Saturday, October 27, 2007

Baseball & Other Musings to Pass the Time

I'm a baseball fan first and a sports fan second. I thought this World Series was going to be a better match up. Apparently I was kidding myself...that or I was desperate for a feel-good story. Guess that may not work out. I'm already tired of the Red Sox and their antics. Since when did they jump on a high horse?! It's funny for two seconds; oh and then I feel like I'm watching the dopey version of the late-90's Yankees.

So besides the World Series & the inevitable end of another baseball season, the sports world is full of interesting tidbits. There's that NFL game in London this weekend...I'm sure that will go well. NFL and Europe are not compatible...I'm not even a football fan and I can recognize this. I will admit I have become a sucker for my grad. school's football team though. I'm learning to embrace the only game I've ever been a real outsider too. We'll see how long that last...

The NHL is up and running. Yeah, I forgot too. I predict another lackluster season of NHL hockey, especially if Ryan Smyth continues to tour the country spreading his man tears everywhere. College Hockey is so much more exciting that the "show." That is one opinion I will never change.

The Knicks & MSG are going to spontaneously combust at any moment. It all started when Mr. Marbury started selling $15 shoes. You knew that was the beginning of the end. Apparently the World Series isn't front page worthy this week, as every damn magazine was committed to the Celtics. Real nice...

Back to baseball. Barry Bonds is whining, Scott Boras is talking about money, the Yankees are still making mistakes. The best news is that Jacoby Ellsbury is a modern day American Hero. With his stolen base Thursday night he swiped every American a free taco. Needless to say, this promotion by Taco Bell is absolutely genius. So hat tip to Taco Bell...and don't forget to get your taco Tuesday, Oct. 30 from 2-5pm.

All is right in the world. As the offseason progresses & the hotstove heats up, I'll still be here to weigh in on all the action. What will be the biggest piece of news in my eyes is if this list from the Mitchell investigation is released. That should give us all plenty to talk about. If I throw in some non-baseball chit chat I hope you don't mind. Thanks to anyone who has continued reading! I truly appreciate it. Soak up the last few moments of baseball before we are subjected to a long winter...

Monday, October 22, 2007

Rox & Sox

To the World Series we go. I'm mildly disappointed that the Indians couldn't pull out this series, but the Red Sox were just too strong. Do I like the Red Sox? Not so much. Do they make me laugh? Sure they do...

Just 4 years ago, the thought of being a Red Sox fan could make a grown man cry. Despite all the allure of Fenway, the Green Monster, Red Sox Nation there was also a lot of despair. But since 2004, the attitude has changed. Did you watch that celebration last night? Who are these guys? Who are these Boston fans? It's almost as if now they expect to get there. And sure they are powerful and probably should be there, but I hate when fans and players walk around with a sense of entitlement.

It should be clear that I'm rooting for the Rockies when the World Series gets underway. I'll have my purple all geared up for Wednesday. I give the Red Sox a point for humor, but there gets a point when the bullpen band, Beckett's F-bombs, Papelbon's riverdance, Papi & This is why I'm hot, and Manny being Manny just gets to be too much. I'm sure if you're on the inside & the Sox are your team, all these things are endearing. Probably exactly why you love your team. Through this I can understand why people cannot stand Mets home run celebrations. But what can you do? A team's personality is what it is...but the Red Sox are a bunch of wackos.

That being said...Terry Francona is one hell of a manager. I'll give him that. And speaking of wackos, the poor lady presenting the trophies in the clubhouse last night was a mess and a half. I feel like the postseason is 15 years long. They can get rid of the 3 million off days any time now. 4 more wins and we'll be knee deep in the offseason. Until then I have my fingers crossed for the kids from Colorado. With the wintry conditions in Denver, an early Christmas present may not be too much to ask.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Worst Blogger Ever

Worst Blogger Ever = me! I have been a terrible lady blogger in these days since the regular season has ended. I think I was so wrapped up in the highs and lows of the Mets run, or lack their of, just made me so exhausted. That being said...I have been committed to the playoffs and they have been worth every second. I was happy to see the Phils bow out early; the Yankees and all their issues are such a joke; the D'backs and Rockies series was a bit of a letdown, as I expected a closer series; and this stretched out playoff schedule is starting to drive me bananas.

