All Carlos, All the Time

Philadelphia - I am happily in my friend's lovely Center City apartment, writing on his beautiful G4, and reveling in the Mets double header win yesterday. We are headed off to a walking class he has been taking about the architecture of Philly so this will be quick. Thankfully, they allow special guests.

We witnessed last night's 5-2 win. My thumbnail review.... The stadium is beautiful. Modeled on Camden Yards, one of the best baseball stadiums around. The weather was perfect b-ball weather, although a little cooler than I would have expected for almost July. Our seats were fabulous, lotsa Met fans and I saw more than a sliver of the pre-Italy Mets. Solid hitting, solid fielding, beautiful 8 plus innings from our beast Johnny Maine.

My two highlights: All Carlos, all the time. Carlos the third (Gomez) with fab fielding and Carols Beltran belting 2 out of the park.

More later, including the bitter Phillies fan who asked me and a gang 'o Met fans about Mets fashion. Speaking of fashion, my very non pedestrian friend wore a beautiful 1980s style Phillies cap sans green fur.

Happy Saturday!

...Go Away

The rain and thunder that is. Tonight's game has been postponed due to rain. And it better stop before tomorrow night because I am headed to Philly to see the Mets! 7:05. Decent seats, a little up, but behind home plate. I hear the stadium is basically great from the nice Philly fans who were selling tix to the sold out game on craigslist. (We'll see what I think of 'em come tomorrow. I suspect it will be quite different.)

My friend who lives in Philly is typically an agnostic when it comes to baseball, but he is planning on being decked out. As long as he is not wearing that ridiculous green fur we'll be okay. Me? Debating between my 25th anniversary shirt, my David Wright shirt or my classic 60's Mr. Met shirt. What's a girl to do?

Phillies are down 5-4, the Braves are off tonight. If all holds, Philly will be in third place in the NL East come tomorrow. But this is baseball. Anything can happen.

UPDATE: Phillies took it 8-7. At least they stayed up late for it.

Rain, Rain...

As a ticket holder of Game One/attendee of Game Two of last year's NLCS, I hate rain delays, especially against the Cardinals.

Full history here, but I attribute the postponement of the game and subsequent lack of a rest day as a factor in the Mets loss last year.

Not going to relive it. Too damn painful. Reminds me of the 2004 election.

UPDATE: Well, the rain turned out to be our friend. 2-0, 6 innings. Mr. Viagra gets his win. All good, but sadly, Passover last seven days. No hitting.

Intervals

Last night I did the dreaded intervals on the elliptical and watched a little Yankees v. O's. For those of you who don't workout, it's doing a couple of minutes at very high speed and a couple of minutes at a lower speed . It's a good workout, but whenever I do it, I am wiped out. Seriously wiped out. Bottom line: I just hate those things.

Doing this while watching the very intervaled Yankees (who have now dropped 6 of the last 7) and then seeing the Mets 5-3 loss to the cocktail weenie Cardinals reminded me that you have to be careful about winning too many games in a row (unless you are the Red Sox this year) - what comes out on the other side can be awful ugly. Look at the April and most of May for the Mets and then the horrible June.

So, I'm not thrilled about Schoenweis again failing to come through or for Oli not getting the win he worked so hard at trying to get. This was mostly a batting problem (yet again), with a dash of bad pitching. But so it goes. Maybe it will make the next couple of weeks a little less painful.

Matzo Bats

Clutch hitting by tribe member Shawn Green tonight was the reason for tonight's 2-1 win over the Cardinals. The pitching is getting better, the fielding greatly improved. But the bats? As stiff as unleavened bread.

Re-Awoken

So, a sweep. A sweep!

Not that the Oakland A's are emblematic of the bad asses in the AL. But they beat the Yankees, they beat Boston, and they beat St. Louis. So they ain't THAT bad.

Although yesterday they looked pretty bad. And the Mets capitalized on every weakness. Unlike Saturday, the bats were on and Jose was on FIRE or at least running like there was a fire.

The Mets are the bear that has been re-awoken. And you know what bears snack on as appetizers? Birds. Cardinals to be exact. Usually around 7 pm.

Climbing Out

Sometimes getting out of hole ain't pretty. In order to climb out you have to show everyone your underwear or your ass. Last night's victory was kinda like showing your ass. Walk off win, a couple of sloppy fielding errors, and the best part... the ejection of our main man on the ballot, Paul Lo Duca. Am sure this will do a lot to help his cause. I can only hope that it will serve as the revelations of GWB and drunk driving a couple of weeks before the election in 2000- it won't make a difference.

I''ll take the win, ass and all. Philly lost, Atlanta lost, so at least we're three games up and starting to find the groove.

Welcome Summer

Summer is here and the Mets have new motivation to stay on top. We welcome you Philly, let's see what you've got.

Martin V. Lo Duca

In today NY Daily News, Bob Raissman writes about the "Elect Lo Duca" campaign and how many in the NY and baseball bloviating world are up in arms about the Mets balls to the wall marketing effort.

