Come Undone

Game 160 of 2008 felt an awful lot like Game 160 of 2007. Same teams, same lackluster performance from the Mets, same result.

At least I remained sober, if only from the standpoint of I wasn't drinking heavily.

Everything about this game seemed to be doomed from the start. Watching on TV, you could sense the apathetic feel from the team and the crowd, which baffles me. In Philly, where the weather was similarly bad, the stadium was probably packed to the gills with people waving towels and cheering and yelling, while in New York, Shea was half-empty. What a sad, sad way to play out one of the final games in our beloved ballpark.

Where was everyone? There were many reasons bandied about, between the guys on SNY and the guys on WFAN. Sure, the weather was a factor, but there were years that this team would play in conditions like last night and the stadium would still be full. It has to somehow impact the players, although I'm not sure anything could have saved the players last night.

From the start, everyone seemed tight. Gary Cohen noted that the Mets seemed like they weren't ready to play last night. It could very well be that they weren't quite ready for this season. It's felt that way an awful lot. Mike Pelfrey pitched admirably well, 3 runs in 6 innings, but what does it mean when your offense no-shows the game? It's been that way all too often. One thing or the other. Why cherry-pick specific instances? The offense didn't hit, Pelfrey did his best to keep the Mets in it, but the Bullpen let the Marlins pull away. And the Marlins loved every minute of it. And now, we're all on life support. Philly has won, Milwaukee has won, and the best we can hope for is that we win today and someone takes a loss, so that the final game tomorrow means something other than simply everyone convening one last time to witness another academic finish. I don't see Washington helping us much. Milwaukee seems fired up and determined. Why is it that the Mets seem so tired?

As it turns out, I will be there on Sunday. StubHub came through earlier this week, and I'll be there. But what will I be witnessing? Is there one last miracle left in Shea Stadium? Does this team even have the heart to pull something like this off? Or is it just going to be one final trip to Shea Stadium, one final game in the place I've called my 3rd Home, and one more time, to close Shea Stadium down.

I don't know. I mentioned yesterday (and many others have echoed these sentiments) that even if the Mets make the playoffs, I have the feeling that the reaction will be something like, "OK...Now What?!"

Johan Santana today, on 3-days rest. He demanded the ball. But is anyone going to be there to back him up (I mean on either side of the ball)?

The Unusual Suspects

I spent most of late last night and into this morning thinking of some way to adequately sum up the game I witnessed last night at Shea, and I just can't come up with one good enough. I don't know that there's any good way to describe it.

Falling behind early and again late, the Mets never quit, never rolled over and somehow managed to shake off the failures from Wednesday night and post a harrowing, rousing victory that could prove to be the turning point for the season if the Mets can rally from the momentum.

It wasn't an easy game to watch. I arrived around 6:45 and El Guapo shortly thereafter for the final game on our Power Pack, the final Regular Season night game we'll attend at Shea, and immediately questioned why we were here. Already, things seemed grim. It started while I was riding out on the 7 train. The train pulled into Junction Blvd, on the middle track. Standing on the Manhattan-bound platform was a rather skinny, dorky, rather spastic-looking nebbish wearing a Cubs hat and Cubs shirt. He looked at me, through the train window. He caught my eye. Immediately, he started screeching at me and doing some horrendous, maniacal dance, making throat-slashing gestures at me and screaming "LET'S GO CUBS!"

This is the picture of Cubs fans?

A Braves fan, A Yankees fan or especially a Phillies fan, I might have responded with something vulgar, perhaps a bird or some choice words. You expect that sort of behavior out of those folks. But for some reason, I felt sorry for this poor schmuck. Why pick on me? The Cubs have already wrapped up what they need to wrap up. I was so taken aback that I responded simply by laughing and tipping my cap as the train pulled away.

