For five long and sometimes awful months, the Mets made it possible to forget the 2000 Subway Series ever happened -- or, to be more precise, that they ever participated in it.

Only three weeks ago, the Mets placed Rey Ordonez and Steve Trachsel on irrevocable waivers -- a sure sign that the defending National League champs had turned their lonely gaze to next season.

One member of the Mets said the team has received more credential requests for this single game than for John Rocker's first appearance at Shea after his controversial remarks about New Yorkers and minorities.

But as America endures the most terrifying month of its history, the Mets are slowly being reborn. They are in a pennant race again, ready for a one-on-one with the Braves this weekend at Shea, just 4½ games out of first after beating Atlanta Friday night.

How? Why? The question is practically a riddle. The Mets have won 20 of 25, despite having the National League's lowest batting average and scoring fewer runs than any team in the majors.

Their recent surge is so intriguing, the front office is now left with a somewhat delightful problem: Should the Mets proceed with their offseason plan to shed Trachsel, Todd Zeile and Robin Ventura, or believe this nucleus is worthy of another chance in 2002?

Trachsel, who started the season with a 1-9 record, is 7-2 with a 2.85 ERA since mid-July. Zeile, who still hasn't broken double figures in home runs, is nevertheless batting .314 since the All-Star break. Even more dramatically, Ordonez is batting .296 since the break, after posting a dismal .220 average in the first half.

Weighing the contradictory data will be general manager Steve Phillips' most challenging task this winter, and many of his decisions could be determined by how the Mets finish the season.

At the very least, the Mets have achieved a respectability that had eluded them all year. At 74-73, they're over .500 for the first time since winning two of their first three games in April, and hardcore loyalists recall how the Mets won the pennant in 1973 with a winning percentage that was barely better than it is now, .509.

No one is predicting a miracle, neither this weekend, nor in the final 15 games of the season. But the Mets are certainly enjoying this bizarre last lap.

"We said a long time ago, if we could get it to this, we could at least have a chance," said Zeile. "The thing that's helped us now is a sense of doing the task at hand that particular night and not making the goals overwhelming. That's helped us get in the position that we're in."

Piazza added, "Why ask why right now? Just keep doing it. We just know how tough it is, and how tough it's still going to be. You don't have time to ask about it. You just have to do it."

No doubt, the Mets have received good will in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. The moment the Mets realized Pirates fans were wearing "I Love New York" buttons at PNC Park on Monday ... well, the pennant race suddenly turned in a greater cause.

As much as any professional team can, the Mets have put a human face on the city's suffering and, like the Yankees, have actually become America's team, at least for now.

The Mets rolled over the Pirates this week, and are 9-1 since they last played at Shea on Sept. 2. No question, the Mets' return to their home turf Friday night was an emotional one -- full of ceremony and remembrance for the victims of the WTC attack.

The Marine Corps provided a 21-gun salute, a color guard was comprised of members of the New York police and fire departments, Emergency Medical Service personnel and the New York State Court Officers' Association. Diana Ross sang "God Bless America" and there was a moment of silence for those who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

All these factors created a surreal effect in the ballpark. One member of the organization said the club received more credential requests for Friday's single game than for John Rocker's first appearance at Shea after his controversial remarks about New Yorkers and minorities.

"Basically, we're going crazy here," one employee said, preparing for the rush. There will be cops, uniformed and plain-clothes, bomb-sniffing dogs, and members of the Mets' own security team. And media everywhere.

Everyone gathered to prove that America's spirit can't be crushed by madmen. And in the process, there was one other dividend, too.

A pennant race, real and true. Imagine that.

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) covers baseball for ESPN.com.