Maybe I have been in Washington too long (I have, BTW) and worked for too many politicians, but I see no problem whatsoever with a campaign. Sure, these baseball purist are lamenting the commercialization of the sport and blah, blah, blah.

Look, it's a competitive world. Kids want to play video games and surf the internet. Anything that can engage people in baseball is a good thing as far as I am concerned.
Stuff the ballot boxes, I say. Martin v. LoDuca. Better than Bush v. Gore.

Vote now!

Designer Jeans

I am on strike. Last night, I so could not deal with baseball that I went to go see a show instead. Reading the post mortems this morning, it appears that last night's 6-2 meltdown against the Twins was alota Oli.

Poor Oli. When the Mets play the designer teams (Yankees, Braves), Oli can shut them down. But when it is just your ordinary opponent (even in extraordinary circumstances), Oli can't hack it. Sometimes it is only the greatest challenge that someone can rise to; maybe the others don't seem important enough.

Well, last night was pretty damn important. 14 of the last 18. Beggars can't be choosers. Just because the jeans aren't designer doesn't mean you won't wear them. Especially if you have been naked the last 14 times.

Abu Ghraibed Again

I don't have the MLB package, but four errors and Sosa lasts just three and a half innings with six earned runs on eight hits can only mean one thing.... Abu Ghraibed.

'Nuff said. I am going to bed to read. I cannot emotionally deal with Baseball Tonight.

Abu Ghraibed

Last night's game is weighing on me like a ton of bricks. I just cannot seem to let the pain go. In memory of my pain, I have coined a new phrase.... Abu Ghraibed. The Mets were Abu Ghraibed by the Yankees. Yes, it was that painful, horrible and traumatic. Hopefully I will forget, but I fear that it will stick with me since I am one of the victims too.

I guess it was also like bottoming out. Tonight's 8-1 win is someone else's Abu Ghraib.

Look Out!

It's an avalanche. Everything is not working all at once - problem starting pitching, the double Carlos slump, relievers that bring no relief. Everything is malfunctioning and the result is collapse.

What do you do in life when nothing is working right? It's like a day when you spill coffee on your outfit, get stuck in the subway, fight with someone you love, burn your breakfast, forget a meeting, curse your boss -all before 8 am. Ya know what I do? I call in sick.

I realize that is not possible for most baseball players, but sometimes stepping back is the only way to totally forget about what's wrong so you can find the focus to make things right. Looks like we're working for Thursday. And Atlanta and Philly lost today.

The good news? Avalanches are part of nature. And once things fall and re-adjust, things are actually stronger than before. Or at least that's what I gotta believe.

Pain

Am watching Yankees v Mets on ESPN tonight. After yesterday's loss and tonight's shaky beginnings, all I can say is where is the team I saw pre-Italia? These 4 runs are not just El Duque not pitching; the outfield is not fielding. No groove whatsoever. Worse than the drag queens at the Parliament House.

I may pipe in as the game continues, but it ain't pretty in the Bronx (side note: is it ever pretty in the Bronx??)

The Buzz Saw

2-0 baby and I am eating breakfast! I don't want to get my panties in too much of a wad, but last night was all Oli. Now the Yankees do not have the greatest record against lefties, but we saw pitching that shut down their 9 game winning streak. My fave quote, “Tonight, we ran into a buzz saw,” Torre said.

The Mets and our Carloses. Last night we saw a new one in action - Carols Gomez- put on an Endy!-like catch to hold the Yankees off. Phew, we needed that.

It's not over, but it is looking up. Not ready for the smorgasbord just yet, but we're gettin' there.

Call A Doctor

Ok, so it appears my hunger strike is only going to help me and not the Mets. Last night they lost 9-1, which is especially bitter. We are going into nearly double digit losses here. It's more than ouch, it's more than damn, it's more than yelling. It is a quietly said "Dudes, it is time to get it together," with eye contact and hand holding. Does Omar want to borrow my shrink today? I'm sure she has an hour to give.

What's getting me is that NOTHING seems to be working. The hitting is worse than Dennis Kucinich on the stump, the relief pitching (a consistent problem) is giving us as much relief as Sam Brownback gives to Republicans who dream of keeping the White House. We've seen these symptoms crop up here and there, but never together. It's an epidemic!

Hopefully a day off will help. Next stop, the Bronx.

Politics and Baseball Part Two

I realize that I have not given readers my temperature gauge of the presidential horse (or pig) race. So here's my latest:

The Mets are John McCain. It 's starting to slip, but it ain't gone just yet.

The Yankees are Fred Thompson. New, fresh and ready to compete. My only warning would be to be careful when you peak. It's August that really matters.

The Democratic candidates are like the NL West - three competitors (Clinton, Obama, and Edwards/ San Diego, Arizona and LA) kinda tied up. But it's only June.

Starvation

Since the Mets are in LA, I need to lose weight AND clearly we are starving for a win, I am now going to go on a hunger strike.

For you non-Hollywood watchers, this is also inspired by a much too thin Cate Blanchet as seen in the last month.

Desperate times require desperate measures. If the bats don't perform, I don't chew. If the outfield doesn't catch, I don't drink. While this bums me out, it will probably get me closer to my goal weight.

