As The Traitor Prepares for His Return, A Debate On His Reception

(Note: A post by Cousin Dan, brother of Cousin Tonks, follows this piece by A.F.O.M.G.)

Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass's back at you with a full post for the first time in a week. Feels like a lot longer than that though, and at the risk of sounding sentimental, I had begun to miss my blogging duties here at the site.

So regular readers know that the Glass pretty much keeps his eye on the Mets when it comes to his posts.

Yes, I hate the Yankees. Yes, I believe in The Curse. But ultimately, I like to talk Mets here on the site.

Not today. Given the off-day yesterday, the biggest news in Mets-land, other than Tsuyoshi Shinjo potentially pursuing a career in nude modeling, is that it looks like Brian Bannister will avoid the DL.

That sound you just heard? That’s the collective sigh of relief emanating from all fans of the orange and blue.

An injury to any starting pitcher not named Victor Zambrano would be a disaster. Luckily though, it looks like Bannister will miss a start or two at the worst. Thank god.

Needless to say, however, the title of this post has nothing to do with BB. Before reading on,

1. Click on this piece's headline above

2. Go to the right of the page that pops up,

3. Click on the link that reads "What will be reaction to Damon?"

and then you can watch a 3-minute discussion between writers for The Boston Globe.

In it, three unidentified journalists debate what kind of reception the fans at Fenway Park will offer Johnny Damon when he is announced as the first batter of the Red Sox-Yankees game Monday night.

To my great surprise, the writers ultimately agreed that cheers and applause would drown out any boos, at least in Damon’s first at-bat.

“I’m saying the minute he steps to the plate, 35,000 people get up and do this [starts applauding],” one of the journalists says.

The consensus reached by the group is that though there will be some "nitwits,” "morons," and “jerks” who show up for no reason other than to boo the former Sox icon, the majority of fans will be so appreciative of the championship that Damon helped bring to Beantown that they will cheer his name, for one more at-bat at least.

I for one just can't see it happening, and if it does, I would be disappointed with Red Sox fans.

I think it's helpful to put yourself in the shoes of Red Sox fan, and in the spirit of the book I'm reading, Philip Roth's “The Plot Against America,” indulge me please in a little counterfactual that I think might be instructive.

I look at it this way. Let's go back to 1999. The Mets lose a heartbreaking series to the Braves in 6 games after leaving it all on the field, let down only by Armando Benitez and Kenny Rogers.

John Rocker proceeds to shit on the Mets, the city of New York, and every minority group on the planet.

The Mets import a hungry for a long-term contract Mike Hampton and make the playoffs as the Wild Card team, finishing one game out of first behind the hated Braves.

The two teams meet in the NLCS and it's a classic duel. Again the Mets fall behind 3-0, but this time, they've got some of that patented Mets magic spiriting them along, and behind a monster series from the Monster, the Mets pull off an unprecedented comeback and win the series 4-3.

The Mets ride the bat of Mike Piazza for four more games and go on to sweep the Seattle Mariners, the American League's best team, and celebrate their first championship in 14 years.

2001 comes and goes with the usual Mets-Braves animosity, but there is no October drama as both teams fall flat in their respective divisional series’.

During the season, Piazza, in his walk year, declares that he could never sign with Atlanta given all he and the two teams have been through.

Then the offseason comes. After 4 great seasons in New York, Piazza, the fan favorite and the face of the team, spurns the Mets and signs with the Braves for absolutely no reason other than a fatter paycheck.

Could I even conceive of cheering for Piazza in this alternate reality? Nope, couldn't happen. His first time up at Shea in a Braves uniform I'd boo the shit out of him, and I'd hope to high heaven that my fellow 55,000 fans would do the same.

Is it the classy move? No. But this isn't about class. It's about telling a formerly beloved player know that no matter how many zeroes on that check you sign, you can't put a price on loyalty. You can't put a price on devotion.

And as far as I can tell, these are the things that beleaguered fans of any team, but especially a team like the Red Sox, whose fans were abused for so long, care about.

We want our icons to feel like we feel, to live and die with every pitch, to conquer our enemies with one mighty swing of the bat, and to revel in victories over the hated rivals.

If you were a Red Sox fan at Monday's game, would you:
	Boo the shit out of Johnny Damon for signing with the Yankees.
	Cheer Johnny Damon for helping the Red Sox win it all in 2004.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Just as it is unthinkable for a Red Sox fan to become a Yankees fan, or a Mets fan to become a Braves fan, so too do we wish it were unthinkable for a Red Sox player to become a Yankee, or a Met to become a Brave.

When Damon signed with the Yankees, he shat on the idea that baseball for these guys is the same good vs. evil, all-consuming struggle that it is for the fans in Boston or Queens.

''I don't want them to hate me,” Damon was quoted in USA Today. “I don't want them to think I'm a traitor. We have enough hatred in the world without this."

Sorry, Johnny, I’m not buying it. In a world where so much seems fucked up, you like to be able to count on certain things, baseball teams and favorite players among them.

But Johnny Damon disabused us of that.

He shat on the idea that loyalty to team, to state, to fans is worth anything close to dollars and cents.

He shat on every 10-year-old kid out there who idolized him, idolized the Sox, and hated the Yankees.

And he shat on at least one 23-year-old blogger and another now-24-year-old blogger.

So for all that, I hope the good fans at Fenway Park have enough sense to give Damon the reception he deserves, Boston Globe writers be damned.

I don't have Damon's kind of bank, but for my money, a serenade of boos is the only reception fit for a traitor.

- A.F.O.M.G.

PS.. Happy birthday, Sip. 24. Hell of a show.

PPS.. For the article on Shinjo's bold career move, check here.

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/face/news/20060428p2g00m0dm009000c.html

Thanks for the heads up, Sepa. Sorry, Nails, he beat you to the punch by 4 minutes.

Top 10 Yankee-tastic Things About a Night in the House of Evil

Cousin Dan here, long time listener, first time caller. You may know my brother, Cousin Tonks, who brings it strong every time he drops by. I’ll just try to live up to his high standards.

Anyways, big law firm has big law firm seats at the House of Evil in the Bronx. So, since my better half had never seen the HOE and I was offered some decent freebies, I jumped on the 4 train.

First, an admission. While I hate the Yankees as much as anyone at the site, I don’t hate Yankee Stadium. I think of the history, and the voice of Bob Sheppard, and the $7.75 Bud Light in a bottle, and I’m not entirely unhappy there. Plus, I get to quietly pump my fist and say “Orvella!” without fear of reprisal.

All that said, a Yankee Stadium experience can’t be all wine and roses. Here, in no particular order, are the 10 most Yankee-tastic things about my long night in the Bronx Wednesday night.

[Note: Yankee-tastic is not a “positive” word. Think of it as the &%^(! for this family-friendly site.]

1) But I was just at the airport on Monday.

Really, the wand? The wand?! Seriously, c’mon.

2) Roll Call.

When it was Paulie and Brosius and Tino, that was one thing. But “Bub-Ba Cros-By?” And “A-ROD! A-ROD!”? I thought he wasn’t a true Yankee?

In any case, I think even the Yankee players are getting annoyed at this by this point.

3) Idiot Yankee Fans, Part I.

You know how when Cliff Floyd hits it really hard, but you know he got it a little off the end of the bat, and it’s gonna be a 370 foot out to right-center? Well, let’s just say the Yankee fans didn’t get the memo.

If Jeter or Posada so much as hits it to the outfield, they stand in unison as if it is the game winning blast. I might be pissed about how these folks block my view of Joey Gathright settling under the bloop, but I ultimately conclude that the whole thing is just rather laughable.

4) That dude sitting next to me eating a hamburger as if it were a pretzel, ya know, just ripping off pieces of meat and bun and stuffing them near his face.

5) Product Placement.

Sure, everything is sponsored these days, but do we really need “that walk is brought to you by Johnnie Walker”? Or — and I’m not making this up — Mariano Rivera’s entrance, complete with “Enter Sandman” and the Duane Reade logo?

6) Mr. Giambi will tell you when it’s a strike.

