Saturday, May 19, 2007

BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME. [5-18-07]

“What do you want to have happen tonight,” inquired William from row F. “Strong start, or big walk-off drama?”
It amazed me that I had an actual opinion. “I want them to come out and dominate right from the start. None of this ‘we’re the Mets and we play scrappy baseball’ like we’re some kind of underprivledged cousins.” (It equally amazed me that I used the word “dominate” in the sports context.)

Ah, the Subway Series. For once, Shea was only about 1/3 full of Yankees fans. BP wasn’t full of kids in Jeter jerseys stomping on you to get a random fly ball. Any Yankees chanting during the game was easily shouted down with a hearty “Let’s Go Mets”. There was none of the hesitancy I felt last year, we cheered the starting lineup and we booed the Yankees with gusto.

What a game! Knowing that Oliver would settle down eventually. Sheer glee when he did.

10-15-27 = Knowing that nothing would get lost in our outfield.

“We have Endy Chavez—and you don’t!” TBF’s favorite cackle at any opposing team.

It was beyond frigid. Every time I swear that I am taking the blanket and the hat and an extra fleece until July, and then I take it all back out of the bag. This time I mean it.
Luckily, Miriam & Julia loaned me their blanket, and this game was so quick that everyone kept asking us on the way home what the score was and what inning it was, and when we told them that the game was over, we were there, they looked at us in amazement.

Best sign was carried by a 12 year old in the mezzanine:
“LET’S GO METS! Please win, because I’m surrounded by Yankees fans and it’ll be a long car ride home if you don’t.”

One of the best parts was on the B61 home, we walk on to find about four NYPD on the bus, and when everyone from the 7 train piled on, one of them announced, “Sorry, Yankees fans have to take another bus. We can arrange an escort back to the Bronx for you.”
The lone Yankees fan looked around to see who they were talking to.
“I’ll give you this hat so you can support a winning team,” TBF offered. I kicked him, gently.
I think he’s going Sunday night. I can’t go because of work the next day, and I’m a little cranky that he’s going to go without me. MMMpppph.

Click here for the flickr gallery from BP today and the game. Highlights below.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

THE UNCLE FLOYD SHOW. [5-15-07]

Yes, I’m going to post a lot of photos of Cliff, because, quite honestly, otherwise absolutely nothing else happened at Shea tonight that is worth discussing. So feel free to skip this post if you don’t want to see the Uncle Floyd Show.

[more, including photos, after the jump]

5-14 PHOTO GALLERY.

Click here to view the entire set on flickr.

A small preview:

Monday, May 14, 2007

DEAR CHICAGO. [5-14-07]

PRE-GAME:
TBF and I eat Chicago-style hot dogs (minus celery salt and technicolor relishes) at the Diamond Club. (Amongst other things.)

SECOND INNING:

“This is how we lose baseball games to teams we shouldn’t lose to.”
--MG

ARE WE SURE THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?

First, a fan is banned from Shea from shining a flashlight into the opposing pitcher’s eyes…

...and then a week later, they hand out flashlights. ("No batteries,” TBF pointed out.)

In Arizona, we lose a home run because of a fan’s popcorn box, and now this:

Sunday, May 13, 2007

AHORA, TRES CARLOS.

When we were down at Spring Training this year, one morning, there was an animated conversation going on between one practice field and the other, between Jose Reyes and one of the minor leaguers. I had left my pocket Spanish dictionary in the car, but there was a lot of laughing and joking and even with zero knowledge of Spanish, it was clear that two friends were giving each other a hard time.
“I think that’s Carlos Gomez,” TBF said. “Jose says he’s even faster than he is.”
“How is that even possible?”

Saturday’s debacle involved me getting in the car to drive home around 3pm, turning on Howie and Ed, and sending TBF a text message at 3:46pm (while I was sitting in traffic on the Hutch) that read ‘OH THE HUMANITY’.
We kind of completely ignored baseball last night as a result, got home very very late, and slept in very very late. By the time we came home from a very very late breakfast, the game was well under way, and we both studiously avoided the internet so the game didn’t get spoiled. I was going to do some cleaning first, and then TBF said, “I think we need to watch the game. Carlos Gomez got called up.”
“But yesterday, they said that Pelfrey--”
“Yeah, I guess not.”