Hangin' On

It is out in the open and has gone beyond private chocolate eating. I am now out and about talking and seriously lamenting about the Mets with friends, on dates, even at work.

Some have told me, "Chill, it's just May." Well, I am not sure I can chill. I am not sure I can keep my cool as our lead in the NL East has dwindled to just two games, with the Phillies just 2 behind that. What's so chill about slowly and painfully watching your grip on first place slip away? My knuckles are white from holding on so tight.

Maybe that's the problem. I am trying too hard. And the Mets are not trying hard enough. Sorry I am not full of wisdom. My head is clouded by stress and I am just focused on hanging on.

Slaughter and Collapse

While I am most definitely depressed, I tried to cheer myself up today by going for a bike ride and not thinking about the Mets. But I came home, browsed the dead trees (Post and the Times) and then decided to check the score of today's game.

Damn. Double damn. Triple damn. Infinity damn. Slaughtered by Detriot. And two of their best butchers called in sick. The only decent news I can glean is that David Wright hit another home run and the Mets did score some runs. But Tommy G is the man and if he has fallen in a K-less hole then we are in deep doo doo.

Enough. I can't take it. I almost out of Baci chocolates so these guys better get their crap together. I refuse to be fat and depressed at the hands of lesser chocolates.

No Relief

Washington got relief from Friday's nearly 100 degree weather yesterday. It was a glorious day; I went to Baltimore's lovely Honfest and saw the Mid-Atlantic equivalent of women from Queens.

But there was no damn relief for Mets pitching on Saturday against the Tigers. Oli was not in top form, the bats tried to keep up, but Mota just added insult to injury. Our relief pitching is not where our starting pitching is. It's ironic since we were crying in April and May about starters, pulling nothing more than chicks up from New Orleans in a despy attempt to keep up.

Oh well. It's only going to get hotter. For me and the Mets. Let's see if we can pull something out today. Getting trounced by 2 teams in a row is probably not going to help bring some relief - for me or the Mets.

You're Not Just A Number, Are You?

Sometimes in life, you're just a number. A Social Security number. A number in the deli waiting to order your sandwich. Your Amex number as you type it into Amazon. A seat number on an airplane as you try and haggle for an aisle.

In baseball, it is no different. It took me at least one season to understand IPs and Ks and RBIs and all that crap. Look at Johnny Maine. No one knew who he was until his April numbers were the best in baseball.

But we all know that we are more than number 91 or seat 12A. So these guys are more than ERAs and more importantly, number of losses in a row. I have been on a plane all day and have not had a chance to read the post mortems, but this is where my head is.

Call it spin, but I need something to cheer me up other than the Braves have also lost the last three.

Let's Get Physical

Endy! going down tonight reminds me about how damn hard it is to get out there and be so physical everyday. Now granted, I am ten years older than most of these guys and in solid shape, but after my week long 200 plus kms bike ride through Italy, I was broke down. These guys are doing this everyday for several months. Bottom line, you can take great care of your body, even if it is your job to take care of your body and you can still find yourself limping off the field.

There's a psychological aspect to these physical setbacks. If you can't rely on your body, what the hell can you rely on? Especially when you are young and you have no idea how age can screw with you.

Oh well, it's the 9th inning and the Mets have given up. It ain't good. Bodies letting us down, the first time all season we have lost 3 in a row and we have to face the super hot 8-2 Cole Hamels tomorrow night. Sigh. It ain't pretty. A sweep by the Phillies may feel like a physical injury come tomorrow.

El Duque!

I am so in vacation mode that I failed to realize that the Mets are on ESPN tonight against the Philles AND El Duque is on the mound. I believe he started when I was in Italia, so I am excited to see what he is bringing. Right now, he seems to have settled down, Mets up 1-0.

While I am bummed about Green, Alou, et al, it is nice to see other Mets like Gotay, Newhan, and Endy! can step it up. I call him Endy! because his amazing catch in Game 7 of last year's NLCS was one of the best catches of all time. Hands down the highlight of series. If he wasn't shorter than me, I would add him to my list of my boyfriends that wear blue and orange.

UPDATE- Some major ugly has broken out. I am eating Italian chocolate like it is my last day on earth.... mets down 3-2 and something is wrong with Endy!. He could not even walk off the field, looks like a hamstring. Not good.

Focus

So I am recovering from jet lag and it appears that yesterday Oli had a crap day and lost to the Diamondbacks. Carols D is hot, but things are not all roses in Metland as I resurface from my Italian getaway. All I can say is I am sorry. I turn my back for 10 days and Oli falls apart. At least they're still 3 and a half up from Atlanta.

Oli needs to focus, the Mets need to stay focused, the Democratic candidates need to finally get into focus. Heck, I am back from vacation and need to find my focus too. Sometimes it's easy to temporarily lose it, a la Oli. Sometimes it's easy in the monotony of day-to-day life to lose it, a la the Mets. Sometimes it's easier to avoid it, a la the candidates. Sometimes it's easy to say the hell with it and go on vacation, a la me.