New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS!

[mws44]

Tommy Glavine

[rawRen1]

Lo Duca has to be one of these guys...

 

[jranieli]

Lo Duca has to be one of these guys...

 

I see JD Drew, you know the one on the left with his tongue out.

[rawRen1]

I think I'll swithch to "House Hunters" now. We'll try to win 1 game somehow...

[jranieli]

Much better from Wags tonight.

[so-cal dub]

Series done. Stick a fork in the Dodgers. There goes my pre season pick.

[so-cal dub]

Bad thing about this, now theres gonna be 1 million pissed off Mexicans in California. Batten down the hatches!!

[xxi-xxv]

Bad thing about this, now theres gonna be 1 million pissed off Mexicans in California. Batten down the hatches!!

 

I am surprised, much like the Cowboys are America's team I just assumed the Mets were South Americas team

[so-cal dub]

I am surprised, much like the Cowboys are America's team I just assumed the Mets were South Americas team

Oh hell no, not in LA. They're the only loyal Dodger fans left.

[xxi-xxv]

Oh hell no, not in LA. They're the only loyal Dodger fans left.

 

geez I had figured this site was huge in the Latin communitylos met

[Plax 4 Prez]

good game guys... should I make a new thread, or just keep this one... I kinda like this better

[gateb]

We have to win the game on Saturday. Because after Trachsel, we have Oliver Perez and I think John Maine. That right there is reason enough to have a sense of urgency to win Saturday. It's not over yet.

[mws44]

good game guys... should I make a new thread, or just keep this one... I kinda like this better

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it brother.

[rawRen1]

Oh hell no, not in LA. They're the only loyal Dodger fans left.

so-cal is right, I switched over to HGTV House Hunters in the 7th inning...

[Plax 4 Prez]

Tonight's when Beltran has a break out game.... we all know he plays better away from Shea... he's hitting .254 at home, and .325 on the road...lol... lets go Mets!!!

[jranieli]

I agree about keeping game 3 thread in here. Why jinxs it.

[Plax 4 Prez]

I agree about keeping game 3 thread in here. Why jinxs it.

alright... and if/when we go to the next round I'll keep all the games in that thread aswell!!!

[Plax 4 Prez]

GAME 1:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Carlos Delgado hammered the ball all over the field in his playoff debut. David Wright also delivered, and the pitching-depleted New York Mets looked like October regulars during their first postseason game since 2000.

 

 

Same Old Story

In their respective NLDS histories, the Dodgers have lost every road game they've played while the Mets have won every home game, streaks that continued Wednesday:

Year Game Opp. Result

Dodgers -- NLDS road games

2006 1 NYY L, 6-5

2004 2 STL L, 8-3

2004 1 STL L, 8-3

1996 3 ATL L, 5-2

1995 3 CIN L, 10-1

1981* 2 HOU L, 1-0

1981* 1 HOU L, 3-1

Mets -- NLDS home games

2006 1 LAD W, 6-5

2000 4 SF W, 4-0

2000 3 SF W, 3-2

1999 4 ARI W, 4-3

1999 3 ARI W, 9-2

* -- An extra playoff series was added in 1981 due to a strike-shortened season.

 

Minus two top starters, the Mets capitalized on a wild baserunning blunder by Los Angeles and a perfectly respectable performance from emergency replacement John Maine in a 6-5 victory Wednesday over the Dodgers.

 

Billy Wagner closed Game 1 of this NL series for his first postseason save, fanning Nomar Garciaparra with a runner on second for the final out.

 

"A lot of guys have been waiting for this time in their life, and I think everybody stepped up today," said 34-year-old catcher Paul Lo Duca, another newcomer to the playoffs.

 

Playing in the first postseason game of his 14-year career, Delgado had four hits, a mammoth homer and the go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning.

 

Wright drove in three runs, helping the Mets jump ahead in the best-of-five series.

 

"I was very excited," Delgado said. "I had butterflies in my stomach the first couple innings. I was saying, 'Whoa, what is going on here?' But I was able to kind of control my emotions and just go out and play."

 

Game 2 is Thursday night, with rookie left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo on the mound for the wild-card Dodgers against 290-game winner Tom Glavine. Kuo pitched six shutout innings at Shea Stadium on Sept. 8 for his only major league win.

 

"We haven't quit all season long, especially these last couple months," Los Angeles manager Grady Little said. "We'll keep coming at you."

