Saturday, May 20, 2006

The M&M Mets: "I Told You So"

I can't tell you how many times I heard the phrase "I told you so" last night. My wife can, though. She uttered the phrase a lot and she kept track. When the Mets fell behind 4-0 in the first inning last night I was ready to bail out and watch a Netflix rental. I had no interest in seeing the Yankees kick the Mets all over Queens. Allie insisted we stick with the game. She played the "I'm pregnant" card. I conceeded.

The first "I told you so" struck in the bottom of the first when Carlos Beltran ripped a 3-run homer into left field. The second "I told you so" rang out when Xavier Nady tied the game at five. The last one echoed across our apartment when David Wright knocked in the game-winning run with two out in the bottom of the ninth, off Mariano Rivera, no less. And there were countless others along the way. Every time Reyes turned in a stellar play at short. When Matsui tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth. When A-Rod made yet another error in that same inning. Every time Heilman or Wagner punched out another Yankee over the course of four innings of stellar relief work. It was a hell of a game.

And where was our man Matsui throughout this roller coaster ride? Early in the game, he was everywhere. He applied a convincing ghost tag when A-Rod tried to stretch a single in the first. He was on the top step of the dugout greeting Reyes, LoDuca, and Beltran after they scored the Mets' first runs. He surfaced again in the fifth, fielding a pair of routine grounders to help Darren Oliver turn in a much-needed 1-2-3 inning. Then, like I said before, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth he drove in David Wright from second. If you're only as strong as your weakest link, then the Mets are in good shape as long as Matsui fields well and hits .250 or better.

To top it off, the Phillies and Braves both lost.

With Pedro and Glavine on board, I think the Mets are the favorite to win the series.

No comments: