It would have been terrible had Hiroki Kuroda hit Shane Victorino in the head and caused him injury. But since he didn't, I must confess that watching a baseball whiz by the helmet of Shane Victorino Sunday night has been the highlight of this postseason for me, a most bitter, resentful Mets fan.
I've got no real horse in this October derby. I'm rooting against the Phillies but can't say I'm pro-Dodgers. Every time I try to be, Rafael Furcal shows his face or Hong-Chih Kuo warms up. Hell, I'd forgotten Chan Ho Park was still pitching for them. Blake DeWitt is a natural born Met-killer and Jeff Kent is all-century unsupportable across two millennia. And who's that suave character in their dugout pushing all the buttons when he's not driving around in those State Farm commercials? Still, they can't match the Phillies for sheer firepower of nightmarishness: Victorino, Myers, Dobbs, Burrell, Werth, Taguchi, Moyer…and that's before getting into their actual stars. Phillies versus Dodgers is chronic warts versus a recurring rash.
Thus when Kuroda's pitch sailed over Victorino's head in Game Three and Victorino responded (to use South Park language from which I usually refrain but seems far too appropriate to pass up) like the little bitch he is, it was 2008 postseason baseball at its finest. The Dodgers can't throw up and in at Shane Victorino enough.
As long as no one gets hurt.
The anger is still palpable here. It's not anger at the Phillies for having the nerve to do their job and win their division. It's anger at the Mets. The Mets haunt this October if you let them (it's the only way they get close to October). I watched the Phillies open the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park and realized that coulda if not shoulda been Shea, and Shea would still be alive (which it is not at the present time). I watched the lineups introduced at the start of the ALCS and when the Tampa Bay fans responded with a sustained chant of LET'S GO RAYS! I found myself wistfully mouthing along with them, except for the Rays! part. Two Octobers ago, even two weeks ago, that was us chanting, and it wasn't wistful at all. As reasonably happy as I was to see a walkoff win for those Rays Saturday night, I stewed that it was the 22nd anniversary of Lenny Dykstra's bottom-of-the-ninth game-winning home run against Houston and it should be the Mets, not some Tampa-come-lately, congregating joyously around home plate.
One of my all-time favorite movies, That Thing You Do!, came on late Friday. There's a lyric in one of the songs I really like from the soundtrack that struck me anew: “Tell everyone in Philadelph'ya/there's a party goin' on!” Boy, I thought, wouldn't have that been a great theme for the night we clinched the East this year? I got retroactively mad at the Mets for short-circuiting that after-the-fact idea.
I was mad at the Mets when I woke up Sunday and saw how beautiful it was outside and realized there would be no game on Channel 11 at 1:10. I got mad at the nice weather. Where was this two weeks ago?
I got mad at the Jets for winning in New York Titans garb because that's what they wore on September 28, which I first learned from the idiot sitting behind me on The Final Day because he kept repeating it between anti-Met outbursts (“Hey, the Jets are winning — they're wearing the Titan uniforms…BULLPEN SUCKS! BULLPEN SUCKS! Hey, the Jets are winning…they're wearing the Titan uniforms…”).
The Mets are ruining movies. They're ruining meteorology. They're ruining other sports now. Everything they accidentally touch turns to Met.
Somebody throw at Victorino again.
Better yet, visit Forgotten NY's thoughtful and comprehensive tribute to a New York landmark that will never be forgotten.
I really want the Rays to win it all. They remind me so much of both the '69 Mets – coming from last to first and the '86 Mets – fistfights with Division rivals, yeah!
But…..
After the Matt Stairs homerun last night, I said to my husband, “Damn. They're going to win it all.”
They are friggin' on fire at the right friggin' time and there's nothing we can do about it.
Maybe, just maybe, the Phillies can be the '69 Orioles?
I'm thinking the Phillies have 4 game sweep to the AL written all over them.
Hi Greg,
I'm rooting for the Rays myself although a part of me wouldn't mind Boston retaining the crown since they wanted Manny Ramirez out of the clubhouse and have shown they are a unit.
