My sleeping habits of late make Saturday night/Sunday morning snoozing a twinbill. I tend to flake out on the couch for several hours sometime after the stray Channel 11 airing of Frasier and find myself surprised to find myself still on the couch in the dawn's early light. I'll stay up for a bit, force myself to bed (five hours on the couch the refreshment equivalent of ten minutes leaning against a pole) and eventually nod off once Ed Randall talkin' baseball has lulled me toward the end of the alphabet…zzzzzz. If there's no game, I'll roll over and over and over and try to stay asleep until King of the Hill. But if there is a game, I will flick the FAN back on as soon as I have enough alertness to do so.
And when I do, on Sundays like today, an alarm goes off in my head when I hear Howie Rose or Tom McCarthy or Ed Coleman whisper an unexpected name into my ear.
“Gomez on deck.”
That's all I had to hear to pop out of bed in the bottom of the first. There was enough motivation, hearing it was already 2-0 Mets on Easley's homer and that now it's 3-0 with Castro driving in Wright, but Gomez? On deck?
Tell me I'm not dreaming.
Yes, Carlos Gomez became a New York Met while I slept. My first thought was “Is Alou OK?” I saw him leave yesterday's debacle but didn't know it was that serious. I assumed Moishe was sent to the DL. My second thought was “Gomez? Already?” I knew Milledge was hurting in New Orleans, but I wasn't expecting to see — or hear — the kid so soon. My third thought, just ahead of “I really have to go the bathroom,” was “Milledge….”
Wasn't it just a year ago we were all happy to love Lastings at first sight? Now Gomez, like Milledge in May 2006, like Alex Escobar in May 2001, like Preston Wilson in May 1998, like Darryl Strawberry in May 1983, was nudging in as the future on a fine spring day. It's always surprising when it happens. It's never clear what will happen next. Darryl became Darryl. Preston was sent packing. Alex couldn't hack it. Lastings is in limbo. I began wondering what the days and weeks and months and years that follow would hold for our newest wunderkind. Would they follow at all? Would they be postponed after a glimpse? Would this be the start of something magical?
The start was certainly promising. Two hits, two runs, a spectacular sliding catch, key components to an Oll-out rout of the Brewers. I learned Carlos the Third was technically replacing Pelfrey, sent down to universal satisfaction, which means maybe Alou really is day-to-day. It also likely means a new pitcher will be here by Thursday, probably not El Duque, who knows who else. Carlos Gomez may be a one-week wonder for now or a mainstay for the summer and seasons to come. He was sure a pleasant sound to wake up to today.
I agree, I was pleased to watch Gomez today. Ben Johnson had recently been injured, which is the only reason he didn't get the call up. (BTW, I like Johnson)
It was a great day, the Mets started three regulars, against a pitcher they don't hit well, who hasn't lost yet, starting for the best team in baseball. Might as well check that one off as a loss right?
On top of that, the Mets stole 22.2% of the career stolen bases against Capuano…today.
As I noted earlier, the entire day had the feel of a message to Milwaukee.
“Hey Brewers, look what we can do.”
“Wait, we're not done. Look what else we can do.”
Was the message sent to Milwaukee anything like the message the Mets sent to the Cardinals last August?
Without question, two very nice wins for any number of reasons. But let's not look ahead.
I'm sure I'm dancing around some commandment or other here.
Good was Gomez, Wright channeled Reyes, Perez neared Perfect…
And, all in all, a lot more pleasing than the results of last year's Mothers' Day affair with the Brewers.
Diving catches are always better on the radio, I've noticed. You can always watch the highlight later, but the radio makes it so exciting.
Also, speaking of phenoms or not-seo-phenoms, I was reading the article on the Devil Rays' website about Jae Seo's unusually good start today
and I was struck by this assertion:
“It was Seo's best start since he allowed just one hit and no runs in a seven-inning start against the Mets, while he was a member of the Dodgers, in 2005.”
I seem to remember that game going a little differently, but hey, I'm not a sports writer, what do I know?
They weren't even close. Seo wasn't even a member of the Dodgers in 2005. That was 2006.
In 2005, he did have a start where he allowed one hit and no runs in seven innings, for the Mets, against the Phillies, on May 4. For the Dodgers… well, there were a couple of no-run one-hit relief appearances…
Exactly. To my knowledge, our wayward Seo has never faced his former team.
I remember the May 4 game because it was my birthday and Seo was actually toying with a no-hitter for a while and I was like 'what if…..'
I don't know what they're smoking in Tampa Bay, though.
Forgive the Devil Rays. They're not really familiar with baseball.
Man, I remember all those guys coming up (and some before Straw in '83),,,,,,,, I must be getting old !!……