Mr. Met has had his smile surgically removed after the game 7 loss.
The surgeons have his smile in cold storage until ‘07 when the Mets win it all.

AP photos show Mr. Met aimlessly
wandering the streets of New York,
Cracker Jacks in hand.

It’s a sad, sad day.  Cheer up, Mr. Met.  They’re going all the way next year!

I am 4 days removed from the most gut-wrenching loss I’ve ever had the privilege of witnessing first hand.  I’m getting tired of hashing and re-hashing what went wrong with all the usual suspects both on the Met message boards and in person.  It was a feeling of stunned disbelief for several days.  On the way home from the game, I stopped at a McDonalds in a rest area on I-95 to get something in my stomach as I was too excited to eat while the game in progress — well, that and I didn’t want to miss any of the action!

When I entered the building, there were several Met fans already in there with the same look on their faces.  I ordered my food and commiserated with my fellow fans.  Statements were being thrown about like “Unbelievable” and “How’d they lose that game?” or “After Endy’s catch, you knew they were going to win that game, right?”  It was a sort of ad hoc support meeting.

Well, I think I’ve reached the final phase, having been through shock, denial anger, etc. all in the same night, I believe I am at the acceptance phase.

We’re moving forward!

Let’s go Mets!  The Team, The Time….um, wait…no that was last year…
How about The Team, The Time, We Hope. 
No, I got it!  The Team, The Time & This Time We Mean It!
Aha!  This is the one…
We’re The Mets - We’re Mad As Hell And We’re Not Going To Take It Anymore!
Yeah, I like that one…

I don’t know if anyone heard the Jose chant at Shea (how could you not have heard it?) in game 7.  I know I did and apparently, the Cardinals players did as well because after their victory they used it in, what it sounded like to me, a rather mocking tone.  Granted, maybe it was just so catchy that they couldn’t get it out of their heads.  Hell, I find myself just singing it for no reason.

The incident in question took place in the visitor’s locker room after the Cards won the NLCS.  The audio you may hear on the radio is that of Jeff Weaver was talking to a reporter while, in the background, you hear the Jo-se, Jose Jose Jose, Jo-se, Jo-se chant.  There’s also a video of it from a different area.

I’ve heard various explanations on why the Cardinals players did this as well as several feelings from people in the Mets organization.  They’ve ranged from “The Mets won’t forget that” to “They earned the right as they beat us.”
I have mixed feelings on it myself.  It just added more fuel to the fire, for me.  It made me want the Mets to beat the Cards next year that much more.  On the other hand, I can’t complain too much as, after all, we were given rally towels at the door.  I didn’t really like that as I don’t want to copy other major league fan bases and their rituals.  We’re Mets fans, after all.  Not Cardinal fan wannabe’s.  I did come up with a good name for the towel, however.  I called it ‘The St. Louis Mocking Towel’ Would’ve been better if they won the damned game. :) 

When asked about the scene in the locker room, Omar Minaya said “They earned the right to do that by beating us.”

Mike Francessa from the Mike & The Mad Dog show said “The Mets won’t forget that.”  I kind of agree.  I don’t think LoDuca is the kid of guy who liked that sort of thing.  Maybe I am wrong.  I guess we’ll see next year.

Well, I guess if it makes the Mets more angry or hungrier to win next year, I’m all for it.  Although I don’t think they’ll need much more motivation than trying to avoid a repeat of the feeling the game 7 loss provided.

Let’s face it, many Mets fans are going to look at that last Beltran at bat as the reason the Mets lost their game 7. I don’t think that’s the case and here’s why.
Beltran had a pretty decent NLCS. Not great — decent. But guess what? The whole team had an sub par NLCS. This team was the bruiser of the NL the whole season. They didn’t show that side of themselves in the NLCS except in one game. That’s why they didn’t win. It wasn’t Beltran’s fault or Wright’s fault. The team, as a whole and from an offensive standpoint, stunk it up. While Beltran took strike 3, and I was PO’d when I saw it, I took a look at the replay when I got home from the game and saw that it was a pretty nasty pitch. Looked like it was going to be low when he threw it (especially with the catcher calling for it in the dirt). I’m sure Carlos would like to have that AB back. He’s probably wondering what kind of reception he’ll receive on opening day…I’ll be there cheering for him and the rest of them.

