G-Fafif

To commemorate the first anniversary of the final game at Shea Stadium, two teams that barely exist will play baseball before disappearing into the mists. Except, unlike Shea, they'll be back next year. Visiting Metropolitans Pagan LF Castillo 2B Wright 3B Beltran CF Francoeur RF Tatis 1B Santos C Hernandez SS Figueroa P Homestanding Natropolitans Maxwell CF Desmond SS Zimmerman 3B Dunn 1B Willingham LF Morse RF Bard C Gonzalez 2B Detwiler P

Given that it's almost Yom Kippur, I'm surprised there's no tallis or tzitzis involved.

bmfc1 runs all 270 feet very hard.

Perhaps we're falling for the disinformation campaign proffered by the vast Jeter wing conspiracy, but between his aforementioned Ford commercial coming on after that half-inning and the recollection of Jeter and Teixeira taking nothing for granted on a pop fly with two out in the ninth materializing in my head from June -- even while I declined his gracious invitation to visit his Web site...that fucker's everywhere.

Misch 5 Francoueur 3 AHernandez 1 Thole 1

Exactly one year between Mets CG shutouts. Last one was also against the Marlins, and probably had a little more oomph to it. But Misch's tealwashing had one thing going for it that Santana's didn't: It just happened. Every little bit of something to root for at the tail end of 2009 is appreciated. This combination may not work for everyone here, but Mets win, Giants win, Jets win all in the same three-hour window...gosh, that's nice.

You can't remove Pat Misch from this rotation. You can only hope to contain him.

Nice of the Mets to hire Timo Perez as baserunning coach.

Game from Jarry Park magically reappearing on MLBN this afternoon as Mets-Marlins appetizer. Black and white, on film, very dark in Montreal that night. Rusty quite thin.

Braves win again. Occurs to me they haven't been in anything resembling a playoff race since 1993. They were never really pushed during all their N.L. East titles, not to the extent that they were ever in danger of not making it to postseason. Maybe they can still get McGriff.

Biggest sports day the state of Florida has ever known. First, your University of South Florida Bulls stampede on up to Tallahassee and upset the No. 18 Florida State Seminoles 17-7 in their first meeting ever. Then Jerry Manuel makes out this lineup card at Your Name Here Stadium in Miami Gardens: Pagan LF Castillo 2B Wright 3B Beltran CF Francoeur RF Tatis 1B Santos C Hernandez SS Maine P Much like victorious QB B.J. Baker was last year, Nick Evans is redshirted for this season. As long as we can get another look at Tatis. Let's Go Mets! Let's Go Bulls!

Three-run !

As David Wright mans third base, he sets the franchise record for most games ever at the tertiary sack (assuming we get an official game). This is No. 836 for David, bumping HoJo from the top of that particular chart. A journalism professor in college hated that I used "initial sack" for first base in a story. Obviously I haven't learned my lesson.

An Onion headline if ever there was one, except it's real and on ESPN: Lee injured after slap from teammate The whole story: While celebrating a come-from-behind, ninth-inning win over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, the Chicago Cubs couldn't avoid yet another "Cubby Occurrence." First baseman Derrek Lee scored the game-tying run ahead of Jeff Baker, whose two-out, two-strike home run off San Francisco closer Brian Wilson put the team in line for the win. As Lee and Baker were mobbed by teammates in the dugout, relief pitcher Angel Guzman slapped the side of Lee's helmet, causing Lee to experience neck spasms that forced him to come out of the game for defense in the bottom of the ninth. Lee has missed numerous games over the years with neck and back spasms, after initially suffering the injury in a home-plate collision in 2006. After the game Thursday, Lee told team personnel that he'd be in the lineup Friday night, but the team's training staff could insist that he sit out a game or two. Manager Lou Piniella coined the term "Cubby Occurrence" to explain strange happenings that may have factored into the organization going more than 100 years without winning a World Series.

Just try to stay alive, you rotten Fish, when you face THIS! Angel Pagan LF Luis Castillo 2B David Wright 3B Carlos Beltran CF Daniel Murphy 1B Jeff Francoeur RF Josh Thole C Anderson Hernandez SS Tim Redding P

My sister had this modestly amusing book when we were kids. Eggbert made droll comments regarding life in the womb. And while I'm pretty sure I haven't thought about Eggbert in well over 35 years, I must confess that I never quite got the play on words in the name until...now. Would probably be viewed as a political statement now instead of a cute comic.

Right idea, poor execution.