6

September 23, 2008
Cubs- 2
Mets- 6



86 wins. That's what our team had at the beginning of this day. Coming off a two game losing streak, it was time for a win already. The Brewers were beginning a 3-game series with the lowly Pirates at home. It was imperative to come up huge and there's no one you'd rather have on the mound than Johan. So we had that going for us. However, Sean Marshal was on the hill for the Cubbies, and young starters have always been a thorn on the Mets side.

So when I got to the stadium, I was lucky enough to get a free ticket from a friend. It was section 41, which in case you don't know, is one of the worst areas in the house to watch a game. Since there were more than a few empty seats again, I sat behind home plate yet again. What can I say? It's my favorite section.




The place was once again filled with Cubs fans. These people are relentless and annoying. Now I know I say that about all the fans from other teams that come to Shea, like Phillies fans, Yankees fans, or Cardinals fans. But the Cubbies clinched the division days before this series, yet there they are, with their matching vintage-style caps and shirts. Seriously, they all look the same. You have to witness it to understand. The previous game, a couple waved a giant 'W' banner outside the stadium as they walked to the station. I wanted to smack them! They won the division. This game is meaningless to you.

Anyway, onto the all important game. Johan looked dominant through the first two batters. He struck out the free swinging Soriano and Ronny Cedeno, who does NOT look like me. Derrek Lee who played (give the guys some rest LOU!) hit a double, but the threat was brief as Reed Johnson flew out.


It was important for the offense to score early and often. That of course didn't happen. In the first Reyes got a lead-off single. He had to score because when he scores in the first, the Mets win. Castillo The Terrible did nothing productive. Grounded out on an FC. But Wright hits a single to left field so maybe we're still in business. Runners at first and second, 1 out. But the 4 and 5 hitters didn't come through and the two runners were stranded. Ughh, not again was the thought.

'Just don't let the Cubs score the first runs'. They scored the first two runs of the game, one in the second on back to back doubles by McGehee and Fukudome. Yes I know how his name sounds if you break it up. Don't need to really hear it 1,000 times throughout the course of the game. The second run came in the third on a double by Cedeno and a Reed single. So now the scrubs are hitting our ace and we get runners to score! Amazin'.

The Mets would finally get on board in the 5th. Church struck out. Big f'ing shocker. But we finally got a break. Marshall hits Evans, who likely wouldn't have gotten a hit anyway. Then the amazing Johan does it all. He even gets an infield hit. Reyes couldn't drive in the any of the runs. He struck out. So at this point, there were two outs, runners at first and second and guess who's up? Castillo The Terrible!! But wait. With no intention to swing the bat, and much to his delight, he draws a walk! I almost dropped to the ground in shock. But remember, there are still two outs. The bases were loaded and Wright, who had performed poorly with the bases drunk all season, was up. But he singled to left! Two runs scored. The game was tied at 2. Yes!

Johan held 'em down in the 5th. In the bottom of the frame, the Cubs had replaced Marshall with reliever Chad Gaudin. It was time to feast on the bullpen. Delgado led off with a double, which looked very catchable from my vantage point. Soriano isn't exactly Willie Mays in the outfield. I don't know how they could win so many games with that kind of defense. Another miracle occured. Even more miraculous than the productive Castillo The Terrible at bat. Ramon Castro got an infield single! Guadin must have thought Castro was Ricky Henderson running the bases because he rushed his throw and it was a poor one that wasn't caught by Lee. This allowed Deli to advance to 3rd. No...wait! He tried to score on the error. And successfully reached home plate without sliding. Excellent awareness and aggressiveness by Carlos. Luck was on our side that night. The Mets capitalized this entire inning, something that we hadn't seen the entire month. Church hit a single as did super rookie Dan Murphy. Bases loaded again. During this at bat I believe, a fool ran out to the field and just run and flared his arms. Man, if you're going to do something like that, do something a little more creative, like a dance or a slide or mock the other team. None of that occurred. It took a while for him to get off the field. I feared this would ruin the momentum the Mets had tried so hard to acquire.



After they dragged out the drunken fan, Santana grounded out on a FC. That's alright. No double play and still just one out with the bases loaded. Hart came in to face Jose Reyes. Jose then hit a HUGE bases clearing, 3 RBI triple. It marked the 200th triple of his career and it came at a huge moment. 6-2 Mets. That would be the final score.



Johan Santana pitched 8 innings, struck out 10, and gave up 2 runs on 7 hits. It was a clutch performance from a clutch pitcher. This guy deserves the Cy Young Award this year. And I'm so glad he's on our team.

However, the Brewers won a tight one against the stupid Pirates in dramatic fashion, 7-5. So the wild card lead remained at 1. Kinda sucked because it took away the good feelings of the win, at least on my side.

My Shea Memories: I'm thinking about the 2000 NLCS, game 4. I was so lucky I got to go to that game. I wasn't supposed to. I was playing softball or something like that and my mom informed me that Ray's friend was selling two tickets for the game that night. I forgot how we ended up getting our hands on them. I think my brother picked them up. Bottom line is I ended up going with my mom. I've never seen that place so insane. There was a totally different atmosphere than anything I've ever witnessed in sports. 56,000 fans that knew they were two wins away from the World Series. It was so electric. My most vivid memories included Pin Man, and this really large man who had his face painted orange and blue. Then it hit me. This was a rare moment for Mets fans. These were no longer the Bobby Bonilla days and the fans were savoring every second of it.
They played the Cardinals and led 2-1 at the time. Bobby jones pitched and gave up two runs the first inning. Then the Mets score 4 runs in the bottom of the frame with a record amount of doubles! TIMO, FONZIE, PIAZZA, VENTURA, ZEILE, AGBAYANI all hit doubles in the game. Mike also went deep. They ended up winning the game 10-6. God do I miss that team. I used to love the middle of that lineup so much. So although it wasn't the pennant clincher which would happen the very next night, this was an amazing night and I was happy to share it with the moms. It was probably the second most exciting game I've ever been to.

So here's the deal...

As always, things aren't going exactly as planned over in Flushing. I've been to all the games this month, and as promised, I've recapped most of them. Unfortunately, I haven't had the stamina after a few of the games this week to write these entries. Hey, it's September. I'm a Mets fan. Put the two together and give me a break. The last thing I want to do after getting off the local N train after a loss at midnight, and walking through the smelly, dirty streets is recap a lackluster performance. No. I want to go home say hello to the pets, eat something, watch a movie, preferably one I've seen dozens of times already and sleep.

I will keep my promise of recapping all of these games, along with My Shea Memories but I've decided to wait until Monday to do so in order to do these recaps justice. I've jotted down lots of different subjects, memories, etc. I've also taken dozens of photos and videos, though the good and the bad. So I will resume Monday after the storm subsides.

But wow. What's a Mets fan to do in this scenario. Just stand and take it. That's all a fan can do. It's like a bad marriage. Another disappointing ending is looming. I will root hard, as always but in the back of my mind, of course I'm preparing myself for the doom that may be to come.

I love Shea. And it's surreal to call this the final weekend. I don't know exactly how to react at the moment, especially at the heels of another missed playoff birth. Let's just pray for a Mets win, a Brewers loss and take it from there, as destiny is no longer in the Amazins hands. It really is amazing. Sunday afternoon's farewell will be unforgettable either way.