Wasn’t that outfield a pleasure to watch? Wasn’t Perez dynamite? What a fantastic, fantastic game. I like Gomez, and TBF is showing the kind of affection for OP that he previously reserved for Duaner. Reyes in the dugout, finally getting with the program (telling Ben Shpigel that he waited because he was filming a reggaeton video - WHICH ONE? inquiring minds beg to ask), rubbing heads with a newly-shorn Gomez in the dugout. Loving OP’s leaps, his unbridled enthusiasm, his tip of the cap in response to the well-deserved standing O as he left the field in the 9th. (I don’t know which I liked better, that applause or the one he got as he came up to bat in the 8th.) It was the kind of game that made me sorry we weren’t there after all, despite the chock full week o’ baseball we have ahead of us. It’s starting to be the kind of year that will make me say, ‘Yeah, we should go,’ when the impulse arises to see that extra game.

On that note, I have a day off on Thursday and Friday. Although I have my day planned and am totally happy with it, and will get to Shea early on Friday in time for BP, there is something that makes me want to find a really, really good ticket for Thursday afternoon and spend the day in the sun at Shea.

Friday, May 11, 2007

THANK YOU (FALETTINME BE MICE ELF AGIN) [5-11-07]

I *loved* tonight’s game.  I loved the excited hopping tiny adorable Little Leaguers lining the warning track before the anthem. I loved that it was Friday and the week was over and I got to meet TBF at 6:00 sharp and run down to the 7 train together. I loved that it wasn’t hot but it wasn’t cold and I didn’t need sweatshirts and wool hats and gloves and scarves and hand warmers. I loved “PLAY BALD” even if the joke is already old and tired. I loved that the stadium was respectably full, that there were no endless ‘YANKEES SUCK’ chants, and that only once did I have to yell at a moron with a cell phone to please not stand at the top of the tunnel while the Mets were up. I loved watching Delgado’s smile beam up at us in the mezzanine while Professor Reyes taught us how to ask for a napkin en español.

[MORE, and PHOTOS, after the jump. Click below to page 2!]

FRIDAY PHOTO. [welcome back, cliff]

As if you thought I’d forget who’s coming to visit next week. This week’s Friday Photo is dedicated to Mr. Cornelius Cliff Floyd, who we dearly miss in left field. Call it sentimental, call it irrational, point at his injury record - but I never worried about that corner of the field when #30 was on duty. Welcome back, Cliff!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

METSGRRL STORE OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

Alyssa Milano, eat my dust. The first items in the MetsGrrl store are now available.

More coming this weekend.

THE HOLD STEADY AND BASEBALL.

The Portland Mercury interviews Craig Finn of the Hold Steady about baseball and the Minnesota Twins. (Seriously, there’s not one music question in the thing.)

Here’s the best part (well, at least for me):

Are there a lot of people in the Minnesota music scene that are Twins fans?

Definitely. Especially the older crowd, like the Jayhawks and Golden Smog. I was at Twins’ spring training this year and I saw Paul Westerberg at the game.

What? [MG note: that was about my reaction, too, when I read this.]

I went down to Fort Meyers, Florida, for two games, and had a lot of fun. I was talking to this guy Jim Walsh, who is doing the Replacements oral history [MG again: WHAT?]and he told me Paul would be down there. I kind of had my eye out looking for him, and sure enough, he was there with his son. I’ve never met him before, so it didn’t seem like the right time to go bother him. It’s funny because even before we did “Take Me out to the Ball Game” for the Twins, I was at the Metrodome last year and noticed how great the music was during the games. They played a lot of the Replacements.

Okay. So the Metrodome plays the Replacements, and had the Hold Steady record “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” for them, and the Great American Ballpark plays the Afghan Whigs. Not only do I appreciate the hometown nod to the hometown band, I appreciate the little thing called RELEVANCY.

And we, at Shea, are being serenaded with freaking “Sweet Caroline” (he’s from BROOKLYN, don’t start).

What do we have to do to get some New York songs by New York bands played?  I mean, I appreciate that Yo La Tengo isn’t exactly going to get the crowd pumped up, but they can certainly make more of an effort. Do we not have the ability to branch out beyond classic rock?