Wednesday's game had already taken a lot out of me, and early on, it seemed like it had taken its toll on the Mets as well. Pedro, who's clearly just pitching on fumes and trying to will his way through games on pure heart, didn't have it early. After being victimized by a string of ringing, 2-out hits from the B-lineup that the Cubs had thrown out there, the Mets were down, the crowd, which was small due to an ominous forecast, but hearty considering the impact of the game, had a noticibly tense mood. It was enough to give one the feeling that things were already over for the Mets, or that there wasn't much of a chance to try to will the Mets to a victory. The Mets lineup seemed to have a festering black hole at the bottom, consisting of Ryan Church, Ramon Martinez and Robinson Cancel. It wasn't inspiring any confidence, and as Rich Harden motored through the early innings, it didn't make anyone feel any better.

El Guapo and I seemed to be discussing a wide variety of things that pertained little to the Mets, or Baseball in general. The game had become more or less scenery to a conversation that could have easily been had someplace else. This is why Ryan Church's tying 2-run double in the 4th inning seemed so monumentally jarring. Church has been playing in a fog for the past several weeks. It's difficult to be too hard on him, considering that he was so good early in the season, but has had to overcome two concussions in three months, sitting out the better part of three months of the season, and now is thrust into a frenetic Pennant Race. But he's in the Keith Hernandez Dark Forest, and he's killing the team, and nowhere was that more evident than in the 9th inning Wednesday. I certainly didn't expect Church to come through in that particular spot, but he did, and it was certainly welcome, as the rain began to fall and the game became official.

Pedro also settled himself down after his early struggles. I don't think it was an especially sparkling outing for Pedro, but let's face it. If someone told you that Pedro would pitch into the 7th inning, give up 3 runs and strike out 9, leaving a 3-3 tie, any Mets fan would have signed for it. Without question. And knowing that this was most likely the last start he would make with the Mets, the fans acknowledged his exit, and he acknowledged the fans, responding with some rather classy quotes following the game.

Things seemed to be OK for the moment, which is why it was again rather jarring when Micah Hoffpauir (you know, the great Micah Hoffpauir) launched a 3-run HR on Rincon's first pitch.

And we're right back where we started.

Now, it's getting desperate. In the 7th, Robinson Cancel, looking every bit like Rich "El Guapo" Garces' long-lost twin brother, hit a double to kick off the 7th. Somehow, he scooted to 3rd on a Marlon Anderson groundout (prompting a minor argument between The Guap and myself as to whether Anderson should be lauded for a "productive out (his side)" or bashed for not getting a productive hit (my side)). Somehow, he scooted home on a Jose Reyes groundout. 6-4 as we moved to the 8th.

And the desperation and tension and rain continued to build. How fortunate that our seats in MR4 were well covered. It would have made things worse if we were tense and soaked. David Wright singled, and we were standing. But the wind was immediately taken out of our sails when Delgado grounded into that rarely seen 5-6-3 double play. With hope about to die, Carlos Beltran singled deep in the hole at short.

And that would be when the Unusual Suspects would emerge.

I've only mentioned the Unusual Suspects in passing. But it's always those guys you least expect who come through with big plays at key moments that seem to be the trademark of a winning team, a team with Championship Aspirations. We weren't confident in Ryan Church's ability to come through, certainly not after he'd already done so earlier. But here he was, taking a pitch the other way for his 3rd hit of the game. We weren't even sure who Ramon Martinez was, except that we knew he wasn't the Ramon Martinez who was also Pedro's brother. Some fans behind me assumed he was a rookie. El Guapo thought he was still on the Dodgers. All of us leapt to our feet when he pulled a single through the hole to left to score Beltran. Robinson Cancel followed by putting forth the kind of at-bat that some of his teammates ought to emulate (hear that, David Wright?). After falling behind 1-2, Cancel pretty much stuck his bat out and poked a liner that just barely snuck into right field.

I have no adequate explanation for the ensuing play.
As I saw Fukudome throwing home and Church racing for the plate, I could see it would be close, and probably not in a good way. The throw was clearly going to beat Church. I had this brief moment of sheer panic as I realized what was unfolding. Ball, Koyie Hill and Church seemed to converge slightly to the 3rd base side of home, and before I knew what was happening, Church had somehow sidestepped Hill. Hill slipped on the dirt. Church, in an attempt to change his course to touch home, slipped on the dirt. Both men lay on the ground for a split second that could have been 10 minutes long. Church dove for the plate. Hill dove for Church. Church smacked his hand on the plate, just barely safe.

