Because It's Funny

Credit where it's due: http://www.ishkur.com/posters/blogging.php

I Don't Care What Anybody Says:

You can't tell me this lineup doesn't look better with Shawn Green in it. This is the best looking lineup I've seen since the Mets traded Xavier Nady:

1. Reyes
2. Lo Duca
3. Beltran
4. Delgado
5. Wright
6. Green
7. Valentin
8. Chavez
9. Pitcher

I like that lineup a lot. Better than when Milledge/Tucker/Ledee or even Floyd is in it. I love Cliffy, I really do, but he wasn't exactly having a banner year before all the injuries started piling up. I hate to say it, but I think he's done. At least for now. That's a heck of a guy to have on your bench for the post season though, if he's ever healthy enough to bat. I'm just loving Endy Chavez more and more with each passing game.

I just heard we signed Kelly Stinnett. Looks like he might be brought up to backup Lo Duca now that Castro is effectively out for the season.

Mets fans, you are a classy lot for giving Green such a nice reception tonight. Well done. Ok, I gotta go watch the rest of the game.

Never Give Up

My poor dad. He's been so conditioned to expect failure from the Mets over the years that he actually turned off the TV the other night after Albert Pujols hit that grand slam that put the Cards ahead 7-1 in the fourth. I kept watching, and I'm glad I did. I have to say, that was by far the most entertaining baseball game I've watched all year. It had everything - great pitching, great hitting, great fielding. And of course, a great comeback that was punctuated by that Beltran Bomb in the bottom of the ninth.

This isn't my daddy's New York Mets. If anyone watched (or was fortunate enough to attend) the '86 celebration on Saturday, you saw, or remembered, the bravado, confidence, and swagger of a team that just *knew* they were destined to win it all. I think if Whitey Herzog was watching either of the Mets/Cards games these last two nights, he might echo his sentiments of 1986: "No one's catching those SOBs." Damn right, Whitey.

****************

I'll be posting follow ups to my previous entry re: the baseball cards I bought. I was able to go through them all, and while I didn't find that Griffey Jr. rookie card, I did find a lot of keepers. One of them happend to be a Jeter rookie card. But my favorite thing about the collection is that it turned out to have quite a number of Roger McDowell cards from the 80's and 90's. And every one of them is hysterically funny. I'll be scanning them in and posting about them soon.

Also, I'm obviously tremendously relieved to hear the good news about Glavine, as are all Mets fans I'm sure. It looks like this pitching staff is what we'll have going into the post season. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Brian Bannister comes off the DL looking as good as he did before he pulled that hammy. I'm also suspecting that there's more to Cliffy's injury(s) than the Mets are letting on. It's one thing to add Shawn Greene (which I'm fine with because we didn't give anything of significance up to get him) but I also heard a rumor on SI.com about Moises Alou. What the hell is going on? I am the only person that has 100% confidence in Endy Chavez as an everyday player?

That's all for today.

The Mother Lode

I'm usually adamant about not posting or linking to anything on this blog that isn't directly Mets related. But for what happened to me today, and because it's sort of tangentially Mets related because it's about baseball and there should be at least some Mets involved, I'm making an exception.

Today, something happened to me that as a twelve-year-old kid, I could only dream about. A very lovely little old lady just sold me over 20,000 baseball cards from her son's collection (yes, with his knowledge and approval) from the 70's, 80's, and 90's, in near mint condition, for $35. Seriously. Three paper boxes full of cards. And after briefly pulling just a few out to see if the collection had been culled of all the desirable cards, well, let's just say... Dave Winfield and George Brett convinced me that it was $35 well spent. I can't wait to go through them all, even though it's going to take many, many glorious hours.

I of course called my twelve-year-old nephew in North Carolina, a die-hard Yankee fan (he can't help it - he was raised that way) to gloat just a litte, but also to let him know that dreams do come true. Sometimes it just takes twenty-six years to get there.

Nats Beat Mets 2-1. Whatever.

I just wanted to share this for my friends and family out East who do not get the pleasure of listening to out of town announcers when they watch Met games (thanks to MLB Extra Innings through your local cable/satellite provider): Nats announcers are morons. There, I said it. If you watched the game tonight and had to listen to those idiots, you know what I'm talking about. Oh, how I miss Ron and Mex! I also miss the energy and excitement of Shea when the Mets are out of town. 30,000 or so Nats fans, who were treated to a stellar performance by their young pitcher, slept (or chatted about Beltway politics) through most of the game. Which was sad, really. The announcers yelled for the team more than the fans did.

One other thing I wanted to share. Did you know that they call Brian Schneider "Schneiderman?" Did you know that? I'm serious. They really call him that -I shit you not. Now, I really don't have anything personal against the guy. He's a very good catcher. But I must ask this: When you hear "Schneiderman," who do you picture?

This guy?

Or this guy?

Oh, and I miss Xavier Nady a whole lot. Can we get him back, do you think? I also miss Cliff. And if I haven't said it before (and I'm sure I have) - Endy Chavez needs to be our Everyday Right Fielder, in my humble opinion. Lastings just isn't ready for the bigs. Unless he goes on a tear, and then I never said that.

And that's all I have for today.

Agita

SYLLABICATION: ag·i·ta
PRONUNCIATION: ahj·ih·tah
NOUN: Acid indigestion.
ETYMOLOGY: Italian, from agitare, to agitate, from Latin agitre. See agitate. See also "existential dyspepsia of the soul" from The Word Detective.
USAGE: (1) Boy, that New York Mets pitcher that closes ballgames sure gives me agita every ninth inning! (2) Why is it the Mets can't seem to sign a closer who can get three guys out in the ninth without giving the fans agita first?
HISTORICAL REFERENCES: 1999-2003; 2004-2005; 2006