When did this guy become Barry Bonds or Ted Williams? I understand that his OBP is like seven thousand, but if he doesn’t swing at a two-strike pitch, it’s a ball. Sure, the D-Rays walked 14 guys this night, but it’s getting annoying that Giambi simply cannot be caught looking.

7) Idiot Yankee Fans, Part II.

I guess I understand that you gotta boo the umps when they dare not call a close pitch thrown by Chien Ming Wang a strike. I mean, Wang has earned that. But when the other team is walking FOURTEEN guys, you can give the ump a break when the 1-0 pitch is called outside.

8) The $100 broken seat.

Yup, they must have heard a Mets fan was coming. $100 face value. And it’s broke.

9) Idiot Yankee Fans, Part III.

After the dude next to me finished with his burger, he immediately reverted to being a typical Yankee fan, e.g., just running off at the mouth.

I think the best was when the Yankees got a strikeout, this dude would say, and I quote, “bye bye, Birdie!” I’m sure he was referencing the 60s musical, but I didn’t understand what that had to do with Duane Reade Mo.

10) Yeah, I left after 9 innings and missed a Devil Rays win over Duane Reade Mo.
It sure does suck to miss history.

New Mets!!

Cousin Dan

Yankee Gear: Not Just For Sellouts and Dudes from Montana Anymore

Hey guys, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here checking in with a quick afternoon update. I'm back from vacation and that's meant a busy day at the office, but I wanted to share some thoughts on an article in the Daily News this morning.

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/412453p-348808c.html.

It turns out that a group of terrorists planned to blow up the Herald Square subway station some time in 2004. As is the trouble in so many bomb plots, the terrorists fretted about how they could keep their cover as they planted a series of bombs between 34th and 42nd streets.

In taped recordings between a terrorist and a double-secret NYPD informant, the terrorist suggested that the bombers would be more discreet if they donned Yankee apparel rather than traditional Mulsim garb.

"Wear, like, this kind of stuff with the New York Yankees on it or something," the terrorist told the informant.

So there's good news in Yankee-land once again. Not only did the team recently become the first sports franchise to exceed $1 billion in net worth, now there's hint that they'll be one of the first brands to tap the ever-elusive Muslim extremist market.

So the next time you see George Steinbrenner go to his checkbook to sway a free agent, just remember that a little part of that contract comes courtesy of Islamofascism.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Worn Out and the Big 24

So before I get going let me apologize for the obvious vis-a-vis Billy Wagner. I only have one explanation, however.

That is, after the game Tuesday night we went straight to the bar for some pre-birthday celebrations. Man was I creepy. But of more significance, of course the bar was named after the world's biggest jinx. The bar is called Momo's.

So anyway, 4 games, 4 days and 2 cities and I am fucking beat. I guess you can only drink so much Budweiser and eat so many hot dogs and chicken fingers before you begin to feel like shit.

Yet another sign that the young one is slowly becoming the old one. So Friday is the big 24 for the young one. AFOMG will hold down the fort while I hit the town with a visiting Coach in town.

By the way, for those NBA fans/DC people, you should check out Coach's blog, http://gilbertsarena.blogspot.com. It is the truth and the writing is a ton better than over here, minus when AFOMG is writing. He is the Times to my Post, which god knows I love but who knows about the rest of you.

So here are my 10 birthday wishes. We will try and keep them in the theme of the New Mets.

1. My baseball career takes off.

For those who have thrown with me, you know that the young one can toss the pill. So the newest scheme in my series of million dollar can't miss but never will hit ideas is I want to become a submarining right handed setup man. Every day at the park working on scraping the hand on the mound. 2009!

2. SNY picks up Y2KTV.



Like Wayne's World was for Wayne and Garth, I would love it if AFOMG and I could do Y2K for a living. Yeah, its a longshot, but with Happy Will taking care of the production and Zimmy handling the negotiations, our tv show will happen.

Real Fans, Real Talk, New Mets!!!

3. A big year for Happy Will.

Happy Man shares the 28th with the young one. Kid is a better, smarter version of Sip minus the blogging. Aces vs 8's. I'm 1 out 5 against the Kid and I'll take those odds.

4. Uncle gets it going.



The Mets are soaring and Uncle Cliffy has been miserable. The worst part is that he is been smoking the ball. Just right at people. He is not hiding his frustruation and it is kind of sad.

I love the Cliff and he is almost singlehandedly responsible for our first winning season in 5 years. So hopefully the return east gets Cliffy going.

5. Pops stays strong.

Love you dad. Stay up.

6. 1st place?

I had to slap myself today. The fact that we are still in 1st place is just unreal. Another huge series in Atlanta. We need to make this one happen.

7. A healthy Bannister.

First off, I like the kid. He keeps us in games, which is all you can ask out of a #4. But of far greater importance, we do not have another starter. Moving Heilman into the rotation would break up the Mets' greatest strength.

It's not the lineup or the rotation that will get us to the postseason. It's the pen that has dominated.

Sanchez, Heilman, Wagner is the best pen in the game, without question.

8. D Wright bangs Jess Alba.


My biggest male crush, sans Vinci from 8th and Ocean, with my #1. It just sort of needs to happen.

9. Someone finds me a job that I like.

Any readers out there, get me a job in baseball or in sports. Make some calls, very simply, hook a young one up. I got two things going, sports knowledge and I can talk. Other than that I am the ground that Happy Will walks on.

10. A great season for the Mets and a great year for all you guys.

I love this team, I love writing about them and I love all of you guys, my friends and fellow Mets fans. This is fun for me. It's not a chore to write, it's a pleasure, especially with our boys killing shit. So best to the New Mets and all of you guys.

10B. Point Break II: Still Breaking.



Any of my Hollywood friends, please pitch this one. It starts off with Bodhi, barely breathing, making it to shore. He then returns to LA to form another group of bank robbing thugs who dress as members of the '86 Mets: Keith, Lenny, Straw, and the Doc.

They rob banks by day and talk Mets by night.

Johnny Utah, fresh off The Matrix uses his newfound knowledge of Kung Fu to save the day.

BLOCKBUSTER!

VCD,

SM

Pretty F'ing Sweet

So for 8 at-bats I was completely shook. Barry Bonds would come to the plate, the crowd would go nuts and Young Sip would get really nervous.

Depsite the fact that the guy can hardly walk and runs about as fast as a gritty but fiery Mama Sippy Momo, he was still Barry Bonds. The greatest baseball player I have ever seen and maybe the most dominating athlete of a sport in our lifetimes, including Michael Jordan.

For 8 at bats he was God.



So Big Fella hooked up seats last night 4 rows behind homeplate. They were the best seats I've ever had, sans game 3 of the 99 NLCS when Nails hooked us up in row 2 for Al vs. Tommy The Spy in a dreadful 1-0 Braves win via Monster's 1st inning throwing error.

I'm kind of a baseball geek and am just obsessed with pitchers. Throwing 90 mph along with dunking a basketball are just things that I can not do. Shit that I can't do really frustrates/amazes me.

So I can't say I would admire Shitty Trachsel's stuff from 4 rows back. Dude is just pretty f'ing boring.

But Jamey Wright, the Giants starter last night, was another story. He was throwing hard. He topped out at 95 and consistently hit 93. He had a sharp curve ball that resembled the pre-completely fucked up shoulder of Young Sip circa 1994.

In short, it was really cool to watch him warmup between each inning.

He was at the top of the list until the bottom of the 9th... Billy Wagner.

When Billy Wagner came in I saw something cooler. Billy was throwing a ton HARDER that Jamey Wright.

It was weird because BW hasnt looked his best this season. He's been topping off regularly at 93-94. It didn't make sense. Then the inning started.

According to the ballpark gun BW was regularly hitting 97 and was topping out at 98. It was pretty fucking cool.

What was a lot cooler was when Barry Bonds came up.

As I said, for 8 at bats I didnt think we stood a chance. Bonds was a much better hitter than the pitcher we put up there. These pitchers include Glavine and Heilman, two of our best. It didn't matter. Bonds was in control.

But not this time. Watching lefty on lefty, Wagner vs. Bonds was just a totally different story.

