So, like I told you a few months back, they ruined my local alternative rock station, WHTG -- FM 106.3 in Eatontown, N.J., a few months back. They turned it into one of those "More commercial free music than anyone on the dial!" deals...but I popped it on yesterday, anyway, for a quick listen. Three words.

Men At Work.

And, wouldn't you know, I can transition that into my lead note this week, on the New England Revolution. Because Men At Work have a turn called "Dr. Hekyll and Mr. Jive," which sorta describes the Revs.

The Revs certainly live in the Land Down Under in MLS. Always have, it seems, through the days of Alexi Lalas and Beppe Galderisi, then on through Dutchmen Thomas Rongen, Edwin Gorter and Richard Goulooze era, through Walter Zenga, then John Harkes and Eric Wynalda, on to our latest installment, from here on to be known as "Team Who Can It Be Now?" Or TWCIBN for short.

Watching their game against San Jose last night on the tube, the first thing that caught my attention was TWCIBN's excellent play-by-play man Derek Rae saying, "This is an immense game tonight for the Revolution." Thought to myself, "I've heard him say that a zillion times before, and he's right." Because the Revs, every year it seems, find themselves fighting for their playoff lives in August. This year is no different, as TWCIBN currently sits three points back of eighth place Dallas with just six games to play.

In the true spirit of all New England sports teams, the Revs have made it their mission to torture their loyal fans and, really, I think no team in club history has done this quite as well as TWCIBN. Case in point, they follow up a 5-1 thrashing of Dallas, which moved them close the playoff zone, with a 5-1 loss to San Jose.

TWCIBN has players who are capable of brilliant individual play. At various times, Mauricio Wright, William Sunsing, Andy Williams, Cate' or Wolde Harris can spin a highlight-reel play that makes your jaw drop. But those same players are also capable of causing train wrecks that make you turn away in horror.

Last night, after Mauricio Wright gets ejected for what was deemed an intentional handball ... and after the Revs fall behind 5-1 ... when they should simply be turning their minds toward their next "immense game," what happens? Cate' gets ejected for not turning his back on an altercation with Ramiro Corrales.

So, TWCIBN faces Miami this weekend without Wright or Cate'. Funny thing is, if TWCIBN holds true to form, they'll roll to a victory and get even more torturously close to the playoff zone.

In Tight Space

· The trade deadline is near, Aug. 15, and I can only think back to last year and remember what happened as the clock struck five ... absolutely nothing. What's going to happen this year? Well, one team, Tampa is toast, and may try to re-tool with draft picks. So, for pure speculation:

Kansas City wants a left-sided player, so Eric Quill could be worth an offer.

Dallas wants a defender, so Joe Addo could be attractive to them.

MetroStars still would like to land Mamadou Diallo, but would have to part with a lot of players and picks and get the league to sign off on it, because the league still runs the Mutiny.

· The Metros winning the DJ Countess lottery is a pretty big deal, mainly because the MetroStars are expecting Tim Howard to get European offers in the next season or two, so a talented 19-year old in reserve is a nice luxury. However, Countess did not sign Pro-40 to sit on the bench or play in the A-League and it's doubtful he'll sit quietly for too long if he's not getting some games. One thing for Countess to keep in mind, however -- MLS is well-stocked with goalkeepers. He'd better learn patience.

· In spurts, Landon Donovan looks like a player who could step in for Clint Mathis on the national team and play behind two front-runners. His assist on Junior Agogo's goal Wednesday night was very Mathis-like, as he spun a pass with the outside of his right, hitting Agogo perfectly in stride. Since I first saw him play in the U-17 World Championships, the thing that has impressed me most about Donovan is not his goal-scoring ability but his passing.

· MetroStars GM Nick Sakiewicz made some noise this week about not getting Ante Razov as their Marquee Replacement for Clint Mathis, but there were a few things working against them. For one thing, Chicago had been keeping tabs on Razov's European status all season and told MLS that, if possible, they wanted him back as their "allocation." The MetroStars do not own an allocation. For another, if there was a pecking order for Marquee Replacements, Josh Wolff went down with his injury on April 28. Mathis went down on June 10. And finally, Razov probably would not have been high on Metros coach Octavio Zambrano's list since Zambrano released him twice in LA.

· So, Bayer Leverkusen is talking about making a bid on Jeff Cunningham? Are they just looking to stockpile MLS players in case of emergency, or what? Where is Joey DiGiamarino anyway?

Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him atjeff.bradley@espnmag.com.