain full strength in the outfield, the identity of their right fielder should be Milledge. Shawn Green simply offers too little threat at the plate and too little range in the field. Whatever his issues, Milledge undoubtedly has electricity in his hands and legs.

3. There are few players as important to their teams as Chase Utley is to the Phillies. If the season ended today, Utley would likely be the NL MVP. But the only season that ended possibly is that of Philadelphia because Utley was lost for at least three weeks after breaking his hand Thursday. Utley is not only a dynamic offensive performer. But his intensity is central to a Philadelphia team that needs all the offense and energy it can get to overcome its pitching.

4. I suspect between now and the end of that seven-year contract, we are going to see Carlos Beltran miss a lot of time with a sprained this, a strained that.

5. The five worst ERAs for a season in Yankee history for pitchers with at least 60 innings as of this morning: 1. Shawn Chacon, 2006, 7.00. 2. David Cone, 2000, 6.91. 3. Hank Johnson, 1925, 6.85. 4. Kei Igawa, 2007, 6.79. 5. Kevin Brown, 2005, 6.50.