 

The Mets started a rookie of their own in the opener after Orlando Hernandez tore a muscle in his right calf while jogging in the outfield Tuesday. He is expected to miss the entire postseason.

 

Already without injured ace Pedro Martinez, New York scrambled Tuesday night to find a healthy, rested starter and picked Maine, an afterthought in the offseason trade that sent Kris Benson to Baltimore for reliever Jorge Julio.

 

The 25-year-old Maine went 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA for the NL East champions, who tied the crosstown Yankees for the best record in baseball at 97-65.

 

Yet he probably would have been left out of the playoff rotation altogether if Martinez hadn't gone down.

 

Game 1 Breakdown

Unsung Hero

Jose Reyes. The speedy shortstop did exactly what a leadoff hitter is supposed to do in the seventh inning. With the score tied at four, he drew a full-count walk to open the frame, stole second with one out and scored the go-ahead run on Carlos Delgado's single to left.

Goat

Grady Little. The manager's decision to use starter Brad Penny in relief could be second-guessed all winter if the Dodgers lose the series. After L.A. scored three runs in the top of the seventh, Penny struggled to find his command in an unfamiliar role. He walked two (throwing 12 of 24 pitches for balls) and allowed two runs on two hits as the Mets took the lead for good.

 

Turning Point

The second inning. With runners on first (J.D. Drew) and second (Jeff Kent) and nobody out, the Dodgers blew a chance to bust the game open and get to the Mets' bullpen early. Kent and Drew were both thrown out at the plate on Russell Martin's single, and L.A. managed to score just one run despite four hits. John Maine allowed only two hits the rest of the way and lasted into the fifth.

 

Law's Take

"The Dodgers can absolutely look at this game as a lost opportunity. They had a huge starting pitching advantage, and cost themselves the game with a couple of mistakes."

More from Keith Law

 

On Deck

Game 2 is Thursday in New York. The Dodgers need Hong-Chih Kuo to deliver to avoid an 0-2 deficit. The rookie left-hander went 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA in five September starts and allowed no earned runs in six innings against the Mets on Sept. 8. Tom Glavine was 8-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 15 starts at Shea Stadium this season.

 

 

"My nerves I think were worse in the second inning than they were in the first," Maine said. "It wasn't too bad."

 

Lifted with a 2-1 lead in the fifth, Maine got a break on a bizarre play when the Dodgers had two runners cut down at home plate in the second.

 

With two on and none out, rookie Russell Martin hit an opposite-field drive off the base of the right-field wall. But Jeff Kent hesitated at second base, apparently thinking the ball might be caught, and got an extremely late jump.

 

That left J.D. Drew, who was on first, practically running up Kent's back as coach Rich Donnelly waved one -- or both -- around third. A quick, accurate relay from right fielder Shawn Green to second baseman Jose Valentin to Lo Duca nailed Kent, who attempted a headfirst dive into the plate.

 

"If I hold him, we've got two guys at third base," Donnelly said. "I was hoping they'd throw the ball away. I didn't really want to send Jeff. J.D. was right behind him, and I thought, one's going to be out and one's going to be safe."

 

Drew was left in no-man's land, trapped about halfway between third and home. Yet Lo Duca, who got spun around on the play at the plate, didn't realize that at first as he struggled to his feet.

 

With Lo Duca unaware for a moment, Drew tried to sneak his way in. But the catcher turned his head, suddenly noticed Drew bearing down on him and applied a second tag as Drew also tried a headfirst dive.

 

"We've been in L.A. all season long. We know about traffic jams. We certainly had one again right there," Little said. "That's a trick play we work on in spring training."

 

It was the kind of sequence you often see in a Hollywood movie, but rarely on a major league field.

 

"We got two for the price of one," Valentin said.

 

Marlon Anderson followed with an RBI double for a 1-0 lead, but that was all the Dodgers got after running themselves out of a potentially big inning.

 

Aaron Heilman worked a perfect eighth for New York, which plans to rely heavily on its deep bullpen all series. Wagner allowed an RBI double to pinch-hitter Ramon Martinez in the ninth before striking out Garciaparra.

 

"We needed this game, as far as momentum goes," Wright said. "We have a team full of igniters. When a couple of these guys get going, it rubs off."

 

With the score tied at 4, Little brought starter Brad Penny out of the bullpen in the seventh. Penny, bothered by a bad back and 3-10 lifetime against the Mets with a 6.16 ERA, walked two of his first three batters.