The Dive. How else could you describe it? If this is going to launch the Mets on to bigger and better things, this is where we have to look back to. The Dive. One final addition to the endless library of Shea Stadium Lore.

But the game was still only tied, and when Damion Easley looked rather foolish in striking out (after almost belting a 3-run HR), we moved to the 9th, and the continuation of the Bullpen Parade that bears no more discussion. Feliciano came in to face the lefty Mike Fontenot (and a big Bad Job to the Cubs clubbies for giving mediocre Mike Fontenot jersey #17. I'm sorry, Mark Grace may not be a Hall of Famer, but he was an exemplary player for a long time, and a grizzled, chain-smoking SOB who was always a joy to watch.). Feliciano gave up a hit to Fontenot. This prompted El Guapo to say the following: "Remember last year, when Feliciano was the best guy we had in the bullpen?"

I had no response. A brief pause. Then, he said, "Then again, he might still be the best guy we have in the bullpen."

Joe Smith came in, made things complicated and then got out of the jam. With 2 on and 2 out, Piniella sent up Daryle Ward to hit for the pitcher. I suppose it could have been worse, he could have been a dick and sent up Ramirez, Lee or Soriano. But then again, it was a lefty against Smith. But Smith got Ward to tap back to the box and end the threat. Phew. Now, can they do tonight what they couldn't do last night? Jose Reyes got things kicked off with a single. But in typical Mets fashion, they seemed to try their damndest to screw that up. Rather than just having Reyes run, which is probably what they should have done, Daniel Murphy tried to bunt. I didn't know if Murphy could bunt. El Guapo didn't know if Murphy could bunt. I don't even know if Murphy thinks he can bunt. He took 2 balls, then made a couple of stabs at a bunt and didn't look good doing so. Reyes didn't run. Finally, on 2-2, Reyes ran and had a great jump, which was especially helpful when Murphy mysteriously made another bunt attempt and fouled the ball straight back.

Here we go again. The Great Mets Offense is about to strike.

David Wright followed and looked like he was about to squeeze his bat into sawdust. He quickly fell behind 0-2, took two balls, and swung miserably through strike 3 as Reyes finally stole 2nd. Delgado was intentionally walked. Beltran followed, and I figured that the Cubs would walk him, too, and take their chances with Church, who looked stellar in a similar situation last night. Instead, they pitched to Beltran, who rewarded my faith, and rewarded everyone else's faith by hitting a shot that might well have gone through Hoffpauir's glove, down the right field line, sending Reyes home and sending the fans into a wet, happy frenzy! We're Still Alive!
All this to barely beat the Cubs B-team. Jesus. We jumped and screamed and high-fived and all of a sudden found ourselves immediately exhausted. We stood, briefly, with raised fists before quickly getting the hell out of there.

I don't really know what the hell to think, or what the hell will happen with this team anymore. These last two games have absolutely killed me. If they make the Playoffs, I might grind my teeth to dust or have a stroke or something similar. Milwaukee won shortly thereafter, just to keep things interesting. It's still eerily similar to last year. 3 games left, still in some semblance of control as far as our own destiny, with the Marlins coming in. Those Fucking Marlins who came in and kicked us in the nuts last year. And I'm sure they'd love to come in and kick us all in the nuts again. All this talk about last year being done, and being picked to run away with the division this year, and the problems with the bullpen, and the problems with the offense, and the problems with Willie or Jerry or Omar and everything else, and it's all just coming back to where we were exactly one year ago. Nothing's assured, not even the game tonight, with the weather looking ominous. Today's going to be a very tense day.

