If the baseball season were cut to 144 games and the games were shortened to eight innings, these Mets would be a dynasty.

However, forced to play the full schedule and the whole nine, they are a mess.

That’s a quote from Wallace Matthews column this morning.  Normally I hate reading what he has to say.  He is the epitome of a Yankee fan.  In the last few weeks as the Yankees hopes of post season slowly dwindle, he is looking more and more like a typical borough hopper.  However, this isn’t an opinion.  It’s fact.  It feels like every loss in the last month maybe longer have been losses that just should not have happened.  Losses that happened in the 9th inning when we held the lead for the entire game.  Those last three outs is the worst Mets Killer this year. More often than not it’s just that one final strike.  Bleh.  That’s all I have to say.  Bleh.

I think I may pass on watching tonight’s game.  Why would I do this without having any other big Friday night plans?  I’m ashamed to admit this but I (not-so) secretly hope they lose tonight.  Gasp!  It’s for completely selfish reasons.  I’m going to the game on Saturday. I don’t want to blemish my perfect 4-0 record.  While I am thrilled about this current six game winning streak, I have little faith that they can extend it to an eight game streak.  I know.  I know.  I feel terrible.  What kind of fan am I?

In other news… um… yikes!

I’d like to take this time to thank Billy Wagner for completely blowing yesterday’s save. 

No really.  I would like to bake Billy some brownies to say thanks.  For what you ask?  For putting this team in a position to prove that they CAN defeat their biggest rival in sudden death.  That’s exactly what it would have been for the Mets if they had not pulled through and won that game—death.  Thankfully we don’t have to go there. Obviously, Tatis and Smith both deserve big thanks, too.  (Share your brownies Billy!)

I can’t believe I had to wait until Sunday to see another win. Oh, I mean… I totally CAN believe it.  Writing about my fabulous Friday afternoon after a miserable loss just seemed wrong.  If they didn’t win yesterday this post may have never happened.  I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, yet. 

I arrived at work on Friday morning wanting to tell everyone that I was going to the game that afternoon.  Yet, at the same time I was still a little worried I may not even get into the stadium after purchasing tickets on ebay.  Really what is preventing anyone from selling the same e-ticket over and over?  Eventually I couldn’t hold it in.  Possibly the best part of the day were the Yankee fans groveling. It was sad really.  haha

Noon came and my day in the office was over.  I changed my clothes, fixed my pig tails, grabbed my cohort and we were off to the Bronx for my final game at Yankee Stadium (and only my third).  We arrived about 1:30ish and found our seats, no thanks to an usher mind you.  I only saw one usher the whole day.  I usually avoid ushers at Shea but in an unfamiliar stadium it would have been helpful. Then we went off for food and returned to our someone else’s seats but not before being harassed by the concession stand guy for being a Mets fan. It was all in good fun though.  Upon our return we ended up one section closer to home plate in seats that belonged to a large group of the FDNY.  This worked out great.  A good half of them didn’t show up until the fourth inning which is why we never realized we were in the wrong section.  Until then we had so much space around us which was nice on a day where the air felt suffocating.  Thanks to being in the middle of a bunch drunken firemen most of the taunts we all in good fun amongst friends.

There was a group of Yankee fans in a section behind us who decided it would be a good idea to boo every Mets fan who walked by for the first few innings. Mostly the reaction of Mets fans was to raise their hands and give them their biggest smile. In fact I didn’t notice on Mets fan talk back to them. My favorite moment during all of this happened when a fellow Mets fan walked by holding two pretzels. He was booed.  He raised his pretzels and a Yanks fan shouted “Go Eat A Pretzel!!” That was a gem if I ever heard one.  All this nonsense stopped when the Mets took the lead in the fifth inning and never gave it back.

Just when I give in to the suckage of this team and decide to just enjoy baseball good or bad I get my very first rain out.  So what are you supposed to do during this time?  I thought I would walk around and take some photos of Shea but taking a bunch of photos with people just standing around doesn’t really capture the feel I was hoping for.  Instead I just became one of those people standing around. 

I have to say - rain delays - boring.  Really they can’t even put some music on for us???  Let us watch whatever SNY is airing.  Even Beer Money would have been better than just nothing.

Then it happened… activity in the Rangers dugout. Rangers on the field in the pouring rain.  What the heck is going on???  Rangers running out onto the tarp.  Were they inspired by Wagner and Schoenwies and are helping out the grounds crew?  No.  It’s Slip n’ Slide time!!!  They were having to much fun.  I loved it.  Then it appeared that security was about to ruin their fun.  I though they were about to give in until they all just gave it one last run and sliiiiiiide.  (I would have loved to have seen the yellow rain coats go out and run after them.) No sign of any Mets players though.  Heaven forbid they have ANY fun out on the field.  I know.  I know… too risky. We don’t need anyone else on the DL.

[More photos]

Oh… but it’s Friday the 13th.  Freaky things are supposed to happen today, right?

I watched Ollie’s horrific first inning.  I watched multiple base runners left stranded.  I watched until the end of the 5th inning.  It was just shy of midnight and the score was 6-1 Giants when I opted for sleep over baseball.  History tells us the odds were not in our favor to win.  So why was I shocked when I looked at the box score of the game this morning?  I suppose with all this turn around in the last week (not to mention that the Giants are just a bad team) I had faith that the Mets could pull something together to score some runs. Some runs.  As in more than one freakin’ run. Even more than the fact that we couldn’t score I was surprised that they allowed 4 more runs to score on them.  But why?  Why am I shocked by this?  I am freakin’ delusional when it comes to this team. 

So, the last three days did I really see the 2008 New York Mets or was that just a hiccup in the space/time continuum?  When you see things like a Luis Castillo home run and Carlos Delgado wearing a dirty uniform and a nearly flawless bullpen you have to wonder just a little bit.  After the victory last night I am convinced that the game on Wednesday was in fact was the turning point that everyone has been talking about.  I needed a little more proof before I was ready to lay it all on the line again.  I didn’t even need a win.  I just needed to see this team play to win.  I don’t know what else I can say at this point that hasn’t already been said. 

Let’s Go Mets!  Yay!  *warm happy tingly feelings*