SHEA Goodbye: In A Parallel Universe

Bottom of the eighth inning, Jose Reyes on second base, Carlos Beltran on first, two outs and here comes the hot hitting Carlos Delgado to the plate. Delgado has a chance to right the wrongs of the top of this inning, when Scott Schoenweiss and Luis Ayala gave up back to back home runs to give the Florida Marlins the lead at 4-2. This is it. Right here. The New York Mets season and their beloved Shea stadium hang on for dear life, everyone hoping that Carlos Delgado can extend the season and give these 56,000 die hard fans and all of New York a chance to see the postseason. There hasn't a been a bigger at bat for Delgado in his career. He has come up clutch throughout this season, getting the big hits when the Mets needed them and all he has to do is get one more. So Arthur Rhodes, the journey man pitcher comes to his set stance and gets ready to pitch to Carlos here with the game on the line and the go ahead runs for the Mets on base. Rhodes is set, he delivers and its low and outside, ball one. Delgado steps off the plate for a second, fixes his batting gloves, you can see the determination in his eyes. Carlos steps back in the batters box and gets ready. Here's the second pitch from Rhodes. It's a called strike on the inside. Wow, that was close. So the count is even now at one ball and one strike. The crowd is getting increasingly louder as the pressure and tension mounts with every pitch. If Delgado can get his bat on one here and drive it out, then we are all going to be rejoicing and hugging. This Mets team has been through a lot this season and as you can see from last inning, they have had to endure a very shaky bull pen. But Carlos Delgado can make that all disappear right now with one swing. So, Reyes has a small lead at second, as does Beltran at first. Rhodes gets set and gets his sign from the catcher. Here comes the pitch....bam...its a deep, fly ball, going towards the warning track is the center fielder Maybin, going back, going back.....its...its....its OUTTA HERE!!!!! A three run home run for Carlos Delgado. He has done it again and the Mets have taken the lead here in the bottom of eighth inning 5-4. Can you believe it!?!? Delgado rifles one to deep left center and he has given this ball park a shot in the arm and everyone is going crazy. Oh my God! That was awesome! The scoreboard here at Shea stadium had just flashed the final score out at Milwaukee and the Mets and Carlos Delgado knew they had to win to force a one game playoff tomorrow back here at Shea Stadium and Delgado comes up in the clutch one more time. This place is rockin' and the Mets are 3 outs away from playing a significant game in September to see if they will get to the playoffs. What a way to send off Shea Stadium. All of the old timers here today and the legends that wore the Mets uniforms have witnessed the beauty of baseball and for one day the Mets can celebrate an astounding win.


That is how things would have happened if my mind could control the way the Universe goes. The Mets would have won the game and with their momentum sky rocketing, they would have beat the Brewers the next day and moved on to play the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series. Unfortunately, my mind control also would have had the Mets lose to the Cubs in four games, but it would have been back at Shea for a memorable last moment and the Cubs would go on to win the World Series against the Angels, overcoming their 100 year curse of not winning the World Series.

THANK YOU OHIO!

