In-Game Thoughts: Mets-Braves, July 29
Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. Not here with a game log but I will be posting some thoughts periodically, so if you're checking the site this afternoon, be sure to keep checking from time to time.
Before I begin, let me plug the interview I posted yesterday with Greg from Faith and Fear in Flushing. It appears immediately below this post.
Mid 1st, 2-0 Mets
1. Is there anyone who didn't know the Braves were going to pitch out there other than Jose Reyes? You can't argue with the kid's aggressiveness, but he's gotta use his head a little bit. Early in the game, the other team knows you want to jump out early, if Lo Duca falls behind 0-1, there's a better than average chance they'll pitch out.
2. Does anyone eles realize we may be witnessing the greatest offensive season in the history of the Mets, and that the man to bring it to us was none other than Carlos Beltran?
I certainly thought that Beltran was a better player than he showed in 2005, but I'll admit I didn't quite project him to hit 40-plus home runs and drive in 120-plus runs. Really impressive, and really good to see.
End 1, 2-1 Mets
1. I know I said this wasn't going to be a game log, but for fuck's sake, El Duque, could you not bean the god damn leadoff hitter?
2. Fuck. Like the pitch out in the first inning, one could see that throwing error coming a mile away. Something about the number of steps he took between fielding the ball and throwing it just made it seem like trouble.
I'm not going to read anything into this, because Wright's fielding has been a lot better as the season has worn on, but it's frustrating that an inning that should be over, and scoreless, is now 2-1 with a runner on second and one out. What more can you say?
3. Made Ahndruw look pretty bad in that at-bat. Meanwhile, I'm not complaining that we don't have Tim McCarver today, but I can't help but notice that FOX has given us the B-team here with Kenny Albert and Lou Piniella.
Mid 2, 3-1 Mets
1. You know, I realize this is like my 9th flip flop on the issue, but I think I'm back in the don't trade Milledge camp. Unlike some of my Republican friends, I don't think it's a problem to change your mind on an issue of grave importance, so long as you end up making the right decision. At the moment, I think the right decision is to keep Milledge. Three days ago I didn't. Three hours from now I may not. But right now, I'm happy to keep Milledge.
2. You know, a small part of me died when the Mets traded Joe McEwing, but by this point Endy Chavez has really inherited Joe Mac's super-sub mantle, hasn't he?
End 2, 3-3
1. Mark Wahlberg's career hasn't really been the same since Planet of the Apes, has it? Weren't he and George Clooney like butt buddies back in the day? And then he doesn't even get to be a part of Ocean's 12, let alone Ocean's 13? I mean, Jesus, there are 13 of them by this point.
Whatever, he still has Entourage, I guess.
2. Ugh. Come on guys, what's with the sloppiness here? Two innings that should have been over without any damage done. Let's see what happens this time.
3. In fairness to Sweet Lou, that's a fine point about El Duque's fastball. It does look particularly lively today. What's that they always say about hiim being a big-game pitcher?
4. So much for that lively fastball. And so much for that lead. Three unearned runs so far. I don't care how good your lineup is, you can't keep giving the other team chances.
Mid 3, 3-3
1. I wish I were a fly on the wall when those painful Dr. Z commercials were conceived. What aspect of those are supposed to be entertaining, or if not entertaining, informative?
2. Nice at-bat from Lo Duca there. Those were some close pitches from Hudson but they weren't strikes. What was with that massive hole on the right side of the infield though? Do they really have Lo Duca pegged as such a pull hitter?
Lo Duca's a notorious late-season swooner. At what point does that traditionally begin?
3. New Julio Franco!
End 3, 3-3
1. Look, I'm not hoping that Talladega Nights fails, and it's possible that the trailers are just really misleading. But there are a bunch of guys in Hollywood right now who need to realize that it's not enough to just appear on the screen for people to laugh. As funny as he's been in some of his work, Will Ferrell is a repeat offender. His appearance in Wedding Crashers was possibly the most cringe-inducing segment I've ever witnessed.
2. Alright, good inning from El Duque.
Mid 4, 3-3
1. You're right, Lou, it is nice to have a 12.5 or 13 game lead. That said, I really want to bury the Braves. I'm really tired of their "we're the team to beat" bullshit.
2. Those three unearned runs we've allowed? Really looming a lot larger now that Hudson is dealing. Good news is that through 4 he's already thrown somewhere on the order of 60 pitches.
End 4, 3-3
1. Alright, another good inning from El Duque. Willie's right, he should have a shutout by this point.
Mid 5, 3-3
1. Man was that a sorry looking swing from El Duque there.
2. How about Lo Duca? Not just 3-for-3 but takes advantage of that no-hustling bum Andruw Jones. I really hope Beltran knocks him in here.
