Here's a lesson learned on my part--don't give up on this Mets team. Last night I went to see my friends The Figgs play at the Knitting Factory, doing their own set and then backing up the great singer-songwriter Graham Parker. It was an early show (and the best show I have seen in 2005), so I figured I would miss most of this game. But the 90-minute rain delay meant I got to see the last couple of innings when the band, some friends and family went to a bar called South's right around the corner from the club. I was stunned by Marlon Anderson's inside-the-park job, and then deflated when Braden Looper couldn't hold the tie (with help from an uncharateristic fielding gaffe by Doug "I Swear I Can Hit Better That This" Mientkiewicz). It was at this point that I figured, "It's over with this Angels bullpen" so I left at the same time as the band and grabbed a train back to Brooklyn. Once I got to one of my favorite haunts, Magnetic Field, I asked the owner Lee to double check that they indeed lost. He then told me how Cliff Floyd hit a "majestic home run" to win the game.
Damn, why did I leave that bar before the bottom of the 10th.
Watching the highlights on Sportscenter, seeing Floyd just miss a home run before the game-winning shot and hearing Dave O'Brien stunned call when Floyd did belt one gave me goosebumps. And I missed it, dammit. This could be one of those games that defines a season. O'Brien himself said during the pre-game for today's game that it was one of the best regular season games he had ever called, while my pal Erik sent me a text me this morning that probably summed it up best: "Floyd's [nine-pitch] at bat was one of the best I've ever seen. If it happened in the post-season or a pennant race, it woulda been the best ever. Thrilling."
Pedro on the hill right now as I write this; a win today would give the Mets a 7-5 homestand before heading out West for a long road trip.
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