STRAP IN

By Tom "Mr Star" Starita
Posted Thursday, August 16, 2007

Thursday – Atlanta 7 – Mets 6

What We Learned

1) John Maine has hit the proverbial wall
2) Shawn Green should not be a starter on a major league team
3) I like Sosa in the bullpen, even if Willie won’t play the infield in
4) The team showed a lot of heart in the ninth inning
5) Willie Harris becomes the latest in a long line of obscure Braves to rip our hearts out

To me this was the worst loss of the year, no ifs ands or buts. Three outs were recorded in the ninth inning, all on great plays. Castillo just missed beating out the chopper off the plate, Delgado was robbed in a manner which almost caused me to throw my remote at my 42” flat screen hanging on the wall and Moises was THIS CLOSE to being ruled safe at first. The ending was so horrible I actually went to the gym, and for those of you who know me know I have NO inclination of hanging out with meatheads for any length of time.

Friday – Florida 4 – Mets 3

What We Learned

1) Brian Lawrence will make you nervous during every inning but somehow get out of the jam
2) Apparently Carlos Beltran wasn’t murdered by an evil doppelganger and CAN hit the ball
3) I like Sosa in the bullpen
4) Billy isn’t perfect

When you lose a lead in the ninth inning a day after the worst loss of the year your Friday night is pretty much over. The highlight for me was the Chinese food I ordered from Lucky Fortune during the sixth inning.

Saturday – Florida 7 – Mets 5

What We Learned

1) Those who were concerned David Wright would turn into a weak singles hitter MIGHT have overreacted a tad.
2) Tom Glavine has thrown three really good games in a row – with one win.
3) Christine Glavine might be justified in shanking Bill Mota in the showers.
4) Even from Mezz 16 we could see Reyes was safe.
5) I miss Sosa.
6) The Shea crowd and Mets fans in general have NO faith in Carlos Beltran.

This was the kind of game where the residents of Mezz Section 16 were confident going in. After sitting together for the past four months we have started to gel as a group. Unfortunately no amount of jokes and ball busting can prevent Bill Mota from giving up a big hit, nor can it prevent Aaron “Uncle Sandy” Heilman from throwing 80 pitches in the eighth inning. It all adds up to an utterly disgusting loss, the hat trick of garbage games.

Sunday – Mets 10 – Florida 4

What We Learned

1) Oliver Perez has hit the proverbial wall as well
2) Moises Alou is a professional hitter
3) Delgado’s home run reminded me of the one he hit during Game 1 of the NLDS last year
4) I like Sosa in the bullpen
5) The Mets ARE capable of scoring tack on runs
6) Jose Reyes became the first player I ever saw to score from first on an infield hit

This could have been the Grand Slam of bad losses. The Marlins wouldn’t go away and I’m sure you were sitting in your living room, or at Shea wondering when the shoe was going to drop. But lo and behold, the Mets were able to put up a five spot and allow me to use my friend Rich’s pool and hot tub with nary a care in the world.

Tuesday – Mets 5 – Pirates 4

What We Learned

1) El Duque is the best 7-4 pitcher on the planet
2) Carlos Beltran is showing signs of 2006 again
3) Lastings Milledge should be playing every day
4) I like Sosa in the bullpen
5) Moises Alou is a professional hitter

If you could somehow legally bet that El Duque would throw a great game, only to get a no decision and the team would win you would be up A LOT of money this year. Seriously, he has been the Mets best pitcher this year. Also, throwing 130 pitches used to be the norm ten years ago. Anyone freaking out over Duque throwing that many has been brainwashed by the pitch count Nazis ruining the game. I was talking with my cousin Matt about this, and honestly the first time I remember hearing the phrase “pitch count” was the 161 pitch effort David Cone gave during Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS Yankees vs Mariners. After that it was Al Leiter’s 140 pitch marathon in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series. Both times the guys pitched their hearts out. Then, we heard of Pedro’s 100 pitch limit during Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS and suddenly that became the standard. If a pitcher goes one hundred you HAVE to pull him. Please – these guys are professionals fifteen or thirty pitches more won’t kill them, even if El Duque is 67 years old!

Wednesday – Mets 10 – Pirates 8

What We Learned

1) John Maine is still hitting the proverbial wall, driving all Mets fans crazy in the process
2) The way the Mets hit in the first and ninth innings should be the norm for the rest of the year
3) Moises Alou is a professional hitter
4) Shawn Green should not be a starter on a major league team
5) I like Sosa in the pen
6) Oliver Perez better drill at least two Pirates tomorrow after that bush league move Marte pulled on Green

This game can best be summed up as three hours of pure frustration. I think John Maine went three balls on every Pirates hitter he faced and Matt Morris somehow morphed from 2007 Pirate to former 20 game winner on St Louis over the course of five innings. Yet once again, the team was able to drop the hammer when needed. Notice Lastings was once again in the middle of the rally, while Shawn Green didn’t get the ball out of the infield all game.

Conclusions Formed

Six games, the first three a trilogy of horrors, the last three a workman like trilogy of wins. You can absolutely see the difference Moises Alou makes in the lineup. The man hits everything hard and is making up for lost time with his home runs and runs batted in. It’s also nice to see Carlos Beltran beginning to swing the stick well again. The difference between the 2005 Beltran and the 2006 Beltran will determine how far this team goes.

I have a theory, I believe Turk Wendell did some kind of Indian ritual and has somehow morphed his soul and his right arm into the body of Jorge Sosa. The guy is coming in every day and doing the job, just like Turk did coming down the stretch in 1998. From now on I’m calling him “Turk” Sosa. Although Jorge Wendell makes me laugh every time.

Finally, everyone is saying how this team isn’t the same as last year. They aren’t as exciting and aren’t playing with the kind of energy and excitement we were spoiled with last year. While I agree, look around. Bud Selig has received his wish, welcome to NFL style parity in baseball. There is no dominant team this year, just teams who have a hot month or two. For all the problems the Mets have, and I’m sure you just thought of at least three, look around. Every division winner is struggling to survive up top.

The Red Sox started off the season unbeatable and are currently only five games up on the Yankees. The Tigers looked like the best team in baseball in June, and Cleveland was the darling of all baseball prognosticators. Now, both teams are struggling and tied for the division lead. Out West, the Angels can’t shake the Seattle Mariners.

Over in the National League, the Brewers were hot and trendy, only to collapse and not only let the Cubs back in but now the CARDINALS! Despite being three games under 500 the defending champs are SOMEHOW 3.5 games out of first - causing my 86 year old Pop Pop to ask me and my cousins Greg and Matt to root "for just one more for Pop Pop". Apparently "Starita" in Italian means "selfish", as well as "arrogant"! Last, out West the Dodgers were another trendy pick, and they are treading water in fourth place. While the Diamondbacks are the epitomy of the hot team of the moment.

My point to all this?

Don’t get too high, don’t get too low and recognize it’s only going to get crazier over the last six weeks. Stock up on the Pepto, enjoy Moises Alou when he’s healthy and pray you see Sosa slam the rosin bag down before every inning!

Tom will always hold a special place in his heart for Turk Wendell, who, unbelievably is probably the best Mets reliever Tom ever saw in twenty two years. If anyone knows Turk contact Tom at MrStarita@yahoo.com, I would love to share a dear heart and reminisce. For everyone else, the forums below work just as well!