This IS How It Ends

Indeed, it is over.

I have been beyond words, near tears and just generally in shock about what has conspired today.

I will write more when I am able, but today I am grieving. It is especially painful because despite the ups and downs, I never would have believed it could lead to a conclusion like this one. The last few weeks, the terrible weeks after I got home from Italy, the ups and downs that could have rivaled Sybil.

Maybe that was the problem. It's smooth and steady that wins the race. What is needed to be at the top is the ability to stay sharp enough to stay there. And it ain't easy - anywhere and everywhere, not just baseball.

When I'm old, I know I will recount the 2007 baseball season to whatever crazy lunatics will listen. Thanks for listening.

Amazin'

I started yesterday determined not to let baseball dominate the day. I had a party to prep for and a good friend who needed my attention.

We are out shopping and a random dude says to me, hey, you know they are up 4-0. Ah yes, I am wearing my Mets hat. Addiction resumed, thank gawd for the blackberry and auto refresh. And it just kept getting better; emails started to come in, people started calling. I watched the last 2 innings of the Philles- Nats....

Amazin'.

As long as you control your own fate, anything is possible. And that's where we are today. As FOI (Friend of Oliver & I) MEC reminds us, this is exactly why Tommy is here. Do your thing Tommy G and make the Mets fate what you want it to be.

This is where politics and baseball are different; at the end of the day in politics, there is something emotional that impacts people to choose you and transcends your physical ability to campaign or raise money. At the end of the day in baseball, your ability is all you've got. That and your own emotional state. Yesterday was the turn on that one and there has never been any doubt about our ability.

So let's show 'em what we've got.

Finding Inspiration Where You Can

In times of stress, you hunker down and try to find hope. I did that this morning, reading the myriad of Mets bloggers out there. Saw lots of things, but this is my favorite from Metsmerized... yesterday on SNY, a tarot card reader saw a game being played in Philly on Monday.

We all find our ways to get through. I am going to take that one, why not?

Note: I was going to put a picture, but I decided I don't know enough about tarot and what if I pick the wrong one? Silly, but at this point, one has to consider these things.

It's Not Just Us

New York Magazine reports that the very talented, sadly beautiful, kinda country (though I am not) singer Ryan Adams melted down in Minneapolis.

Oli's not alone. Still believin'.

Note: Thanks to an O& I reader for the Ryan Adams tip!

P.S.

Have been reading some of the post mortems and I am not going to dwell on the loss, I am going to focus on the opportunity. We've got three more games, so Mets, show me why you got my hopes up all season. Show me what all these baseball bloviators have been ranting about since the spring.

I know it's there, I spent April until two weeks ago with it. Don't Al Gore on me, now is not the time. Ya gotta believe.

No Dessert for Me

So gang, we are here. We made it through September and we are on the verge of embarking on October baseball, my favorite part. It was so close, I could taste it on the tip of my tongue, smell the ruminations of it as I pulled out my sweaters and boots.

I am supposed to be enjoying this, it is supposed to be delicious, it is supposed to be like dessert, after a long season of struggle, triumph, victories, defeats. But no dessert for me. I am stressed, sad, hurt, angry, upset, sugar deprived and just generally on suicide watch at this point.

How can it be that we dominated all season long and for the last two weeks we look like the Rockford Peaches could take us down? I just can't understand how we could come so far, but it could all feel so faraway. I know if you are reading this, you know what I am talking about.

I know we have all lost confidence in the Mets pitching, but some words from pitching coach Rick Peterson in tomorrow's Times:

“It doesn’t make sense to think about the past for the next four games,” Peterson said. “The present is really a good place to be.”

Baseball's no different than anything else - One day at a time, one day at a time. It's all I've got.

Haven't We Been Through This Before?

Last night I gave up once the pitching did, so probably somewhere around the 5th inning. But we all know how the story ends. Not so good. Swept by a team that has been swept more than the floor this season. Pretty, it ain't.

I've had conversations with Mets fans and some say, hey, this is what it is all about. Fighting 'til the end, a battle. We're New Yorkers, after all. I said this last year for the NLCS, but you know where we ended up on that one. I still feel the agony anytime Cardinals red flashes before me and I hear Pujlos, Molina, Eckstein. Which I believe I will be seeing and hearing tonight. Sweating already.