Don't care for the Dodgers since they only mustered 84 wins in a medicore division (as Met fans we know about injuries so that's not an excuse for finishing just 6 games over .500) and the love affair with Manny will last until he declares free agency. Not that I'm rooting for the Phillies, either, but the best case scenario would be for the Phillies to beat L.A. and then be swept by the A.L. champ.
“The Mets are ruining movies.” – not so, saw the “Bee Movie” the other night which was quite entertaining and two of the characters in this animated film wore baseball caps – and both were for the orange and blue.
It's fair to say that the Phillies are in for a culture shock when they reach the World Series. Let's see who they've played since September 1: Washington, us, Florida, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Florida, Atlanta, Washington, Milwaukee, LA. It would seem that they should not be able to handle the AL Champion so easily.
I can't freakin wait for Lidge to blow a save by giving up a 500-foot bomb. It's gonna happen.
Here, here!
There are several people I'd love to see “flipped” next year — by Met pitching, of course:
Victorino
Josh Willingham
Hanley Ramirez
Willie Harris
Milledge
Harry Kalas…oops, sorry….
That Shea tribute was fascinating for someone like me who has never and
never will set foot in Shea. That Unisphere looks familiar though. Is that
where FOTC sang 'If You're into it”?
In Japanese baseball news my Hanshin Tigers choked away a 13 game lead
they had on July 8th. Man, I sure know how to pick 'em.
The Rays would be in for as much of a culture shock as anyone. The Phils have faced some tough pitching, including being the only team to beat CC down the stretch. They beat Lowe twice, Billingsly, Sheets, Pelfrey (who was hot at the time) and the Marlins tough young starters. The Phils would have an excellent chance in the WS (if they get there). I jnow it is a nightmare for MLB if the Rays-Phils are playing next week. Can't say that I don't think the umps have made some bad calls wishing for a Sox-Toees,Ramirez matchup. Utlery K'ed looking on a opitch at least a foot outside. Both Rollins and Howard beat out infield singles by a full step and were called out. I hope they are just bad calls but when all you hear on TV is the Dodger hype you start to wonder. Someone should tell Fox that the Phillies are playing too.
That Unisphere looks familiar though. Is that where FOTC sang 'If You're into it”?
Yup. You might even say it's in (a) central park.
“Innnnnn Newark”
You make a good point on the pitching, though something tells me the Rays could devour the Phillies starters. It may be a case of: Philly starter goes 3 innings, gives up 5 runs, bullpen shuts it down afterward and Phillies bats take the lead late.
Or, the Phillies just get cremated in the series.
And I think Fox knows that Philly is playing. There are only so many times I can hear the Rocky theme without wanting to throw all my Rocky movies out the window. Speaking of Fox–I know this is a fruitless effort, but can we PLEASE get the TBS announce team for the World Series? They're not bad! Ronny is a big help, but even without him I think they're a pleasant bunch. At this point I'm once again undecided over the worst broadcast team in baseball, Fox or ESPN. Miller and Morgan are somehow worse than Buck and McCarver, but Peter Gammons is always a treat on ESPN. Ken Rosenthal is just fucking unbearable. If Fox wants to have a guy sit next to the dugout with a doofy smile, sound completely clueless over the game, and act a little too excited about it, then they could at least hire Fran Healy.
Lets face it , after the Cubs, the best team in the NL is the Phillies!
They beat out our guys coming from behind the last two years going and that should come as no surprise. Its only the circumstances in which it happed that should surprise anyone..
They deserve it..and we deserve shit!!
rich
Their ungrateful fans deserve nothing. Some can say the same about us, I suppose.
“Why would they come to our [ballpark] just to boo us?”~Lisa Simpson
I don't know…….their fans are OK, I guess. I've gone to Citizen's Bank and have been treated well there. Especially by the employees. Couldn't say the same about the Shea staff. Then again I never acted like a dick in the visitor's park either. Ahhh, fuck it. If they win, they win. I'll be rooting against them, but I'm past the point of getting worked up about it. But I agree with Greg. I did enjoy seeing that pussy Victorino get pissed off the other night.
Suck it, we are in the world series, you are not.
“We?” Really? What position do you play?
Congratulations to the 2008 NL Champion Phialdelphia Phillies.
Now, if you'll excuse me…
You know, you write so eloquently. Why not write about something more meaningful than the Mets, or baseball in general?