Game Log: Mets-Yankees - May 21

8:00 - Alright, that broad with the "Certified Yankee Hater" is officially Little Miss Shea Stadium for the night of May 21... and we're off. Glad to have you here.

8:03 - I like that the Mets are playing Star Wars music in the background. I'm a sucker for orchestral shit. It pumps me up. I'm nonetheless embarrassed to say that I know the name of that song. "Battle of the Heroes". Salt.

8:09 - Alright, Tommy. We need a big start. You know it. We know it. Deliver.

8:10 - Billy Wagner is in the background every time the camera hits on Johnny Damon. I still feel sick.

8:10 - Love to start a big game with the other team getting a little piece of crap single.

8:11 - We have not done a good enough job holding baserunners in this series. One of the papers made a good point about that 11th inning yesterday. Miguel Cairo walked and got to third via two uncontested stolen bases. It's not good enough to just let the other team waltz around the bases. I mean, isn't that why we didn't reup with the Monster?

8:12 - Deej.

8:13 - And there's a stolen base.

8:14 - Just got him - great play. No jumpman bullshit. Well executed, M.G.

8:15 - One of the most welcome aspects of SNY broadcasts are the overhead camera angles that show you exactly where a pitch is vis-a-vis the plate. I'm not exactly pissed about the strike zone yet, but I have been missing that angle on a couple of these pitches.

8:17 - Who else is certain that A-Rod is now going to get a base hit here?

8:19 - Glavine is missing down in the zone, a lot. It's better than missing up, but 11 of 20 pitches for balls isn't gonna cut it.

8:23 - You know, a lot of people are down on interleague play. They think the idea is oversaturated. I understand their beef on some level, but I'll say this.

Few things are so enjoyable for me as walking around with my Mets hat on or a Mets t-shirt on during a Mets-Yankees series. You pass someone with Mets gear you share a look, a "Let's go Mets", a "New Mets!" -- it's special. You pass a Yankee fan, you share a dirty look, or give a little smile. It's a feeling you don't get when you play even your biggest division rival.

8:25 - Keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn!

8:27 - Did it seem to anyone else that a piece of debris was floating around the infield that entire first inning or was it just me?

8:28 - If you don't have an all new 2007 Chevy Avalanche you're nothing to me, you're less than nothing to me.

8:29 - It bears mentioning that both the Braves and Phillies won today. The H is O.

8:31 - Hmm... walk Stinnett here? Not in the 1st I guess.

8:32 - Let's go Tommy, get tough.

8:33 - THERE YOU GO TOMMY!!!!!!!!! Good time to get that first low strike.

8:36 - That 7 train is really taking its sweet time, isn't it?

8:37 - Shit. The old Jeromy Burnitz Special. RIP, J-Burn.

8:38 - Those bags floating around the infield are beautiful.

8:39 - Aaron Small has had a LOT of movement on his curveball so far.

8:42 – PSA: I should mention that blogger.com is susceptible to technical difficulties. I encountered these yesterday. If we go like 10 minutes without an update, it doesn’t mean I’ve stopped.

8:42 – Boy did Melky Cabrera misplay that one.

8:43 – Good call by the announcers, the wind looks brutal out there.

8:43 - He made it look easy, yes. Perhaps because that play never looked difficult. Maybe I'm just bitter.

8:46 - I was a lot more worried about Aaron Small after the 1st inning than I am now. Two real hard hit balls by Cliffy and Delgado.

8:47 - I don't know that I've seen Reyes make a ton of spectacular plays necessarily, but he's looked much surer-handed out there this year than he did in 2005, at least in my opinion.

8:48 - Jon Miller just touched on an important point. What makes the Yankees different from any other team in baseball is that if the Mets, say, or the Red Sox, lost one of their best bats, they'd be fucked. The Yankees? You lose Shef and Hideki Matsui and you've still got Giambi, A-Rod, Jeter, Damon...

8:50 - Funny thing about A-Rod. When he's up in a pressure spot, I never worry about him coming through. Consider that I'm perpetually convinced that something bad is going to happen against the Yankees and that really says a lot about his performance.

Watch A-Rod get the gamewinner today. Fuck. You really put yourself in a bad position when you're doing one of these things.

8:53 - These grapes I'm eating right now really go way beyond the call of duty. Really phenomenol.

8:53 - First strike against ESPN's broadcast: No Kaz Matsui theme music.

8:58 - On a somewhat unrelated topic, in case you didn't know, Alay Soler has been called up to start in place of Jose Lima. Lime Time, is officially over.

8:59 - Nice throw, Paul.

9:00 - Yes Glavine has been in trouble each of the first three innings, but there haven't been any particularly hard hit balls I'd say. Any port in the storm.

9:01 - Unbelievably pathetic. Ugh.

9:01 - Yeah, really great to see Miller. Hmm, where the fuck was that pitch?