So this will all likely be posted Tuesday, meaning recaps from 6-1 and one final farewell entry.

That's all for now. Talk to you soon.

7

September 22, 2008
Cubs- 9
Mets- 5





As I just told my friend, this is supposed to be fun. Pennant race baseball is supposed to riveting. This is just sickening.

Jason Marquis (THE PITCHER!!!!!!) hit a grand slam off rookie Jonathon Niese in the fourth. That was the game. Sure the Mets score 3 more runs after that, 2 of them off the bat of a David Wright home run. But the Cubs scored 4 more after that freak grand slam. It was just an all around deflating game. My heart came up to my throat. It's happening all over again it seems. Niese is this year's version of Humber. They put a highly touted prospect in a huge September game and couldn't come through. It's all too familiar. I don't know if we're going to be able to use those playoff tickets. And it's terrible. I can't write much more. I did the rant last time. I'll just give a short synopsis of last night's experience. As you can imagine, I'm very frustrated

-got a mezzanine seat for cheap on stubhub;



hated the people i sat around. After a heartbreaking home run, they decide they want to do the wave. how??; I was disappointed in the crowd in general, size wise.

the cubs didn't look like they were resting last night;

the bottom of the mets order is killing me (CASTILLO);

Heilman didn't give up a run?!;

Parnell looked good; the give away was a really bad looking towel;

I thought Beltran was out for the season when he collapsed on the field. Luckily he was fine.

citi field sign has been put at the left side of the stadium, as it overlooks shea; odd to stare at it given the recent struggles of the economy;

The infamous The Strength To Be There slogan was taken off the AIG ad. I guess after having to be bailed out or something to that effect, they really don't have the strength to be there.

There's another game tomorrow. Let's hope Johan can do it. Here's the scorecards that I somehow managed to finish during that heartbreaking game. I don't think I'll do another one this year. These games have me too nervous.





I don't have words today, so I'll show you some photos and vids taken yesterday. See ya after game 6.






Video of guy putting up the big lineup cards

8 (and SOS)

September 14th, 2008
Braves- 7
Mets- 4



I'm writing this entry on Wednesday, (9/17) 4 days after this game. I didn't want to get to this one as late as I have, but 3 games in less than 24 hours will do that to you. I didn't want to cut this one short, as I found it to be a crippling and important loss and one I wanted to think deeply about before writing it. Or maybe it was just procrastination.

So let me start from the beginning of Sunday's experience. It was really a good thing that I purchased tickets the night before on stubhub. I've been buying lots of games on that site. They have that instant option where you print them right at home. We get to the stadium at about 12:30 and I see no one on the ticket lines. Then I see the windows closed. The only time they do that is during a sell out. I thought surely this game couldn't be sold out. But it was. And what a bummer it would have been if we showed up without any tickets.

Sunday's promotion was sort of weak: a stadium tin. Now, normally I would think this was a cool giveaway. But it's a repeat! They gave a very similar product away I believe in 2004 (their anniversary) I really wish they would have given away the Shea replica. A mini statue they gave away in April, during a rainout game. Obviously, only a few hundred people received them.So why not give the rest away some point?!

I had decent seats for this one. Upper box for 18 bucks a ticket. (35 face value) Here's the view...



This is also an image of the pre-game festivities. The Mets organization was giving awards to prominent minor league players for the 2008 season. Some notable players given awards included Mike Carp (the guy everyone wanted to replace Delgado with back in May) Brian Stokes, Nick Evans and Dan Murphy. Congrats to everyone, especially Murphy, who already looks like a solid, patient major league hitter.

After the festivities, It was game time. Oliver Perez was on the hill. It's interesting with him because he's had a solid year. I really hope he resigns and stays a Met for a while. But for some reason, each start he takes the mound, I don't feel as confident as I should. Maybe I still have memories of him laying an egg against the Marlins in late September last year or maybe it's his control issues. After all, he was pretty poor his previous outing against the Nats. He does play down to his competition and the Braves are bad, so it was a cause for concern. He had a rough first inning as he labored to get the first 3 outs. He allowed a 1 out walk to Martin Prado, then a single by Chipper Jones, who's been killing us since I was in 8th grade! I just started going through puberty during that time! I'm in my mid twenties now and here he is, getting hit after hit. Infante drove in Jones, but thankfully got Franceour to fly out to right to end the inning.

The Mets bounced back quickly in the first with a solo home run by Wright. His new home run, "It's All Right Now", blasted from the old, subpar speaker system. Check out the screen.



The braves regained the lead in the third. Of course, Chipper was in the middle of the it, hitting an RBI double. Damn you LARRY. I hear he wants to buy several Shea seats. Is he obsessed with us or what? First he names his daughter after our park then he reveals that he's going to shell out thousands to purchase seats for his basement. Jealous much? Anyway, after 2 and a half, the Braves led 2-1.

This was the last run Ollie gave up that afternoon in what was a great outing. i love it when he proves me wrong. In the bottom of the 3rd, Murphy got on base with a lead off single. Then all WRIGHT now does it again. A two run home run! 3-2 Mets. They would extend that lead the next inning in the most unlikeliest ways. Oliver Perez hit a 1 out single. Look out Ted Williams, there's a new hit king! He would later score on an error by the first baseman.

4-2.

Now this was supposed to be the final score. This was supposed to be an easy, but close victory. But it wasn't. Because in the ninth inning...Ya know what? This makes me too sick to recap. Just read the scorecards.



A couple of the top hitters in the 9th weren't filled in. i was too weak to do so. One was out, one got a hit. It doesn't matter. This isn't the Daily News. It's a fanatic's blog and one that's dedicated to the last month of games played at Shea. Bottom line, Feliciano and Ayala ruined us! And Kotchman, who started the inning, also ended the inning.

Let's put this into perspective.