Bonds had absolutely no chance. Wagner's 97 mph fastball was too much for Bonds to catch up to and his slider was unhittable. Wagner OWNED Barry Bonds.

Not even Pedro could do this to a hitter. That's how dominating Wagner looked.

For the fist time in almost 24 years, against the best hitter I have ever seen, did I know that we are flat out better than our opposition.

The opposition was the best of all time.

It was pretty cool. Thanks, Billy.

VCD,

SM

Love is in the Air: Brokenbat Mountain

So fresh off my second straight west coast loss, I marched out of AT&T Park. I made it to street level when I saw some Mets fans. They gave me a nod and I responded with my typical, "New Mets."

That is when I got sonned. All 7 feet turned around looking down on the 5'10 Sip. I didn't know what to do.

"New Giants!" He yelled.

I was speechless. The 3-year-old son on his father's shoulders put me in my place. And it may have been the cutest thing I've ever seen.

So AT&T Park is amazing. Everything about it, from the seats to the view to the ammenities were great.

There was this dude sitting in front of me who was the real life equivalent of Shaggy. He was with this blonde who was way out of his league.

Clearly a huge burn out, this guy couldn't have been more classic. He compared Barry Bonds' suspected steroid use to how smoking pot helped him with his skateboarding.

He was talking about how close the game was in the 9th before he looked at the scoreboard and realized that the Giants were up by 4. And yet the girl he was with was a 10.



And he would have made the AFOMG cry of happiness. As everyone in the stands, Mets and Giants fans booed the shit out of Armando Benitez in the bullpen, he talked about his days growing up in Maryland.

He brought his girlfriend to a Orioles-Twins game back when Armando was in his prime, only to have his girlfriend ditch him at the end of the game to run and hook up with Doug Mientkiewicz. Good old Dougy.

So the Mets have lost 2 in a row, Beltran is truly earning his nickname Carlos "The Panzi" and Glavine pitched the best 6-run game of all time.

But in the midst of all this sadness, there is something far sweeter in the air. This weekend it finally all made sense.

I sat there in the car with Kenny From Camp, driving to San Diego to catch our beloved New Mets. The phone rang for KFC. It was Happy Will... KFC froze.

Again, this is when I realized.



Brokeback Mountain was a fraud. It wasn't a movie about gay cowboys, or at least that is not what it was originally about.

It was the Summer of 2003. The Mets were not yet New but they were certainly old. KFC was entering his internship with the Mets. He was a lost soul still trying to find his way.

Cue the emotional music.

Jay Horowitz, then the Mets VP, called all the interns into the room. That is when KFC first laid his eyes on him.

That was the first time he saw Happy Will.

Over the course of the Summer they got closer. They talked baseball amongst themselves and snuck into the cracks of Shea to spend some quality time.

That is when KFC looked at Happy Will and said the memorable line, "I wish I knew how to quit you."

The summer ended and the Mets were really bad. The two hit a wall. They had to go their separate ways, Will to Harvard and Kenny to Penn. The two worlds could never accept the other.

Fast forward to three years later. Happy Will having met a nice young lady, KFC still trying to forget his most recent flame. Yet through the Mets they once again found eachother.

I tried to get Kenny's attention, but when Happy Will called, I just couldn't do it. Kenny just flat out couldn't quit him.

And so it all makes sense. I know I wasn't the only one who had no idea what Brokeback meant. The truth was that it wasn't Brokeback, it was Brokenbat Mountain.



When the Mets brought in Kaz Matsui 2004 it seemed too easy. Well it turns out that Kaz had a mission. It wasn't to be good at baseball, that was clear.

Instead Kaz had to come in to develop a screenplay. On an undercover mission from his funder, Ang Lee, Kaz got his story.

He brought us Happy Will and KFC, the beautiful love story of gay Mets fans. Unfortunately, Hollywood didn't see it this way, and decided to make the movie about cowboys.

Oh well. I know, and now we all know.

Now let's have the Mets win a fucking game. I hate losing and more so, I hate losing at road parks.

VCD,

SM

LA, San Diego, The New Mets and The OC

Big weekend down in Southern Cal. Good times with KFC, Haef the Goalie and crew. Caught up with the Hulk, running the show over at Spago.

I hit up Petco Park on Sunday with the Kman. That place is a fucking goldmine. People in San Diego really know what they are doing. There is more talent at their baseball games than there is in the entire city of San Francisco. So either the chicks really like going to baseball games or there are just a ton of hot girls in that city. Either way, it's a pretty sweet deal.



So of course we had the pleasure of catching the New Mets when Victor "The Loser" was on the mound and Carlos "The Panzi" was whining through another series.

With Zambrano, simply put, the dude needs to go. He sucks, is hateable and doesn't even have solid warmup music, the only thing keeping Kaz around. The guy is a bum, and still merits Kazmir text messages from a fiery Goat.

I don't know what the answer is but this guy going on the hill is just depressing, which particularly sucks in a season that is otherwise as exciting as any we have had.



Anyway, Petco was a gem. Just a great place to catch a game. Unfortunately we picked the game where the Monster was getting a day off, but we were also able to catch Killer Cam's first start of the season.

Man, if you guys could have only seen Cam and Uncle, or the way that Cam didn't throw to the plate in the 6th because he wanted to let Cliff score and help his stats. I miss that guy.

2-2 on the trip, not bad so far. I got three in San Fran this week so I couldn't be more excited. In fact, I havent been this happy since Saturday night.

Kenny From Camp hooked us up at the OC Wrap Party.



We get to this open bar shinding at this swanky Santa Monica night spot. Rachel Bilson is giggling, standing a lovely 4'6", and perfect.

We ripped some shots with Julie Cooper who is about as hot in person as well... she's ridiculous. Ben Mckenzie talked shop. Turns out to be a really, really good guy. Not to mention that he had 5 10's throwing themselves at him. Kid has a very solid life.

Adam Brody turns out, like his character to be a giant nerd. Oh well, there were still a ton of good times, the KMan was on his A Game and I realized there is a decent chance that I break into acting. Those kids have the fucking life.

And finally, the highlight of the weekend.



Back to the Mets here. For those who missed it, you flat our missed the funniest story ever. Keith was going off on one his self-praising tangents, which he is good for at least 5 times a game. I love every minute of them.

Anyway, Keith is talking about the extra inning playoff game against the 'Stros back in '86. The game was a marathon and clearly a game of ridiculous significance.

Keith, bold as ever, spits out that he must have smoked "two and a half packs of cigarettes that game."

Man do I love the Keith. I'm not sure what is better, the thought of Keith smoking three cigarettes every time the Mets were at the plate or Gary Cohen's reaction to Keith: "That's a lot of cigarettes."

I am so proud to be a Mets fan.

Anyone who wants to come out to SF this week for the games, let me know.

VCD,

SM

Special thanks to K Man, Zimmy, Haef, Hulk, Hank, Hillary, Heather, Joe and everyone out in LA for the great weekend.

The New Mets or the New Yankees?

While Young Sip jet-sets up and down the left coast following our Mets into San Diego (that's Spanish for a whale’s vagina), and A.F.O.M.G. does whatever smart people do in Martha's Vineyard, Cousin's checkin in, with my analysis of the young season.

I have been to two games thus far and left each with a sort of different impression. The first was Opening Day, which featured all the electricity and excitement that this site has already covered.

The second was the Easter game where we demolished Ben Sheets and the sexy-as-hell Brew Crew.

I left that game ecstatic with the win, but then, much in keeping with a tradition of things that make me almost happy without ever being completely happy, we proceeded to drop the series against the hated Braves.

You see, much like how the son turns into his father in Harry Chapin’s "Cats in the Cradle," we too were turning into what we feared and hated the most.

We had the media attention and, in turn, the cockiness of our hated cross-town rivals! I was seeing those fair-weather fans at the games; it's almost too easy to spot these bandwagoners, they stick out like a sore thumb.

You don’t go to a Mets game and see dudes, not watching the game. Chicks maybe, but not dudes. Only now things are starting to change.

At the time I was quite distraught, but, in hindsight, I didn’t mind seeing our young hero David Wright have the worst game of his young career.

