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Ozzie Albies has stolen America its free taco.

Braves with a leadoff shot from the Soler plexus for the very early lead.

Was disappointed to realize this wasn't a celebration of the life of the great Arnold Hano. Arnold Hano was 4 years old when he became a New York Giants fan while his family was living a block from the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan. It was the summer of 1926, and his grandfather Ike, a New York City police lieutenant, had given the boy his season pass for a seat in the grandstand above first base. “It was a simple matter for my mother to get me off her hands by teaching me to cross streets by myself,” Mr. Hano (pronounced HAY-no) recalled long afterward. Unaccompanied, he attended about a half-dozen games that season. A year later, he dispensed with the pass and, with spending money he had earned from odd jobs, bought a 50-cent ticket for a seat in the bleachers, having heard it was fun to sit there, out beyond the outfield. He began spending Saturday afternoons on those long narrow planks that passed for seats some 500 feet from home plate, growing to love the wide view of that cavernous, horseshoe-shaped ballpark that they afforded and to enjoy the characters he encountered there. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/26/sports/baseball/arnold-hano-dead.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/26/sports/baseball/arnold-hano-dead.html

No matter who manages or POBOs, Jeremy Hefner will return as pitching coach (the Mets have announced).

Arnold Hano, accomplished sportswriter and writer of all things, but particularly cherished for his groundbreaking A Day in the Bleachers, the book he wrote about going to the first game of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds, perhaps the first modern longform fan's eye view of baseball. He was 99. https://www.lagunabeachindy.com/arnold-hano-baseball-journalist-and-village-laguna-patriarch-dies-at-99/https://www.lagunabeachindy.com/arnold-hano-baseball-journalist-and-village-laguna-patriarch-dies-at-99/

Luis Rojas interviewed for the Padres job. His experience at the helm of a team that ran off track en route to the playoffs might be valuable in San Diego. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2021-10-25/padres-luis-rojas-mike-shildt-ruben-niebla-manager-pitching-coachhttps://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2021-10-25/padres-luis-rojas-mike-shildt-ruben-niebla-manager-pitching-coach

Long Island's Own Sue Bird comes out strong as a Met Lovin' Big Shot during the MNF Manningcast.

Toast and Marmol-ade for Cards. From the subscription-based Athletic: The St. Louis Cardinals will announce Oliver Marmol as the team's next manager on Monday morning, sources tell The Athletic. Marmol, 35, had been bench coach for the Cardinals since 2019 and previously was first base coach for the two seasons prior. The Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt earlier this month after four seasons with the club. John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations, cited “philosophical differences” for doing so. Shildt ended his tenure in St. Louis with a 252-199 record and three playoff appearances. Marmol, 35, will be the youngest manager in MLB. He will also be the first Cardinals manager of color since Mike González in 1940. The Cardinals, who finished the 2021 season 90-72, lost 3-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League wild card game. https://theathletic.com/news/st-louis-cardinals-to-introduce-oliver-marmol-as-manager-on-monday-sources/trsYs3liFFbf/https://theathletic.com/news/st-louis-cardinals-to-introduce-oliver-marmol-as-manager-on-monday-sources/trsYs3liFFbf/

Was happy to see Td'A ignite the winning rally with a walk. And, hey, good for Heredia.

ATL vs HOU vs general disdain. General disdain in six.

Lance Johnson selectively remembers 1997. “I had a real good time when I was with the Mets,” Johnson said. “I never really wanted to leave the Mets. If you go back and look at '97, the Marlins were not going to win the World Series. We were, because we owned Florida. When they made the trade, I told Bobby it was a mistake. He asked me why and I said I'm not going to educate you but in two-weeks' time, you're going to know why. They lost [12-of-18] after I left and I was in a Cubs uniform. “When I saw [Florida manager] Jim Leyland after the trade, I said, ‘Don't be afraid to share some of that World Series money with me.' He said, ‘Lance, that trade just won us the World Series.' There was a month and a half left. We were going to win that year. It was unbelievable. I really loved New York. It's some place to play.” https://ballnine.com/2021/10/08/one-dog/https://ballnine.com/2021/10/08/one-dog/

