Monday, May 19, 2008By Joyce Mandelkern
While I am probably happier than anybody that the Mets made mincemeat of the Yankees, I'm also going to be a bit of a killjoy and say that we have bigger fish to fry. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled we won both games in convincing fashion and beat both Pettitte and Wang. However, as far as I'm concerned, taking the series from the Braves, in Atlanta, would mean much more to our team.
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but here goes:
First of all, I want to pound Tom Glavine. Yes, I am a bad person. There is no need to tell me, I am fully aware of the fact that when it comes to sports, I am a bad loser, a bad winner, and in general, a bad person. I believe in payback and in this case, the good news is that even if we score 100 runs off of him, he won't be devastated, so if he won't be devastated, how badly should I feel? I only hope he pitches for the Braves as well as he pitched for us in his last outing against the Marlins.
Secondly, it is the Braves. Division rivals. In Atlanta. We've been over this before and I hate repeating myself, but you all know how important it is to beat your hated division rivals, especially when their stadium has been your house of horrors for how many years? Let's try to put some distance between us and other teams when and where we can. It would be a statement win.
Thirdly, if we win this series we keep the media and therefore the pressure the media creates at bay. If we lose this series it all starts all over again. Any good that was done by winning the two games against the Yankees will be undone and we will be back to where we were after losing 3 of 4 to the Nats. At some point this team needs to string together wins and series wins and now is as good a time as any. Good teams do this, by the way.
Lastly, Larry Jones. Need I say more?
I keep waiting for us to go on a run, to make the big push, to take off. It feels like I've been waiting since last June for that to happen. It felt so good to play well and win. I'm on a natural high today. I don't want the drama of last week. Like all of you, I just want the team to play well and focus. I want them to want it as badly as we want it. Maybe I live in a dream world, but if they do those things, then hopefully the rest will take care of itself. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? They really should give it a try. It couldn't hurt.
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Comments (3)
Joyce; I couldn't agree more. While I too am very pleased with the 2 game sweep of the Yanks, the Mets need to string together a couple of good stretches (5 out of 7, 8 or 9 out of 12, etc.) before the team, the media or the fans can take a breath. Until proven otherwise, there is no reason to think that these last 2 games are anything but 2 steps forward to be followed by 2 steps backward. Losing the series to the Braves would be just that, and it's time to prove to themselves and everyone else that they are not the .500 team that they have been for the last year. I still don't like the vibe around the team; something seems off to me. Randolph's explanation about why he didn't get thrown out arguing Delgado's over-turned HR seemed to me to be almost egotistical in nature, like he was saying that he was too important to the team's success to get thrown out and that was Jerry Manuel's job to get thrown out to protect him! Sounds like he suffers from delusions of grandeur! Let's Go Mets!
Posted by George | May 19, 2008 6:59 PM
Nice writeup.
I really get the feeling that the 2 game "sweep" on the heels of the clubhouse meeting is going to propel the Mets to a 10-2 type of run....the kind of run we've all been waiting for, as you say, for about a year.
Let's go in and sweep the Braves and really get this thing rolling!
Posted by Dave | May 19, 2008 8:13 PM
Joyce - If you're a bad person for wanting the Mets to tear into Gl@v!ne today, then I must be absolutely evil.
I agree - two wins over a last-place team is relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The best thing it does is shut up the annoying fans of the Vertical Swastika for a little while. Here's to whipping on Larry, Tom, and the rest of the Braves.
Posted by NostraDennis | May 20, 2008 9:33 AM