Oliver Perez- 7 innings; 4 hits; 2 runs
Mets bullpen- 2 innings; 7 hits; 5 runs





This bullpen will be the death of me! I can't take it anymore! How many times do I have to sit there in the ninth inning with a lead and still feel like we're losing! How many!? Wagner against Arizona in June?! The entire bullpen against Pittsburgh in August?! The 5-2 lead in the ninth against the Phillies?! Schowenweis against the Padres?! The night before against Atlanta! Now this! This bullpen is no longer a weak spot. It is a plague! This will kill any momentum we try to create. We got a lift for a while with newcomers like Stokes and Ayala, but the problem with these guys is that sooner or later, they'll realize that they aren't all that great. That their career eras are sky high! That their stuff isn't really effective! And why do we have to rely on these types of guys besides the fact that Wagner is out forever!? It's because guys like Heilman and Sanchez couldn't step up! It's because Feliciano will give you one decent outing and 5 terrible ones! STOP! I understand that the offense had chances to tack onto their lead. The bases loaded in the 7th being one of those chances. But Mets bullpen, can you give the starters a break? Can you save the offense the way they've tried to save you. It's ridiculous. I've never seen such a bad bullpen in my life. Every single one of them, you can't trust. A pinch hit 3 run homer to Borton, a no name! Give me a God damn break! I've never been so disgusted all year! It was also on a day that the Phillies swept the double dip against the Brewers! You can't make this shit up! I can go in there and be just as effective as these bums and I can't top 39 MPH. Smith was great on Sunday and people wanted to leave him in. That's in retrospect of course. But truth of the matter is that Ayala got exposed and he will continue to be exposed in the remaining games! Why automatically give him the closer role!? Because he was a hair away from blowing another one against the Marlins! Cody Ross missing a home run by inches?! This marked the 7th time the Mets blew a lead in the ninth. How are we even tied for first with that kind of stat? I love Omar, but how come he gets a free pass this year regardless of whether or not the team makes the playoffs but Manuel doesn't!? All Jerry has done since becocming interim manager is WIN! WIN! And handle his interviews with wit, insight and humor. Omar's the one who decided to put all his eggs in the Duaner Sanchez basket, a guy who hadn't pitched in nearly two years coming into this season! Omar's the one who tried to fix the bullpen by getting Matt Wise! This was his solution?! The bullpen was horrible the second half of last year! Make some changes! Oh, and not to mention it took him forever to get rid of guys like Mota and Sosa. God! That is totally unfair. Manuel deserves to be the Mets manager next year. It's not his fault this bullpen is a disgrace! I'm sure he would'nt have gotten Wise! I'm sure he wouldn't overrate Heilman. I never get this angry at players on my team, but enough is enough! Save the games! This offseason, I want every single Mets reliever OUT! Heilman, gone! Showenweis see ya! Feliciano,goodbye! Sanchez, adios! All of them off the team! They literally make me sick to my stomach. I was going out to eat after the game and after that pitiful excuse of an outing, I literally lost my appetite. I didn't want to eat. I know, I'm sick. But this bullpen is even sicker. They'rr a horror show, scarier that any thiller movie I've ever seen. Norman Bates has nothing on this bullpen! Nothing Freddy Kruger looks like an assclown compared to the fear that I get when Heilman enters a game! How do you sleep at night, knowing that you get paid millions of dollars, good money, to stink it up night after night! OUT! You can't get out Norton! Leave! Retire! Because I can't take these types of heartbreaking loses anymore. I'm losing years off my life because of a hideous bullpen!
How does Santana feel about this or the hitters? What garbage! I'd seriously rather see Matt Franco come out of that bullpen to close games! No not John, Matt!

My Shea Memories: All the games I mentioned above in regards to blown saves and leads late in games this. I've been to all of them and this one was the worst. And did you see how the Braves celebrated!? They LOVED it! It was their World Series. And now we have to play them later in the week at the Haunted House! Ughh! To be a fan!

Here's the video of the day. It was taken Saturday but it's of some jerk flaunting his Phillies shirt and fans going nuts.



Well, we've come down to the final 7 games. The Final 15 becomes The Final 7! God knows if there will be more home games after that. I hope we get to use these playoff tickets we bought yesterday. But with a Phillies team that can't lose and a nervous bunch of hitters and just untalented relievers, I just don't know. And it makes me hurt.

I'll see you Monday night. Hopefully with some kind of lead in the standings.

9

September 13th, 2008
(Game 2)
Braves- 0
Mets- 5



We've come down to single digits! It seems like a long, but in other aspects, short time since I saw the countdown number at 81. Now it's at 9!!

Check it out.



They should've had Todd Hundley put the number down to 9.

Well the first game was a tough one. But the fellas and I took advantage of a packed stadium becoming empty, as lots of fans left before the first pitch of game 2. So we moved down to loge. These seats were great. Gotta love double headers. The seat was similar to the one I had Wednesday.




We needed to cheer up a bit, so rather than shelling 8 bucks for a one dollar beer, Matt and I went old school and bought some Carvel ice cream with sprinkles. I got full rather quickly. But for some brief moments, we were kids again, having ice cream for dinner. It took our minds off the hideous bullpen.

Jon Niese was going game two and I was nervous about it but sort of excited at the same time. I saw this guy pitch all the way back in March 1st when my father and I made the dream trip to spring training. He looked dominant and we were raving about his stuff. My father predicted he'd be an ace what day. I was pumped when they called him up to pitch against the Brewers but he looked so nervous. It was actually reassuring to see a professional ballplayer get as nervous as much as I usually do.

We needed this game bad. It was a must win and it's always dicey when you put a guy that has only one major league start under his belt, in there and tell him he needs to come out with a win. He's never done it. It's very similar to last season when the Mets put Philip Humber in there last September against the Nats. He didn't pitch well that game. Niese didn't pitch welll his first start as well so history was not really on our side.

But here we go! First inning is key for these rookies. Niese gave up a home run in just his 2nd pitch last start, so a quick 1st inning was important for his confidence. And he got it. Despite giving up a two out double to Johnson, he gets out of it unscathed.

With Jojo Reyes pitching, the Mets had to do damage against this subpar pitcher early to give Niese some breathing room. And they did just that. After a Church single, Wright hits a towering home run to right field. 2-0. They didn't stop there. Beltran would hit a single and steal a base and Superman Tatis drives him in with a sing. 3-0.

Then in the 2nd, Reyes gave Niese even more run support with a two out solo shot. Always nice to see Reyes go deep. 4-0

Niese was magnificent. He only needed 1 run it turned out. He even out pitched Johan. He went 8 very strong innings (another example of Manuel not trying to fix something that doesn't need fixing) struck out 7 and only gave up 6 hits. Great job Niese!
Here's video of his last out of the night.




I understand Chipper and Mccann were out of the lineup but he proved that he could beat the bad team easily. And that's something the Mets are going to need to do to make the post season. The Mets added insurance in the 7th with a Carlos Beltran solo home runs (lots of dingers tonight) 5-0 and it stayed like that.

Ayala came in, gave up two hits but got Franceour to ground into a double play. FINALLY! An easy victory that doesn't require Tums, a drink or prozak. Awesome. We needed it and the fact it was a breather made it even sweeter.

But we couldn't help but wish we had swept the DH. We really should've! Oh well. What's done is done. Sunday is a new day and winning the series is imperative to have a successful home stand.




My Shea Memories: In tribute to David Wright's home run, I take you to 2004, David Wright's first ever game as a Met. Yes, I had the good fortunate of attending that one. I saved the stub but have no idea where it was. It was against the Expos and I should remember a lot more about the game than I do but I don't. I remember having tickets with my ex in advance so it was just perfect timing when they called him up. Never in a million years could I imagine Wright would become the poster boy for the Mets and the bona-fide star New Yorkers love. He got a hit or two if memory serves me WRIGHT. Ha get it? No? It's great to have gone to that one, for it was the beginning of an era. An era of winning. An era that even now, has just begun. Thank you David, for helping a 70 win team be a contender since then. And all I told my ex was, watch out for this kid. He could be pretty good. Understatement of the century!



Off to game 8 in a few. Magic number down to lucky 13 btw.

A couple more images from 9...

10

September 13, 2008
(Game 1)
Braves- 3
Mets- 2




It always sucks to lose to the Braves. It doesn't matter that the rivalry has recently died down due to their decline. It fact, it makes me angrier because even though their season was over long ago, you know they're just dying to play spoiler! And they did today, in heartbreaking fashion.