Maybe the future of the organization needed to be brought down a peg. We were all excited to see that D.Wright on TRL, but let’s be honest, would we not write an entire article bashing Jeter if he did the same?

I am reading an article about the new state of the art ballpark, to replace what many consider the worst stadium in professional sports, Shea. It is going to hold 11,000 less seats.

Will the day come, that I will have to buy season packs to get in to games? What if when going to a Mets Game, I have to say I am going to some corporate named park?

Saying I am heading over to Banco Popular Ballpark (while actually catchier than most corporate names) just won't feel as good as telling people I am on my way to Shea.

I love the fact that, for the most part, certain games and teams excluded, I can decide any day to head over to the friendly confines and take in a game.

Furthermore, will that day come where it is acceptable to take a girl on a date to Shea, like it is with that team in the Bronx? I certainly hope not.

Maybe it is just I am not used to winning. For those of you that don’t know, I attended Rutgers. I love my Scarlet Knights, and as any Rutgers fan can tell you, part of that love is always looking forward to next season.

What if next season was this season? Or phrased another way that may be more familiar, what if next year really was now?

I love the Mets for so many reasons, but one is that they are the David to the Yankees' Goliath. Will I love them as much if we were competing for that spot as Goliath? Let’s take this one step further; what if the roles were reversed?

I don't know man. All I know is, it's hard out here for a pimp.

- Cousin

The Positives of Being the Same Old Mets

So all was not lost yesterday.

Jack Bauer was on Jay Leno, making for maybe the greatest interview since the Hojo-Roger McDowell hotfoot interview circa '86.

On Monday I said, lose 2 of 3 and we are the same old Mets. Well, not only did we lose 2 out of 3, but we lost 2 extremely painful games. We had something like 7 hits in 2 games and we really didn't look good in doing so.



Down Chipper but up a dominating Andruw Jones and two outstanding pitching performances from Kyle Davies and Tim Hudson, the Braves made the Mets look all of a sudden like the same old Mets.

Old Mets!!!

Going into this series if you would have told me that we would have taken 1 of 3 I would have dropped a big fat F bomb. We would be the Braves' bitch, as we have been for a very long time.

3 days later, I have taken a big fat 180.

Losing this series was the best thing that could happen to this team, its players, and especially us, the fans.

Eleven games into the season and it was as though the last 20 years didn't happen. The Mets were the greatest team EVER. We were all over ESPN, the head story on Baseball Tonight and were all over the National spotlight.

Eleven games into the season and this team had more pressure on it than any team in baseball. Fans were buying their World Series tickets and Happy Will was printing his 2006 World Series t-shirts.



Eleven games and David Wright was MVP, Jose Reyes was an All-Star and Carlos Delgado was the Best. Cleanup hitter. Ever.

Games 12-14 showed us a little something about the 2006 Mets.

That is, they aren't perfect. Players will get hurt (Beltran and Floyd), the pitching will not be perfect (V. Zambrano) and the big bats will struggle (D Wright and Carlos Delgado).

We as fans can't buy our playoff tickets yet and we certainly can't cast the Braves aside.

We can't count on our kids to be veterans. Reyes and Wright are going to struggle and we need to give them some time.

So I was talking to Jared the Runner today and he made a good point. Only we as Mets fans could be down at a time like this. We have to turn around and take a second to see where we are.

Mainly, we are 10-4 and in first place in the division. If you would have told me that this is where we would be 3 weeks ago I would have hit you. But here we are and it appears that we are here to stay.

Every part of this team looks pretty solid. The rotation is solid. The lineup is solid. And most importantly, the pen is solid.

We have a complete team here and we are going to compete.

So now that we are off this invincible cloud that we all floated upon the first couple weeks, we should take a minute to realize what we have. We have a team that will compete for the first time in 6 years.

I don't know about you guys but I am pretty fired up. Off to LA/San Diego to catch up with KFC and the Hulk and then head down to SD to catch our boys at Petco -- let's go!

Vaya con dios,

SM

Step Back From the Ledge

"A brutally depressing game today. Talk me off the ledge guys." - Happy Will

No use sugarcoating it, today's 2-1 loss to the Braves was exactly what Will said it was: brutally depressing. Just when the team looked like it was going to pull off an amazin' 9th inning comeback off a pitcher who had been unhittable all day, the bats fell 1 run short.

Not only did we fall short, but on a day when our lineup featured exactly 3 good hitters (Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and .5 Xavier Nady and Jose Reyes), it was our two big boys who couldn't get that big RBI.

Worst of all, everyone's favorite Met was largely responsible for the loss today. Between the run-scoring error in the 8th and making the final out of the game (not to mention his other two errors and hitless day at the plate), Wright had about the worst game of his young career.

But the idea here is to talk everyone back from the ledge. It's not easy, but here are some positives from today.

1. Tom Glavine looked dominant.

And when I say he looked dominant, I mean he was wrecking shit on Gamecast. I didn't see the game so I couldn't tell you how he did it, but the results speak for themselves, and Glavine has now fashioned 4 impressive starts in his 4 appearances.

A win would have been nice, but one of the big question marks coming into the year is plainly fading. Glavine's second half resurgence in 2005 has officially carried over into 2006. He's been our best pitcher so far, and that augers well for the next 6 months.

2. This series isn't necessarily representative of Mets-Braves 2006.

Each team was missing two critical players. Certainly the Mets' lineup looked more punchless than the Braves' did down two starters, but that's not necessarily something we should lose sleep over.

It's easy to look at a team starting Jose Valentin and be disgusted, but just remember that he's not an everyday player. Next time we play the Braves, we'll have to contend with Chipper and Renteria, yes, but we'll also have Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran in place of Valentin and Endy Chavez.

Not saying those guys alone get us over the top, but just keep it in mind, and don't draw too many long-term conclusions from this series. Except, of course, that Victor Zambrano sucks.

3. At least by Gamecasting you got to miss the horrible Mets commercials this year.

Every year, certain commercials latch on to Mets games and never let go. One season long ago it was a Geico commercial featuring a mad scientist in black and white shouting at the top of his lungs something along the lines of "it's tearing at my brains! tearing me... haunting me..." -- it was really, really annoying.

Last year it was that incredible Geico commercial with the two cavemen, one of whom orders the roast duck.

So some years are better than others. This is a down year. The greatest offender is the anti-smoking ad featuring the 30-something who's got lung cancer.

Noble effort, don't mean to take anything away from an anti-smoking campaign, but god damn is that commercial depressing. Having now seen it a million times, it's depressing and painful.

The other commercial I've seen way too many times is the McDonald's commercial featuring the two guys marveling over the various menu items that are available for free.

Originally they bleeped out the word free, but they've stopped doing that, and the commercial is now infinitely more annoying. The god damn items are free, we get it, how many times do we have to be exposed to their shouting about it?

So you got to miss that today at least. Unless of course you were watching it live on television, in which case the game sucked a little harder for you than it did for me.

And if none of that cheers you up...

Try reminding yourself that the Mets are 10-4 and in first place. Things could be a hell of a lot worse.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Help Us, Mike Pelfrey, You're Our Only Hope

It's coming up on game time so I'm going to keep this one brief (I'll be back with a post-game recap later this afternoon). Basically though, my reaction to yesterday's game is probably quite similar to yours.

You see, I'm sick of Victor Zambrano. I'm sick of his grimmace. I'm sick of his sad-sack, loser's demeanor. I'm sick of feeling that it would take a miracle for the Mets to win a game with him on the hill.

I'm especially sick of hearing broadcaster after broadcaster regurgitate this ridiculous conventional wisdom about how great his "stuff" is. I mean, if his stuff were half as good as these broadcasters make it out to be he wouldn't suck this bad, it wouldn't be possible.

I'm sick of thinking about Scott Kazmir, but I realize it's unavoidable whenever I see Zambrano. I'm sick of us running him out there for still another season because we're too embarrassed to cut our losses and admit that we got fleeced in that trade.