Once a year, a group of football loving friends from Brooklyn, New York get together and travel to another city away from the friendly confines of their home stadium to watch the New York Jets play an opponent as the visiting team. These buddies usually consist of the same crew, sometimes substituting one or two different guys here and there. They plan this trip based on what tickets are available at the other teams stadiums and when the travel plans all work out for the group. They know they must travel with at least four guys because it makes for easier sleeping arrangements in the hotel rooms and when the other teams fans start a fight they know they have a chance to get one guy out alive to tell all the families about what happened.
In 2004, one of the guys in the group came up with the plan for the annual "away" trip. He had played collegiate baseball for the Columbia University Lions and during his summers he would play baseball in the Ohio amateur leagues. During these summers, he befriended many fellow college students from the great state of Ohio, who were attending the Ohio State University and were playing on the universities baseball team. He kept in touch with these lads and maintained a friendship that, unbeknownst to them, would be the key component to this amazing trip. After securing the 4 tickets to the November 21st, Jets versus Browns game in Cleveland, the orchestrator of this memorable weekend somehow snagged 4 more tickets for the day prior to that, the November 20Th Ohio State/Michigan college football game in Columbus, Ohio. These tickets were not only for one of the greatest sports rivalries ever, they were also on the 50 yard line, which is basically the best seat in the house. And the house in which they were going to see this game is known as the "U". With its present seating capacity of 102,329, Ohio Stadium or the "U" (which describes its shape) is the fourth largest on-campus facility in the nation. Since the opening game against Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 7, 1922, more than 36 million fans have streamed through the stadium's portals. To be able to see a game there is an experience, but to see a grudge match against the Michigan Wolverines there is something that cannot be duplicated.
So the tickets were gotten and the table was set for what was beginning to look like one of the greatest weekends for Football fans ever, all occurring in the wonderful state of Ohio. One phone call later, the summer baseball friendships that had been developed, came back to help them and lodging was set up. All the parts began to fit together and the trip was now a reality for these adventurous bunch of die-hard sports fans. They rented a car and left for Columbus on the morning of Friday, November 19Th 2004. After several stops for gas, food, bathroom breaks and driver changes, the crew arrived on Ohio State's campus just before 8:30pm local time. They pulled up to the apartment complex where the previously mentioned friends lived, with the rest of the Ohio State baseball team. Tired and somehow still hungry, the Brooklynites stumbled out of the car, stretching and complaining of sore backs and immediately were met with cheers from the already partying hosts. They told them to get their Buffalo-wing-eating-pants on and to get back in to the car to follow all of them to the local sports bar for beers and of course, Buffalo wings. The next thing to happen solidified this trip as one of the most unforgettable ones there ever could be. Just as they all got to the bar to order beers they noticed the pockets of people wearing blue sweatshirts with the stamped MICHIGAN in yellow on them and they also noticed that every ones jaws were dropped. It had been from watching the most brutal brawl in Professional Basketball history. Everyone, including the crew, had just witnessed the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers go punch for punch and blow for blow with each other on the court in Indianapolis. Ron Artest, Jermain O'Neal and Stephen Jackson were the main contributors of the fight, which resulted in numerous suspensions. There were fans getting punched square in their faces court side, there were beers and miscellaneous debris getting thrown onto the court from the stands and there were players off the court climbing up in the stands pummeling other fans on their way up. It was complete mayhem and it was happening right in front of their eyes, live on TV. What a way to start a fun filled football weekend! So they watched the brawl, ate some hot wings and drinks some beers and went back to the apartment complex to get geared up for the 6 am wake up call they were going to get the next morning for the tailgate.
Next morning, 8 am, the crew and the guys on the baseball team get down to the streets in front of the stadium and they did their tailgating. What a great time, mingling with Alumni, current students, parents and families. What a sight to see. All these supporters of a college football team, with such tradition and history. They will always have these fans, no matter how bad or how good they do because as it is with college sports, fans usually are alumni or family of alumni and that bond is stronger then it is with pro sports teams. These college fans were there to experience the atmosphere everyday. They were a part of the team, whether they played on them, supported them, had classes with them or payed for them to be there. College sports has so much heart and soul, nothing will ever change that. Each person that wears their schools colors has an unquestioned pride because they know that this school was a part of their life.
So these four friends from Brooklyn engulfed themselves in this phenomenon, which couldn't compare to nights at Madison Square Garden or afternoons at Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium. This crew that just drove nine and half hours west, walked into the Ohio Stadium and took their seats at the 50 yard line and as the rest of the fans filed in all they could do was look on in amazement at the sights and sounds of this enormous sporting event. The game itself was just awesome. The Ohio State Buckeyes upset the Number 7 Michigan Wolverines 37-21. The most memorable highlight for the crew was watching Teddy Ginn Jr. run back an 82-yard punt return for a score in the third quarter, which caused an eruption of thunderous cheers from the 103,000 fans at the "U". Never had any of these guys heard such a raucous before, especially at a football game. After the game the crew enjoyed the festivities of the campus wide parties celebrating the win over the hated Wolverines. The Ohio State experience was really only half the fun. The boys had another game to get to. They woke up the next morning, Sunday, with severe hangovers and piled back into the rental car and headed to the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Indians and the Browns, Cleveland. They arrived just in time to get in some tailgating and do a couple of J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets chants. Then they made their way to their second stadium in the state of Ohio in as many days. They gazed upon this modern sports arena that sits on the shores of Lake Erie. Cleveland Browns Stadium, with its Dawg Pound in the bleachers on the east side of the stadium and its Kentucky blue grass field, is one of the nicest facilities these guys had ever seen, but it really didn't matter how nice it was, their beloved Jets were about to play and all they cared about was another win. The crew got just that. With a 10-7 win for the Jets, the boys from Brooklyn ended up with a perfect record for the weekend going 2 for 2 thanks to teams from "the birth place of Aviation".
When it comes to big sports weekend trips, this one is at the top of the list. Many men and women would give up a lot, to experience something like these friends did together, especially seeing so many different sports happenings. And being able to find one state in our great union that offers up a chance to experience all this in a span of three days just goes to show that fun times are out there where ever you live.

