Something Special

From the beginning of Spring Training the message has been the same.

Different from their crosstown rivals, whose mandate every season is World Series or bust, the Mets' mantra this year was established in March when Willie Randolph told his team, and reporters, that he would make no predictions about the season ahead, but that with the group of guys assembled, the Mets had the chance to do something special in 2006.

Zoom forward 6 months and here we are today, sitting on special's doorstep. The fact is, we've already had a great and memorable season. We won the NL East for the first time in 18 years, we topped the Braves in the NL East for the first time since they've been in the NL East, and blah blah blah.

So theoretically, for everything we've accomplished, the rallying cry, the dream of doing something special hasn't changed that much.

Only for me I feel like it has.

You hate to find yourself thinking this way, but the fact is that when I look at the teams remaining in the playoffs, they really don't scare me.

OK, I guess the Tigers are playing with a certain pizzazz right now that I find a little intimidating, but on paper I don't consider any of the teams left better than the Mets.

Our starting pitching is weaker than any of the other teams out there, that I concede. But when I look at the lineups that are left I don't get particularly worried; they don't appear to be the kinds of lineups that you could count on to eat our starters alive.

This is certainly true of the A's, and in spite of the big numbers the last three games, I'm not particularly sold on the Tigers' lineup.

So they'd have to counteract that with their pitching. It's good, great at points, but it doesn't scare me either, so long as it's right handed.

The point is that I legitimately think the Mets are the best team left, and that's a really, really strange feeling.

In 2000 I could formulate arguments for why I thought we were better than the Yankees, but in truth I don't think we were. Ditto the Mets vs. the Braves in 1999.

And sure enough, I could formulate arguments for why the Tigers or A's are better than us (I'm sorry, I just don't think the Cardinals are), but in truth I don't think they are.

Now none of that really means anything on a practical level. I think we're better than the Cardinals but that sure as hell doesn't mean they can't beat us. We all know anything can happen in a 7-game series.

There's just something about this team though, isn't there? Something about the way they rally together, about how they responded when Pedro and El Duque went down? Do you really expect this group of guys to fail? Do you look at their mix of speed and power and expect them to get shut down? Do you look at the bullpen we've got and expect any game to truly get out of reach, against these teams?

It's just different for me than the playoff teams in 1999 and 2000. This team I expect to find a way, with those teams I was left to hope they would.

Nothing is for certain. As good and varied as our offense is, it could get shut out. As talented as our bullpen is, it could leak. I could hedge all day.

But when I got done I'd be left where I am right now. We've always known we could do something special this year. I think the difference now is, I really expect us to. It's not the Yankee bullshit of tolerating nothing less than a championship, it's just a feeling I've got.

You've still gotta play the games though, and weather permitting, that's what we'll be doing tonight. I've got my ticket. Shea will be rocking.

Let's GO!!!

- A.F.O.M.G.