The Giants won the pennant, won the pennant 55 years ago today.
Brad Clontz didn’t even do as well as Ralph Branca 7 years ago today, unleashing a wild pitch that turned Melvin Mora into a de facto Bobby Thomson as the Mets tied for the Wild Card, tied for the Wild Card.
And on this date in 2004, Todd Zeile hit the shot heard ’round the Zeile household.
October 3 has been a fun date to take to a baseball game in my lifetime, even my pre-lifetime. Thomson’s swing in the Polo Grounds ensured the New York Giants would become my historical fetish. Clontz’s errant throw ensured the Mets would live to see another day in 1999 (it turned out they survived clear to past midnight on October 20). There was nothing more at stake than a warm feeling on 10/3/04, but in retrospect, your co-bloggers and their friends wound up watching a horrible Met era end on a poignant up note.
I was going to tie all of this together. I was going to plug a remarkable new book by Joshua Prager called The Echoing Green, I was going to tell you how last week I saw the author along with his prime subjects, Mr. Thomson and Mr. Branca, in Manhattan and how astounding that was. I was going to tie the Brooklyn Dodger fan festering wound from that one-game playoff to something I just watched on HBO about the Cubs’ sorry history and I’m sure I would have woven in Melvin Mora and Ralph Branca’s son-in-law Bobby Valentine and Joe Hietpas and the death of the Expos and something about the Marlins and I would have helped us count down the hours until 4:09 tomorrow afternoon.
But now, unfortunately, I have real news to report: El Duque might not go tomorrow. Willie announced at his press conference that Orlando was running in the outfield, felt something in his right calf, is receiving an MRI and his start may be up for grabs. No definitive word on Hernandez’s health or who might replace him.
October 3 giveth. Let us hope it doesn’t taketh away.
As I said on Metsblog,
SONUVA…MUTHFU…DAHELL…
Crap, crap, CRAP!!!!!!
For heaven's sake, I'LL pitch!!
Maybe it was just a cramp. Though if it was just a cramp, I doubt Willie would have mentioned it.
Options:
Maine. He would be going on regular rest.
Glavine: Not likely to be plucked from routine. Game Two counts, too.
Trachsel. No. He just returned from California.
Williams. If Duque has to be deactivated.
Perez. On two days rest…not so much.
Oliver. As far as he could go, then patch it together.
Bannister: Probably not.
Duque: One can always hope.
All year long, it didnt matter who we had out there, except of course for Lima. Now, more than ever, we must keep the Faith!!!!
Oy…
Kill me now…just make it quick and painless
Somewhere out there, some Brave or Yankee has a bunch of dolls of Mets pitchers with pins in their calves….
It's just a matter of the calves and the calf-nots…
Two calves make a whole – in our starting rotation…
Is our glass calf-empty or calf-full?
Okay, I think I've got it all out of my system. Sorry.
I love (by which I mean “loathe”) that the Mets apparently have the results of the MRI and aren't discussing them.
I may actually have to listen to the FAN when there isn't a game on.
I'm hoping this is all a carefully crafted psych job by Duque and Willie.
JoAnn
bicyclemom,
You mean I'm NOT the only conspiracy theorist out there?
I can envision the old man warming up somewhere out of sight at about 3:15pm. He's somewhere in the bowels of Shea, where the corridor runs straight for 60 feet and 6 inches.
Suddenly, he appears, spectre-like, from the Mets dugout and strolls to the mound, steps matched with Willie's, who's strolling to home plate to present the REAL starting lineup and batting order.
It could happen.
Right?
And the crowd goes wild!
Damn….the tinfoil fell off my Mets hat again.
JoAnn
OK, Maine, Maine, he's our man! If he can't do it………uh……..Dave Williams can?
Will someone PLEASE wrap John Maine in plastic bubblewrap until 4pm today?
JoAnn