The Mets host the Dodgers Monday night, placing playoff action in Flushing for the first time since 2006, when New York lost to the eventual-champion Cardinals in the NLCS. And with the Yankees no longer in contention, the back pages can offer full focus to their favorite little brothers of baseball. Columnists can eschew the Bronx for that other baseball borough. Tabloids can trade New York’s dark prince for New York’s Dark Knight.

MORE: Dissecting Utley double-talk | SPECTOR: Don’t hit him, Harvey KLAPISCH: Mets turn to Dark Knight

And Chase Utley just handed them their headlines on a silver platter. Utley might have avoided his suspension for his takeout slide of Ruben Tejada — for now — but he can’t avoid the New York press, who predictably went beyond the basepaths to hit him where it hurts.

Predictably, the New York Post, Newsday and the New York Daily News had a field day with Utley’s slide and suspension, making sure to choose photos reflecting both Utley’s vicious slide and his resting, um, pitch face. 

MLB PLAYOFFS: Postseason oddities | Cubs-Cards key players | Rangers-Jays key players 

But New York has more to offer than images, fat-font puns and those last-minute grabs from Larry. The city that never sleeps never sleeps on a story, and the press weighed in on Utley’s act, Matt Harvey’s role as harbinger of revenge and the return of late-October Mets baseball. The Daily News even named Utley the No. 1 Mets villain of all time. Here’s what some of the writers are saying:

From New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro: 

Charming! 

Those were Hallmark cards compared to what’s coming.

From New York Post’s Joel Sherman:

I wouldn’t bet on Utley liking the Pete Rose parallel, at least as it’s presented here. Seriously, Chase: Don’t. Bet. On. It.

From ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor:

Not to be technical, Mr. O’Connor, but Utley slid shin-first. Alas, we digress. Give O’Connor credit for imploring Harvey to not seek revenge — at least not in the headhunting sense.

From Newsday’s David Lennon:

A refreshing take, Mr. Lennon! And perhaps a thanks owed to Utley for allowing the Mets, after all this time, to stop dressing in the dark.

Torre’s ruling, however, gives them a chance to power down that fury and forgo any costly emotional retaliation.

From Newsday great Neil Best:

As Best points out, it’s the Mets’ first chance to replace the most recent, and most painful, postseason memory: The Carlos Beltran backwards K. But, wait a minute, wasn’t Harvey the villain just a month ago — the “fake tough guy, a fugazi in full, all talk and no action” according to Mr. Vaccaro? It seems a broken leg and a ball in the hand makes the fan’s heart grow fonder.

But the real MVP of the New York media this week wasn’t a media member at all. Will in Queens — who wants Harvey to know this is “his one chance” to re-earn fan faith — already took that title with his teary appearance on Mike Francesa’s radio show.

Never change, New York. Never change.

Editor’s note: The author of this post lived in East Village for a few months once and read the Village Voice like the cheap hipster he is. This post is not meant to be all-encompassing of the fine journalists in New York City, nor should Collins be considered a time-worn New Yorker.