 

Delgado put the Mets ahead with an opposite-field single, then gave a huge fist pump after rounding first.

 

"I was pretty fired up," he said.

 

Delgado had played the most games of any active player without reaching the postseason. He also was No. 1 on the active home run list without a playoff appearance.

 

"It's nice to see him finally get an opportunity on this stage and come through," Randolph said.

 

Wright's bloop double made it 6-4.

 

The Dodgers tied it at 4-all with three runs in the seventh against reliever Guillermo Mota.

 

Anderson got the rally going with a bunt single, and a throwing error by second baseman Valentin helped Los Angeles. Rafael Furcal's RBI single made it 4-2, and Garciaparra's two-out, two-run double tied it.

 

Delgado's fourth-inning drive landed on top of an elevated camera stand behind the center-field fence and was estimated at 470 feet. Cliff Floyd, hobbled by a score Achilles' heel, added his first postseason homer later in the inning for a 2-1 Mets lead.

 

Wright hit a two-run double off starter Derek Lowe in the sixth to make it 4-1, and gave an enthusiastic fist pump of his own.

 

Game notes

Dodgers Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax watched the game from a box with Mets owner Fred Wilpon. The two were high school teammates growing up in Brooklyn.

[Plax 4 Prez]

GAME 1 PICTURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Plax 4 Prez]

GAME 1 PICTURES CONTINUED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Plax 4 Prez]

GAME 2: Nomar injured; Glavine, Mets put Dodgers in 0-2 hole

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Thanks to a stellar performance by steady Tom Glavine, the otherwise pitching-depleted New York Mets are on the cusp of a first-round sweep.

 

Game 2 Breakdown

Unsung Hero

Endy Chavez. Tom Glavine was the unquestioned star of the game, but Chavez, the Mets' right fielder, went 2-for-4 and scored the Mets' first run.

Goat

Hong-Chih Kuo. The Taiwanese lefty couldn't duplicate his regular-season effort against the Mets. This time the Mets chased him after 4 1/3 innings, 85 pitches and two runs.

 

Turning Point

The bottom of the third inning. Chavez manufactured the game's first run against Kuo when he laid down a perfect drag bunt for a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on a Jose Reyes groundout for a 1-0 lead.

 

Law's Take

"I'm with Bill Simmons. Grady Little hasn't changed. He still can't manage a bullpen, at least not in the playoffs." More from Keith Law

 

On Deck

Game 3 is Saturday in Los Angeles. Trying to avoid a three-game sweep, the Dodgers will send future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux to the mound, but he was 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA against the Mets in '06. Steve Trachsel (15-8, 4.97 ERA) will try to close out the series for New York.

 

 

Making his 33rd postseason start -- but first since joining the Mets in 2003 -- Glavine tossed six shutout innings and New York scratched out enough runs to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in their NL Division Series.

 

"This is the opportunity that I wanted to have here in New York," said Glavine, grateful to be healthy after a blood-clot scare in August. "I understand the opportunity that's in front of me and I understand the expectations on this team, and certainly on me as a player."

 

Jose Reyes drove in two runs from the leadoff spot, 48-year-old pinch-hitter Julio Franco hustled to beat out a potential double-play ball for an RBI, and Billy Wagner earned his second consecutive save.

 

Two days earlier, the NL East champions lost starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez to a calf injury -- leaving him on the sidelines with ace Pedro Martinez all postseason.

 

But suddenly, New York is one win from the NL Championship Series.

 

"A beautifully pitched ballgame," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "Big-money pitcher."

 

The Mets will go for the sweep Saturday in Los Angeles against Greg Maddux, who has 333 career wins. Steve Trachsel will pitch for New York.

 

"We're in a tight spot," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "We've got to come out ready to win three in a row."

 

The Dodgers dropped to 1-11 in the postseason since winning the 1988 World Series.

 

They also lost Nomar Garciaparra in the sixth inning because of a leg injury -- he hobbled across first on an infield hit in the fourth. The All-Star first baseman has been playing with a strained left quadriceps. His status for Game 3 was uncertain.

 

The matchup at Shea Stadium was the second of two playoff games in New York on Thursday. Up in the Bronx, Detroit beat the Yankees 4-3 in the afternoon.

 

The Mets were the only team in the first round to win its first two home games. They capitalized on an embarrassing baserunning blunder for a 6-5 victory in Game 1, when the Dodgers had two runners cut down at home plate on one bizarre play.