He had a good stretch in 2005, people say. He's got great upside. Whatever. Gary Cohen hit the nail on the head about Zambrano during last night's game. He called him out publicly, asking the question we've all been asking ourselves: when is it time to look at a guy and realize he just can't get it done?

Zambrano is 30 years old. He's been in the big leagues for 5 years. Every year he has the exact same problems.

They tell us he just needs to harness his stuff, that his stuff is too good to struggle. Is that supposed to mean something? Are we still supposed to be impressed with Zambrano because he won 12 games for the Devil Rays in 2003?

None of his stats have improved at all in his career -- he's the same pitcher now that he's always been. He can't be fixed; either we accept this guy for who he is and be happy about it, or we accept that he sucks and move on.

Am I taking last night's loss really, really hard? Yeah. But last night was embarrassing. We have the best record in baseball and yet we looked like we wanted no part of that game. For my money, it all started with the pitcher.

The team was riding sky-high going into the game. As my brother texted me last night about Zambrano, "This guy is such a buzz kill." It's the only word for it. I wanted to go to last night's game, but decided I wouldn't because Zambrano was on the mound. That's what it's come to.

So what can we do? Unfortunately we're not flush with options.

I don't want to see us move Aaron Heilman into the rotation; that would leave our bullpen too thin leading up to Billy Wagner.

We could try and trade Zambrano for a reliever, thereby giving us flexibility with Heilman, but I can't imagine we'd get any kind of talent back in return. There's not a GM in baseball who can't know how much we would love to get rid of him.

So for now, the solution has to come from within. That could mean Lima-Time. It could mean Yusaku Iriki-Time. You know what, I'm prepared to accept either of those options. Remember those voters in 2004 who took the ABB stance? Anybody But Bush? Count me as a committed ABZ.

Seriously though, I think our best hope is that this Zambrano saga resolves itself with a certain fitting conclusion. We trade Kazmir to get Zambrano, and I'm fairly certain the pitcher to save us from Zambrano is Mike Pelfrey.

I'm confident the Mets will give Zambrano at least 8 more starts. That'll take us to mid-June by my estimation. Will Pelfrey be ready by then? Not bloody likely, but my god do I hope so.

- A.F.O.M.G.

PS.. Thank god there's a day game today.

In Case You Never Had a Chance to 'Get Metsmerized'...

(Note: Sippy Momo's piece appears immediately below this one.)

As some of you may be aware, the Mets officially unveiled the 2006 team's anthem last night. The song, "Our Team. Our Time", takes its cue from the slogan "The team. The time. The Mets." which adorns team promotions this year.

Now I never heard "Get Metsmerized", but after listening to this little ditty I feel as though there is no longer any need.

Featuring a young gentleman rapping over what is possibly the most generic beat produced since the early 1980's, "Our Team. Our Time" is comically bad. It's what I would envision resulting if me and Sip went into the lab. Actually, I don't think even we'd suck this hard.

As for who the mystery MC working the mic is, perhaps the best guess is Breakthru Productions guru Steven "Boogie" Brown. According to breakthruproductions.com, Brown has been "a visionary and innovator in music production for the past two decades."

(Picture courtesy of Zulunation.com)

In that time, Brown has produced memorable tracks like "Don't Make Me Wait", "NYC PEECH BOYS" and "Smurf For What It's Worth", which, the website declares, were "all dubbed classics."

If the Mets' press release is to be believed, Brown and the TSJ Marketing Group got worked up in a frenzy over the offseason as the Mets made move after move to improve the club. "Our Team. Our Time" is the orgiastic offspring of their excitement.

The song really has to be heard to be believed, but reproduced below is a transcript of "Our Team. Our Time".

New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!
New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!

Our team, our time!!!

We get the hits… hits!
We score the runs… runs!
We shut you down… down!
We’re number one… One! One! One! One!

New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!
New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!
New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!
New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!

Our team, our time!!!

Pedro Martinez will strike you out, :)
Billy Wagner coming through… he’s throwing heat, no doubt!!!@!!!!
David Wright, Jose Reyes making sure you’re not safe
Just in case, Carlos Delgado, he’s at first base!
Cliff Floyd, Carlos Beltran, play in the outfield
Come to Shea Stadium, our team’s the real deal!!!!

New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!
New York Mets… Our team! Our time!!
Our team, our time!!!

You can hear the song by following this link: (http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060417&content_id=1404742&vkey=pr_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym).

There's really not much else to say. At this moment I have no zingers, no real response other than a sensation of numbness expanding over my entire being as I contemplate hearing that song all summer long.

Like many other Mets fans, I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop the past two weeks. 10-2 with a 5-game lead on the rest of the field was just too good to be true. Perhaps this is our punishment.

As it is, this song is almost enough to make you long for the days of the "Enter Sandman" controversy.

OUR TEAM! OUR TIME!!

- A.F.O.M.G.

My Biggest Shame and My Biggest Fear...

It was the 9th inning at Shea. Pedro did his job. Sanchez did his job. The Mets were playing winning baseball. The guitar strings of "Enter Sandman" blasted out of Shea's loud speakers. My favorite song as a 12 year old was how he were going to close games for the next four years.



Nick The Voice was at Shea... he had chills going through his head. He hadn't seen excitement like that at Shea in years.

AFOMG was furiously exchanging text messages with BOAFOMG as he sat in the den where we've watched 100 games, and sweated out a hundred more tense 9th innings.

Happy Will was sitting in his living room "praying his reverse jinx would hold up."

Even Goat was being Goat, watching the game where he belongs, at the Gym being the smartest meathead maybe ever to walk the face of the earth.

All the big guns were where they belonged to watch the Mets close as big of an April game as we have had in a long time.

At the same time where was Kenny From Camp... at work on MLBTV (Which I can't get thanks to my MAC).

And worse, where was young Sip? After 6 innings on ESPN gamecast, 2 outs and 6 pitches of an Endy Chavez AB in a local Palo Alto Bar, Young was sitting in a train going back to SF, texting Cousin endlessly for reports.

Here we had our big game and I caught all of 2.8946 AB's live. With the game a 4 p.m. PT start, I had 2 hours of work followed by a train ride home.



I needed to make it home to catch Big Fella's last home game of the season, and I hated myself. As Jerry Maguire felt 10 years ago, "I hated my place in the world."

Here we are in the most exciting time in the history of my sports life. Yes, this is the first time since 1986 that my team has been the best in their respective game.



In the Knicks' 60 win seasons, they were never better than the Rockets or the Bulls.

When the Giants started off 10-0 in 1990, so did the 49ers and they were the big guys.

Even if it's early and even if we're only a couple weeks in, the Mets are playing the best of any team in baseballl, and it's a weird feeling. A feeling that I have to deal with, waiting for text messages on the Caltrain back to San Francisco.

It's a rough time. Since leaving NYC the morning after Opening Day, things just don't feel right. Yeah, the west coast is solid, met a lot of good people, but when it all comes down to it, I'm a Mets fan.

Other than being the Sip, that's what I am. To be missing from it all is flat out killing me. To hear the Nick "The Voice's" magical voice yelling from Shea telling me how beautiful it is and how psyched he is to get back on Wednesday makes me proud to have friends like him, but sad to not be there.

Yeah, I dropped $179 bucks on the league pass, but it's just not the same. I flat out miss being around Mets games.

So I'm not saying I'll be back anytime soon. God knows I need a job before that would happen as there ain't much of a future living with Mama Momo.

But there certainly will be plenty of trips back. Cause ya'll are having too much fun without me.

AND MY BIGGEST FEAR...

I got home from the Warriors game and tivoed through the Mets game. I really wanted to see the 9th inning, the fan reaction and Shea.

Everything looked great. Shea was rocking during the regular season for the first time since 2000. But then something saddened me.

Todd Pratt got introduced to a chorus of boos.

Tank Pratt.

I hate the Braves as much as the next, despite calling my father Chipper and AFOMG John Rocker. But Todd Pratt is a Met. He was there with us for a long time and embodied everything that we loved about our Mets. He is why Mets fans are diehard fans and Yankee fans call their backup catcher Jim Oliver.



And yet Shea booed ...

And my fear came about. And was furthered on Baseball Tonight.