9:02 - Nice. I couldn't overemphasize how important it is for a pitcher to maintain his composure after a bad break like Bernie's "double". Accept it, suck it up, get back to work. So far so good.

9:03 - Terrence Long? Richard Hidalgo? It's a regular who's who of shitty Mets outfielders over in that Yankee farm system isn't it?

9:04 - Not a good spot to walk the 8 hitter.

9:05 - Am I wrong or have they had first and second in each of the first 4 innings now?

9:06 - Fuck me. Second batter in a week to make absolutely no effort to get out of the way of a Glavine pitch. FUCK.

9:07 – File Jeter under “Yankees I always expect to get a hit in a big spot”.

9:08 – God damn it. God damn it. Think about what’s happened this inning. Bernie leads off with a 15 foot double. Glavine walks the 8 hitter. Beans a guy. 2 runs in on an error. Aye-aye-aye.

9:09 – Wait. I couldn’t have possibly heard that correctly. They gave Jeter a base hit there?

9:09 – Uhh, yeah. I think I speak for all Mets fans: that play should have been made. What aspect of that play shouldn’t have been made?

9:10 – 73 pitches for Glavine. 3.2 innings. Jeezum Crow.

9:11 – Jesus does Glavine look old. Physically I mean. He looks old.

9:11 – Well that wasn’t confidence-inspiring, now was it?

9:12 - That was a really bad time to go dark. Thanks, Blogger.

9:13 - OK. What do you say we answer here, Mets? Give us a little something to be confident about here (cuz lord knows Glavine isn't providing it on the hill).

9:14 - Know what I take absolutely no solace in? The fact that the winners of the first two games came from behind.

9:15 - Does Paul Lo Duca really swing and miss that infrequently? I mean, he's got great bat control, I'll grant it, but are we really at a point where it's newsworthy every time he swings and misses?

9:16 - There you go, Paulie. Seems like he always gets a hit in a spot like this. Pretty vague, but that's as precise as I can get right now. He just seems to come up with a big AB when you feel like the team could use a lift.

9:18 - Question: What happens to Beltran in years 5, 6 and 7 of Beltran's contract after Delgado's deal expires?

9:18 - 2009 can wait -- atta boy Beltran!

9:19 – Come on Delgado. Really important to answer here.

9:19 – GET OUT!!!!!! GET OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

3-2 Mets – LET’S GOOOOO!!!!!

9:20 - GET GOING!!!!!!!!!!! GET GOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"He's feeling a little better about that play in the field now I'll bet." - The Hound.

9:22 - So much for Aaron Small pulling a Dave Mlicki. OK. Le's go baby!!!!!!

9:23 - Interesting point about Aaron Small here. He was just moved out of the bullpen to the rotation. Don't want to make more of this than there is, but, well, let's just say I'm thinking of another Aaron we know. Before I get lit up on the comment board by Happy Will, et al, let me just say that I am certain Aaron Heilman is a better pitcher than Aaron Small.

9:25 - That Reyes-Wright handshake wasn't Reyes-Anderson Hernandez cool, but it was pretty dope in its own right.

9:25 - What do you think, any chance Kaz jacks one here?

9:26 - In a word... no. I accept full jinx responsibility. But OK!!!!!!!!!! 4-2!!!!!!!! Come on Glavine, settle down some.

9:27 - I'm gonna say it now. I want Wagner to enter this game. I want him to enter this game so he can have the chance to shut the Yankees down like he did on Friday. Call me crazy.

9:28 - OK. Deej's "I live for this" commercial? Not nearly as cool as Pedro's.

9:31 - This would be a good time to get your first 1-2-3 inning Glavine.

9:31 - THE WARRIOR!

9:32 - The 1-2-3 inning will have to wait. What are we looking at here from Glavine tonight? 6 innings? Discuss.

9:34 - WOAH THAT WAS A NICE DOUBLE PLAY! Was that Kaz Matsui!!!!???!!!!!

9:37 - I hate Miguel Cairo.

9:39 - Like I really hate Miguel Cairo.

9:39 - Alright M.G.!

9:40 - Reyes has not gotten good jumps in this series. Just by the way.

9:41 - Ahh yes, the Verizon Business K-Zone.

9:42 - Anyone have a thought as to whether Heilman would be at full capacity today after going 3 innings on Friday?

9:42 - Oh boy was he out.

9:44 - Great point by the Hound: we've gotten screwed by the umps enough times this year for me to not feel bad about one Jose Reyes stolen base.

9:45 - Remember when Willie Randolph was an idiot for batting Lo Duca second and Beltran three?

9:45 - Yo, this Yankee bullpen is stretched pretty damn thin.

9:48 - I know I said I wanted Wagner to get a chance in this game. Fuck that. Let's park one here, Carlos.

9:51 - Can't say I like this matchup of lefty-with-funky-delivery against Delgado.

9:53 - I mean, that's just a tough matchup for Delgado there. Oh well.

9:54 - Any chance they ask Willie about bringing Wagner into that game yesterday?