After the disappointing rain out, a single admission doubleheader on Saturday! Sounds great. There have been so many double headers this season. This one, Phillies, Rangers back in June, Reds in May, Yankees, etc. The weather this season hasn't been the best or the kindest. The rain out forced the Mets hand and now they have to play 17 games in 16 days. Tall order with a banged up rotation and bullpen. Okay, the bullpen isn't banged up. They're just bad.

So the Shea Faithful crew and I get to the game relatively early. We pick up our tickets at Stubhub and make it into the stadium in time to get the promotion giveaway, a Mets Military cap sponsered by JEEP! I hate those sponsors! No more! Give us a hat or a tin without it being an advertisement. I still love them and try to collect as many as I can, especially since all of these giveaways have the final season at Shea logo. Exclusive!

So we had pretty good upper deck tickets. Section 24, Row A, which is always a good thing.



And here they are, your 2008 New York Mets!

So the game starts, which is a beautiful thing after going to a rain out the night before. It just gets you extra pumped. Everyone is already pumped that Johan is pitching! But he wasn't sharp today. He didn't have his ace stuff. But you want to know why he's an ace? Because he can take an outing like this, where he doesn't have a lot going for him, and STILL get the big outs and shut down the opposition. This is why he's one of the best pitchers I've ever seen in a Mets uniform. Check that. I'm ready to say he is the best starter I've seen in a Mets uniform. Too young for Seavor, obviously along with Gooden. My only comparisons I suppose are guys like Hampton, Leiter,Reed, Armando Reynoso, Masato Yohsii, etc.

In the first, Santana allows two base hits. One to the always pesky Kelly Johnson. I would laugh and say he has a girl's name but I don't have a leg to stand on with that one. The other was to McCann, but got the three outs. Two of them on hard hit balls into the outfield. And no Chipper this game! Yes!

The game would stay scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. Beltran started it with an infield single (how many of those has he gotten this year? As long as you get on base) Delgado, MVP, hits a single and the Mets are in business! Bobby "I'll never retire" Cox decided to intentionally walk Tatis, to pitch to Easley. He makes them pay with an RBI single! But then Scheinder grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. A run did score, but it really killed the momentum. Santana grounded out. So a decent inning that could've been a lot better. Looks like the Cox move sort of paid off. I know Tatis would've done something against Hampton in that spot. 2-0 Mets.

It would stay this way for a very long time. But let's discuss the missed scoring opportunity the Mets had in the 6th because although we all felt very comfortable with a two run lead most of the game, I knew this was a crucial and rough turning point. Beltran started the promising inning again. This time with a walk. Domi ama gato Mr. Delgado, then hits a double. Second and third and no outs. No way we're going to blow this chance. Hampton intentionally walks Tatis AGAIN. But don't worry. Too Easley was up. He came through in the 4th so he'll surely do it again. Nope. Like Scheider did in the 4th to kill the big inning, Damion hits into a double pay. Santana strikes out. No ones! What?! What is this, the Willie Randolph days!? Shit!

I felt the balloon just deflate. How many times have we seen this? Sure, we're cruising with a small lead and nice pitching performance but then the missed chances rear its ugly head! We always pay for those! I mean, with the bullpen we have, you know that it's imperative that the offense gets every run they possibly can.They didn't do it today, which is why they failed.

Going into the 8th, Santana had allowed 7 hits while striking out 4. Not the most dominant line but where it mattered most, he produced a giant goose egg. 0 runs. Manuel is a smart man. He knows he can't trust that pen and if he could get anything more out of starters late in games, he's shown that he will try and get it. That's why everyone was happy with Manuel's decision to let Johan start the 8th. But he gave up back to back singles and that was it. That was when everyone understood that we may not win this one. Then the Scho, Stokes offer little relief as the Braves hit two more singles, and tie the game at 2.
Feliciano came in and got Infante to fly out to left. Unfortunately the ball was hit deep enough to drive in Kotchman on a sac fly. 3-2. He limited to damage by striking out Kelly. It's 3-2.

Here's my problem with the 8th inning of that game. Granted Santana did not look sharp all afternoon. Granted he threw 115 pitches and granted Jerry let Santana start the 8th and he gave up two singles. But when it's runners on 1st and 2nd with no one out, have the guts to leave the guy in for AT LEAST one more hitter. Maybe he gets Kotchman to hit into a double play. Maybe he at least gets one out. You know how hideous this bullpen has been. And why put in Schowenweis?! Leave Johan in. I'm sick of seeing this pen allow hits after hits! Some of them are slow and up the middle. Some are bombs. Either way, I'm sick of it.

Anyway, after Felicano limited the damage, we all thought it'd be okay. That we had two innings to make something happen offensively against a spotty Braves bullpen. Bottom of the 8th, Delgado leads off! Alright! Ohman, lefty specialist, came in to face him. If you remember, Delgado hit a game winning double off him back in August. No such luck this time. Deli hits it hard to left but just got under it. And that was basically all she wrote. The next three Mets batters, in the 8th and 9th struck out followed by ground outs and the Mets lose a very winnable game!

I guess everyone deserves some blame for this lose. The offense didn't put the hammer down when they had the chance, twice. Johan didn't get the big out in the 8th (although he gets the least amount of blame) and the bullpen couldn't save him, shocker! I hate this bullpen. I've never seen a pen operate this way, especially on a good Mets team. Whenever the Mets had success and made the playoffs, bullpen was always a strong point! Wendell, Cook, Bradford, 06 version of Duaner, hell, where's Armando Benitez when you need him!?!

And the Phillies beat the lifeless Brewers so we lose a game. Great! You should have seen the Braves. They revel in the spoiler role because with all the success they had in the regular season for over a decade, they rarely got the job done! So screw you Atlanta Braves.





I'm tired of repeating myself, but there's no other way to say it. You can't afford to lose these winnable home games against bad teams! I didn't feel very confident after this lose with Niese who I think is going to be great one day, going the second game. Luckily there's another game in a half hour.

My Shea Memories- This game reminded me that it's September and that the final game at Shea (regular season) is right around the corner. Sad. I just remembered that as much as going to opening day has become a tradition for myself, so has going to closing day. I've gone to 4 straight last games, beginning in 2004, which brings me to this memory. It was the very last game the Expos played as the Montreal Expos. They were making the move to DC the following year. Matt and I had seats in the picnic area. His sister sometimes got tickets to the area and they catered food on these particular days. This food was awesome. It made Shea food look like dog food. I'm talking great burgers, pasta, desserts, chicken, etc. It was all there and all you can eat. I loved those games. Unfortunately, I didn't go to one of those picnics this year. I don't think I will unless I go the final weekend somehow. Anyway, the game always marked the last game Todd Zeile would play (he was getting ready to retire) and the last game Brooklyn favorite John Franco would pitch in a Mets uniform.

I was sad about that one. Franco was the first baseball autograph I received. He was always very courteous to the fans. I even got a picture with him at his infamous John Franco's Place in Sunset Park this one day where the Mets were there to sign. Good times. That day I got autographs from Mike Piazza, Bobby V, Rick Reed, Al Leiter. Bobby Bonilla was supposed to attend but for some reason was MIA. This was the winter of 1999. I was thrilled to be there.