These Mets are getting hyped too quickly. They are becoming a trend and are sucking in too many fans that don't belong. I love a packed Shea as much as the next guy, but I'd rather 25,000 family members than 50,000 people that heard that Shea is fun.

You don't give Pratty a standing O, but you can't boo the guy. He has one of the biggest hits for the Mets since Lenny Dykstra in the 1986 NLCS (it's either his series-winner against Arizona or Robin's grand slam single).

You don't boo Tank. You just don't do it.

So anyway, safe to say I'm definitely working from home tommorow. It is unacceptable to miss games.

VCD,

SM

Early Parallels to '86

So if you're a Mets fan our age, or a Yankee fan who switched sides in your mid to early teens, or even if you're just a New Yorker, you have seen 1986: A Year To Remember.

The 40-some minutes of film covering the Mets' last title run is up there in my top 5 greatest films of all time. Me and AFOMG have started a nice little tradition of late, rewatching it, well, whenever we can.



At the beginning of the film, there is an important scene that helps to explain where the '86 Mets were. To the sounds of soft music we catch a glimpse of the Arch in St. Louis.

The most recognizable landmark in St. Louis, the Arch symbolized a place and a team that dominated and frustrated the Mets in '85. No matter how good the Mets looked on paper, going in to 1986, the NL East was St. Louis' to lose.

The Mets went into St. Louis in an early series in April, the hot young team off to a solid start and full of confidence. The fans, the city, pretty much everything around this team was total optimism.

This was the kind of series that could set the tone for an entire season. Buckle and the Cards had all the momentum. The Mets would still be second class in the East.

But excel and you had something.

Excel is an understatement. The Mets went into St. Louis and swept the Cardinals. To paraphrase the video, "The Mets went into St. Louis and shut them out, all but eliminating them from the East."

That series propelled the Mets. It was the one that they needed early on and they got it. As Mookie used to say, Thou shalt not pass. The Mets brought their A-game to that early series in St. Louis, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So here comes this week's series with the Braves. Take St. Louis and multiply it by 14. This team has owned us since before most of us, The Real Momo excluded, hit puberty. The one year we went to the World Series, we saw no part of the Braves.

In short, this team has owned us for the past 14 years. Head to head they've always outperformed us, playing us even at Shea and dominating us at Turner Field.

So here we go, three at home with Atlanta, with our ace on the mound leading things off tonight. This series is by far the biggest of our young season.

Take 2 of 3 and we have something. Sweep them, putting us up 7 games, even in April and the energy will not go away.

But if we lose this series, it would be as devastating a series loss as you could possibly have. Despite missing Chipper Jones, having a week bullpen and a struggling rotation, the Braves would do what they have done for more than a decade: own the Mets.

So Monday we have Pedro on the hill. In my opinion, this is far and away the biggest start of his Mets career. He is going up against a struggling Jorge Sosa in a true Statement Game.

The Mets pitching has been great and yet Pedro has been our third best pitcher. We need one out of him like we never have before.

Torre Gone Dumb:



In a new feature on Y2K, a personal favorite I may add, I am keeping a somewhat lax tally of how many times Joe Torre misuses his bullpen, which as I have speculated in the past, has resulted in their postseason struggles.

This past weekend, Joe shanked twice, bringing his total to three on the young season.

On Thursday, up 12-5 against the lowly Royals, Torre brought in his main setup guy, Kyle Farnsworth, to pitch the 9th. The game was won and yet he brought in his main setup guy. This is the second time in as many weeks where Torre has brought in Farnsworth at an unneccesary time.

Say what you will, that the season is young. But at this pace Toree will waste 30 some odd appearances by his main setup guy. We all saw what happened to Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill the last couple years.

The second took place in Saturday's game against the Twins. In the 8th inning of a 1-run game, Torre pulled Farnsworth w/ 1 out and one on to pitch Rivera. The result, Rivera blows a save in the 9th.

In making this move, Torre showed zero confidence is his big offseason acquisition. If the 8th inning isn't Farnsworth's then what's the point of paying him $6 mil per season? At the same time, Rivera isn't getting any younger. These 5-6 out saves aren't going to keep him fresh when it matters.

So Joe, again, you are a moron.

VCD,
SM

Not Winning, Dominating

It was the beginning of spring training, and the manager had his troops gathered 'round in order to set down some ground rules.

He told his players the meeting would be brief. He told them they had two rules, 1, to be on time, and 2, to not embarrass the team. Other than that, the players could expect to be treated as professionals.

As players started for the exits, the manager continued, "This is our year," he said. "We're not just going to win, we're going to win big. We're going to dominate. We're going to blow the rest of the division away."

As many of you no doubt are aware, the year was 1986, the man was Davey Johnson, and the team was the New York Mets.

Johnson's words proved prescient as the Mets was 108 games that year, dominating the league and winning a World Series title.

I bring up this story from our past for a reason.

It's not because I necessarily think that we'll dominate baseball the way that '86 team did, no matter how tempting it's been to entertain such thoughts through the first 8 games.

But the point is that through those first 8 games, we haven't just been winning games, we've been dominating them. We've trailed for exactly two innings of the first 73 we've played.

We've outscored opponents 53-27, winning 4 of our 8 games by margins of 5 runs or more.

In the meantime, we've jumped out to a 7-1 record, and we currently sit atop the NL East with a comfortable 4-game lead over the hated Braves.

Now, a lot of people temper their enthusiasm about the early returns on these Mets by noting that as well as we've done, we've played two teams that figure to be below average (Washington) and horrible (Florida).

It's an important caveat no doubt about it, but it's also an important one to keep in perspective. It's not as if the Mets haven't been tested in these 8 games. We've faced two All-Star pitchers from last year in Livan Hernandez and Dontrelle Willis, guys who went 15-10 and 22-10 last season, respectively.

Willis didn't take the loss in his start, admittedly, but that victory was actually the most encouraging so far if you ask me. Tom Glavine kept the Mets in the game against Willis, and the Mets erased a 2-0 deficit when they could have rolled over and lost without a fight (which I feel certain recent Mets teams would have done).

Beyond that, it's encouraging that a team that went 35-46 on the road last year started its visiting schedule with a sweep.

But best of all, these are the games the Mets need to win, and we've done so thus far. We've looked great this past week and the Braves and Phillies have looked sluggish, but don't expect anything less than for this year to be a dogfight in the NL East.

You see, these Mets don't figure to dominate the league the way the '86 team did. Though our hitting may be better, our starting pitching isn't as consistent, and it's hard to imagine us being appreciably better than every last team in the NL.

But if we can't dominate the entire league, it's worth settling for dominating bottom-feeders like the Nationals and Marlins.

Including the 8 games already played, the Mets will play those two teams 37 times this year, meaning 23 percent, or nearly 1 in 4, of our games are against them. We'll play Washington in 7 of our last 10 games, and we'll play Florida 7 times in our last 20.

If this Mets team is only good enough to keep pace with the Braves and the Phils throughout the regular season, those 14 games in late September (and early October) may be the difference between staring up at the Braves for a 15th straight season, or looking down on the rest of the NL East for the first time since 1988.

Again, let's keep it in perspective. The Braves and the Phillies will play the Nats and the Marlins just as often as we will. But a few things to consider.

One, ask yourself whether you expect either of those teams to so thoroughly decimate Washington or Florida the way we have the past week.

Two, ask yourself if there isn't at least some mental edge that comes from starting the season 7-1.

One Met certainly thinks there is. Quoting David Wright in today's Daily News, "We have a certain swagger to us," he said. "We have a lot of confidence. We just have an attitude about us right now that we don't think we're going to lose."

I don't know this for fact, but I doubt that anyone in the Atlanta (4-6) or Philadelphia (3-6) clubhouse is saying the same thing right now. Some people will dismiss the value of this early season confidence, but baseball's a mental game, and I'm happy to take whatever edge we can get.

Three, this past week, the Mets have hit better than any team in the NL, and we've allowed fewer runs per game than any of those teams as well.

Our bullpen has looked dominant in the middle, Jorge Julio aside, and with Wagner starting to hit 97 and 99 on the radar gun, it's looking like he'll be back to the Wagner with a few more outings.