Stop Me If You've Heard This Before....

This might sound familiar. The Mets have 2 weeks left in their season, have a lead in their division and the teams they have left to play, except for one, are out of playoff contention. The Mets have full control of their destiny, they have the power to step up and put away sub par teams when it matters most. They need one or two good outings from their starting pitchers or they need that one big hit from their stars. For the most part, the Mets have more talent and bigger payrolls then the teams they will have to face down the stretch. At the most, they only have to win a couple games to ensure their playoff birth. Does this all sound too familiar? If it does, then you were watching baseball last year and you witnessed the Mets collapse and now, you are seeing the same thing happen all over again exactly the same way. It feels like the Twilight Zone. How is it that a team can end their season exactly the same way, with the same negativity and embarrassment two years in a row? In sports history, no team has collapsed in consecutive seasons. There has never been a team that with the lead in their division, gave it up the last two weeks of the season twice in two years. Although, if you watch closely, you might see history in the making. If the Mets continue to lose to below average teams this year, like the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves these last two weeks, then they will go down in sports history as the biggest choke artists ever assembled. Why is it so difficult for them to learn from their mistakes? What does it take to motivate a team to win? Could it be the thought of utter collapse again? Could be the sound of boos coming from your home stadium? Could it be your heart telling you to just push it a little farther? Could it be the desire to be a champion and to succeed? The Mets have one more chance tonight, September 17th, 2008, to show to their fans and quite frankly to themselves, that they are beyond the dark shadows they cast at last season's end. That they have the fire within, that will finally be let loose to burn down the images of the epic collapse that has been following them around for the last year. This is it. There are no more second chances. There is not another opportunity out there to try again. If the Mets lose and find a way to miss the playoffs again this year, the repercussions will be drastic. There is a dim light of hope still shining in New York that our wonderful city will be represented in the 2008 Major League Baseball postseason, but the energy that powers that light is quickly running out. Lets all hope that last year doesn't happen again.