Mickey Lolich, reluctant Met. Or reluctant New Yorker. Management felt like the club needed hitting and decided to send Lolich to the Mets in exchange for outfielder/first baseman Rusty Staub. It wouldn't be that simple, though. Lolich didn't want to go. “I was never happy in New York when we visited that town,” Lolich said. “The people in New York were not very friendly and I spent all my time in the hotel room except when I went to the park. It was not one of my favorite towns. In fact, it was my least favorite town. So I was in a bit of a conflict when I got the call from Jim Campbell. He said the Mets wanted me and I said I wasn't playing in New York. I didn't like being there. “He said damn, I want to make this trade. I need a hitter to play every day. But I said I am not going to New York and hung up the phone. Next I get a call from the vice president of the Mets and he said we really want to make this trade and we will give you a $25,000 raise. That was a nice offer but I said money isn't that important and I'm not going to agree to the deal. So I hung up and the phone rang again and it was Campbell again. He said if I didn't agree to the trade he was going to cut my salary 20 percent per MLB rules. I said Jim, maybe it's time for me to retire and he said go ahead, it wouldn't bother me in the least and slammed down the phone.” After cooling down and discussing the situation with his wife, Lolich agreed to a two-year deal and the raise. But he remained unhappy. He was living by himself in New York and couldn't see his family. He said he only saw his kids twice during the season and that “a little depression set in”. “I enjoyed playing with the Met team,” said Lolich, who went 8-13 with a 3.22 ERA in 31 games [30 starts] for New York. “Tom Seaver amazed me. Not just the pitching. He had a great personality. I sort of figured he was going to be a guy who was a little uppity but he wasn't. He was a funny man but boy, would his disposition change when he crossed that line. He was out there to win. “Ed Kranepool, Joe Torre, all the guys there were great. I signed a two-year deal and I'd go back the next year for the same money but my wife refused to bring the kids to New York City. I lived by myself so when the season was over it was time for me to retire. My wife said, ‘You're going to turn down that kind of money' and I said, ‘Joyce I'm not happy'. She said if that's the way I felt she understood.” https://ballnine.com/2021/10/22/the-workhorse/https://ballnine.com/2021/10/22/the-workhorse/

Under the wire entry.

Buehler will start Game Six. Scherzer says he might be available for hypothetical Game Seven. Anderson goes for the Tritters to clinch.

Before 30 for 30, before “A Year to Remember,” even, Channel 9 produced the first full-length 1986 Mets documentary. A snippet was used in OUATIQ. Steve Albert and Steve Albert's evil twin host. [media=youtube]hxj8SPUuzO4[/media]

Max Scherzer will not be starting Game Six, presumably making the Dodgers blue.

Braves third base traffic cop Ron Washington's Mets coaching roots noted in the Times: He became a coach in the Mets' system upon retiring in 1990. The team was hoping to move Tim Bogar, their eighth-round pick from 1987, from shortstop to second base. Washington raised his hand and said he could help. “Bogar was my first pupil,” he said. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/22/sports/baseball/ron-washington-atlanta.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/22/sports/baseball/ron-washington-atlanta.html

3 HRs? This Dodger lead is Taylor made!

Ty Kelly's extended season ended as the Ducks went down to the Lexington Legends (for whom Brandon Phillips played) in the Atlantic League championship series.

Also Freeman leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and d'Arnaud grounding into a DP to end the fifth had that augurs badly feeling. They should have been piling on, as anyone who watched the 2021 Mets waste opportunities could attest.

As soon as Brian Anderson said the Braves were five outs from a 3-0 series lead, I sensed a Dodger rally was at hand. You can't count outs from that far away without a bigger edge than three runs.

Quite a bit of Dodgering as L.A. takes a 6-5 lead.