 

The 40-year-old Glavine, with 290 major league wins, was facing a 25-year-old rookie who owns one.

 

Hong-Chih Kuo shut out the Mets for six innings on Sept. 8 at Shea in his only big league victory. That was one reason he got the start in this one. The Dodgers also figured a lefty might have success against New York's lineup -- the Mets struggled down the stretch vs. left-handed starters.

 

 

Elias Says

 

 

GlavineTom Glavine pitched six scoreless innings to earn the victory in the Mets' 4-1 win over the Dodgers. Glavine, who has 290 regular-season wins, defeated Hong-Chih Kuo, who has one victory. Here's a surprise: Not only was that not the largest differential in postseason history, but it wasn't even close. The "record" was set during the 1925 World Series, when Walter Johnson of the Senators (397-257 at that time) defeated Emil Yde of the Pirates (33-12).

 

 

• For more Elias Says, click here

 

 

But this time, New York fouled off many of Kuo's tough pitches and chased him in the fifth.

 

"He was tough again," Randolph said. "We just made him pitch a little bit. We had some at-bats where we taxed him a little bit."

 

Glavine was at his deceptive best -- changing speeds, nipping the corners and escaping jams. With runners at first and third in the fifth, he got Kenny Lofton on an inning-ending grounder, then calmly handed Lofton's shattered stick to a Dodgers bat boy.

 

"It was the wrong guy for us to face," Dodgers slugger Jeff Kent said. "A lot of pitches just off the plate, and you get frustrated."

 

Glavine, who beat Los Angeles twice during the regular season, gave up only four hits in his first playoff win since 2001 with Atlanta. After making the playoffs year after year with the Braves, he improved to 13-15 in the postseason with a 3.34 ERA.

 

"I know I've lost a lot of close games in the postseason," Glavine said. "For me, I don't feel as though I have anything to prove. I'm proud of what I've done. I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I'm just trying to live in the moment."

 

Wilson Betemit homered for the Dodgers off Aaron Heilman in the eighth.

 

Randolph mentioned before the game that the Mets needed to have a more patient approach against Kuo this time, and they forced him to throw 51 pitches in the second and third innings alone.

 

Super sub Endy Chavez, starting in right field instead of Shawn Green, dropped a beautiful drag bunt for a hit to start the third. He scampered around the bases on a wild pitch and Glavine's tapper, then scored on Reyes' RBI groundout.

 

"I told you I like Endy. I love him, actually," Randolph said. "The guy can play, that's why he's in the game. No more questions about Endy. He's a big part or our offense and a big part of our team. It's been that way all year."

 

Garciaparra's infield single with one out in the fourth was the first hit off Glavine. Garciaparra didn't even run out a grounder in the sixth, and was removed before the bottom half.

 

Jose Valentin drew a leadoff walk from Kuo in the fifth, Chavez singled and Glavine put down a typically perfect sacrifice. Paul Lo Duca's sacrifice fly made it 2-0.

 

The Mets loaded the bases in the sixth on two singles and a throwing error by reliever Brett Tomko. Franco beat out a potential double-play ball to make it 3-0.

 

"He's stolen a few bases for us. It's amazing how he competes," Randolph said. "That was a huge play for us."

 

Reyes added a two-out RBI single for New York's final run.

 

Game notes

Martinez had successful surgery on his right rotator cuff. He is expected to be sidelined until next June. ... It was the first time the Mets and Yankees hosted playoff games on the same day since Oct. 7, 2000. That day, the Mets edged San Francisco 3-2 on Benny Agbayani's 13th-inning homer, and Oakland's Barry Zito beat Roger Clemens 11-1 at Yankee Stadium. ... The Mets are 6-0 in division series home games. They are 4-0 in five-game playoff series. ... Kuo played high school ball in Taiwan with 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees.

[Plax 4 Prez]

Game 2 Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(the dropped ball by Furcal)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(No!! don't stab Maddux!!! He's not that good anyway..lol )

[Plax 4 Prez]

GAME 2 PICTURES CONTINUED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(sorry, your no Wang..lol)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These Memories Will Stay With Me Forever... ... ... And That Was Just The First Two Games!!!

 

 

GO METS!!!!!!!!!

[Plax 4 Prez]

This 2-0 lead sure feels good by Cliff Floyd

 

It’s a long flight out here, even when you’re up two games to none. It’d be a lot longer, of course, if we were down or tied. But we’ve done pretty good so far. Now the idea is to get it over with and get a couple of days off. We feel good about how we’ve played, and it would be great to play another good one and get some rest.