Here We Go Again

As the 2008 major league baseball season comes to a close, a lot of attention will be payed to what the NY Mets will do compared to last year's epic collapse. Many players on the Mets have told the media, time and time again that last year is behind them and that this year is a different scenario. These players seem to be trying to convince themselves that this is not going to be the same as 2007. But there are some of the same things happening now that were happening last year. Pitching decisions and clutch hitting with players in scoring position are severe problems all over again. Jose Reyes for instance, is batting .211 in the month of September this year, he hit .205 in September of 2007. Without Reyes getting on and stealing bases at the top of the lineup, the Mets as a team will not succeed and it was one of the main reasons the Mets couldn't get wins last year. This year, although the team leads the league in runs scored the first three innings of the game, the big bats seem to disappear late in games when their are players in scoring position. Last year, the Mets failed to get guys on base, in to score when the game was on the line and now, this year, the same thing is happening. The pitching last season in September was just bad and guys like Glavine and Pedro looked as if they were dreaming of playing golf and attending cock fights. This year, the Mets bullpen can not secure any lead what so ever. No matter how big or how small the Mets lead is in the game, the bullpen has found a way to give it away and lose it. They have blown 28 saves this season, that is a horrendous statistic. Jerry Manuel is really just handcuffed by his options in the bullpen and it is hard to blame him entirely, but when situations like last night occur, as an observer, you have to scratch your head. Last night, the Mets were down 4-1 starting the 8th inning and Jerry Manuel brought in Rincon from the bullpen to pitch. Rincon immediately retired the first two batters he faced and he did it easily. Manuel then decided to bring in Duaner Sanchez to face the next guy, why? No one really will know, probably because of the match up situation. Of course, Sanchez then allows guys to get on and then gives up a three-run home run to Elijah Dukes to push the lead to 5 runs. Why did Manuel take out Rincon who seemed to be pitching well? It doesn't matter now, but fans have to hope that the Managers and players learn from all these mistakes. That's how you separate this year from last year, its learning from the mistakes. If the Mets don't do the same things and don't make some of the same mistakes as last year and if they are more in tune to the urgency of their predicament, then things won't end up like they did during that epic collapse. Get hits with players in scoring position, be careful with the choices of pitches thrown and the pitchers throwing them and be aware that any more losses this year will mirror last year and the Mets will be home once again while other baseball teams play in October.

How To Lose to the Brady-Less Patriots in 10 Steps

Step 1: Miss a 31 yard field goal in the first quarter, after a long drive down the field to start the game.
Step 2: Get penalized 6 times for a total of 60 yards on mental errors like, 12 men on the field, twice.
Step 3: Give the Patriots great field position on every one of their drives.
Step 4: Start on your own 20 yard line on every one of your drives.
Step 5: Trade for a hall of fame quarterback in the off-season and then don't use him on all three downs from the 5 yard line in the red zone when trying to take the lead.
Step 6: Punt the ball out of bounds.
Step 7: Throw an interception.
Step 8: Drop key passes.
Step 9: Let a quarterback who has not started a meaningful game since 1999, while he was in high school, beat your defense with slant passes and short routes.
Step 10: Maintain your status as Bill Belichick's Bitch.

Headshot and Comp Card

Carlos Del-Got-It!

