Swing, Carlos! Swing.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I'm still having trouble getting into acceptance mode.

I'll be working on this or that, and I find my thoughts drifting back to Beltran standing there watching that ball, then walking away like he was in a trance.

Why didn't he try to protect the plate? Why didn't he swing at all?

A swinging strike would have been so much easier to accept.

I'll get over it, but just not today.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I hope that this isn't what he's going to be remembered for.

Judging from early UMDB memories, this is sticking a more than a few craws. I've already posted two of them and rejected a few others.

[metirish]

For me I suppose what sucks more is that I would not have wanted any other Mets player up in that situation, Wainright was just fucking nasty though.....beltran had a great year..

[nymr83]

yeah, you need a base hit so he's the guy i want up there (if you needed a homer i'd rather have delgado despit beltran's power numbers this year)

its just the fact that the season ended LOOKING that will bother me for awhile. But hey, the 1999 season ended in what i think is the worst possible fashion.

[soupcan]

Carlos looking at a third strike is not the reason the Mets lost the game.

Far from it.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

soupcan wrote: Carlos looking at a third strike is not the reason the Mets lost the game. Far from it.

Oh, I know that. It was just the final nail.

[soupcan]

And I know you know it.

It would just be horrible if that at-bat became the most memorable moment of the Mets and Beltran's wonderful year.

[metirish]

I doubt that any Mets fan would think that as Beltran's defining moment of the season....at least I would hope not....

[stevejrogers]

That was certaintly an "ARod-esque" moment, but unlike ARod I'm sure his 2006 gave him enough Metly equity, plus an epic 2007 postseason, will erase that image

Then again, Met fans did boo Gary Carter in 1988 and 1989 and I knew a professor in Fairfield that never forgave Bill Bradley for missing a shot in the 1971 playoffs, ending the defense of the 69-70 championship, and this is despite the Knicks (with Bradley) winning the championship again couple of years later! Put it this way, this guy is a staunch liberal, if Bradley did run in the general election, he would have voted for some third party canidate (Ralph Nader probably)

[Elster88]

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, I'll agree with Elster there. But, just to be a crank, I'll not quite agree with Nymr83.

Nymr83 wrote: But hey, the 1999 season ended in what i think is the worst possible fashion.

The 1994 season ended in what I think is the worst possible fashion.

[nymr83]

i'd rather lose because the players and owners are assholes than lose because you cant throw a strike

[RealityChuck]

And if the pitch had been called a ball, would it have been a bad choice?

It was a tough curve ball; Carlos (or just about any batter) thought it wouldn't be a strike. There was no point in swinging at a bad ball.

I suppose if he had a few days to think about it, he might have agreed it would be better to swing, too. But he had to make the decision is a somewhat shorter time frame.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Nymr83 wrote: i'd rather lose because the players and owners are assholes than lose because you cant throw a strike

I'd say all the thrills of the 1999 season are worth livng through the way it ended.

The game before alone was one of the best nights of Mets baseball ever.

Heck, just the thrill of the team digging out of that ridiculous early hole was worth living throught the end.

The way the Mets had toasted their bullpen, every inning they survived at that point was a gift. But, as Batty sould say, three of those last four gifts were pairs of socks.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I received this in an e-mail yesterday:

