IGT 98 - 7-24-05 - Rubber Match vs Dodgers - Penny/Benson

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Meanwhile, Benson cruises through a 1-2-3 top of the sixth.

Mientkiewicz, Cairo, and Benson due up in the home half of the sixth. Mets still leading by a score of 4-0.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Benson strikes out Rose to end the seventh. Benson has thrown 109 pitches and is likely done for the day.

Time for the seventh inning stretch with the score, Mets 4 Dodgers 0.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I've rarely seen a fan enchanted with his or her third-base coach.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

The last time I remember especially liking a third base coach was Bobby Valentine in 1985.

[Elster88]

I have no problem with Acta for the most part this year. I really, really didn't like Galante.

[Elster88]

Benson coming out for the eighth.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, let's see if momentum builds against Acta.

The thing is that a good third base coach probably should have some of his runners cut down. If none are, he may be playing it too conservative.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: The last time I remember especially liking a third base coach was Bobby Valentine in 1985.

And the Texas Rangers took him away from us!

This week's Benson Bunch update could be interesting....

[Guest Edgy DC]

David Wright should hopefully be expecting an indictment by the Kangaroo Kourt.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Scott Erikson: SP for the All-'They-Were-Mets?' Team.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I got issues with Cairo.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Marlon puts the game into Danny Graves territory.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Probably a good idea to lift Floyd and Reyes here also.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

What a fun game to attend!

D-Dad, MK and I made a semi-last minute decision to go to the game today (we actually decided to do it yesterday, which is this household is extraordinarily last minute. We were thinking about going to yesterday's game, but thought twice about broiling in the upper deck, but that gave us extra incentive to want to go today.) The older two kids weren't interested in the game, but they're old enough to stay home alone, so we packed up the minivan and headed to Shea.

We bought tickets one section over from where we knew Kase and KB would be, and then we took MK to Fan Fest. From the Mets Fan Club for Kids table MK chose a Beltran t-shirt as his prize du jour (the $25 for the Mets Fan Club for Kids is a GREAT value - they send the kids a whole bunch of stuff, and every time they go to a game they get to pick out something nice - typically leftover giveaway game items, which can be really great stuff!). While we were on line at the dunk tank, I was telling MK that the shirt was nice, as was the cap with the red, white and blue logo, and the woman standing in front of me said that she had an extra one of those caps, and she didn't like the design anyway, so she just gave me her extra one! Wow!.

D-Dad dunked the guy in the Dodgers shirt into the dunk tank (on a day like this, being the guy in the dunk tank had to have been a coveted task <g>), we stayed at Fan Fest a little while longer, and then we made it up to our seats. Said hi to Kase and KB and chatted with them until the people with the seats next to them showed up, then we moved over to our seats (occasionally waving to Kase and KB, since we were in the same row but only one section away).

As for the game, it was a pleasure. It's rare for the Mets to take an early lead and just run with it. After Benson got out of the bases loaded jam, there really wasn't any drama. It was nice seeing Mikey have such a nice game - I had the definite feeling that this might be the last time I get to really cheer him at Shea for having a Piazza-esque day, and it was bittersweet but nice to have that opportunity. The curtain call after that gorgeous home run into the bleachers was well deserved.

And I hate Brad Penny - I remember him throwing at Shinjo, and it always seems that he'd rather hit you with a pitch than not. It was nice seeing him knocked around a bit.

Otherwise, we stayed for the end of the game. MK was tired, so he decided to skip the DynaMets Dash. We said our goodbyes to Kase and KB (who were heading to Virgil's for dinner - yum! But for the fact that we had to get back to the other two kids at home, it would have been very tempting to join them) and headed home (via Rutgers - that trip is detailed in the Film Review Fourm <g>).

It was a great day to be a Mets fan at Shea :)

OE - I forgot to mention that it was seat cushion day. mets.com said that the seat cusions were supposed to be for the first 25,000 Adults, but they seemed to be giving them to everyone. MK got one, no questions asked.

[Elster88]

This is a very, very, very minor gripe. Why not choose someone else instead of Heilman for the ninth, seeing as how Heilman is the long man and we're going to Colorado?

[Guest martin]

do starting pitchers pitch less innings in colorado? or do they pitch the same amount and just give up more runs? i dunno. maybe managers leave the starters in because giving up runs doesnt necessarily mean the pitcher is tired, it just means they are in colorado.

if starters come out more quickly, then i agree with your very very minor gripe.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

I think it's that starters tend not to go as far in Colorado, which is why Benson threw 125 pitches over 8 innings, to preserve as much of the pen as possible.

Heilman has had some unsteady stints lately. Perhaps WWSB was trying to give him some cahnfindence....

[Guest KC]

Nice game, and always nice to see new and old CPFr's at Shea.

My Grundig radio fell off my shirt and landed in a full beer in the second
inning. I've never spilled an adult beverage at a sporting event or concert in
my entire life. I felt a no hitter on the horizon. The 1-5-3 in the top of the
fourth and I was like ... he's the chosen one. And then Izturis just deads
out a perfect bunt and that was it. Hell, the Dodgers were on the verge of
scoring that inning without even hitting the ball out of the infield.

KB asked my why Piazza was batting sixth, and I said 'cause he stinks.
That was about 8 seconds before he hit a no-doubter into the bleachers.

I don't understand the bringing in Heilman to finish things either and said
so to the Dodger fan who I talked with a good part of the game.

CowBellMan was not in attendance. Do they always do PA cowbellman
when he's on vacation?

Michael Amante entertained before the game for Italian Day and also sang
the Anthem and GBA. Best music I've heard at Shea since The Who, Clash,
Johansen show.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think Heilman needed a low-impact appearance to get right.

He's been pitching more or less effectively of late but not putting guys away --- walking a batter or two trying to be too fine and then giving up runs on a dinker. I think Randolph and Peterson want him to be more aggressive, especally as he usually comes in to start innings with nobody on base.

Edited: Changed "effective" to "aggressive," which was what I thought I was typing, and added the word "usually."

[Lundy]

]CowBellMan was not in attendance. Do they always do PA cowbellman when he's on vacation?

This may not have anything to do with anything, but apparently there's a little bit of controversy surrounding Mr. BellMan right now:

[url]http://mets.ymtr.com/archives/005524.html[/url]

[Guest KC]

Wow, free season tickets? I wonder if that's true.

I've talked CBM a number of times over the years briefly, seems like a good
guy.

[seawolf17]

The article mentions Craze The Sign Man! I loved Craze The Sign Man as a kid! My friend's dad took a bunch of us to Shea for my friend's birthday on Fan Appreciation Day, [url=http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/gamedetail.php?gameno=3846]1985[/url]. We sat about ten rows behind the Sign Man, and as a bunch of nine- and ten-year olds, we thought doing the "tastes great/less filling" chant and yelling "bulls&%t" were about the funniest things ever.