3. It's amazing to me that Smoltz hasn't won 200 games in his career. I realize it shouldn't be in light of all those years he missed with injury and when he wsa a closer, but still, just woulda thought he'd have more.
4. Damn it, Beltran.
End 5, 3-3
1. There are days when El Duque just looks nasty. You take away those two errors (and the resulting 20 extra pitches he had to throw, give or take) and we'd be thinking about a complete game shutout right now.
Mid 6, 10-3 Mets
1. Like this AB from Franco here. He's making Hudson throw a lot of pitches. He just got out. Still a good at-bat.
2. What the hell was that song they were playing during that David Wright montage? Yikes.
3. OK. Now that was a good graphic FOX just had up there, the one comparing Wright with Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Scott Rolen. Useful information was imparted there. Are you watching, ESPN?
4. I'll tell you what, I feel like pitch counts should be a regularly posted stat in baseball broadcasts. If you're lucky you see a graphic once a game, or the announcers mention it when a pitcher approaches the century mark. But here we are in the 6th inning and I'm sure a lot of people out there are wondering how deep in this game Hudson and Hernandez are gonna be able to go. I mean, a pitch count can't tell you that, but it can give you an idea. Anyway, maybe I'll write a letter.
5. Atta boy, Cliffy. Let's get us a run here, boys.
6. YES!! Talk about a big break. Come on, Valentin, let's do this.
7. Ever since that Aquafina commercial earlier in which they said that drinking water would give you more energy when you're out I've been chugging water. I filled up this pitcher, I've since emptied it, and now I've gotta piss my brains out.
8. ENDY!!!!!!!! How about a little defensive lapse from the Braves there? That's what I'm talking about!!!!!!! Let's go, let's get us another one here, Duke.
9. Or sure, we could get two. Nicely done, El Duque, hell of a time to get that first RBI.
10. Come on, M.G., shake it off.
11. Can somebody who's watched Hudson throughout his career explain what's happened to him?
12. Franceour really did get a great jump on that ball. I was thinking triple off the bat there. Well maybe not, he's got a great arm out there.
13. Know what? I thought Beltran was gonna do that. I had a vision of it happening and a bunch of Braves fans leaving the stadium. I said it before and I'll say it again. We may be watching the greatest offensive season of any Met ever. Really amazing.
End 6, 10-3
1. There's that commercial again -- guess who's got a new pitcher going!
2. That was a pretty sorry looking bunt from Adam LaRoche.
3. I'll tell you, El Duque hsa made Andruw Jones look awful today. I'm loving it.
4. Valentin's really looked good out in the field hasn't he? I mean, not spectacular necessarily, but entirely competent.
Mid 7, 10-3 Mets
1. I'm sorry, I don't watch American Idol and it's possible that that Ford commercial isn't quite representative of his talents, but Taylor Hicks has an awful, awful voice as far as I can tell.
2. If we win today it'll be our 62nd victory of the season. Do you realize that three years ago the Mets won 66 games all season?
End 7, 10-3 Mets
1. There have been at least three bladder control commercials since this broadcast began.
2. 16 in a row set aside by El Duque. Just a great day at the office for him.
Mid 8, 10-3 Mets
1. FOX really gets a kick out of showing the price of gas all those years ago, doesn't it?
2. Alright, Julio, let's wrap this up here.
3. Nicely done. Good to see Julio heating up a bit again.
End 8, 10-3 Mets
1. I read recently that Tank was considered one of those ballplayers who was likely to be a manager some day. Even if he is a Brave I don't think I could ever really root against the guy, so for his sake, if he wants it, I hope he gets it.
2. I can understand why a fan would be wearing a Yankees hat to a Mets-Braves game. Ugh.
Mid 9, 11-3 Mets
1. I wonder how Roger McDowell is regarded in Atlanta. I'm not suggesting that their shoddy pitching is his fault entirely, but it's only natural that people would gang up on him between how bad their pitching has been and the fact that he's replacing a legend down there. I haven't read anything about it one way or another, I'd be curious to know though.
Ballgame over; 11-3 Mets, Final
1. Avodart really thinks FOX has a corner on the pissing-afflicted public, huh?
2. I get a real kick out of Bradford's submarine throws to first base.
3. Alright boys, good win. I would love a sweep tomorrow, but one way or another, this has been a very productive series.
Enjoy your Saturday night, everybody.
- A.F.O.M.G.
Before I begin, let me plug the interview I posted yesterday with Greg from Faith and Fear in Flushing. It appears immediately below this post.
