Mets (afteranightofathousandcuts) Win

So much to report after two straight days driving down to Los Angeles, Saturday for doubt and Sunday for Doubt (will report on the magic of Cherry Jones tomorrow). Both were great, but one was a lot more agonizing. As you may have heard, the Mets swept the Dodgers. And we were there in Loge 144 down the first base line and I do love E-Bay, yes. We got there early because every sporting event known to man happened in LA yesterday--2 college football games (supposedly people here care about this USC and UCLA, but I don't get it as UCSB doesn't even have a football team) and there might have even been a cricket match somewhere. So we sat around and watched the Mets take batting practice and the Yanks lose (such a pity) on the big screen, which seems surreal, like we went to one ball park to watch a game on TV in another.

This photo looks better big (click on it) as you can see Wright and Delgado and LoDuca and Reyes, and Green on the far left in his natty white gloves (I assume he just came from tea). And in the bottom right corner 2 Dodgers fans belittle the Mets in their Gagne souvenir jerseys, pretending it's still 2003.

I won't go into point for point detail on this game as it lasted about as long as the Seven Years War (Steve Trachsel started for the Mets, after all). The worst part was there was never an inning the Dodgers didn't have a baserunner (in the second they only sent 3 men to the plate, but that's thanks to a double play). Given the Dodgers were a great comeback team all year, who would, in fact, comeback to take a 5-4 lead after being down 4 zip in this very game, any time they got runners on base (i.e., every innning) it seemed like the beginning of the end. Especially when I called the start of their scoring, and thought to myself if Marlon Anderson gets on, Jeff Kent will hit a homer off Darren Oliver. Bingo. (P.S., Marlon, Mr. Scratch wants that soul now, hope your out-of-character great run was worth it.)

The good news is we only got called shits once, and it wasn't even when Oliver snared a linedrive comebacker and doubled off a runner from third, suddenly killing a rally, and inning, and the "Let's go Dodgers!" cheer that allowed me to instantly fill the stunned silent void with, "You're out Dodgers." Otherwise the Dodger fans didn't abuse us for rooting for the winning team. Guess they hope they'll be the winning team someday.

This is what victory looks like. The Mets were pretty good about not celebrating too much on the field, knowing they shouldn't rub it in because the Dodgers only lost because they didn't have their situational lefthanded reliever, who cut his pitching hand in a bar. Guess Joe Beimel could throw a pint back, if nothing else.

Sorry you lost, Dodger fans, but not too sorry. Notice we were just 2 minutes shy from all winning our bonus Subway coupons for surviving a 4 hour, 9 inning game.