Back to the game, Todd Zeile hits a home run that game. We almost missed it because we were downstairs trying to win some memorabilia that was being raffled off. We didn't win shit like always and they had some awesome items. Last games are always sad just because you know you won't be back in that stadium for months and that the cold weather is coming.

Here's the video of the day. There were a lot of birds flying around the same spot. Not too exciting sounding but it looked like armageddon, especially with the weather turning dicey.



On to game 2, hoping for some relief and a split.

10 (Postponed)

September 12th 2008
Braves- NA
Mets- NA



Ay! This video really just says it all. I think I could save the typing for tonight.




I don't know. Maybe I'm just a disgruntled fan who made the trip to a game that I knew probably wasn't going to be played. I know nobody forced me to go and I chose to take the chance. But it reaaallly sucks when rain outs happen the way they usually do. I've avoided this doom all season. I picked my spots and knew when they were going to get rained out...Not tonight. But if you know that there's no window for the game to be played, please call it early! Why not? Save your loyal fans the hassle and money that they so willingly spend on you. And of course once the game was called, the rain stopped. Thank you. No fear. Single admission double header, the way it should be. Hope to sweep it. BTW the Mets have to play 17 games in 16 days...Great. This team needs days off.

I'll see you tomorrow with a double recap. Or maybe a triple recap Sunday afternoon. Wow...

In the meantime, enjoy these photos. They are photos capturing a baseball fan's worst nightmare! No, not blowing a 7 game lead with 17 games to play. I mean, a rain out.

11

September 10th, 2008
Nationals- 10
Mets- 13

If I had told you on Monday morning that the Nationals would come into Shea this week and score 18 runs in two games with Oliver Perez pitching one game and Pelfrey the other, you likely would have laughed in my face and asked what I was smoking. That's exactly what happened. How the Mets were able to win both games after such a rare occurrence is both impressive and refreshing. Impressive because it meant our offense would score 23 runs! Amazin'. And refreshing because I don't need to remind anyone of how the Nats fared last year against the Mets...But since I have my 2008 media guide, I will anyway.

In the month of September of 07, the Mets played six against the Nats and won only one. To realize just how bad this collapse was, this team walked into our building, and swept us! Incredible. Now 4 games remain against them this month, all of them at Washington next week. Although they could still break our hearts, we're off to a 2-0 start. Excellent! (By the way, they were 82-61 this time last year, having just beat the Atlanta Braves. Even though I want to get excited, it puts in perspective how much longer we have to go.)

I keep saying this along with all the fans, but here's ANOTHER example of a game they would have lost a year ago. Adam Rubin just wrote about how this 3.5 game lead feels safer than the 7 game lead they nursed at this point in 07.

So true. It's not just about numbers all the time. It's about energy and toughness and depth and as Mr. Fran Healy says, 'Confidencccccce.' They have all those things this year. More importantly, they have a red hot Delgado and a manager the players respect.

I got to Shea a little late tonight, at around 6:55. ANd of course the one night I need to rush in and buy my ticket is the same night that the purchase lines are gigantic! Never fails. You see, when I buy my ticket online and pay what seems to be dozens of extra dollars in fees, to avoid lines, there are no lines. Or they're small. But when I say, 'screw it. I'll buy my ticket at Shea', everyone and their grandmothers decide to do the same. I get impatient and in serious panic mode when it's 7:09, I hear Matchbox 20's How Far We've Come and the PA announcer getting ready to introduce the 2008 Mets and where am I? I'm in the middle of a slow line because some 50 year old wants to plan out his seating arrangement as if it were physics! And another thing, I finally get to the front, they don't have anymore 5 dollar tickets! Are you kidding me? You're really gonna do this. The cheapest at that point was 20 and for upper box. So I just say forget it and buy a loge seat. It was pretty cheap considering I almost pay that amount for row T in the upper during a gold game.

Amazing seat. One of the best of the year. Row A right behind first base. Here's the view.




But of course I sit down, and there are hundreds of empty upper reserved seats. Who's running the show here!? Geez.
I missed the top of the first inning (hate that) but that's all. I observed a few things. People spend too much time walking and not watching the game. And some of these ushers are very nasty individuals.

GAME TIME!

The Mets scored yet another first inning run. Wright doubled. Beltran followed with a single that fell right in front of Milledge who was playing a very deep CF. 1-0 Mets. Okay easy win. Let's just relax.

Pelfrey gives up a long home run from the moron Elijah Dukes. I'll explain shortly.

The 3rd inning would be another huge one for the Mets, which was started with a Reyes liner to center. He would then steal second, giving him sole possession of the Mets stolen base record, originally held by Mookie Wilson. Congratulations Jose!

It took a while for the crowd to read the graphic on the screen which acknowledged the achievement. Once they did, basically everyone stood up and clapped. Once he held his helmet up, the fans were excited and chanted...you guessed it. "Joseee...jose, jose joseeeeeeeee' It was a great moment since we've seen him grown into a dominant player. Believe it or not, he's been a Met longer than anyone else on that team. Hard to believe. He's so young.

Church walked, Reyes stole third and set up David Wright to drive him in on a single to CF. But the inning was far from over. Beltran also hits a single, driving in Church. Then the MVP! Where would he hit the ball this time? Citi Field? Nowhere, because he was intentionally walked to load the bases. The fans weren't too pleased. But I knew that loading the bases with 1 one was a bonehead move. Because Superman was up! Tatis the righty hits a laser to left field. 2 RBI double! Move backfired. Still not over! Because TOO EASLEY hits a single that gets beyond the reach of the shortstop and drives in both Deli and Tatis. Finally the inning would come to an end after a Schneider fly out and a Pelfrey strikeout. A 6 run easy! I'm thinking this is definitely going to be an easy one. Pelf is pitching. He doesn't lose his focus like Ollie tends to do at times. 7-1. That may even be the final score.

Then something bizarre happened and it started in the fourth when Pelfrey threw inside to Dukes, who didn't take a liking to it. What a cry baby this guy is. Be a man and stop whining about a pitch that went a little inside. That's what pitching should be! The ball didn't even hit you! Shut the hell up and hit! Once both teams were warned, Dukes hit a double and would later score to cut the lead to 7-2. Nothing to worry about yet.

BUT in the fifth inning, the Nats would score 3 runs! The big blow came with 2 outs when Kory Casto hits a 2 rbi single to right field. 7-5! Where is our starting pitching!? It's MIA! This is why we need Maine to be healthy, though he probably won't pitch again this year.

I guaranteed yesterday that Pelf would go longer than Ollie did and he accomplished that feat, but not by much at all! 5 innings! It's okay Pelf, you'll get em next time in DC. I'm not secretly concerned that you resembled the April version of yourself.

Heilman comes into the game in the 7th...I don't even need to write anymore. You knew what was coming. That's why I went to get my over priced but pretty good foot long hot dog. So I come back and he already walks the leadoff man. Wow. There are just some certainties in life. You will be born, pay taxes, die, and watch Aaron Heilman will give up a home run whenever he's put into a game. So Christian Guzman was the latest beneficiary of this terrible pitcher. A two run shot. Game tied at 7! I wanted to puke out my hot dog. I've heard some loud boos directed at Mets. Benitez, Bonilla, Delgado at the beginning of the year, but never anything as loud as this. I don't boo Mets but I have said I wanted him off the team a number of times! It all started at a game in DC this past April. He gave up a grand slam to Felipe Lopez and I yelled like I never yelled before.