Red Sox and Indians have come down to game 7. Enter anxious shiver here. I hate everything about game 7's now. The Indians cannot let this slip away after taking a 3-1 lead, but now it all comes down to just 9 innings. There is no tomorrow for one of these teams. Fenway is going to be crazy & the tribe needs to win the war. I'm disappointed in my boy Fausto...guy could've gotten it together for this series. It would have been a thought. So before I move on, Come on Cleveland. Do it for my buddy Zac, who might just implode if you blow this!

Now the Rockies. Is this team playing incredible baseball or what?! I have jumped on the purple bandwagon, despite my plea to ditch purple as a man's team color. It has been exciting to watch this run they have been on. I am concerned the long break before the series may not be the best of things, but only time will tell. I have always been on the fence about destiny...and teams of destiny. Ask me in November if I change my mind.

And finally, the Mets. I apologize for those of you who were reading regularly & may have believed I bailed for the off season. Thankfully my schedule filled up as the Mets faded into the sunset. Until the hot stove heats up, the news in Queens has been slow. The Yankees gave us a hand in stealing all the nasty headlines so I offer them my thanks. I have avoided SNY; Mets Weekly; my drawer of Mets apparel; and obviously my Mets blog. Then damn ESPN interviews my man D.Wright at the Rutgers game the other night. And as stupid as it may sound, then and there I missed our Mets. I missed Gary, Keith, and Ron (who I believed used Just For Men before his TBS stint.) I missed Kevin Burkhardt eating everything in sight at a Dodgers game. I missed the obnoxious HR dances. I miss David everywhere. I miss Moises Alou and his quads that make me hold my breath. I missed El Duque's bunions & Willie's sketchy post-game conferences. I miss the ride that is a Mets fan; even if it's not always very fun. The Sizemore's, Holliday's, Carmona's, Beckett's, and Cleveland bugs will get me through October, but they will never be a sufficient substitute. I'm already flipping the calendar, counting down until Spring Training. Purple may be the color of the month, but I want my blue and orange back.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Still Not Happy...

Do you feel any better? I don't. Willie Randolph is coming back. Yayyy! Crack open the champagne....errr wait. What's that you say Willie? "When we do drink champagne it will be that much sweeter; if we don't, that's life." Right, right. Thanks for clearing that up. But you're coming back because Omar runs the show. I really used to like Omar but this year and the handling of "the collapse" thus far have not been scoring any points. My favorite tidbit from the announcement today. "At one point, he [Randolph] walked through the clubhouse and noted his missing mustache."I was going to slit my throat," Randolph said. "But my aim was high." I guess the past few days have made me quite morbid because that made me laugh out loud. P.S...check out the picture from the press conference today. It definitely looks like Willie and Omar have an outstanding relationship. I also just won a million dollars.

Then let's talk about pictures of Carlos Delgado carrying around his Derek Jeter jersey. That's really cute Carlos, really. Too bad Jeter will be in the postseason because a) he can still hit a baseball and b) he's not afraid of being a leader.

Oddly enough Orlando Hernandez can't speak English now. He was talking to reporters on Monday through a translator. I mean, are you kidding me?! Arthritis, a bunion, 17 therapeutic boots, 2 vacations a year, crapping out at the end of the past 2 seasons and a translator. You can get the heck outta here too.

And then to make matters worse...in a move to protect my continued investment in this organization, the very concerned about Mets fans, Jeff Wilpon, sent me an email on Monday. As if I had been living under a rock, he informed me that the season was a bitter disappointment, there would be meetings, improvements, and changes. Oh yes and the best part...."You deserve better results." Conveniently that was followed by thanks again for your money. Thanks to the "Ownership Group" for telling me NOTHING I DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW!

If you missed it the Phillies were throwing celebrations in Philadelphia for winning the division. Newsflash: You didn't win anything yet but a crappy white t-shirt. Win a World Series and then you can start clanging the Liberty Bell.