Since June 27th, slightly one week after Willie Randolph was fired from the New York Mets, Carlos Delgado has been one of the best hitters, leading all the majors with 65 RBIs during that span. It looks like the tale of two Carlos'. Prior to the Willie firing, Delgado was hitting .229 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs. Very dim numbers for a power hitting slugger like Delgado. The New York Mets, coincidentally were in fourth place and one game under .500 at the time. And then things changed. Jerry Manuel becomes the new Manager of the Mets, replacing Willie and the new Carlos Delgado becomes the slugger and spark plug the Mets needed replacing the old Carlos Delgado. No one has admitted or stated that the firing of Randolph was what got Delgado going, but having Jerry Manuel as a coach made things a little easier because there was no more discussions everyday of when Willie would be gone and the team could now focus on baseball and winning. Manuel is an honest guy, who tells it like it is and he has no problem calling out players on their mistakes and on their accomplishments. Manuel doesn't play contracts he plays the hot hand, so for instance when Delgado was struggling, Manuel moved him down in the batting order, ignoring his big contract, but knowing that would allow Delgado to adjust and get back to form. That is exactly what happened and when Delgado stayed hot, Manuel moved him back up in the order and neither of them have looked back since. These are the things that Coaches and Managers do to get the most out of their teams and its also being able to trust your abilities and your communication skills as a Manager that will spawn success. Delgado has flourished and as recent as last night (Sunday, September 7th), he has been the difference maker in big games, hitting home runs and lifting the team on his back and carrying them to a win. He has driven in runs when the Mets were down and he has made defensive plays at first base that some people were shocked to see, given his shaky fielding history. All of these positive things going on around Delgado are so much more important now, because the Mets have to make a decision on his contract at the end of the season. They can either buy him out for $4 million or they can pick up his option and pay him $12 million. This is an $8 million decision, but when you think about what he has done and if the Mets make the playoffs, it is more like a no brainer decision. There aren't many first baseman out in the market, other then Mark Texeira, that the Mets can afford to bring in. Delgado's numbers so far rival those of any first baseman out there currently and he ends up being cheap compared to that of a free agent like Texeira, who will be demanding a hefty amount of money. To be able to have a veteran leader like Carlos Delgado on your team is hard to come by. A lot of baseball teams are young and don't have a veteran leading them with his voice and his bat and glove simultaneously. The Mets will need Carlos next year, especially with the emergence of young players like Daniel Murphy, Nick Evans, Mike Pelfrey, Jose Reyes and David Wright. When teams talk about their future and their young talent, they are talking about investments and they always hope they can surround them with veterans like Delgado to protect those investments.

Green Living (pick your shade): PART 2

So, after all the information and confusing circumstances surrounding the Jets/Dolphins game yesterday (Sunday, September 7th), things ended up like they always do. The Jets defeated the Dolphins, narrowly escaping a comeback at the end of the game from Chad Pennington wearing his new white and teal green jersey, but still looking like the old Chad when he wore the gang green jersey for the Jets. Brett Favre, fortunately, looked like the old Brett Favre as well, throwing a 61-yard touchdown pass to Jericho Cotchery. Then, later on in the game, after finding out that Mike Nugent, the place kicker for the Jets wasn't able to kick because of an earlier injury, Brett used some of his old magic and on 4th down and 13 yards to go, he eluded a tackler and just before he went down with a sack, threw a up a prayer of a pass and hit Stuckey, a wide receiver for the Jets in the end zone for another touchdown. Watching Favre move around the field and sling rifle shots everywhere was like watching a different Jets team that none of us have seen in the last decade. Favre instantly brought a sense of leadership and talent that has not been seen during a Jets game for a long time and he gives them a chance to win any game they are involved in.
After Favre threw his first touchdown pass as a Jet yesterday, you saw the youth and excitement inside him and you understood at that moment why he returned to play the game he loves so dearly. You saw him jump and flail his arms about with utter glee as if he had just thrown his first pass ever. Favre knew he could still compete and that he still had the passion to win and play football for at least another season and as a Jets fan, I am very happy he chose to do that wearing a new shade of Green, here in New York.

Green Living (pick your shade)

This weekend there will be a couple of shades of green being worn by players in the NFL that have never donned them before. For 16 years, Brett Favre wore Packer Green as the main color on his jersey in Green Bay, Wisconsin. For 9 years, Chad Pennington wore Gang Green as the main color on his jersey in New York, NY. Tomorrow, September 7th, 2008, Mr. Pennington will be wearing the new shade of Teal Green in sunny Miami, Florida for the Dolphins, while playing against Mr. Favre wearing the previously mentioned Gang Green for the Jets. To even further the confusion and deep rooted storyline, the Dolphins and Jets are rival teams in the same division. So, here it goes, Brett retired from the NFL all together, then came back to play for the Packers again, but they didn't want him so they traded him to New York, who then released the popular yet short armed Chad who was immediatley picked up by the enemy Dolphins, who are coincidentally managed by the man who drafted Pennington, Bill Parcells. Interesting chain of events huh? At 1pm this Sunday, for the first time in NFL history, two quarterbacks who were basically traded for eachother will meet for the opening game of the season starting against eachother.