Mid 1st, 2-0 Mets
1. Is there anyone who didn't know the Braves were going to pitch out there other than Jose Reyes? You can't argue with the kid's aggressiveness, but he's gotta use his head a little bit. Early in the game, the other team knows you want to jump out early, if Lo Duca falls behind 0-1, there's a better than average chance they'll pitch out.
2. Does anyone eles realize we may be witnessing the greatest offensive season in the history of the Mets, and that the man to bring it to us was none other than Carlos Beltran?
I certainly thought that Beltran was a better player than he showed in 2005, but I'll admit I didn't quite project him to hit 40-plus home runs and drive in 120-plus runs. Really impressive, and really good to see.
End 1, 2-1 Mets
1. I know I said this wasn't going to be a game log, but for fuck's sake, El Duque, could you not bean the god damn leadoff hitter?
2. Fuck. Like the pitch out in the first inning, one could see that throwing error coming a mile away. Something about the number of steps he took between fielding the ball and throwing it just made it seem like trouble.
I'm not going to read anything into this, because Wright's fielding has been a lot better as the season has worn on, but it's frustrating that an inning that should be over, and scoreless, is now 2-1 with a runner on second and one out. What more can you say?
3. Made Ahndruw look pretty bad in that at-bat. Meanwhile, I'm not complaining that we don't have Tim McCarver today, but I can't help but notice that FOX has given us the B-team here with Kenny Albert and Lou Piniella.
Mid 2, 3-1 Mets
1. You know, I realize this is like my 9th flip flop on the issue, but I think I'm back in the don't trade Milledge camp. Unlike some of my Republican friends, I don't think it's a problem to change your mind on an issue of grave importance, so long as you end up making the right decision. At the moment, I think the right decision is to keep Milledge. Three days ago I didn't. Three hours from now I may not. But right now, I'm happy to keep Milledge.
2. You know, a small part of me died when the Mets traded Joe McEwing, but by this point Endy Chavez has really inherited Joe Mac's super-sub mantle, hasn't he?
End 2, 3-3
1. Mark Wahlberg's career hasn't really been the same since Planet of the Apes, has it? Weren't he and George Clooney like butt buddies back in the day? And then he doesn't even get to be a part of Ocean's 12, let alone Ocean's 13? I mean, Jesus, there are 13 of them by this point.
Whatever, he still has Entourage, I guess.
2. Ugh. Come on guys, what's with the sloppiness here? Two innings that should have been over without any damage done. Let's see what happens this time.
3. In fairness to Sweet Lou, that's a fine point about El Duque's fastball. It does look particularly lively today. What's that they always say about hiim being a big-game pitcher?
4. So much for that lively fastball. And so much for that lead. Three unearned runs so far. I don't care how good your lineup is, you can't keep giving the other team chances.
Mid 3, 3-3
1. I wish I were a fly on the wall when those painful Dr. Z commercials were conceived. What aspect of those are supposed to be entertaining, or if not entertaining, informative?
2. Nice at-bat from Lo Duca there. Those were some close pitches from Hudson but they weren't strikes. What was with that massive hole on the right side of the infield though? Do they really have Lo Duca pegged as such a pull hitter?
Lo Duca's a notorious late-season swooner. At what point does that traditionally begin?
3. New Julio Franco!
End 3, 3-3
1. Look, I'm not hoping that Talladega Nights fails, and it's possible that the trailers are just really misleading. But there are a bunch of guys in Hollywood right now who need to realize that it's not enough to just appear on the screen for people to laugh. As funny as he's been in some of his work, Will Ferrell is a repeat offender. His appearance in Wedding Crashers was possibly the most cringe-inducing segment I've ever witnessed.
2. Alright, good inning from El Duque.
Mid 4, 3-3
1. You're right, Lou, it is nice to have a 12.5 or 13 game lead. That said, I really want to bury the Braves. I'm really tired of their "we're the team to beat" bullshit.
2. Those three unearned runs we've allowed? Really looming a lot larger now that Hudson is dealing. Good news is that through 4 he's already thrown somewhere on the order of 60 pitches.
End 4, 3-3
1. Alright, another good inning from El Duque. Willie's right, he should have a shutout by this point.
Mid 5, 3-3
1. Man was that a sorry looking swing from El Duque there.
2. How about Lo Duca? Not just 3-for-3 but takes advantage of that no-hustling bum Andruw Jones. I really hope Beltran knocks him in here.
3. It's amazing to me that Smoltz hasn't won 200 games in his career. I realize it shouldn't be in light of all those years he missed with injury and when he wsa a closer, but still, just woulda thought he'd have more.
