Willets Point

metirish wrote: In Omar I trust, getting smacked around by the AL might be a blessing in that Omar goes out and makes a trade for another bat and a starting pitcher, Soriano and Zito would fit the bill thank you.....this is the year to go and win it all....go Omar. All this losing is wonderful?

Zvon wrote: Wheres Bret been?

Glavine is pitching tomorrow. Despite being Mr. Schaefer Six here, he's been lucky lately winning while not pitching all to well. It could all come crashing down tomorrow and the Mets will be swept at Fenway.

I'd love to see Horace P. Osterdonk do a KTE.

Yup. Me too. You could have spat on me. Glad you didn't.

You must have been right above me.

Reyes 2B?!?!?

I was more concerned about the rough groovy edges of the dime scratching the lens of the eye. Hopefully, he's Steady Doc when he does that manuever.

I would never think that putting a dime in someone's eye would be the thing a doctor would do.

Forgot to mention that for the first couple of innings last night the scoreboard listed the Mets pitcher as "Solar." Then the sun set. It's raining in Boston. I'm secretly hoping the game is postponed and Pedro pitches tomorrow night when I go back to Fenway. I'm selfish that way.

Boo Pedro in Boston? They're canonizing him: Story.

I was looking for that all day yesterday because I was trying to find the link to the scorecard website before I went to the game. I didn't remember archiving it but it wasn't on the site. Finally I remembered that some archiving was done in my absence. This is what happens when an amateur tries to do a Squid's job.

Beltran 2.5 Bell 2 Delgado 2 Franco .5 LoDuca 1 Marrero 1.5

Well, that sucked. My ticket said "obstructed view" but when I sat down in my seat before the game I had a clear, albeit awkward view of the field. Then the game started and all the fans came forth out of the tunnel and right into my line of view. And they kept on coming and going and coming and going the whole game, and usually stopped dead right in front of me whenever something interesting happened (sometimes so they could take pictures with the Pesky Pole). I swear over the 10 years I've been attending games at Fenway the fans have increasingly gotten mass ADD and can't stay in their fucking seats. Worst. Seat. Ever. I would have rather sat behind a steel beam. The game sucked too. How many runners were put out at the plate? How many bases loaded situations did the Mets squander? What the hell was wrong with Milledge on that fly? I do love that Franco was DH. It was a flashback to when interleague play first began (10 seasons ago!) when Bobby V always had Matt Franco as DH. The pre-game tribute to the 2006 AL Champs was nice. It was good to see the likes of Dwight Evans, Jim Rice and Wade Boggs on the field again as well as guys I haven't heard of in 20 years. Buckner got a standing O in absentia. Also after the first inning they welcomed Pedro back with a video tribute and then the fans gave him a standing ovation for a minute or so. Very classy. Lots of Mets fans in attendance and a few people wearing gear of both teams. I think I sat next to Yankess fans although its hard to tell because they were quiet and polite. I hope the next game I attend Thursday is better both in my seating and in the final score.

Mike Hampton. Don't forget the "LOOSER" sign.

WEEI is just bad, bad, bad. Testosterone-fueled reactionarism at its worst.

Dan Shaugnessy writes about the event in Saluting the spirit of '86. ]Unfortunately, Buckner will not be at Fenway tonight. He's got a switch-hitting teenage son who's appearing in showcase games all over the country, hoping to draw interest from pro scouts or a major college program. ``I would love to have been there," Buckner said over the phone yesterday. ``Say hello to everybody for me, especially Walter [hitting coach Walt Hriniak] and Marty [barrett]. I'll catch up with them on the golf course."

Can't argue with this part: ]David Wright � if Wright doesn�t win the MVP this year, it will be OK � because he will snag it in the future. One of the players in the game, Wright has been on fire this June � to the tune of .371/.429/.775 (1.204 OPS), 10 HR, 29 RBI, 20 R and 3 SB (in 22 games). As much as I hope he doesn�t torch the Red Sox, I�m excited to see him play live (other than Pujols, he�s probably my favorite non-Sox (or former Sox) player in baseball).

Rockin' Doc wrote: RD Jr - "Why don't they have any Mets stuff Dad? All they have is Yankees stuff." Sales Clerk - "We only carry items for the main New York team." RD Jr - "Then why don't you have any Mets stuff?" Sometimes, they just make you proud. They're a bit slow out there in those sunscorched states.

Going to the game at Fenway tomorrow and Thursday. I'm stoked. Anyone else going?