OUT OF THIS TEAM! I WANTED HIM OUT THEN AND I WANT HIM GONE NOW! I DON'T CARE IF WE TRADE HIM FOR NOTHING AND HE TURNS OUT TO BE NOLAN RYAN! HE NEEDS TO BE OUT OF A MET UNIFORM NOW! THEY SHOULD'VE TRADED HIM FOR FUENTES WHEN THEY HAD THE CHANCE. I HEARD JERRY LOOKED UPSET AFTER THE HOME RUN. WELL, HE CERTAINLY SHOULD'VE BEEN SURPRISED. THIS ORGANIZATION IS UNDER THE ILLUSION THAT HE IS A DIFFERENCE MAKER AND WE NEED HIM TO BE EFFECTIVE IF WE ARE TO WIN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE PENNANT. SO THEY FORCE THIS GUY OUT AND HE JUST THROWS JUNK. HE WANTS TO BE A STARTER SOMEWHERE ELSE. WE WANT HIM SOMEWHERE ELSE. MAKE IT HAPPEN! PLEASE! I STOOD UP FOR HIM AFTER THE MOLINA HOME RUN IN GAME 7. I STOOD UP FOR HIM AFTER HE BLEW A HUGE GAME IN FLORIDA LAST SEPTEMBER! NO MORE! I'VE LOST ANY TYPE OF PATIENCE AND LOYALTY MONTHS AGO.

So we're tied at 7 but not for long. (By the way, nice performance by Joe Smith to get some key outs in the 6th and 7th)
Bottom of the 7th, it's time to stop screwing around! Wright started the big inning again with a single. Beltran hit one as well. So it's Delgado up, ready to save the night. He flies out to right on a hard hit ball. It was deep enough to drive in a run. What?! No HOME RUN!? Superman, Tatis hits a single! A run later scored on a wild pitch by Saul Rivera. But the big blow came off the bat of Brian Schneider! A two RBI single (He was thrown out at 2nd) 11-7.

Not over. Brian Stokes, who has been so solid for us in the bullpen with the exception of giving up a two run homer in Pittsburgh, faltered tonight. He gives up a three run shot to Cristian Guzman! This team keeps doing it. They keep giving us heart attacks. The crowd was very much on edge.

11-10 going into the bottom of the 8th. But don't be nervous, because this was David Wright's breakout night. He added insurance in a big way, hitting a ball into the picnic area after a Church walk (Keep batting him 2nd) 13-10 Mets!!

Ayala, who my Shea Faithful partner Matt, suggested he come out to Enter Sandman now that Billy's gone, finally made quick work of the Nats in the ninth! Game finally over at around 10:30! Mets win! Phillies lost! 3.5 lead. Yes! It's all coming together.



No scorecard today unfortunately. Took a break from it tonight. Fear not. It'll be back Friday. I know how upsetting it is.

Tonight's My Shea Memories takes place in May of this year. I had just finished my graduation ceremony and although I finished back in the winter, it was very satisfying to do the whole traditional cap and gown thing. Some people hate it, but I'm not one of those people so back off! After spending time with family, I quickly changed and went to the Mets game with the entire Shea Faithful crew. It was a game against the Marlins who were hot at the time. Willie was on the hot seat. Things weren't looking good. Thankfully, that feels like a whole different season. But this game was a keeper. All hope seemed to be lost. We were down one run in the ninth and all hope seemed to be lost. I know that sounds cliche but really, we didn't think we were gonna win the damn thing. Chavez was up with their closer Gregg pitching. Guess what?! Endy hits a pinch hit home run to tie the game! Sanchez gave up a run in the 12th and it looked bad again! But Tatis in the bottom of the inning hit a game winning 2 rbi double! Mets win a classic. I was so ecstatic that I accidently stomped on the free pudding that I placed on the floor. So the bottom of my jeans were filled with chocolate and I couldn't have been happier. It was a great day.

Video of the night: This was taken last night but it's still awesome and played everyday. It's the introduction video they play on diamond vision. Enjoy.



Great win. Well deserved day off for the team and it's on to take on the Braves on Friday. In the meantime, root for the Brewers to beat da Phils. Later.

12

September 9th, 2008
Nationals- 8
Mets- 10

Wow! What a game. If you enjoy offense, then you loved this one. Personally I love offense as long as it's coming from our side only. I enjoy nice 10-1 wins. But as Mets fans know, easy victories have been a rarity this season. It doesn't matter that this Nationals team has the second worst road record in baseball. It doesn't matter that they have Anderson Hernandez leading off. It's going to be a dog fight.

So this morning, the prospects of a game being played were questionable after a thunderstorm hit the city. It was a loud one too. I think I almost pissed my pants at one point. I went on both the Nats and Mets sites to see when they'd be able to make it up in case of a rain out. They both had off the 11th so I was prepared to not goto Shea tonight. But 5pm rolls around and it's dry outside. Gloomy but dry. I get to the stadium around 6:45 and NO ONE is there, which I expected and was fine with because the line for tickets was empty. If you've waited on those lines on any kind of regular basis, you know how much of a pain in the ass it is. Some people are so damn selective, they end up spending 10 minutes before they buy a freaking ticket! Buy a couple and let's go! But I waited for no one tonight. And it's 5 dollar night! I think the cotton candy is more expensive than the actual ticket tonight. That's wild. For some odd reason, all the regular Upper Reserved seats were sold...Right...Are we talking about the same game? That place was a ghost town tonight and they only have non alcohol section tix? Odd but fine because once I got in, I had my choice of seat and sat next to a friend in section 2.

They did this interesting tribute today to breast cancer before first pitch. Much better than the weird internet safety day. Hundreds of fans wearing pink shirts formed the breast cancer ribbon on the field. It was a really cool touch. Here's what it looked like. (I brought the camera)



Following the tribute, the game starts! And here we go...Perez looked relatively strong through the first two innings, only giving up a single to Zimmerman and a walk to Aaron Boone. Why anyone would walk Boone is beyond me but Perez looked decently solid. On the offensive side, the bats had it going on in the 2nd against John Lannan. (No Beatles jokes please.) Delgado started it all with a lead off single. Yes folks, he can now do it all! Soon you'll see him steal bases. Tatis then comes up and hits a double! Second and third no out. I was a little nervous with the bottom of the order coming up that this would be another one of those wasted opportunities moments. Silly me, because Manuel has realized Castillo can't hit. Easley comes up and hits a two run double! 2 nothing. This gonna be an easy one...

Then Perez gives up the lead quickly. I'm talking Tom Glavine giving up the lead quick! First problem. Hernandez, the former Met, the same one that couldn't hit a lick, hits a single. Are you kidding me!? Why should I be surprised though Guzman then hits a towering fly ball deep to left that I prayed to go foul. Like most of my prayers, this one was unanswered. 2 run home run. Game tied! Great...Perez playing down to his competition. We haven't seen this one before...Seriously, I thought he got over this stupid part of his game. These are the Nationals. As my friend Matt texted me during the game, these hitters are 'no names'. Get the job done!

