On Tuesday night you had to give the Mets a mulligan, however many they've asked for already this year — they've played like the manager got fired at 3 a.m. on more than a few nights already, but on Tuesday night it was actually true. As various Mets botched grounders and failed to cover bases, we were left to hope that Jerry Manuel's unhappy first minute of on-field managerial duties might be a blessing in disguise, that his showdown with Jose Reyes and Jose Reyes's Petulance might get the attention of Jose and set an example for his teammates.
It was a faint, forlorn hope — but maybe, based on a sample size of one night, not so far-fetched.
Reyes said the right things last night and played like his hair was on fire tonight, lashing balls around Anaheim, swiping bases, playing mostly heads-up defense, and getting a key read on a K-Rod slider in the dirt when he didn't feel confident enough to get a big lead against the Angels closer and his hellacious arsenal. Fernando Tatis was shredded by K-Rod, and with two outs up stepped David Wright — the same David Wright who's been grinding his bat to sawdust of late. Now, if K-Rod threw that identical slider — low and away — to Wright 100 times, he'd probably miss it or tap it to the infield 95 times. This, though, was the time Wright somehow pulled it into left field for a run-scoring hit, causing K-Rod to have a mini-tantrum of his own and leading to that strangest of Met-related emotions: confidence.
Somehow, in the bottom of the 10th, after Damion Easley's bolt off once-upon-a-time Paper Met Justin Speier, I wasn't worried. Not when Howie Kendrick hit an evil spinner to lead off against Billy Wagner — Wright somehow stopped the spin dead with his bare hand and gunned Kendrick out at first. Somehow I wasn't worried when Vlad the Impaler stared out at Billy. Between the beard creeping up his cheeks, his liberal coating of pine tar and his dull, dangerous stare, Vlad looks even scarier than he did when he was an Expo — has he been living under a bridge for the last few years? But no matter — Billy got him to hit a harmless flyball. Somehow I wasn't worried when Torii Hunter stepped in, even though he'd done a number on old pal Johan Santana last night. Billy struck him out, and for a moment all was … not well, exactly, but certainly better.
Let this be the first day of the rest of 2008, boys. Let baseball be fun. Let it be.
When I find my team in times of trouble, blogger Jason posts for me, speaking words of wisdom.
it's too small a sampling. but for once the storyline — early lead, perez giving it all back — played out with enough late-inning heroics, including the bullpen that shut the angels down, to make mets baseball fun for a night.
it's been a long, long, long time.
Jace – two things that might have been lost in the sauce of the past few days:
1) For the sixth consecutive day, the quicksand in which the Mets are still currently stuck did NOT get any deeper. They've gained ground on three of those days, albeit a half-game at a time over the weekend. Maybe Jerry Manuel is the rope they needed.
2) If Billy Wagner had NOT blown three save opportunities in a row, the Mets are 38-33, a mere two and a half games behind first, and only one back in the all-important loss column. And we're still asking, “Will Willie be fired? Will Willie be fired today? Does Willie really suck?” Maybe, like an alcoholic realizing he's powerless, the Mets needed to hit rock bottom in order to start gently moving upwards.
The Magic is Back !!! . . . Jerry Manuel is a LEADER of MEN !!!
How amazing was Ron Darling calling the wild pitch in the 9th?! Unreal! Best broadcasting team ever.
I felt a bit of confidence myself last night (rather I should say, “KAAAHHHHHHHHN-fidence”). Don't know what it was, but that feeling we had in '06 of, “score doesn't matter, we're winning this game,” was back. I knew we'd tie it in the 9th. I knew we'd win it eventually.
It's so refreshing to have that feeling back again, if only for one night. If Willie were still the manager, I would have assumed the loss shut the game off the minute it became 4-3 Angels. But there's something about Manuel, and the way Reyes was playing… I couldn't wait to watch the comeback.
Finally! Some sack!
Any of you guys ever play that game Lemmings?
just like to say that now that willie is gone the team looks reborn.they looked relaxed and cool like the bad karma has been lifted.they just need to take a deep breath and realize that this is basically the SAME TEAM THAT WAS ONE OUT AWAY FROM THE WORLD SERIES IN 2006!!! ESSENTIALLY ITS THE SAME LINEUP!! so i cant stand when people say this team is a bunch of losers.if the mets can regain their full confidence in their ability as a team to overcome any team…even the phillies most important then i dont see why this team cannot become the comeback championship team of 2008.there is plenty of time left to win the division and stun the phillies like they did to us last year.I THINK ITS TIME TO GIVE THE PHILLIES A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE AND ABSOLUTELY DOMINATE THE NL EAST FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON. LETS GO METS!!!
Want to really cringe? 2006's team including at times, Kaz Matsui or Anderson Hernandez. Valentin/Castillo Floyd/Al*u Chuch/(Milledge-Green-Chavez)
The pitching staff was even very different. Trachsel, Glavine..etc.
Anyway, I think what have started motivating this team last weekend was Philly's hot streak coming to an end. The same day as the Beltran walk-off was a game the Phillies rallied to tie it right around the same time Wagner let them tie it. Then Beltran propels the Mets to victory and Gordon the Phillies to defeat. since then their paths are back where they should be, culimating with last night, when the Mets record over the last 10 surpassed Philly.