The Mets Police

>Joe Torre won his record 77th postseason game last night in an alternate universe where the NL East champion Mets won just 5 of their 30 regular season blown saves.

Mike Pelfrey pitched 8 strong innings, holding the Dodgers to just two runs over 118 pitches. With the score tied at 2, interim manager Jerry Manuel went to his bullpen which promptly loaded the bases before giving up a grand slam to Jeff Kent.

The Mets stranded 11 runners on base.

After the game Fred Wilpon expressed mixed emotions, "Any time the Dodgers can win a game this close to Brooklyn, well, let's just say it's not the worst thing. I wish Torre had been available last winter following that awful collapse we had. He seems like a New York kind of guy that could handle you guys (the media and fat bloggers)."

Dodgers 6, Mets 2.

Tonight, Johan Santana pitches on three days rest.

News and notes: Moises Alou and Angel Pagan sat behind the Mets dugout. A seat was left for Orlando Hernandez who never arrived. The Mets are expected to extend the contracts of Omar Minaya (three years) and second baseman Jose Castillo (eight years) in a press conference this morning.

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There’s an urban legend spreading that Al Leiter was booed at the closing ceremony of Shea Stadium.

I’m not going to claim that not one person booed, but I heard Leiter and Kay are making it sound like Leiter was booed out of the ballpark, ostensibly because he is a Yankee.  Well, I was there and it didn’t happen.  

I don’t know what Leiter’s motivation is – maybe the two guys closest to him booed him so it sounded loud – but it didn’t happen.

Yogi Berra is kinda a Yankee, he didn’t get booed.

Despite what he says, Kay is not objective.  You listen to his radio show for five minutes and it’s clear that the Mets could run off 20 straight championships and he’d still rag on them.   He’s one of those Yankee fans.  You know the type.

It didn’t happen Al.  Cute anecdote, but it didn’t happen.

Joe Torre won his record 77th postseason game last night in an alternate universe where the NL East champion Mets won just 5 of their 30 regular season blown saves.

Mike Pelfrey pitched 8 strong innings, holding the Dodgers to just two runs over 118 pitches. With the score tied at 2, interim manager Jerry Manuel went to his bullpen which promptly loaded the bases before giving up a grand slam to Jeff Kent.

The Mets stranded 11 runners on base.

After the game Fred Wilpon expressed mixed emotions, "Any time the Dodgers can win a game this close to Brooklyn, well, let's just say it's not the worst thing. I wish Torre had been available last winter following that awful collapse we had. He seems like a New York kind of guy that could handle you guys (the media and fat bloggers)."

Dodgers 6, Mets 2.

Tonight, Johan Santana pitches on three days rest.

News and notes: Moises Alou and Angel Pagan sat behind the Mets dugout. A seat was left for Orlando Hernandez who never arrived. The Mets are expected to extend the contracts of Omar Minaya (three years) and second baseman Jose Castillo (eight years) in a press conference this morning.

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>Surprisingly I don’t feel awful about the Mets. Maybe because it wasn’t 7 – 0 after one inning. Maybe because I knew that after watching this club everyday I knew that when it mattered they didn’t have a guy who could get the big out or the big hit.

Maybe because like I have said before – the ceremony afterwards made me forget about the collapse for a few minutes and bask in the glow of memories of going to Shea these past years. I saw a ton of games at Shea, I worked there as a vendor. I will miss it and look back on it as an old friend.

You could see the field from almost every seat, you knew that on a hot day you’d get a breeze off the bay, the knishes were good and when the game was over you could shoot down the ramps and get going in a reasonable amount of time. Or not leave right away but instead sit with friends a long time after a game in 1987 and curse the name of Terry Pendleton for taking McDowell deep. Now that game still hurts.

The ceremony helped heal the hurt. Seaver and Piazza pitching and catching and taking the slow walk out to center?? Great stuff – made Sports Illustrated in a great pic this week.

Who am I kidding, I’ll be back watching them again next year. Omar has already said some annoying things (keep Pedro?), I am already worried that Santana’s knee won’t be ready on February 20th. The worst thing about it is that the winter will be a week longer without them to worry and fuss over.

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