(But not for the next three nights). The Mets and their fans know all about hating the Yankees. Constantly competing for fans, headlines, players and occasionally on the diamond, the Yankees (and their ungodly success) are a constant thorn in the Mets side. Believe it or not, there are people who hate the Yankees more than we do. Meet the Red Sox. Based in the capitol of Massachusetts, the Olde Towne team are beloved throughout New England (well at least 51/2 of New England's 6 states, the other half of Connecticut oriented toward New York) and have an extended fan base across the country known as Red Sox Nation. One of the original American League franchises, the Red Sox had considerable success in their early days winning five of the first fifteen World Series championships including the ignaugral World Series against Pittsburgh. Their success notoriously ended after 1918 and their dismal play eventually was attributed to a curse brought on the team for selling the contract of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919. There was never a curse of course, instead just bad management and blatant racism when the team refused to sign prominent Negro League stars and in fact became the last major league franchise to integrate in 1958. On the other hand the Red Sox, beginning with their "Impossible Dream" season in 1967, have been one of the most consistently strong teams in baseball, although only had numerous second-place finishes and numerous heartbreaking fact-stranger-than-fiction post-season losses most famously in 1975, 1978, 1986, and 2003 to show for it. The Red Sox finally ended their 86-year drought by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series after coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS to the hated Yankees. These days, Red Sox Nation is still celebrating the 2004 victory while coming to terms with an anemic end-of-season performance in 2005 and quick exit from the playoffs at the hands of eventual champs the Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox are currently 45-28 at the top of the AL East with a three game lead on the Yankees. They are in the midst of a nine game winning streak and have a 24-10 record at home, so the Mets face quite a challenge in the next three games. Mets versus Red Sox The Mets first met the Red Sox in 1986 when the two teams played in an exciting seven game World Series championship. The Red Sox famously came within one out of clinching the series victory with a 5-3 lead in the 10th inning of Game 6. The Mets ended up winning on three consecutive 2-out singles, a wild pitch, and an infamous error by Red Sox 1st baseman Bill Buckner, who has unfairly been singled out as the goat of the Red Sox World Series loss ever since. In regular season play the Mets and Red Sox met fifteen times previously between 1997-2001 including the first ever interleague game for both teams on June 13, 1997. The Mets lead the all-time series 8-7, with a 3-3 record in Fenway Park. The most memorable matchup probably came on June 5, 1998 when despite losing Mike Piazza after he was hit by a pitch on the hand, the Mets were able to tee off four home runs in a 9-2 victory of the then Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez. Who are these Red Sox? C � Jason Varitek HR-7, RBI-34, OBP-.340, SLG.-.408, AVG.-.251 Fun fact: Varitek played two seasons in the Cape Cod League with the Hyannis Mets. 1B � Kevin Youklis HR-9, RBI-37, OBP-.426, SLG.-.498, AVG.-.315 Fun fact: Fans of Youk spawned a Sons of Sam Horn take off, the Daughters of Kevin Youklis website. 2B - Mark Loretta HR-2, RBI-31, OBP.-.357, SLG.-.393, AVG.-.317 Fun fact: When Loretta has a lead off first and the pitcher tries to pick him off, it�s fun to shout �Get back Loretta!� 3B � Mike Lowell HR-8, RBI-39, OBP-.365, SLG.-.504, AVG.-,308 Fun fact: Lowell is a practitioner of the hidden ball trick, executing the play against Brian Schneider in 2004 and Luis Terrero in 2005, the only two times the play has been pulled off successfully in the 2000�s. SS � Alex Gonzalez HR-3, RBI-20, OBP-.309, SLG.-.351, AVG.-.262 Fun fact: Gonzalez hit a walk off homerun to win Game Four of the 2003 World Series for the Marlins against the Yankees. LF � Manny Ramirez HR-20, RBI-51, OBP-.433, SLG.-.601, AVG.-.298 Fun fact: When asked about what he does outside of baseball, "I know this might sound funny, but I play baseball. Me and [Jason] Varitek play a bit in the training field. Can't get our minds off it." CF � Coco Crisp HR-3, RBI-13, OBP-.322, SLG.-406, AVG.-.283 Fun fact: The Boston Globe reported that Crisp's grandmother called him "Co" when he was a child, and his two siblings nicknamed him "Coco" after the cereal, Cocoa Krispies. RF � Trot Nixon HR-6, RBI-39, OBP-.430, SLG.-.489, AVG.-.326 Fun fact: While on the disabled list last season, Nixon argued with the umpires in a game where they ruled a Gabe Kapler hit off the top of the Green Monster to be a double instead of a home run. He was ejected from the game, a rare feat for a player on the disabled list. DH � David Ortiz HR-22, RBI-68, OBP-.377, SLG.-.550, AVG.-.266 Fun fact: Ortiz hit 20 home runs in the 2005 season which either tied or gave Boston a lead. Eight of these came in the seventh inning or later. Probable Pitchers June 27-Alay Soler, RHP (2-1, 3.32) v. Jon Lester, LHP (2-0, 2.76) Fun fact: This will be Lester�s fourth career start. He�s allowed only one run in each of his two previous two starts. Last Wednesday, Lester struck out 10, allowed one hit and two walks against Washington. June 28 � Pedro Martinez, RHP (7-3, 3.01) v. Josh Beckett, RHP (9-3, 4.84) Fun fact: Beckett pitched eight masterful innings in Boston's 10-2 pounding of Philadelphia on Friday evening. June 29 � Tom Glavine, LHP (11-2, 3.33) v. Curt Schilling, RHP (9-2, 3.61) Fun fact: Schilling resides in Medfield, MA in a house formerly home to Patriots� quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Former Red Sox on the Mets Chad Bradford Cliff Floyd Pedro Martinez Darren Oliver Ex-Mets on the Red Sox None Meet the fans of Red Sox Nation Sons of Sam Horn Boston Dirt Dogs

ABG wrote: Why is it not a good thing? Going into Fenway with two good offensive teams, I'd much rather they have the more tired pen. Hopefully they'll put the Phillies down after a long, draining 18 inning affair. Tired Red Sox before the Mets series is a good thing. Red Sox losing to the Phillies is not a good thing. We got the best of both worlds.

This is not a good thing.

Where's Jimmy the Greek when you need him to explain the eugenics behind this.

Boston in this sense is a collective noun - a team of 25 men or a city of 600,000. It's not a single thing, hence the plural verb.