4. Damn it, Beltran.
End 5, 3-3
1. There are days when El Duque just looks nasty. You take away those two errors (and the resulting 20 extra pitches he had to throw, give or take) and we'd be thinking about a complete game shutout right now.
Mid 6, 10-3 Mets
1. Like this AB from Franco here. He's making Hudson throw a lot of pitches. He just got out. Still a good at-bat.
2. What the hell was that song they were playing during that David Wright montage? Yikes.
3. OK. Now that was a good graphic FOX just had up there, the one comparing Wright with Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Scott Rolen. Useful information was imparted there. Are you watching, ESPN?
4. I'll tell you what, I feel like pitch counts should be a regularly posted stat in baseball broadcasts. If you're lucky you see a graphic once a game, or the announcers mention it when a pitcher approaches the century mark. But here we are in the 6th inning and I'm sure a lot of people out there are wondering how deep in this game Hudson and Hernandez are gonna be able to go. I mean, a pitch count can't tell you that, but it can give you an idea. Anyway, maybe I'll write a letter.
5. Atta boy, Cliffy. Let's get us a run here, boys.
6. YES!! Talk about a big break. Come on, Valentin, let's do this.
7. Ever since that Aquafina commercial earlier in which they said that drinking water would give you more energy when you're out I've been chugging water. I filled up this pitcher, I've since emptied it, and now I've gotta piss my brains out.
8. ENDY!!!!!!!! How about a little defensive lapse from the Braves there? That's what I'm talking about!!!!!!! Let's go, let's get us another one here, Duke.
9. Or sure, we could get two. Nicely done, El Duque, hell of a time to get that first RBI.
10. Come on, M.G., shake it off.
11. Can somebody who's watched Hudson throughout his career explain what's happened to him?
12. Franceour really did get a great jump on that ball. I was thinking triple off the bat there. Well maybe not, he's got a great arm out there.
13. Know what? I thought Beltran was gonna do that. I had a vision of it happening and a bunch of Braves fans leaving the stadium. I said it before and I'll say it again. We may be watching the greatest offensive season of any Met ever. Really amazing.
End 6, 10-3
1. There's that commercial again -- guess who's got a new pitcher going!
2. That was a pretty sorry looking bunt from Adam LaRoche.
3. I'll tell you, El Duque hsa made Andruw Jones look awful today. I'm loving it.
4. Valentin's really looked good out in the field hasn't he? I mean, not spectacular necessarily, but entirely competent.
Mid 7, 10-3 Mets
1. I'm sorry, I don't watch American Idol and it's possible that that Ford commercial isn't quite representative of his talents, but Taylor Hicks has an awful, awful voice as far as I can tell.
2. If we win today it'll be our 62nd victory of the season. Do you realize that three years ago the Mets won 66 games all season?
End 7, 10-3 Mets
1. There have been at least three bladder control commercials since this broadcast began.
2. 16 in a row set aside by El Duque. Just a great day at the office for him.
Mid 8, 10-3 Mets
1. FOX really gets a kick out of showing the price of gas all those years ago, doesn't it?
2. Alright, Julio, let's wrap this up here.
3. Nicely done. Good to see Julio heating up a bit again.
End 8, 10-3 Mets
1. I read recently that Tank was considered one of those ballplayers who was likely to be a manager some day. Even if he is a Brave I don't think I could ever really root against the guy, so for his sake, if he wants it, I hope he gets it.
2. I can understand why a fan would be wearing a Yankees hat to a Mets-Braves game. Ugh.
Mid 9, 11-3 Mets
1. I wonder how Roger McDowell is regarded in Atlanta. I'm not suggesting that their shoddy pitching is his fault entirely, but it's only natural that people would gang up on him between how bad their pitching has been and the fact that he's replacing a legend down there. I haven't read anything about it one way or another, I'd be curious to know though.
Ballgame over; 11-3 Mets, Final
1. Avodart really thinks FOX has a corner on the pissing-afflicted public, huh?
2. I get a real kick out of Bradford's submarine throws to first base.
3. Alright boys, good win. I would love a sweep tomorrow, but one way or another, this has been a very productive series.
Enjoy your Saturday night, everybody.
- A.F.O.M.G.
posted by A Friend of Mr. Glass' at 1:38 PM
2 Comments:
Y'know, that pitch count thing has been bugging me, too, all season. Somehow, I bet the SNY anchors would get a full game's worth of commentary out of that new feature, too.
The Braves have not been back to a World Series since they walked off with our pennant seven years ago. Then they were swept in the next round. They lost five of six LDSes over the next six years and were taken to the cleaners in their one LCS appearance. And of course this year now speaks for itself.
In other words, I think we're talking Braves 1999: Promote the Other Curse.
Post a Comment
<< Home