RA Dickey made the Flushing faithful happy last Thursday when he became the first Mets pitcher to win 20 games since Frank Viola in 1990. Dickey is a contender for the Cy Young Award but will have to battle it out with the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez, who had won 21 games going into the last few days of the season. Dickey's accomplishment is far more amazing, since he did it for a lousy team, whereas Gonzalez's Nationals are one of the best in baseball..Once it starts to feel like the worst is behind us, however, consumers will slowly start to feel better. It will help when the awful headlines about collapsing banks, fivefigure layoffs, and government rescues start to get replaced by something more upbeat. Maybe Super Bowl XLIV will serve that very purpose.

Union attorney Jeffrey Kessler argued that the league's deal represents the thumb. "We'd like the thumb removed," Kessler said. Doty isn't expected to rule before March 3.Dan Coats and Richard Lugar and nine House