Tommy the Met

[Note: A post from Cheddar Ben about Rafael Furcal's key blunder in yesterday's game follows this post. Enjoy.]

You really have to wonder what was going through Tom Glavine's mind the last few days as columnists around the country began writing the Mets off, for want of an ace pitcher.

Here's a guy 10 victories shy of 300 for his career, a mark which, if you believe everything you read, he may be the last pitcher to reach. (I for one think that theory is nonsense, but it's out there so so be it.)

He's a guy who was a dominant pitcher in the second half of last season, the first half of this season, and then again in the final weeks of 2006.

Oh and, ya know, he won a couple Cy Youngs in his time, too.

But there every jerk on ESPN was saying the Mets just didn't have the pitching to contend in October, especially after the injury to Orlando Hernandez. Every team needs an ace, they reasoned, and the Mets just don't have that guy.

Nonsense. There he was out there on the hill last night in a pivotal Game 2. Lose and the Mets faced the very real possibility of hanging their season on the trusty left arm of Oliver Perez (I ask again, does anyone think it's possible that somebody with a 3-13 record has ever started a playoff game before?).

But thanks to Tommy, dubbed "the Old Goat" by Pedro Martinez prior to Opening Day, the Mets won the ballgame, and they may well have found the pitcher who can lead them through the playoffs.

October's a funny time of year, of course, and who knows what the rest of the playoffs will look like for old Tommy Ballgame. But say this for him, last night he limited the NL's fourth best offense to zero runs in 6 innings, allowing 6 baserunners in total to the team with the league's top offense where OBP goes.

Along the way there was one legitimate threat when, in the fourth inning, the Dodgers had runners on first and second with one man down. But Glavine snuffed that little uprising with a draconian strikeout of J.D. Drew and by inducing a lazy fly ball to Russell Martin.

As regular readers probably know, the title of this piece is a play on the regular "Tommy the Spy" moniker that we use around here.

It's no secret, Mets fans have somewhat conflicted feelings about the man who tormented us for so many years as a Brave. Much like it took the Mighty Ducks some time to warm up to former Hawk Adam Banks, Mets fans kept their distance with Glavine at first.

But there's been a thaw over the years, and Tommy might have done enough yesterday to make even the holdouts embrace him as one of our own.

Me, I just feel good for Glavine in the same way I feel good for Cliff Floyd and, yes, Steve Trachsel. Guys who were here through the lost years between 2001 and 2004 when the Mets were laughingstocks.

He knows what this fan base has been through, and like the rest of us, he's survived. Hell, most of us didn't have to lose our two front teeth on the way from there to here -- which is to say that maybe he's had it worse than the rest of us.

One way or another, he's ours now. And for a team that many were anxious to write off three days ago because we lost Pedro and El Duque, he could well prove the most valuable player we've got going forward.

I hope so.

And I hope when this postseason is over we'll be able to look back and still have a laugh as we call him Tommy the Spy, but that in the back of our minds we'll say, you know what, Tom Glavine? That guy's a Met.

After last night I'd say he's on his way.

And so well are the Mets. Up 2-0 with Game 3 tomorrow night. What do you say we sweep these Dodgers out of dodge?

Let's go!

- A.F.O.M.G.