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.
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