You have to remember what he did all year and most of the post season. I’d sign right now for another regular season like he had last year. What about his post season? How many walks did he get? How many HRs did he hit? (NLCS - 3 HR, 4 BB, 8 Runs Scored)  Take the two Carloses off of the team and they would’ve certainly been out in 4 straight. Take just Beltran’s numbers out of the mix and the game 7 wouldn’t have been close. It would’ve been a shut out as Beltran scored the only Met run off of his double and a Wright bloop single to right.

D. Wright had a rough post season, no doubt, but he’ll use this as a part of the preparation for next year when, I believe, they’ll be right there again and he’ll be ready. He looked like he was trying too hard to do too much at the plate. He’ll tone it down next year, I’m sure. He had to be pumped up. The most pressure packed game he’s played in his life, for sure. Next time, he’ll know better how to deal with it.

Reyes is in the same boat. He looked like he was jumpy at the plate early in the post season. Yes, he had a pivotal AB on game 6 and came through but he’ll take this experience and put it in the memory bank for the future. He’ll be ready.

Think of where this team was last year. The last game I went to was the Rockies game where Glavine pitched a complete game, struck out a ton (I think it matched the run total) and the Mets shut out Colorado 11-0. That was the end of the season for the Mets — a meaningless series against the Rockies. This year, the last game I attended was Game 7 of the NLCS with the Mets on the verge of going to the World Series with a pitching rotation consisting of a no-name or two, a Trachsel thrown into the mix and Glavine. No number one or two starters… With that, they made it to the final game of the NLCS. While that’s not acceptable to me, you or Omar, it was fun getting there. It was also heartbreaking. So much so, that yesterday was the first day of the World Series and I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. While that may sound childish, I don’t really care. Having been at the game, watching the bases become loaded with Mets in the bottom of the 9th and then, not come through was too much of a tease.

I’ll tell you this — I can’t wait until next year. They were ahead of schedule this year and they’re going all the way next year.

I do think about my Yankee fan friends telling me that, after the pitching losses, the Mets will be out in the 1st round… Well it didn’t happen. They swept LA and they should’ve beaten the Cards as they let two games slip through their fingers — Friday’s game 2 and game 7 (the latter wouldn’t have been necessary if they won the former).

Don’t worry, though They’ll be right there next year in the same spot, same stadium, same October atmosphere. This time, however, they won’t need a game 7!

Let’s go Mets!

John Maine, rookie pitcher who wasn’t even in the majors last year, is pitching a game six against the superb, Cy Young Award winner, Chris Carpenter. Win or go home…well, actually they were already home, but you know what I mean. Maine, ptiches the game of his life, holding the Cards down to 2 hits and no runs over 5 1/3 innings. He loaded the bases in the top of the 1st and got out of it, only to get stronger and stronger.

 

Once Endy Chavez robs Rolen of an absoulte, no doubt, home run and then doubles off Edmonds who was around 2nd on the play, you figure it’s definite — they’re going to win this game….the momentum has shifted for good! That catch, by the way, was the best catch I have ever seen.  He was so high up there, it was incredible. He’s a mere 6′ tall and got his elbow up over the top of the wall. Endy has crazy mad hops!

Well, they load the bases with one out in the bottom half of the inning and the M-E-T-S come away with nothing. That was a killer.  You have to get at least one run in that situation.  OK, you’re still onboard with the win…it has to happen, right?

Well, Heilman gives up a single, followed up by a HR from the light hitting Yadier Molina…