Not sure if I could take another replay of last year's NLCS... but I am preparing for the worst.

Moises=Moses

I gave up last night, somewhere in the 7th inning and retreated as depressed as the day before about the state of Mets Nation as I am about the rest of the nation. Thankfully I nearly spit my coffee out this morning as I was reading all about how the boys came back to score 6, yes 6 runs in the 9th.

They still lost, 10-9, but seems like all the boys pitched in to close the gap. Jose the spark, Castillo, my boyfriend, and of course Mosies Alou, who has become the beacon of hope.

Note this exchange from the Times:

“It doesn’t mean a thing,” Lo Duca said. “It doesn’t matter if we lose by eight runs or one. It’s still a loss.” Perhaps 15 feet away, Moises Alou, whose bases-loaded double with one out drew the Mets to within a run, said: “You always want to think about the positive. You never want to dwell on the negative.”

I'm pretty sure Moises is Moses. And you know how my tribe feels about Moses.

Rooting for Atlanta...

I never thought I would do this, but I need to win something tonight. I am rooting for the status quo and hence, an Atlanta victory. Yee haw - 10-6.

Chop, chop. Status quo intact.

No need to tell you what happened with the Mets. At this point, I am praying for a Dewey defeats Truman type of sitch. Sorry for the bad analogy, it's all I've got.

Oh Where, Oh Where Has it Gone?

Our pitching, that is. I didn't want to fully discuss, but last night's super painful 13-4 raping by the Nats is the end of my silence. The sad thing is, I can tell you where- it has gone to the last 156 games and staying in first all season, albeit today by just 2 games.

There were pitchers last night that I never even heard of warming up in the bullpen. And I have been paying attention, I promise.

I just can't believe this is where we are with just a week left in the season. No political analogies; I need to research some great comebacks, cause at this point I can't see any on the current political front.

Gotta Have It

So much has happened over the last few days, so first off I apologize for the Jewish holidays breaking into my baseball commentary. The delay was continued for several hours today due to airplane breakdown. Ah, US Airways, the Greyhound of the Skies.

But am now safely ensconced back in DC after both the Mets and I had a marathon weekend in Florida. I was able to share part of it with the Mets, thankfully and got to see Oli's beautiful pitching job on Saturday.

We took the cheap seats way up, although they were right behind home plate which always makes for a great way to see the game. Dolphin Stadium, while (like RFK) designed for football, was not bad. The amenities are waay better than RFK, which is not a tough standard, sadly.

A win in Florida for the Mets this weekend was probably as important as Florida will be in January for a Presidential candidate - it's just gotta happen in order to even hope you'll get the whole enchilada. They came together and while they didn't get all the delegates, 2 outta 3 3 outta 4 ain't bad. In the end you could argue that a win is a win, even if it was awfully tough to get there. In politics, this may matter less than in baseball. This week will tell on at least one front.

So Close...

I was within a block of my boyfriend and did not see him! Today, the Washington Post reports...

Mets star David Wright touring the Spy Museum and lunching at Clyde's on Tuesday before showing up for his team's 9-8 loss to the Nats. Even though he was out of uniform, fans recognized the latest member of the 30-30 Club (that many homers and stolen bases in one season).

What is killing me is that is ONE BLOCK from my office. I eat lunch at Cyde's and ride my bike by the museum everyday on my bike ride home.

Boo hoo. Oh well... see you in Florida, David.

Half Alive, But Alive Still

8-4, they got it done. It wasn't perfect, but the pitching seems to be alive again (Mike Pelfrey, I misjudged thee). The bats were alive, but the defense remains as sloppy as Fred Thompson's stump appearances.

I am off to the Sunshine State on Friday and I will join the Mets on Saturday with my parents on the holiest day of the Jewish year. Let's hope for the best; I need to believe that somebody up there is a Mets fan, I am kinda starting to wonder. At least we can hope for a better Florida appearance than Thompson endured.

Phillies are still duking it out with the Cards, but we're still at game and a half. It's a big number in New York right now.

