'86 yo

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, Hearn ballooned a long time ago after a broad range of serious health problems. Dykstra is packing a lot of ass for a little guy.

Most unchanged is Teufel.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Dykstra is packing a lot of ass for a little guy.

That was funny.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

Rick Aguilera looked pretty much the same as I remembered him. And Danny Heep looked to be in good shape, too.

Wally Backman was least recognizable, I thought, along with Kevin Elster.

I think if you combined the features of Wally and Howard Johnson, you could make a pretty good John Ratzenberger.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Ed Hearn was totally loving his moment of glory - he was fun to watch.

Teufel looked the most like he did in his younger days, IMO.

[RealityChuck]

SteveJRogers wrote: I mean, Davey went to two full time starters for long relief and only used Sisk as a mop-up guy in the postseason! That says alot in terms of faith in a guy.

Not really: you always have an extra starter or two in the postseason if you have a five-man rotation, and it makes sense to use him as long relief. In 1969, the team used Nolan Ryan in long relief for that reason.

In '86, you also had Sid Fernandez -- a lefty who gave up a lot of fly balls to left, which meant there was no way you were going to start him in Fenway Park. So you start out with your two best (Gooden and Darling) at home, but then go to Ojeda (who, though lefty, had been succesful in Fenway). Since Ojeda pitched so well in game 3, it's sensible to go with him for game 6, with Sid ready in case of trouble.

Looking at Sisk's record, 1985 was an anomaly: his worst year in as a regular. But he was at least average in '86, and if anyone seems to be at the bottom of Davy Johnson's list in '86, it was Randy Neimann, who never pitched in the postseason (Sisk did twice, even if it was for mop-up -- and his appearance in Game 4 of the NLCS was hardly that, since the team was only two runs down).

[Guest Edgy DC]

That the back end of the roation became a bullpen asset in the post-season is no reflection on Sisk. They didn't really need their eighth-best pitcher, because, among other reasons, the first seven were really good.

Had game six gone on, Sisk would've been in the game, and the Mets would've been likely better off with him than the Sox were.

I don't get the perspective of "Sure the tying run was already home, but it's a good thing that Buckner blew the grounder, because I saw Johnson on deck and Sisk warming up and I didn't have a good feeling." After tying the game having been down by two and down to the last out with nobody on, how could you not feel good about the 1986 Mets' chances?

[Benjamin Grimm]

I certainly had a good feeling up there in the Upper Deck. But I was also aware of Hojo and Sisk, and that did add bit of a sense of greater urgency to getting Knight home that inning rather than going on to the 11th.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Man, I'd happily take 1986 Howard Johnson with a fresh count and the Sox a few pitches deeper into a bullpen that is floundering and shallower than the Mets, just as soon as --- or sooner than --- I'd take 1986 Mookie with two strikes. No reflection on Mookie, but two strikes is two strikes. He walks, or gets a hit that merely gets Knight to third, I'm one happy Met fan.

If the prospect of HoJo was so underwhelming, should the Sox have walked Mookie there? Whether it's Johnson batting lefty against Stanley or righty against Sambito (with Stanley gone after one batter), I'm cool with it.

The best argument for the Sox to walk him would be that --- if they get him --- the Mets are down to their third shortstop, with a groundball pitcher in the game.

[HahnSolo]

Hojo was already in the game, though, wasn't he? Didn't he strike out for Elster in the 9th? So they were already down to their third shortstop (damn Davey hitting for Raffy in the fifth inning!).

[Guest Edgy DC]

OK, good point.

So it's already a done deal, so why would HoJo on deck and Sisk in the pen make anybody particularly uneasy? (More uneasy than any other elimination game tied in extra innings.)