]Carlos at the Bat By Steve Hofstetter SportsIllustrated.com 10/23/06 The outlook was delightful for the Flushing Nine that day They'd tied it up three games a piece with one still left to play The Cardinals, Mets, the LCS, a chance at pennant glory But I'll rewind a bit for now and tell the background story Mets fans were happy, coming in, and boy they had good reason Their team rolled through the Grapefruit League, then rolled right through the season. But with Pedro out and Duque gone, they realized their worst fears They backed into October as banged up as Britney Spears But the Mets looked tough, these playoffs, after sweeping up the Dodgers Despite a pitching staff as lame as '90s Kenny Rogers They took Game 1 right from the Cards, the Cards then took two more Before the Mets could plate a dozen runners in Game Four With Glavine on just three days rest, Game 5 would be a battle But rains came down, and down, and down (the field looked like Seattle) Game 1 saw Glavine pitch a gem, Tom looked like vintage Seaver But Game 5 would be different as he couldn't outpitch Weaver Perhaps with too much rest, the bats dozed off and lost Game 5. Though the next day they woke up and took Game 6 to stay alive. The Mets now had a chance to win, a chance at baseball heaven To face the Tigers in Detroit (if they could win Game 7 The Cards threw Suppan, easy choice, but on the other hand The Mets rotation held with packing tape and rubber bands Perez went for the Metsies, he'd won three and lost 13 His 6-5-5 earned runs per game, the highest baseball's seen Perhaps he had adrenaline, or did it just because Perhaps he had amnesia and forgot just who he was With hopes and dreams of fans and all his teammates on the line Whatever spurred on Oliver; Perez? He pitched just fine. When Ollie left the mound and gave his manager the ball The seventh game was knotted up, the score was still 1-all Two Cardinal runs erased when Chavez flew like he was Wendy His leaping catch insured that inning six came to an Endy And tied it stood in inning nine, a Heilman strike-palooza Their bats, his balls got on as well as Rolen and La Russa But then a sudden silence fell across the Shea arena The tie was gone; a two run blast by Yadier Molina. Was this the end? Could this be it? Were World Champ dreams now crushed? The Amazins mazed? The Mets been Met? The boys from Flushing, flushed? With three outs left, could they still find a weakness to explot? The one rare time the promised land could be known as "Detroit"? Jose led off the ninth -- a hit! And Endy echoed hit! But Cliff limped off the field with called strike three now in the mitt And Reyes didn't fare so well, now two out and two on With all the hopes of coming back to win now all but gone But wait, Lo Duca walked! Potential winning run! Crowd roaring! (I'm not the first to notice that man's excellent at scoring) The bases juiced, but two men out -- It's not exactly easy But if anyone could bring them home, his name's Carlos Beltreezie You could hear it in the stands and you could hear it in the booth In October vs the Cardinals, Beltran may as well be Ruth. Like picking up an ace of spades with four kings in your hand Unless a royal flush comes up, we go to Disneyland The Hall of Science, Tennis Center, Unisphere are dark No Botanics in the Garden, and no Terrace on the Park In St. Louis, men are laughing. In Detroit, the children shout, But there is no joy in Flushing -- mighty Carlos soon struck out. Yet this isn't where the story ends, not even close or near Like the Dodgers did before them, now the Mets wait til next year If the Cards were hurt, and not the Mets, we'd be 1969ing. They'd be back home in Missouri, hearing more of Albert's whining. I will say it here in print and I will say it next aloud The Mets battled, scraped, and fought, and played, and lost -- and made me proud. With a healthy staff and confidence, they'll wrestle for a ring Two-thousand-six was fun, Two-thousand-seven starts this spring. Steve Hofstetter is a nationally touring comedian whose column appears every Monday on SI.com. E-mail him at steve@stevehofstetter.com.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The best part of the original poem:

But Flynn proceeded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,

And the former was a no-good and the latter was a fake;

So, upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,

For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,

And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball,

And when the dust had lifted and men saw what had occurred,

There was Jimmy safe at second, and Flynn a-huggin' third.

For despising the lesser players, and loving Casey so despite his snotty arrogance, the Mudville crowd maybe got pretty much what they deserved.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I've always wondered why Blake was so despised.

He probably electrified his swimming pool to keep dogs out.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Steve Hofstetter did "Jerk of the Week" -- remember that web site?

It got a little out of hand after a while, but was one of the first web sites I really admired and inspirational in its marriage of baseball and irreverent humor.

[Guest Edgy DC]

And now he's the coiner of the name "Carlos Beltreezie."

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

There was a touch of Ogden Nash in this part:

]Two Cardinal runs erased when Chavez flew like he was Wendy His leaping catch insured that inning six came to an Endy

[MFS62]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I've always wondered why Blake was so despised.

He had jumped his Mudville team to play in the Federal League. I saw him play a few games there with the Walla Walla Wanabees.

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I was thinking it might be because he hired somebody to kill his wife outside an LA restaurant.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, I soon realized as Met fan kid that "Flynn" was a pretty good name for a punchless hitter.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Well, I soon realized as Met fan kid that "Flynn" was a pretty good name for a punchless hitter.

As a Met fan kid, I realized that Moran was, too.

Later

[Willets Point]

[Elster88]

Looks like a typical Cardinal fan to me.