32" Flat Screen

That is where I am enjoying tonight's game... 3rd inning, Mets down 2-1, Jose Reyes on 2nd. I am hating the announcers for the Nats; they are talking about the team as if they are hermetically sealed in a bubble and don't know that the Nats are actually 15 and a half games out of first place. That being said, if you were hermetically sealed in a bubble in this series, you wouldn't know the Mets were in first place.

Game update: My boyfriend drove Reyes in, game tied. Believe.

I Still Believe

Naturally, I was beyond distraught last night.... the tying run just yards away from coming home and we still can't manage to win against the Nats. In fact, I considered writing a post with a red flashing light, screaming red alert in my customary chicken little, sky is falling kind of way.

But I ain't gonna do that. Why? The heat is on, it is crunch time. And you can't abandon your peeps now. This is when they need ya the most.

We know this is not about our ability; this is about our attitude. So, in solidarity, I am changing my attitude. No more bitching, no more moaning, I will just be rooting for the Mets. I can only open hope my attitude change inspires others to believe.

I Just Couldn't Cope...

Am watching from home tonight. After the incident that conspired last evening, I thought it best to have a swim, find some zen and take tonight's events from a safe place. My couch. So far, 7-3, Mets.

UPDATE: Johnny Maine melted down; 8-7 Nats. I am foraging for ice cream. Pitching, pitching, pitching, where have you gone?

I Witnessed the Crime

Against the name of the New York Mets last night... Between the bad pitching, nightmare relief, sloppy fielding and too much to eat, I left RFK last night feeling like I had been poisoned.

Pounded would be an understatement. And by the wimpiest guy in our school. Massacred actually, 12- 4. I just hope we live.
I can't decide if I should go to tonight's game, I may end

up permanently damaged. I try to find a high note, but after what I saw last night, it is tough. Really tough. I can't decide if my lingering stomach ache is from the giant hot dog or from how painful the beating really was. Or the fact that our lead in the NL East is now as skinny as Nicole Ritchie when we need it to look more like Britney.

Please come back New York Mets, I miss you.

My Name is Not Chicken Little

Some regular O&I readers have chastised me for not always seeing the big picture, for fretting over every win and every loss. Well I hate to gloat now, but it is getting tighter than the Democratic nomination race will ever be - three and a half games.

Today, complete disaster. Total disaster. Backed into a corner disaster? Maybe. I'll let ya know after I see the Mets here in DC tomorrow night. If that can't beat the Nats, the world really is ending.

New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down

This is a song, in case you didn't know it. And it is how I am feeling after the Mets 5-3 loss today against the Phillies.

I know we are still up, four and a half games up. But, we've still got two weeks to go. All I can hope for is these losses will leave us feeling a little backed into a corner. If have to read gloating comments by that Rollins character, I may puke.

Can't Seem to Catch a Break

What is such a bummer about last night's 10-inning, 3-2 loss to the Phillies is that it has much less to do with skill than with luck. I'm not saying the Phillies suck; clearly they have had a late season surge that would bring envy from most of the political candidates on the stump these days. But one late inning run proves nothing except making the pennant race a little tighter.

My fave quote in all the coverage from last night was from my boyfriend -"A team is most dangerous when they're backed into a corner."

A 5 and a half deep in the hole corner.

I Know the Times Sports Coverage Sucks...

But I have many needs from my paper in the morning, so I read the Times first. My fave thing so far (and not even from regular Mets writer Ben Shpiegel) from today's paper.

"Over the last two seasons, the Mets have been in first place for a total of 313 days, which ranks first in the major leagues. The Boston Red Sox rank second at 260 days."

Who doesn't feel good reading that? Happy Friday Met fans. Consider yourselves psyched for the evening festivities.

L'Shana Tovah

Happy 5768! Sorry I did not get to this yesterday, I spent the evening celebrating the holiday with friends and family in Pikesville, MD. But I will say I find it highly ironic that the one member of the tribe on the Mets, Shawn Green, managed the hit that brought Carlos B home to win on the eve of Rosh Hashana.

It's all good. Shawn Green can still have dinner with his peeps tonight, as the Mets are off.