One thing I was happy about...the Wild Card Tiebreaker. I was hesitant to put in on, but I'm so glad I did. After weeks of terrible baseball, last night was a perfect reminder of why baseball is the greatest game on earth. That was a phenomenal game last night in every sense of the word. Electric crowd, early leads, a grand slam, great bullpens, comebacks, extra innings, meltdowns, close plays, botched balls, and a walk off win. When you follow a team that has a monumental meltdown as the Mets did...it's easy to forget the beauty of baseball. But last night we had 13 innings of reason. I like the Rockies & I love the story. The Rockies were actually involved in the first baseball game I ever went to; so they are near and dear in a weird way. That they're playing the Phillies in the first round only makes me root for them that much more. I know it's tough to turn on baseball after what we just watched, but try to watch these playoffs. It proves to be a great month of baseball in general & the magic that happens in October cannot be re-created any time of year...regardless of the teams involved.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Yesterday = Numb, Today = Angry

Okay, so yesterday I was numb. I had no other words than that. Today I am angry. After listening to yesterday's postgame reactions I am angry, add to that annoyed. I have never felt more disrespected or brushed aside as a fan of this organization as I did yesterday. Let me begin my rant...

Tom Glavine: Thank you for telling me you weren't devastated. That's fine, but 54,000+ sat there yesterday and were. Add to that all those watching & listening at home and you have a whole lot of devastated people. So cut us some slack Tom. You're days are a Met have come to the end. Thanks for notching your 300th win in the blue and orange, all while adding very little to the blue and orange. Okay, so you're a veteran and the consummate professional...but when you had to lay it all out there, you dropped the ball. Parting in this case will not be sweet sorrow.

Willie Randolph: Umm I just want to remind you that the fans are how you people eat at night. We allow for your paychecks. So have a little sympathy and realize that Mets fans are not the same breed as Yankees fans. When the press asks you what kind of message you have for devastated Mets fans...what was your answer? "We're devastated too. But we're gonna learn from this and move on. But hey listen, I'm worried about my team first and foremost." Alright Willie, that's nice and all. I'm glad you're worried about patching bandaids for the grown men in your clubhouse. But in all due respect, throw us a little bit of respect. And you wonder why everyone is calling for your head.

Omar Minaya: If this guy tried to tell me ONE MORE TIME that "Look this is a good team. This is still a team who was in a pennant race. This is still a team that won 88 games. This is where we want to be. Ya know what I'm sayin." I was here for all 162 games Omar! I know you won 88 games and you probably could have won about 15-16 more if they didn't always cough it up. This season was a downgrade from last year, regardless of what names are on the paper. I'm not an idiot. Stop trying to make excuses and still say this team is a good team. Do something worthwhile this offseason and I'll quit my bitching.

Billy Wagner: Shut up already. You have managed to crap the bed in every damn big game and yes I'd keep you as my closer, but I still think you're overrated. Always have, always will. What I can't stand about you is you're pretty quick to always point the finger and throw someone else under the bus. You've always got something negative to say and I think you're a bad teammate. Yes you heard it here...a bad teammate & given the chance I'd ship you out on the first bus too. You and Tommy G. can hold hands on the way out of town. Again...shut your big fat trap.

Jose Reyes: Find yourself already dammit. Will the real Jose Reyes please stand up? The boos will not go away next year if you do not get it together and lose the 'tude. Please and Thank You!

I would like to say a brief thank you to Pedro & Paul for showing they were angry. I was angry. Thanks for being a reflection of how your fans felt like. Thank you David Wright for being a real captain. This organization is yours for years to come & that is the only thing I am excited about.

Today I am annoyed. Today I am angry. I have nothing positive to say today. Maybe in a few days I'll be able to see some positive. But today I feel disrespected. Beyond being letdown by my team on the field, I now feel letdown by my team in the clubhouse. In a place like New York the fans are the pulse of your team, and I don't need you to send me a box of kleenex. What I would appreciate is a little recognition and not a slap in the face. The fans are devastated. The fans are angry. I don't care you won 88 games. I don't care Tom Glavine won 303 games in his lifetime. I don't care Willie Randolph is a big boy and can take the heat. Recognize that your pulse is fading & you have to find a way to fix that, along with your team.