NEW YORK -- A computer program seemingly has altered how we measure the offensive prowess of players nowadays. No longer do simple totals satisfy us. It seems we need to know more than Ted Williams batted .406, Sammy Sosa drove in 160 runs and Craig Biggio was hit by a pitch 34 times.

Now, because we can know, we have an appetite for these convoluted and concocted statistics such as Chipper Jones is the first player to bat .300 and produce at least 115 runs, 40 doubles, 45 home runs, 110 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in one season.

See what Bobby Bonds has wrought?

Not merely the father of Barry, Bobby Bonds also was the father of the smorgasbord stat. He was the hybrid -- a player with exceptional speed and power -- who created such a fascination with multi-dimensional performance that an identifying mark became necessary. That mark was 30-30.

Bobby Bonds was not the first player to steal at least 30 bases and hit at least 30 home runs in the same season. By 1969 when he stole 45 bases and hit 32 home runs, Willie Mays had done so twice in the '50s, Henry Aaron had done so in 1963 and Ken Williams -- no, not that Ken Williams -- had stolen 37 bases and hit 39 home runs n 1922 with the St. Louis Browns.

But Bobby Bonds popularized the term 30-30 by producing five 30-30 seasons before the rest of baseball had produced five others. And his five seasons of doing so -- 1969, '73, '75, '77 and '78 -- stand as the second most to this day. Only his son, with six, has more -- including one of the four 40-40 seasons in history.

The distinction that father-son team created involved merely two categories. The smorgasbord stat has evolved -- or devolved -- in the ensuing years and has blurred the lines of meaningful achievement. Being the only player with a .300 batting average, 35 doubles, 10 triples and 10 sacrifice flies doesn't necessarily signify great achievement. It is distinction only.

There is meaningful distinction in 30-30, though, and, of course, in 40-40. Although when, in 1988, Jose Canseco became the first player to steal at least 40 bases and hit 40 home runs in one season, there were those who viewed it with a sense of "What's the big deal?"

Canseco was a guest at the annual winter dinner of the New York Chapter of Baseball Writers Association of America in January 1989. So was Mickey Mantle, who acknowledged Canseco's 40-40 achievement and added, "And if I knew it was going to be such a big deal, I would've done it four or five times myself."

David Wright won't approach 40 steals or 40 home runs this season; he certainly has a chance to hit four home runs in the Mets' 23 remaining games, though. And if he does, It will be a big deal for him. He will have achieved a 30-30 season and underscored his changing identity in the game.

"I'd like to be known," the Mets third baseman said, "as a player who does everything above average. And I think going 30-30 would be an indication that I do at least two things well."

The two-run homer Wright hit Monday in Cincinnati put his overall total at 26. His steal of second base in Philadelphia four days earlier was his 30th. And yes, he is above average in each area. Through Wednesday, only one player in the big leagues with 30 or more stolen bases had as many as 24 home runs -- Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins. And only three players with at least 26 home runs had as many as 27 steals -- the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, Chris Young of the Diamondbacks and Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips.

Wright, Rodriguez, Young, Ramirez, Phillips, Grady Sizemore of the Indians and Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins were all in position to accomplish what had been achieved merely 48 times previously -- 30-30 -- including Alfonso Soriano last season and in 2005.

"I'd love to see him get it. He's worked so hard on his [basestealing]. That didn't come as natural as the home runs for him."

-- Howard Johnson

"I'd rather have us in the postseason [than reach 30-30]," Wright said. "There's no comparison which is more important. But we're in good position now [five games ahead of the Phillies in the National League East, with a magic number of 19], and if I keep going like I have, there's a chance for both."

If Wright achieves a 30-30 season, it will be the fifth in Mets history, and the first since 1991, when Howard Johnson produced his third 30-30 campaign. Now the Mets' hitting coach, Johnson stole 30 and hit 30 in 1987 and '89 as well. He and Darryl Strawberry produced 30-30 seasons with the 1987 Mets and, along with Dante Bichette and Ellis Burks of the 1996 Rockies, constitute the only two sets of teammates to reach 30-30 in the same season.

Johnson has been an inspiration to Wright, who identifies the former third baseman as "my baseball father." The two have forged an almost father-son relationship since 2003, Wright's third season in the Minor Leagues.

"I thought I could be that kind of player, and HoJo told me I could be," Wright says. "He really has encouraged me all season. I'm not going to do what he did [Johnson had 41 steals in one of his 30-30 seasons and 38 home runs in another]. But I might be able to get there [to 30-30]."

And Wright could get to 100 runs scored and 100 RBIs, too.

He is one of nine players with at least 90 runs and 90 RBIs this season. Through Wednesday, Wright had scored 94 runs, the sixth most in the National League, and driven in 91, the ninth most. Of those who had scored more runs, none had more RBIs; and of those who had more RBIs, only three -- Adam Dunn, Matt Holliday and Prince Fielder -- had scored more runs.

"I'd love to see him get it," Johnson said. "He's worked so hard on his [basestealing]. That didn't come as natural as the home runs for him. But he's concentrated on his running. He got his weight down before Spring Training, and he's taken such care of himself to stay strong. You have to be impressed."

If Wright can deliver four more home runs -- he has hit eight since Aug. 1 -- the Mets will have a peculiar trifecta of threes:

• Wright will be at 30-30
• Tom Glavine gained his 300th career victory Aug. 5
• Pedro Martinez reached 3,000 career strikeouts Monday

If Wright does achieve 30-30, he will be the third member of the current Mets with a 30-30 season in his resume. Carlos Beltran hit 38 home runs and stole 42 bases in 2004, the season he split between the Royals and Astros, and Shawn Green had a 35-35 season with the Blue Jays in 1998.