Thankfully the Mets quickly regained the lead with a solo shot by Ryan Church who seems to finally be getting his swing back. What a big lift that is. Manuel, keep batting him second when you can. 3-2 and it was only the beginning! Wright hits a single. Then Beltran comes up big with a double which Wright tried to score on but was thrown out at the plate! Ugh! Here we go again. More missed scoring opportunities. Wrong! Mr. Delgado hits an absolute bomb that hits the scoreboard! This guy is a beast! 5-2 Mets.

Then the wheels come off for Ollie in the fourth. he walks Boone and then the Nats hit single after single after single after single after single. I'm not exaggerating or trying to be funny. 5 straight singles off Perez. Manuel then pulls the plug on Perez who couldn't even get out of the 4th. Very disappointing and scary outing. Nelson Figueroa comes in the game, who has some history against the Nats, calling these a a female softball team earlier in the year. But Milledge gets an rbi single. Then he walks Dukes...You know for a female softball team, they're really giving you some trouble there, Nelson. Luckily Aaron Boone grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. But the damage had been done. 5 runs in one inning. 7-5 Nats. It's happening all over again!

Not these resilient Mets! They tie it right back up in the 4th. Lannan was taken out for Estrada because Acta loves to manage these games against the Mets like it's game 6 of the World Series! Schneider hits a lead off single. Later, Reyes hits a double. Yes, his bat is coming alive again! Church grounds out but gets the job done as a run scores. Mock comes in and Wright gets an RBI single. Now his bat is coming alive! Clutch hit. Game tied at 7.

The Nats would score again in the 5th, where Brandon Knight initially struggled. But he limited the damage to just 1 one. 8-7 Nats. Yikes again!

The score would remain this way until the 6th. Church got it started with a single. Then came Beltran. Acta of course made another pitching change, because remember, this is a World Series game. He puts in Manning and Beltran says ADIOS! A two run shot into the picnic area. Beltran goes deep at Shea! Always a great thing to see. But as the 06 slogan stated, Buy one Carlos, get one free.' Delgado hits another BOMB that flies into the Mets bullpen. Maybe it's Delgado who thinks the Nats are a female softball team. 10-8 Mets! The fans were DYING for a curtain call but Delgado didn't give one tonight. No biggie though. He's given a couple recently. I could understand him not feeling too comfortable doing it regularly. THis was his 7th multi homer game which leads the majors! What a turnaround! And I predicted it!

That would be the final score. The Mets would need solid outings from Smith, Show, Stokes and Ayala but they all chipped in and shut out the Nats like they should've been the entire game! Mets win!



Here's the scorecard scans. I used this new book that I'm not too fond of plus the pencil got dull. So it's a big incomplete but you get the idea...





And the Phillies lose! That was another stressful situation because the Marlins took a huge early lead that the Phillies nearly erased...but failed!

As far as the scene around the ballpark goes, 50,000 tickets were sold. Probably about half of those holders showed up, the die hards. I met the craziest man I may ever encounter. Anyone that goes to Shea on a regular basis and sits in the Upper Reserved section behind home plate, will often hear a strange yell from an unknown spot after a strikeout. It goes a little like this: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....STRUCK HIM OUT!

Yes. My friend and I sat next to the He struck him out guy. The bearded diehard was like a walking scoreboard, holding a custom made scoreboard in one hand and an XM satellite radio in the other, to update us on the Phillies game...and the Red Sox game, and the Yankees game. It got very confusing at one point when he'd shout out scores. My friend asks him how many games he's attended, thinking he'd beat or at least tie his number. He uttered 205 or something to that effect, THIS YEAR. This man travels the northeast, sometimes the country going to every and any game. Minor league, Phillie games, Nats, games, single A games. It was the most bizarre thing I've ever heard. He then says he's been to over 200 games a season since 1985!!! WTF!!!! And has been to over 6,000 games at Shea Stadium lifte time. This man was immortal. To many, he's a nut. To me, a legend. He handed us his notebook which lists all the stadiums he's been to, how many times. I kid you not. I couldn't make this up. And one of the stadiums on the list had been torn down for nearly 50 years, the Polo grounds! Ahh! And he was making plans with a friend to see a Nationals-Padres at DC game over the weekend!? He says,"hey it's baseball. it counts' when the friend scoffs at the idea. Then they plan to go to Philly on Thursday, a Mets off day, to see our rivals play the Brewers. Wow! Suddenly, I don't feel so crazy. But I couldn't help but wonder if I was taking a gander at what my future held. Ha. He had Mets and Yankees season tickets. Don't ask how or why! I couldn't tell you. They should build a statue for this dude.

And that was My Shea Memory for tonight. Very current, I know but I can't top it or share something better with you for now!

Tomorrow's another 5 dollar day! Woo! And big Pelf will go more than 4! I guarantee it. Let's sweep the two game series and get to win 82!

And here's the video of the night! It's Ron Darling counting down the remaining games at Shea with Mr. Met! I won't talk anymore in these videos. Promise.

13

September 7th, 2008
(Game 2)
Phillies- 3
Mets- 6

Finally! A 'Happy Recap''. We needed this win in the worst way. As I said late last night.

There was a lot of angst going into the second game, at least for myself and the fans. However, this year's team seems to have a short memory, which is a wonderful thing. They can brush off rough loses or lackluster outings and come out looking like a different team. We were all hoping this would be the case for the second game, but you just never know in September.

I splurged a little for the night cap. I really wanted a good seat for this one. So I got a loge seat near the third base/left field side. Over 90 percent of the games I've been to were spent in the upper reserved section. A red seat has been my second home but this was a welcome change. What a view I had of the three mammoth home runs. I'll get to that in a moment. Here's the view.



Anyway, the energy for the night game was what I expected the entire weekend to be like. The fans were loud and understood the importance of the game. They drowned out the few Phillies fans that had stayed for the second game. This was basically a sell out. I'm looking at the attendance now. It says 54,980 and it certainly seemed like that. There were few empty seats. And that's the way it should be for a game of this matter. I think everyone went to this game in order to avoid staying at home and being forced to listen to Jon Miller and Joe Morgan's subpar play by play skills.

I get to the night cap after having a quick meal in Manhattan. So that meant two extra trips on the 7 train. Always packed. Always a drag. But I love it. I also love night games. I know afternoon ones are great too and traditional but primetime ball is awesome. And you just get the sense that at night, a game in September means that much more. It's odd and I can't explain it but the atmosphere is turned up a few notches and that's always been the case. But here's my first issue. No bobblehead. Mets brass, I know you had a bobblehead day for everyone last month (Wagner; you jinxed him!) but come on! You have the third best attendance in baseball. Take care of your fans and offer a few thousand more bobbleheads for everyone! Will it really kill you?! Obsessed fans and overgrown children (myself) look forward to days like those. They get a promotion, save it, collect, etc. But you can't give me or another dedicated fan who plans his summer around this team a plastic toy?! My friend told me he saw a kid rip of the head! WTF! Please! Do something nice for the fans! Give us a break and stop being so cheap. After 07, we earned a little break. I'll never understand it. I went to Seattle this year, and they gave out Felix Hernandez bobbleheads to everyone. I have one here. They do the same in most ballparks, and they don't have the funds the Mets do, like a network, a bank paying them millions for naming rights, etc. Anyway that hurt passing the box of bobbleheads. The diehard fan knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Now to the recap. Crowd was pumped. Santana came out to Santana Forget About It. Here we go! Rollins hits a grounder to Reyes. 1 out. Then I quickly got sick because Utley gets a single. Then Werth is walked, then Howard gets an RBI single. They're hitting our ace! They have a lead already! And Burrell the original Mets killer is up. This can't be happening! What am I doing?! I started to think all the above. Luckily Santana struck out Burrell and had Victorino fly out to left. That was huge! I let out a sigh of relief. Though the Mets were already trailing and we had to face their ace, Cole Hamels, Johan limited the damage, something that Pedro failed to do.