Four Lost Hours

You know, I went to a similarly long, wacky game just two weeks ago. I thought I'd had my fill of games like that, and yet last night, I was treated to yet another one, albeit from an obstructed view in the back of LR14. What I saw was brilliant, beautiful, painful, piercing drama of the highest order, starting out scary, turning fabulous, then gut-wrenching. And in the end, ultimately frustrating and disappointing, like so many before it.

It seems somehow a cruel twist of irony that, after weeks and weeks of everyone screaming and yelling about the bullpen, the bullpen, the bullpen, it's been the offense that has been the culprit in these frustrating Mets losses more often than you'd think. It's easier to scapegoat the bullpen; their failures seem to be much more spectacular than a bunch of guys making outs. But last night, the offense failed, and they did so in an equally spectacular fashion. I think the only way to adequately describe this horrendous display of futility is to describe the 7th, 8th and 9th innings as they appeared on my scorecard. This should give you some idea of things. I'll leave out the names, but I think you can figure out who did what.

Mets 7th: 2B, 1B, DP3, F-7.

Mets 8th: 2B, 1B, K (SB), 5-3, IBB, BB (x) , 4-3.

Mets 9th: 3B, K, IBB, IBB, FC 4-2, K.

And, for good measure, the almost completely predictable Cubs 10th:
3, 4-PF, 1B (SB), 2B (x), HR (xx), 4-3.

That's how you lose a game.

Try as they might, the bullpen really couldn't blow this one. I mean, sure, Duaner Sanchez butchered the 5th inning, but that was after he'd been inserted to clean up Oliver Perez's mess. Perez was just sterling last night, as the Cubs worked him for pitch after pitch, getting guys on base with frightening regularity and eventually battling back from a 5-1 deficit. Smith, Rincon, Stokes and Parnell all had some scary moments, but for the most part did an admirable job. So did Ayala in the 9th, before he got burned in the 10th. But, given that the Mets had a runner on 3rd and no outs in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings, I can't, in good conscience, put all the blame on Ayala. He shouldn't have had to be in that position in the first place. But when Derrek Lee dunked his 2-out double in the 10th, it seemed like mere formality that Aramis Ramirez would park one in the bleachers.

The prevailing thought seemed to be Good, up until the end. I don't necessarily think that's true. I don't know how I differ from most fans, although I think most fans who are as dyed-in-the-wool, insane like I am probably didn't enjoy last night's game so much, except for a few bright, shining moments, like Delgado's Grand Slam that I couldn't quite see (the seats in the back of the Loge are bad, not totally terrible, but if people in front of you are standing, and that happened a lot last night, it's really bad), this wasn't a fun game to watch as a Mets fan. This was stressful, agonizing, when the hell's the other shoe gonna drop. And I felt positive, I really did after the Mets tied the game in the 8th off Samardzija (why he decided to intentionally walk Endy Chavez I don't know), I really felt confident that they would come through. The 9th took the wind out of everyone's sails. And when the Cubs went ahead, I almost attacked my seat until I remembered that people get seriously hurt doing things like that. I don't know. There is some intrinsic fun I get from watching games in general, and I certainly have treated Shea as a sanctuary of sorts over the years. But mostly, it was tension and nerves controlling the night.

Pedro tonight, if the Mets can duck the raindrops. This is another in a series of bizarre scenarios. I don't even want to talk about it right now.

Mr. Clutch

Whatever happens over the final 5 games of this season, I don't ever, over the course of the next several seasons, want to hear anyone say that Johan Santana wasn't worth every cent that he is or is going to be paid.

Every time the Mets have gone into a game ready to fold their tents, it seems like Johan Santana has gone to the mound and delivered a performance equal to the moment. All second-half long, Santana has gone to the mound and done what has been asked of him: Throw strikes, get outs, pitch deep into the game and most importantly, give the Mets a chance to win. He did it against St. Louis. He did it against Milwaukee. He did it against Philadelphia. He did it against Washington. And last night, with the entire season on the line, with an entire fan base ready to have one giant, massive coronary, Santana did it against the Cubs, gutting it out for 8 innings and 125 pitches of the highest importance. He kept the game in his own hands, and out of the rather incapable hands of the bullpen as long as was necessary.