Ugh, Ugh and More Ugh

I blame the Mets 13-5 meltdown tonight against the Braves on one thing... my own over-exuberance.

As you may recall, I uttered the words post season in recent days (and yes, italics is whispering). No more. We still have 3 weeks of baseball to get through. It ain't over 'til its over, just ask John McCain.

Until September 30th, I am keeping it all in check. I promise. You all won't be able to bear me otherwise.

V is for....

Victory, as in a 3-2 win over the Braves (who are sinking faster than Senator Larry Craig); Valuable, as in David Wright as a possible MVP with a sweet homer last night; and Victory again for Oli, as he struts his stuff trying to score a playoff spot. Yes fans, I am admitting today that what once seemed just out of reach may just be on the horizon.

We still have to get through the rest of the Braves and the Phillies. But we're playing some vicious ball.

Swept Away

The Mets are sweeping me away. And I can only hope after this week, they are closer to sweeping away the division.

I was in a discussion with the yucky Yankee fans at work and they brought up a great point... the Mets are easily the best team in the NL, probably the only team (when they are playing well) that can compete with the best of the AL. I agree, particularly, because of our hitting. The NL West is most certainly a highly competitive division, but that is because of the great pitching.

Let's hope the bats are movin' around like Fred Thompson's campaign staff. And that would be alot.

A Little Something From My Trip...

I told him I would only be nice until October.

A Wash

So, looks like Cincinnati was a wash. Thankfully, Atlanta came back and kicked Philly's butt. No love lost there from me, I can assure you. The Mets are finally riding a wave, hoping they can stay there. Although history tells me it's tough to maintain the balance. Like a campaign, it is not one appearance that typically sinks you, it is a series of bad ones. Or at least your competitors nibbling away at you (Phillies, Edwards, Giuliani).

I am in Boston for work and was fortunate enough to catch the Sox v. Blue Jays. Love Fenway. But at the end of the day, October is coming. And you know what that means? I am a New Yorker through and through. Although not a Yankees fan.

L'Chaim!

Before I get into baseball, a note for you non Jews out there... L'Chaim is a toast that means "to life". If you're a non-Jew rooting for the Mets who is reading this blog and don't know what L'Chaim means, please leave me a comment as I cannot believe you exist.

And we've got a lot to toast.... the sweep, Pedro back and doing alright (fully report in the morn). Bats that are alive and well. We're 5 games up after Atlanta beat Philly, the poetic justice of which I cannot even begin to write about.

All good. And guess who else lost today? The AL Wildcard is gonna be a nail biter. No gloating, just sayin'.

Now I realize this can all fall in a la last week; I just want to enjoy this moment. Delish.

Mailbag

An O and I reader asks, "What is going to happen to you after the baseball season is over and the Mets have won it all?"

Well, we first need to make it through September, which is where my focus is right now. But my feeling right now is that this blog is primarily about baseball and I am not going to try and make it something else.

Now if Oli gets traded, I am screwed! He is on a one year contract right now, will keep you all posted on this.

It's the 9th Inning...

And the Mets are on the verge of actually beating Atlanta 5-1 at the hands of Mike Pelfrey and Pedro Feliciano.

I'm not complaining, not at all. In fact, I am thrilled. Great hitting, solid pitching, lotsa K's. What is there to bitch about? Especially from pitchers who have given me more heartache than love all summer long.

A beautiful two game winning streak, at the expense of Atlanta. But why does it take the brink of failure to find greatness? This week was the verge of homelessness, with the last 2 days like winning the lottery. What do you do? You go shopping and hope it lasts.

Oh and P.S., the Mets won. No Billy W, but I am suffering too. In true Metfan form, I have a pain in my arm too.

Meet the Mets, Again!

Now I don't want to get out of control. But last night's 7-1 win over the Braves is what I (and all of you, frankly) have been salivating for all season.

We're back baby! Meet the Mets, Meet the Mets... If you need me to tell you the rest, I can. My mother used to sing it to me when I was a kid.

All the boys were back -Jose, Johnny M, and most important Carlos D's three run homer, the spark that set it all off.

I'm happy. Let's hope we see more of it later today.