Baseball and All Its Beauty

There has always been a saying in baseball, "its a long season". This quote has so much depth and meaning that it basically defines the ups, downs and ins and outs of baseball as a sport. Every season, fans and media alike get super excited about spring training and the start of another year of America's past time. Sports writers get together and cover all the news they can in March and April in Arizona, Florida and Las Vegas as each Major League baseball team plays meaningless spring training games, gearing up for the long, hot summer days approaching. No one realizes that we are all about to embark on journey that lasts "a long time". And we, as fans, eat it all up. We debate and squabble about whose team is going to win it's division and which players look skinnier and more fit. Then the day finally comes, peanut bags start flying through the air, beer is getting sold at sky rocketing prices, hot dogs spin on metal rollers cooking slow and squirting beef juices everywhere. And as you enter these stadiums, these shrines to one of the greatest games ever, the smell of food and brew, dirt and grass, pine tar and leather fill the atmosphere letting everyone know "the long season" has begun.
162 games, no other sport has so many in it's season. The reason baseball has so many games, I believe, is so that everyone has a fighting chance. Some teams begin the season, the first 30-40 games playing mediocre or below average baseball, staying at the bottom of their divisions and making their fans think, "man this is going to be a long season". But, as the All-Star break nears, things begin to change. Teams who hadn't shown any life yet, start to come alive and win same games. These teams try and put together a streak that will give them some momentum before they stop for about ten days. These teams do this and begin the second half of the season with a new perspective and a new feeling of empowerment. The "long" baseball season allows teams to go on hot streaks and cold streaks ans still be able to have a chance at the post season. We saw it last year with the Colorado Rockies and I see it this year with my favorite team, the NY Mets. The Mets are one of those clubs this year, who didn't have an identity the first half of the season, who were hovering around third and fourth place in their division. But they did something a lot of teams have done it the past and that's show resilience. They went through a manager change and a face lift of sorts. The Mets began to show their fans and the media in NY that they weren't going to collapse again like they did last year. But that they were going to do just the opposite. They were going to rise from the dead and make a run for the postseason. Baseball gave the Mets a chance to try again, because of "the long season", the players on the Mets started to come through with big hits and pitch deeper into games. They moved up in the National League Eastern division, beating the teams ahead of them and displaying a trait that represents baseball to its fullest, endurance. Being able to endure "the long season" and come out on top is a difficult task. Other sports, like football for instance, don't have any room in it's season for error. If a team begins 0-3, that hole they have dug for themselves goes too deep most of the time to climb out. There is no luxury in football like there is in baseball, where a team can lose a lot and the win a lot and still be able to compete for the top spot in their division.
Baseball is a fans sport, a sports writers sport, a family sport and a fun, exciting and "long lasting" sport. To know that 6 out of the 7 days of the week there is a baseball game going on that you can watch or attend is priceless. There is nothing better then coming home and watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN every night, hearing the opening music and seeing John Kruk, Tim Kurkjian, Karl Ravech and Peter Gammonss sit there, ready to tell you everything they know about the day in baseball. I feel like a little kid, glued to the Saturday morning cartoons, when I watch Baseball Highlights. Baseball gives you that feeling, it gives you that opportunity to be young and anxious about something. Every time I walk into a baseball stadium, I want to grab my father's hand again and walk out into the vastness of the field and the stands. I want to eat three hot dogs right away, with mustard and sauerkraut and I want to scream at the opposing team, telling them that they are not that good, even if they are. I enjoy basking in the beauty of the sport and all its statistics and all its rules. I get goosebumps just thinking about the postseason and those playoff games where the big slugger comes up in the ninth inning with the game on the line. If I had my way, I would extend the season to 250 games so that I could watch baseball two thirds of the year. I would have two breaks, the All Star Break and the Winter Break and then play the rest of the season at dome stadiums. That last part is crazy and is inconceivable, but it just shows you how much I love the game and that it can never be "too long".