The bottom of the first was the turning point of the game. The Mets needed to make a statement early, and they did. After Reyes pops up, Church, who I love batting second, hits a single to left. Wright then reached on catcher interference. Charlie Manuel argued the play for no reason. It's quite obvious that he interfered. Coste didn't even argue. Naturally, Manuel does and gets ejected. That fired up the crowd because we love a good fight. Beltran comes up big with an RBI single. The game is already tied at 1. I knew things were going to be different that night after that hit. Talk about coming up big?! Delgado hits a ball that goes up the middle and drives in two. 3-1! He hits into luck AND he hits the ball hard. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Because the Phils drew closer after Johan gave up his second and final run of the night. Howard hit a bomb which he seems to be doing on a nightly basis. Thankfully it was a solo shot.

The Mets would get that run right back in the bottom of the 3rd with a mammoth shot of their own from their own first baseman. Delgado hit a shot of the right field scoreboard. Man did he crush that Hamels curve ball. 4-2 Mets. They would extend that lead in the 5th inning with an even longer solo home run by... MVP...MVP. Delgado crushes another one. This time a change up that nearly reached the Mezzanine seats! 5-2. Delgado comes out for the curtain call. His second one of the year. A year that started off with fans booing him and calling for his release. I always wanted to keep him. i don't want to sound smarter than anyone because I'm not smart at all. But I think if he could give you a little more than he did offensively in 07, it was worth keeping him one more year. I didn't like the replacements that were being mentioned. That was an even bigger factor in my mind. Mike Carp was everyone's favorite name. Sexson, crazy enough was mentioned a swell. One wasn't ready. The other, past his prime. But not in a million years did I expect this! He's been the team's most clutch hitter BY FAR. And it seems when he goes, so does the team, a claim commonly used for Jose Reyes.

Santana was solid. 2 runs in 7 1/3. He got out of trouble when he needed to (the 1st inning) with 6 strikeouts, 3 of them coming in one inning! Yes! Then the bullpen came in...No! But like I said in game 14, the bullpen has been solid. Never thought I'd use those two words in the same sentence ever again. But with Heilman buried in there because of roster expansion, it's been much better. Felicianao came in to get Howard to ground out to Deli. Then Stokes was called to face Burrell who grounded out. End of the 8th!

I love how Jerry is pushing his starters. I almost got a heart attack when I saw Santana pitch the 8th. But he's getting every last ounce out of guys like Pelfrey, Ollie and Johan, as it should be! I also love his selection in the bullpen. Using one guy to get one out. We've seen it fail this year, but perhaps with more options it can work.

But don't tune out yet. There was an inning of baseball left, and as Mets fans have learned this season, it's never over until you hear that Takin Care of Business victory tune. Luckily they got that valuable insurance run. Easley hit a lead off triple. Thank you Jerry again. This time for playing Easley in BOTH games yesterday. I think he's the only guy in Mets organization that understands he can't keep trotting out Castillo just because he has a 4 year deal. Schneider drove him in with a sac fly. 6-2.

Bottom of the ninth was scary time. Ayala came into a non save situation. Victorino had to find a way to piss me off. So he gets on base with an infield single. Schneider, for some reason, tries to throw him out when he had NO chance to. So he rushes the throw and the ball goes into the stands. E2. Victorino at second. GREAT!! Cardiac arrest time. Ayala got Feliz to fly out to center, although the ball seemed to be hit hard. Stairs comes in and gets a BS infield single as well. So now I'm real worried. Especially when I hear a bench player comes in the game to pinch hit. You know how these types of guys love to kill us. And he nearly did, when he hit a bomb to left field. Guess what? Manuel's annual defensive switch was in place so at left was no other than Endy Chavez who leaped near the wall (the same infamous AIG ad) and caught it. Thank you Lord! A run scores on the play but that's okay. So the last out?! A strikeout for "J-Roll". Mets win. Mets avoid the sweep. The Phillies fans that asked us to get the broom ready can now shove that same broom up there...

Here's a victory shot from shitty cell phone camera:



Great win. Important win to keep the lead at 2. The Phils just beat the slumping Fish. I hate scoreboard watching! Now I have to invest that same passion for two games?! Ay!

Here's the scorecards of the night game. I've never done two scorecards in one game. Pretty crazy. Not as crazy as keeping one during a 14 inning affair against the Cardinals earlier. And then they lose!




Great W. Must take care of business after the off day against the always tough Nats.

My Shea Memories time. This game against the Phils really gave me playoff fever. There's not much better in sports than having your favorite baseball team in the playoffs. Only 8 teams in the entire league make it so you really have to earn that spot. My first taste of playoff baseball came at Shea of course. 1999 was the year against the Arizona Diamondbacks. No, it wasn't the Todd Pratt game winning homer in game 4. It would've been awesome to be there though. It was game 3.

I remember how hard we tried to get tickets. My mother and I kept calling ticket master. We just got the internet and wasn't reliable as it is today. So we did it the old fashion way. Call and get a busy signal. Repeat 1000x. We finally got through and got a couple of mezzanine seats for HOME GAME 1, which later turned out to be game 3 of the nlds. I really thought we were going to be unable to use the tix as the Mets were about to choke and give up their wildcard spot, being down two games with three to play! BUt the amazing happened and they win a one game playoff against Cincinatti. When they did that, I grabbed my tickets and held them up in the air. It was finally going to happen. I was going to see my Mets in the playoffs. I went with my brother Ray and we got there super early to see batting practice. We were behind the visitors dugout when I held a sign. It was stupid but what can I say? I was young and excited. It used that Visa card Priceless theme. It was new back then! So after BP, I begged for a ball, and Lenny Harris, former Met GREAT pinch hitter, threw a ball in my direction which I caught. This was my first baseball ever received at the ballpark. It was great. So many things have changed since then, technology wise, personal growth. But the joy you get during those times, they don't change. And thank goodness for that. The Mets blew out the Diamondbacks. The crowd was packed and absolutely crazy! I'd never seen Shea like that. It was a long time coming though. Beautiful stuff. Hershiser got the W believe it or not. I wish I still had the stub for that one. That was the last post season game I had gone to that year and overall I've been to about 6 Mets playoff games. But this first one was very memorable.

Well now it's onto a two game series against the Nats. Value dates meaning 5 bucks a ticket! YES!!! I'll be back with better pictures. Ollie Perez takes the hill. See you tomorrow night.