Blue Jeans Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 (edited) Glavine Looks to Set the Tone The Mets, rebuilt after their renaissance season in 2005, hope to put their best foot and the only left-handed arm in their rotation forward Monday afternoon when they face the Nationals at Shea Stadium. Tom Glavine, the understudy for Pedro Martinez, has drawn the assignment. And as he said three years ago when the Mets were about to launch their season, "You can't win 'em all if you don't win the first one." With a revamped and well-balanced offense and a dominating closer in their bullpen, the Mets will go forward Monday. Carlos Delgado and, perhaps, Billy Wagner will make their Shea debuts and Carlos Beltran will begin to assert himself, he hopes, as he seldom did last season. David Wright and Jose Reyes will resume their burgeoning careers. And they'll all say it's important to get off to a good start. But is it? With all his experiences in the game, Glavine has learned that the season's first game sets a tone that usually lasts for about 15 minutes. Really, that's all. The Mets suffered a dreadful loss to the Reds on Opening Day last season and didn't win until their sixth game. But the 7-6 loss, decided on a final pitch, wasn't the first domino. The Mets didn't lose their second game because Joe Randa beat Braden Looper in the first one. "We all know that's true," Glavine said. "We didn't go 0-162." Yet, he would prefer to win Monday and overcome the '06 inertia. "For all of us and for myself, too," he says. "It's just better that way." But if the Mets had won on Opening Day as dramatically as they lost and then ran off three or four more victories, one of them would have imbued the first game with some special, quasi-permanent power. It's all part of the self-deception that fuels the game and allows its participants to deal with the strain of failure. "We lie to ourselves all the time," David Cone said days after he had started the Mets' Opening Day victory in St. Louis in 1992. "If it's good, we hold on to it and make something more out of it. If it's negative, we move on. Turn the page. You learn pretty early that you can't dwell on the negative. It'll eat you up." The Mets had won on Opening Day that year in fairly dramatic fashion. Bobby Bonilla, who would endure a most trying first season in New York, hit two home runs, the second one coming in the 10th inning and providing the margin of victory in a 4-2 game. They left old Busch that night, pleased with themselves. But they lost the ensuing two games and six of their first eight. (Incidentally, the second baseman on that team was one Willie Randolph.) "All it means if you've lost the first one," former Mets shortstop Kevin Elster said the previous year, "is that you lost one game. But if you win the first one, you feel like you're going to the World Series. "The truth is somewhere in between." On television • WSH: ESPN, MASN, WDCA • NYM: ESPN, SNY On radio • WSH: WTWP 1500 AM and 107.7 FM • NYM: WFAN 660 AM On deck • Wednesday: vs. Washington, 7:10 p.m. ET • Thursday: vs. Washington, 7:10 p.m. ET • Friday vs. Florida, 7:10 p.m. ET Mets probable lineup ---Pos.-- Name 1. SS Jose Reyes 2. C Paul Lo Duca 3. CF Carlos Beltran 4. 1B Carlos Delgado 5. 3B David Wright 6. LF Cliff Floyd 7. RF Xavier Nady 8. 2B Anderson Hernandez 9. P Tom Glavine Nationals probable lineup ---Pos.-- Name 1. CF Brandon Watson 2. 2B Jose Vidro 3. 1B Nick Johnson 4. RF Jose Guillen 5. LF Alfonso Soriano 6. 3B Ryan Zimmerman 7. SS Royce Clayton 8. C Brian Schneider 9. P Livan Hernandez Pitching matchup WSH: RHP Livan Hernandez • 15-10, 3.98 ERA in 2005 • 2-2, 6.16 ERA in 2005 vs. NYM • 10-10, 4.52 ERA lifetime vs. NYM NYM: LHP Tom Glavine • 13-13, 3.53 ERA in 2005 • 3-1, 2.93 ERA in 2005 vs. WSH Glavine on the mound, the center fielder Brandon Wastson up to bat... The wind up... The pitch... (insert pitch here). LETS GO METS!!! Edited April 2, 2006 by Blue_Jeans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gateb Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 It may be rained out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jeans Posted April 2, 2006 Author Share Posted April 2, 2006 EDIT YOUR POST NOW, GATEB! THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! T-Showers High 53°F Precip 40% 40 Percent Chance. We only need it to last 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gateb Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 EDIT YOUR POST NOW, GATEB! THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! T-Showers High 53°F Precip 40% 40 Percent Chance. We only need it to last 5. Hey, I'm just hoping for a rain delay to start the game for my own selfish needs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax 4 Prez Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I hope the game gets played Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GorillaNJ Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Hey, I'm just hoping for a rain delay to start the game for my own selfish needs A rain delay would be nice, maybee start the game at 3:30 this way I can get home intime to catch the late innings. Normally I would take a half day today and watch the game in a cozy bar, but I have to be at some meetings today so it is not a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 LETS GO METS clap clap..... clap clap clap !!!!! i'm hoping for a rain delay too so i can catch some of it when i get home from work ....its good to see so many Mets fans on this Board !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jeans Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 No rain delay please! I cut school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jeans Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 1/2 hour left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 29 minutes left.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jeans Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 Looks like Delgado learned to show some respect for our country. That is nice to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Where the fuck is the game? It's 1:15 dammit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 3 quick outs for the bad guys. Mets are up to bat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jranieli Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 3 quick outs for the bad guys. Mets are up to bat. This sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 This sucks. What? "Watching" the game on MLB.com or not being able to see what's going on? Glavin has a no hitter going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jranieli Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 What? "Watching" the game on MLB.com or not being able to see what's going on? Glavin has a no hitter going. edit. i know what you mean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 0/0 top of 2nd... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 There goes the perfect game. No hitter still intact. C'mon double play.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jranieli Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 0/0 top of first... Sweet I got it now but had to sign up on MLB.tv What I did was used my credit card but was able to change my billing information to Fort Lauderdale, Fl. I got it for a month. I heard that it works. not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Sweet I got it now but had to sign up on MLB.tv What I did was used my credit card but was able to change my billing information to Fort Lauderdale, Fl. I got it for a month. I heard that it works. not bad. Nice....bring 'em some luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jranieli Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 nice glavin, pair of one out walks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 B to B walks. C'mon Glavin!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jranieli Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Great, got out of that jam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jeans Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 I am going to strangle myself if I have to see that commercial again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jranieli Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I am going to strangle myself if I have to see that commercial again. What commerical? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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