Santana was also in the thick of things on the offensive side. Even when he's at the plate, he's trying to get things done. His bizarre broken bat single in the 5th seemed to turn the tide of the game in the Mets favor. Howie Rose noted this on the radio. After Santana's hit, which broke his bat and then somehow hit the bat shard (perhaps some cosmic retribution on the 100th Anniversary of Merkle's boner), the Mets, who to that point had looked rather lifeless, extended the inning long enough for Wright to get the tying hit (even sandwiching a Walk by Luis Castillo in there!). Who scored the tying run? Johan Santana, of course. While this was going on, the Braves, who seem to have this annoying habit of killing the Mets, but bowing down to Philly, fought back in Philly against Cole Hamels and got themselves a lead, and eventually, a win. In the 6th, there was Santana again. Although he grounded into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded and no outs, his grounder forced Ramon Castro at home, erasing the logjam from the basepaths. Jose Reyes followed with a triple that cleared the bases, Santana included, who was able to score rather easily.

Perhaps you can say that David Wright's 2-run single in the 5th was clutch. Perhaps Jose Reyes' triple in the 6th was even more clutch. Nobody delivered as clutch a performance for the Mets on Tuesday night than Johan Santana. He understood the situation, he understood his responsibility and he delivered a career high in pitches in order to ensure his team would win when they absolutely couldn't afford to lose. That's called earning your salary.

Bad Rerun

I tried to watch some of last night's Mets game, but for some reason, SNY had decided to show a re-run of a game from last September, although for some reason, they had dubbed in the Chicago Cubs for the Washington Nationals. The Mets appeared to look and play the same.

So much for my thinking that the Cubs would take it easy.

If this post seems somewhat disjointed, don't worry, it's just that the Mets have made me a complete basket case, so my thoughts, although formed and fully valid, just don't seem to want to connect very well to each other.

I guess this officially makes Jonathan Niese the Philip Humber for 2008. At least he wasn't sitting out in the bullpen for the past 3 weeks wondering if he'd get a chance at all. I did have higher hopes for him last night, and he certainly seemed to start out well enough before the roof caved in in the 4th and he gave up a grand slam to the opposing pitcher.

It's OK, Jonathon. You're not even the first Mets pitcher to do that this season. But your timing wasn't so good.

After the game, there was too much positive thinking going on, particularly from the hosts on WFAN, Steve Somers and Tony Paige. I know that that's sort of their job, to calm everyone down, but there are arguments that they make that are just asinine, and actually ended up making me feel worse.

1) "It's a different team."
Only in the sense that Johan Santana is going to take the ball every 5th day, as opposed to yet another question mark. Otherwise, it's mostly the same team. Oh, sure, there may be some new faces out there, but they pretty much amount to the same thing as last year, same thing as two years ago. The hitters don't seem to hit when it matters most, and the Bullpen...#!$^^#%&(^*U!#$*^!_#$^%* &* #$^%_*(%.

2) "They still have a one-game lead in the Wildcard with 6 games to go."
What the hell kind of thing is that to say? Last year, at the same time, the Mets had a 2 GAME LEAD ON PHILLY FOR THE DIVISION! AND WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT TURNED OUT!!!

3) "You know, if the game were only 7 innings long..."
Now, this argument just upsets me. It's also a complete and total asshole thing to say. Fine. If the game were 6 innings, the Mets would have a 11 1/2 game lead, and if the game were 7 innings, the Mets would have a 6 1/2 game lead. But, guess what!? THE GAME IS NOT, NOR HAS IT EVER BEEN 7 INNINGS LONG! WHAT'S THE POINT OF BRINGING THIS UP? TO MAKE US EVEN CRAZIER?

Philly continues to stampede, which is apparently their M.O. come September. They know how to finish things off. The Mets? I'm not particularly confident in their chances right now. I got my playoff tickets in the mail yesterday, and I have a sick, sad feeling that I'm not going to get to use them. Again.