 

You know what I've liked the most about how we’ve played? You’re gonna laugh at this, but it’s how we got the bunts down, how we executed.

 

I’m a big small guy ... big on small things. I love how you make a pitcher twitch and fuss and take his hat off and rub his head -- all that stuff -- because he gets uncomfortable when you bunt. He’s trying to figure out who and when and where and why. You just let him stand out there and throw the high cheese, he’s thinking he’s in charge. You lay a few down like we did Thursday night and he’s sweating, overanalyzing. Then you can pound him.

 

 

I know, you’re thinking, "Cliff? Bunt?" And I’m not even sure I have a sacrifice bunt in my career. But when I was batting leadoff for the Marlins, I laid some down. I liked it then. I like it now, too -- as long as someone else is doing it.

 

It’s like in basketball: I love to watch a good playmaker. I appreciate what he does. But no way I wanna do it. Just give me the ball and let me shoot. It’s like the Pistons' Rip Hamilton -- I love to watch him run all over the place, tire out the man covering him. If he was on my team, I’d love to watch, as long as he threw the ball to me on the corner and let me bomb.

 

Baseball is the same. I really do like to see small ball. There's nothing wrong with hitting a bomb every so often, but the small ball -- the way we played on Thursday -- that was cool. I might have to get me one of those sacrifice hits...

 

Nah.

 

October 06, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (16)

We're glad that they're on our side

It seemed like, until this year, every time I turned on a TV in October, I saw Tom Glavine or Greg Maddux or John Smoltz or one of those guys with an "A" on their caps in a playoff series. It seemed like it’s been that way my whole life.

 

Braves, Braves, Braves. And now you see why. I mean, it’s not a surprise. But did you notice how Glavine won Game 2 -- one ex-Brave pitches great. The other one -- Julio Franco -- beats out a double-play ball, running on 100-year-old legs. They did what they had to do. Now we’re up 2-0 against the Dodgers.

 

 

It’s nice to have those ex-Braves guys around.

 

I didn’t have to wait to play with Tom and Julio to know that they’re special and that they came from a special place. All you have to know about the Braves is that they won all those years while they were changing their personnel.

 

You don’t lose Glavine and Maddux, Gary Sheffield and Javy Lopez and Rafael Furcal and still win every year, if there isn’t something special with the organization. That’s what we’re trying to do here in New York. You know, get it rolling, so when one of the big guys leaves, you just keep going.

 

That’s was amazing to watch all those years. Just win, win. Lose a 20-game winner, and win some.

 

We’re here now, and that’s great. I’m proud that I’m on a team that ended the Braves' streak of 14 consecutive division titles, because that was an accomplishment. It took a lot of doing. I wasn’t here back in the day when the Braves caused the Mets all those problems, so I don’t have a grudge or anything. I just respect what they did.

 

So watch out for them next year.

 

October 06, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (29)

 

October 04, 2006

Reflections on our Game 1 victory

I said the other day, "I wish I could tape everything that goes on." Maybe I could have one of those helmet cameras. You know, I could tape everything from the same perspective that I saw it when it happened, and then go back and watch it in the winter or 10 years from now.

 

So many things happened in that first game. That play when we threw out two guys at the plate. They said that’s happened before. Whoa! That was great for us. We went from, "Damn, they’re getting two” to “Man, we’re getting two.”

 

I mean, I looked in from left field to Carlos Delgado and David Wright. I’m saying to myself, "What did we just do?" and "How did we do it?” That play was huge.

 

I’d like to see it again, from my vantage point in left.

 

Then Carlos just went off in the fourth -– Boom! He took one over the wall in center field. I loved seeing Kenny Lofton run out of room and just turn around. That’s a beautiful sight.

 

Then Carlos started hitting balls right through the defense. They didn’t overshift against him, because when he came up, there were runners on base. But they shaded him to the right side, and he smoked two hits past Rafael Furcal. He’s taking what they’re giving him. I was happy to see him have a real good first game. I guess you can say he likes this postseason thing.

 

And D. Wright got it done, didn’t he? He’s a different dude. When he was 21, I said he must be 31. Now he’s 23, and he hits like he’s had 10 years in the big leagues. He takes the ball the other way -- and real hard.

 

And old Cliff got himself one, too. That felt good. Seeing that ball get real small ... that’s a thrill. I’d like to have videos of that from all over the place on that one. I’d be showing that off to everyone for the next 20 years.