9:56 - You know, say what you want about Wagner's performance yesterday, but I feel certain that he wants to be in this game today, and that's not something I'd have said about Braden Looper or Armando Benitez the past several years.

9:58 - "Oh, shit!" - Tom Glavine. Yeah, that's not what he wanted to do here. Come on, Tommy, 2 more outs.

10:00 - Come on Tommy, get tough. Pick yourself up here.

10:01 - Glavine's "out" pitches are just not going to fool anyone right now.

10:02 - Fucking huge. Just absolutely huge. Thank god. Alright, Tommy, not your best outing, you labored, but you persevered. Good work.

Now let's get us a run or two here, huh?

10:06 - Is Colter Bean looking to get moisture on his fingers or get bulemic out there?

10:09 - Fight him, X.

10:09 - There's that theme music. Nice.

10:10 - The end of Peter Gammons' report was music to my ears. And Nails' too I'm sure. Meanwhile, I cannot believe X just stole a base.

10:12 - Alright. Heilman to Sanchez to Wagner. Now let's get it done.

10:13 - Any chance Angelina Jolie makes a cameo in "The Breakup"? Anyone ever realize that Vince Vaughn played Brad Pitt's best friend in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"? AWKWARD!!

10:15 - On a night of extreme winds like this, it wouldn't take much to convince me that Endy Chavez should be subbed in for Nady here.

10:17 - 96 MPH from Heilman, huh?

10:20 - OK, Aaron. Come on now, put him away.

10:21 - For fuck's sake, Paul.

10:21 - For fuck's sake, Aaron.

10:23 - Wait, didn't we see this act yesterday?

10:25 - Thank god he called that a strike. Thank. God.

10:26 - Excuse me: THANK GOD!!!!!!

10:28 - Heilman to Sanchez to Wagner. Heilman - Check.

10:29 - Glad to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman taking someone's seat at Shea. Go Orioles!

10:30 - Know who doesn't think it would have been a better fit for A-Rod to go to the Red Sox? Red Sox fans.

10:31 - New Jose Valentin! This is a no-brainer situation to bunt with Reyes here as far as I'm concerned.

10:32 - Wow, Joe Torre really looks like shit. What happened to his leg?

10:35 - You really don't see the mid-at-bat pitching change very often do you?

10:37 – Nice pitch selection on those bunt attempts, Jose.

10:37 – NEW JOSE VALENTIN!!!!!!! NICE PLAY!

10:38 - Wow did Reyes look bad in that at-bat. Wow.

10:40 - See that look in Glavine's eye? It's the fear of 2-8-2 being blown by Billy Wags.

10:41 – No!!!!!!!! Get it off!!! Get it off!!!!!!!! Please, I can’t take this abuse. Anything but Scott Kazmir's stats!!

10:44 - Alright, Duaner. Here's looking at you, pal.

10:46 - Not sure you can say that this umpire has been consistent with his strike zone here today. Meanwhile, I swear to god don't walk Miguel Cairo.

10:48 - For fuck's sake. For. Fuck's. Sake.

10:49 - Oh fuck.

10:51 – Fuck.

10:53 – OK. Think of it this way. We’re a sac fly and a ground ball away from being out of this jam. Just bear down, Duaner.

10:54 - Come on, Duaner. Come on, Duaner.

10:56 - Just re-read my post at 8:50. Fuck.

10:57 - I. Could. Not. Possibly. Be. Happier. 8:50.

10:59 - I wonder what every Yankee fan watching this game right now is thinking. Alright, this is what I asked for: Wagner in the game to hold a lead.

11:00 - OK. I want to ask for another run. Or 3. Just so I'm on the record with that.

11:01 - Scott Erickson. Jesus.

11:03 - Hear those A-Rod chants in the background?

11:03 - Come on David. Come on David. Please.

11:04 - Needless to say, we're all thinking about the top of the 9th inning with Wagner right? Hey, at least it's 5-6-7 coming up for the Yanks.

11:06 - Give credit where it's due: That was a nice grab by Cano.

11:07 - No fear, Billy. No fear.

11:08 - Meanwhile, the right side of my right wrist is hurting. Carpel tunnel. That's the price I pay to bring you this game log. Extreme blogging!

11:10 - I mean, somehow you knew it would come to this, didn't you? Mets with a 1-run lead in the 9th, Wagner on the hill? Somehow you knew.

11:10 - Strike 1. Strike 2. Strike 3. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

11:13 - Fuck X. Fuck. Pick your fucking game up out there.

11:14 - Oh my god. 2 pieces of crap. 2 pieces of crap.

11:15 - I've got MY razorblade.

11:16 - Bear. Fucking. Down.

11:16 - YES!!!!!!!!!

11:16 - Miguel Cairo.

11:16 - For the love of god, please.

11:18 - Thank God. Thank God. I am emotionally drained. What a win. What a series. Thank you, Billy. Thank you, Miguel. Thank you, A-Rod.