So it boils down to this: through one week at least, the Mets have done everything better than any other team in the National League. I don't care who the opponent is, that's saying a lot.

No doubt about it, the Mets face a big test in the week ahead, facing the Brewers and Braves at Shea over our next 6, and I'll be singing a much different tune this time next week if we drop all six, or even if we go just 2-4.

But as it is, there's a lot to like going into this first test of the season. We've played great baseball, the kind that inspires confidence in a team and fear around the rest of the league.

The Mets haven't just been winning games, we've been winning big. We've been dominating.

Let's keep it up.

What time is it, baby? Game time, HOO!!

- A.F.O.M.G.

Do We Really Have Something Here?

All the fans gathered to discuss the future of the team. Everything looked solid before, but people worried about the future.

Then he stood up and with a few magical words, things were about to change for the better.

"I don't know if it'll make a difference, but I figured it's time for me to start playing ball."



When Jimmy joined the Hickory Hoosiers, the team went from solid to great. Every player in the lineup was able to shift a spot down or over to the side, and all of a sudden, everyone had their role.

Ray was no longer the go-to scorer who needed to carry the team on his shoulder, he was now the No. 2 option who could hit the open shot.

The big dude who loved Jesus, well, he could still love Jesus, but he could also pound the glass with more freedom as defenses were swarming to Jimmy.

Basically everything at Hickory was clicking, the beautiful soundtrack by Jerry Goldmsmith was blasting in the background and you knew this team couldn't lose.

Well, knock on wood, but for the first time in my life as a Mets fan, I feel like we are going to win every single time we take the field.

Yes, I know it's early and I know we've played two shitty teams, but things feel like they are really clicking.

No, we did not bring in one stud a la Jimmy Chitwood, but every offseason acquisition that we made has worked brilliantly, both on an individual level, and on the team level as well.

1. Carlos Delgado



With Delgado in the lineup the Mets are now truly dangerous. Bringing in a guy that can mash in the middle, allowing Uncle to shift to the 6 spot, makes the Mets' 3-6 probably the best in baseball, if not a close second to our crosstown rivals.

All of a sudden, D Wright and Beltran have protection, Beltran doesn't have to be the man anymore, and these guys can just continue to drive in runs.

Maybe I never realized how good Delgado was, and maybe I thought we gave up more than we needed to, but having this guy just really makes a huge difference.

2. Seo For Sanchez

Well, so far Duaner has been lights out. How he will be from here, who knows? But it's a pretty great feeling knowing that we have 2 top end middle relievers in Sanchez and Aaron Heilman.

Having this second guy behind Heilman is truly huge. Imagine if Heilman had been tired yesterday and instead of Sanchez we had to go to with someone else in the pen, say, Jorge Julio? This is huge.

3. Benson For Julio

I didn't like this trade at the time, nor am I too happy with who we got for him, but moving Benson was the only way that Bannister was going to crack the rotation. If they don't make this move then Bannister is in AAA.



There is no way PR wise that the organization would have let Bannister jump Zambrano and Heilman for the 5th spot, but cutting ties with Mrs. and Mr. Benson allowed us to give the kid his big break. If 13 innings and 4 earned runs are anything to go by, the returns have been positive.

4. Bringing in Lo Duca

For most of the offseason I was pushing for Beltran to shift to the 2 hole so we could hit Wright 3. While I stil think they belong in those spots in the lineup, given the surroundings I like the lineup as it is.

Lo Duca is a huge reason for this. This guy knows how to bat second. He can bunt, hit to the right side and see pitches. Hitting him there allows us to hit Uncle 6, which I like. Pitchers don't have much time to breathe.

There's that moment at the end of White Men Can Jump when Sydney and Billy go to play the legendary King and Duck. It's point game when Wesley looks at Woody and he knows. He throws it up there and Woody goes up and gets it and then he throws it the fuck down.



The two truly clicked. They gelled. All the pieces fit. This is how the Mets look right now. The bullpen looks full. The lineup looks full. And for now, the starters look pretty full. Everyone is filling their roles and this team is really looking great.

As the great Lou Brown once said, "It's starting to come together, Pepper, it's starting to come together." Well, you guys are my Pepper.

Now before we start shaking the Champagne bottles, remember, we got Victor Zambrano on the hill tonight. If this one pans out against Livan then we can really start talking.

VCD,

SM

Tail of the Tape: What to Expect in a Mets-Nats Brawl

So we all know things are pretty tense between the Mets and the Nationals right now. True, there were no fireworks yesterday, but we knew coming in to the series that tonight’s game has the greatest powder keg potential.

The reason, of course, is that Pedro Martinez, he of the 3 hit batsmen against Washington last Thursday, will be back out there on the hill this evening.

In the run up to this series, there was a lot of machismo flexed, a lot of chests pumped, a lot of tough words spoken. If Pedro beans somebody, Cliff Floyd has said he considers it a foregone conclusion that there will be a fight. Jose Guillen said that "it's going to get real ugly" if Pedro beans him again.

So with that in mind, I thought we’d compare the two squads position by position so as to determine which side would have the edge should any fisticuffs break out. Using the numerical position system, we start with the man in the center of the controversy…

Pitcher: Pedro Martinez vs. Tony Armas

You know, it’s tempting to look at a guy like Pedro and assume that he’d be something of a pushover. He’s quite small and waifish when you get right down to it. But he’s also a bit crazy, isn’t he?

Now I’ve never been in a fight, but growing up I was surrounded by prep school gangsters. I was basically shook of all of them, owing largely to the fact that I could never understand what the hell they were always so bent out of shape about, but the ones who concerned me the most were the little ones.

It’s kind of like how the idea of a murderous, talking puppet is somehow scarier than a Freddy Kruger type. It’s like, it’s not something you should be scared of, but it’s gone completely insane so all bets are off.

It’s kind of that way with Pedro. I don’t know what the hell he’s capable of. All I know is, he’s 1-0 lifetime in fights after massacring Don Zimmer, and his success in his career suggests he’s as fierce a competitor as you’re ever going to find. Look for Petey to come up big.

Advantage: Mets.

Catcher: Paul Lo Duca vs. Brian Schneider

I know very little about Schneider, but I have no doubt but that Lo Duca would take this one down. When the trade for Lo Duca first transpired, all the reports talked about what a great clubhouse guy Lo Duca was, how great a teammate he was, how much of an emotional leader he had always been.

Part of being a leader means being the kind of guy you want with you in a foxhole, in a trench, or in Lo Duca’s case, a bench-clearing brawl. Look for the Duke to be one of the first guys in the fray, and the team’s most valuable pugilist if shit goes down.

Advantage: Mets.

First Base: Carlos Delgado vs. Nick Johnson

I’m tempted to rule against Johnson here based solely on his Yankee past, but I can’t give the Mets the edge here in good faith. Whether we agree with his opinions or not, Delgado’s disdain for U.S. military actions overseas is suggestive of a man who is more a lover than a fighter.

Indeed, Delgado may ultimately be more likely to join Julio Franco’s peace mission than he is to throw down. He also shat on the Mets for about 5 solid months last year so it's tough to say how jazzed he is about being here in the first place. Look for Delgado's heart to not be in this fight.

Besides, Johnson just looks like a meathead.

Advantage: Nationals.

Second Base: Anderson Hernandez vs. Jose Vidro

Now it’s easy to compare the physical stature on these two guys and say that this matchup belongs to Vidro, he’s got 30 pounds on Hernandez after all. But if we’ve learned anything about Hernandez this past week, it’s that he’s a spry son of a gun.

Picturing this matchup, I can’t help but recall Wesley’s battle with Andre the Giant in the 1987 classic, The Princess Bride. Vidro, who bears a passing resemblance to Jabba the Hut in his player photo, strikes me as a big, brawny type whom the speedy Hernandez would be able to foil with some fancy footwork and a little trickery.

My advice would be to get Video in a chokehold; it worked wonders for Wesley.

Look for Hernandez as a sleeper here.

Advantage: Mets.