 

I said the other day that my Achilles was feeling better. But it still is a little sore. But when that ball got small, I didn’t feel it at all. When that went out, I didn’t have no Achilles.

 

October 04, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (60)

 

October 03, 2006

Preparing for the postseason

Your mind is going a mile a minute in the postseason. I remember that from 1997 with the Marlins -- and I wasn’t even playing then. You’ve got tickets and family to worry about before you get to the park. And now, for me, there’s treatment on my Achilles. And right on the heels of that, we find out about El Duque and his calf inury.

 

 

 

 

 

What is it about this team and our legs? Pedro, me, El Duque, Carlos Beltran. You know, there’s enough anxiety without all this other stuff -- more anxiety than you need. You’ve got to put it away. You want to be up. But you don’t want to be over-the-top up.

 

 

 

There is so much to think about. You know when you’re a little kid, really the only teams you want to play when you imagine yourself in the World Series are the Yankees and the Dodgers. Now we’re playing one with a chance to play the other later in the playoffs. That’d be cool. But you don’t go there now. All we think about is Derek Lowe and making him get his pitches up.

 

 

 

He likes to work fast and throw ground balls all day. We’ve got to step out -- mess up his rhythm -- and be patient so we don’t go swinging at pitches early in the count that are out of the strike zone.

 

 

 

I think about the Dodgers, but I wouldn’t have minded playing the Padres with Mike Piazza and Mike Cameron. Cameron’s my boy. When he was here, with the Mets, we were like Frick and Frack. I was Frack. He and Rondell White. They’re both in the postseason. I’d love to play both of them -- Cam next round, Rondell and the Twins in the World Series. But first we have to take care of the Dodgers.

 

 

 

That’s a good team they brought here. And we’re banged up a little. We’ll be all right. I don’t know about El Duque, but I’m getting better. I had that cortisone shot last week, and it’s finally started to work, getting some of that pain out of my leg. I feel pretty good. I was worried about chasing down balls in the outfield, but I feel better, so I’m playing and feeling real good about that. I was worried -- not about playing or not playing -- but about hurting the team if I wasn’t healthy. All want to be is healthy.

 

 

 

And I feel like I am. You know, I might steal a couple of … nah, no. I’ll be happy just to get on base and trot home when someone else goes deep. I probably shouldn’t push it.

 

October 03, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (17)

 

October 01, 2006

It's going to feel like a big hug

I’ve played some center field in my career, but mostly, I’ve played the corner outfield positions and first base. So I’ve usually played with one of the foul lines right there, close by. That’s where I’m most comfortable.

 

 

Sometime Wednesday, I’ll be right on the line, the first base line. And I’ll be real comfortable. All of us will be out there, standing on the line -- all queued up like soldiers -- when we get introduced before the first game of the playoffs. That’s what we’ve been waiting for -- the beginning of playoffs. I’ve been waiting a long time.

 

Pre-game introductions . . . you used to think about things like that when you were a kid. And I’ve thought about it this year, too.

 

Out there with your teammates, the place packed. What could be better? Not many places can be louder. I know that.

 

There’ve been lots of times since I signed with Mets before the 2003 season that I’d wondered if I’d get to do that with this team. I mean, I’ve been out there already -- for the All-Star Game in 2001 and with the Marlins in 1997 when we won the World Series. But I’m sure this will be different, you know, crazy.

 

I know it hasn’t been that long since the Mets were in the postseason. But none of the guys who played in the Subway Series in 2000 is still with us. Trachs has been here the longest, and he got here the next year. Glav and I got here in 2003. We’ve had some tough times. But they’re over now, and we’re going to be on the foul line Wednesday with all those fans and all those jitters. The good jitters.

 

Everything will be going through our minds in the five minutes we’re out there. It’ll pass quick. You know what they say about a New York minute. I just hope I don’t get too amped up and not take it all in. This will be special -- New York in October, the Mets in the playoffs.

 

I think New York is anxious to see us all lined up again. I know they’ll be up. When we’re out there Wednesday, I know it’s going to feel like a big hug.

[Plax 4 Prez]

This is just the begining my fellow Mets... the way we're playing with confidence, and our big hitters performing (with the exception of Beltran) We have a very srong chance to win this whole thing... yes yes one game at a time, but if the Yanks get knocked out I'll feel even more confident that no team can stop us regarless of Pedro, El Duque, and Dunar... that just proves that next year we'll be unstoppable!!!