Third Base: David Wright vs. Ryan Zimmerman

The word is Zimmerman is the Nationals’ answer to David Wright, but in any 9-d battles that should break out, look for Wright to come out on top.

He’s the son of a police officer (a captain I believe), so he’s got tough genes. Besides, Wright must know his face is a good part of his future, and he can’t afford to get his shit broke, he’s just got too much riding on it.

As if that weren’t enough, he’s got Cliff Floyd in his corner, so even if Wright falls into a hole, look for him to come out on top with an assist from big Cliff.

Advantage: Mets.

Shortstop: Jose Reyes vs. Royce Clayton

Everyone knows I love Jose Reyes. Me and him are pals. He can hit, he can field, he can light up a stadium with his smile.

But one thing I doubt he can do particularly well is throw down during a fight. As his injury history shows, Reyes is the kind of guy who could get knocked over by a stiff gust of wind.

After suffering 73 leg injuries in a 12-month span, the kids took to calling him Mr. Glass because he breaks like glass. As 50 once said, if you gotta a glass jaw, you should watch your mouf, cuz I’ll break your face.

Hopefully Reyes will keep 50’s advice in mind and sit things out should any rough stuff break out.

Advantage: Nationals.

Left Field: Cliff Floyd vs. Alfonso Soriano

Really, this is the only no-brainer in the bunch. Cornelius is a pretty down to earth, good-natured dude, but he comes from the streets, and you can’t take that away from him. He’s got size, street instincts, and undoubtedly the resolve to crack someone with a 40 oz. bottle as necessary.

There’s been some talk in the media lately that Cliff’s a bit soft, that he dislikes being beaned more than the average ballplayer. Bah. This guy’s a beast – look for him to work through Soriano quickly before moving on to help his closest teammate.

Advantage: Mets.

Center Field: Carlos Beltran vs. Brandon Watson

A tough one to judge, but I’m going to have to make a controversial call here and pick Watson over Beltran.

Let me explain. On the one hand you’ve got Beltran. Chances are he’s pretty pissed he signed with the Mets to begin with. Other than Delgado, it’s tough to say exactly who his friends are on this team. He gets booed mercilessly. All of it leaves you wondering exactly whether Beltran would have a horse in this race.

On the other hand there’s Watson. A fiery rookie who surprisingly made the team out of spring training, Watson has to prove he belongs. He’s started the season hitting .174 through his first 28 at-bats with a .208 OBP at the top of the lineup, so he’s not earning his keep at the dish.

Watson’s got a lot to prove, so look for him to throw down hard if things turn mean tonight.

Advantage: Nationals.

Right Field: Xavier Nady vs. Jose Guillen

I gotta say, I’m quite taken with the X-Man thus far. He’s started the season on a tear at the plate, he’s played entirely adequately in the field, and I’m pretty sure he could throw the blocks at resident SNY cougar Julie Donaldson if he wanted to.

So nothing against Xavier, but this one’s definitely gotta go to Guillen. It’s not Nady’s fault, even if he is of French descent, which has never helped anyone in a fight.

Simply put, Guillen is a crazy motherfucker with an axe to grind. Look for him to be the most valuable brawler on the Nationals’ side of the dais if things get ugly tonight.

Advantage: Nationals.

Overall Advantage: Mets

Look, I’d trade it all for 7 strong from Pedro and a win, but the good news, Mets fans, is that if the shit hits the fan, our boys should find themselves in good stead.

But one last request: if there are any retaliatory pitches thrown by Washington, please, please don’t throw them at Mr. Glass. He’s so fragile.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Mets 7, Nationals 1: Quick Hits on Yesterday's Game

Hey everyone. So I've got something a bit more ambitious planned for later today but I wanted to throw up some quick reactions to yesterday's 7-1 win over the Nationals.

Starting with Brian Bannister, it may sound crazy, but I'm still kind of in wait and see mode with him.

A week ago I wrote the following in response to his first start (link: http://yankees2000.blogspot.com/2006/04/we-want-ben-son-clap-clap-clap-clap.html):

"As stingy as Bannister was with allowing hits, he was behind in the count an awful lot last night, and I've heard Tom Seaver broadcast enough games to know that that's not traditionally a recipe for success. Bannister lost 4 of those batters to bases on balls, and he beaned another two, one of them, Alfonso Soriano, in the dome."

The good news for Bannister is that he didn't walk or hit anyone yesterday, but he was behind in the count to nearly every batter in the early part of yesterday's game, and he even had one stretch where he started 3-0 on three consecutive batters.

It's a testament to him that he's been so effective without his best control, but you've got to want to see some improvement in this area.

I'd also like to see him strike a few more batters out. His K/9 is currently a dismal 3.46, but so long as his WHIP remains in 0.69 range and batters continue to hit .116 against him he should be alright.

The point is that's asking a lot. He doesn't need to be Dr. K out there, but upping his K ratio would reinforce his effectiveness in the long term.

At the end of the day though, you've gotta like what you've seen out of Bannister so far. He's put the team in position to win both of his games, and he's gone deep into ballgames both times out. If we get this kind of production all year from him, great, and if he manages to up the Ks and cut the deep counts, look out.

The other thing you had to like about the game yesterday was the continued productivity of our offense.

I read an article in which David Wright said the Mets didn't do a good enough job of putting teams away last year. We would get a lead, but it was never the kind of lead where you say the game's pretty much over.

We did that yesterday, and we've done it, for the most part, all season.

Before Beltran slugged that homerun yesterday, I said to myself, Come on, Carlos, put this one out of reach; he then proceeded to do just that.

Do I think the Nationals would have come back from a 5-1 deficit in the 9th? No. But that bases loaded jam Billy Wagner worked himself into in the 9th yesterday would have been a lot more nerve-racking if the Mets had been up 5-1 rather than 7-1, eh?

So the offense is clicking nicely. We can expect Xavier Nady and David Wright to cool off (to greater and lesser degrees, respectively), but we can also count on Cliff Floyd heating up and more consistent productivity from Beltran, who is now 5 for his last 12.

About the only negative yesterday was the continued underwhelming performance of Wagner. My buddy Nails was at the game yesterday. After about the second base on balls was delivered, I got a message sent from his Blackberry asking when we should start to worry about him.

I'm not quite there yet. He missed time during spring training, and while it sucks that he's catching up during games that count, the guy's not going to the minors so it's the way it's gotta be.

I say, give Wagner a couple weeks. If he's still consistently hitting 94 on the radar gun, I'd say we've got cause for concern.

- A.F.O.M.G.

The Mets Go Hollywood!

Amidst the Mets 4-1 start I possessed a lot of emotions. The one at the top of the list was clearly excitement.

But beyond these emotions, there was one thing that I couldn't get out of my head. What were these Mets going to do after baseball?

And as I sat there, my thoughts drifted to Mets teams past, and inevitably, I found the answer as I thought back to Todd Zeile: the only business after being a ballplayer is show business. Being an actor is the only gig that could possibly provide the paychecks, babes, and other perks that come with being a professional ballplayer.

The good news for this batch of Mets players is some of them resemble some of Hollywood's finest unlike few teams I've seen. Let's have a look.

1. Xavier Nady as Randy from The Real World San Diego





When Nady retires from patrolling RF at Shea, it's off to MTV studios for a run as a stunt double on the Real World-Road Rules Challenge XI...Older and Better. Whether it works out or not, the good news for the X-Man is that I'm pretty sure that resident SNY babe Julie Donaldson has a love jones for him.

2. David Wright as Wes Bentley





Some people say that D Wright's swing is the most beautiful thing that they have ever seen. I, personally, think the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen is a plastic bag floating around in the wind. So in American Beauty II, Still Beautiful, the colorful David Wright will be taking over for young Wes as the confused and angry but nonetheless captivating teen.

3. Carlos Delgado as Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje





After Delgado is finished mashing dongheimers off the scoreboard at Shea, he could easily be relocated to an island 1000 miles off course somewhere in the Pacific.

As the replacement for Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Delgado would once again use his mashing skills to good use, as the former drug dealer turned heroic beast, Mr. Echo.

4. Tom Glavine as Kris Benson