Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

Elaine: Kramer! Kramer: Oh, hey. Elaine: What are you doing? Kramer: Oh, well, I-I-I'm dominating. Elaine: You never said you were fighting children. Kramer: Well, it's not the size of the opponent, Elaine, it's, uh, the ferocity. Seinfeld episode, original airdate, September 19, 1996. A scene in which Elaine visits Kramer's karate class. The most dangerous team for a pennant contender is a last-place team because it can spoil many a hard-earned victory with a couple of cheap triumphs. We've referenced in print previously how the bottom-feeding Mets have served as super spoilers in seasons in which the end result has been less than impressive. We've seen some pretty good seasons (see 1998) wrecked by the actions of basement-dwellers. One of the nice things about the first eight games for the Mets was their dominance over the teams they should beat, i.e. the "children" of the National League East. Gary Cohen said it on SNY after one of the first few gam...

Part of a continuing series of posts related to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. I don't remember if it was during the initial viewing or one of the many reruns of the events of October 25, that my dad and I became rather puzzled by the judgement of NBC's broadcast crew. "The Miller Lite Player of the Game (portrayed humorously in the " RBI Baseball Reenactment of Game 6 ") is Marty Barrett," Vin Scully declared with two outs, nobody on, and Gary Carter up in the last of the 10th inning. Scully proceeded to run down Barrett's credentials- three singles, two walks, two RBI, and "handled everything hit his way" (one putout, four assists). Several issues come into play here. One is that the game was not over yet, but that one's so obvious that it goes without saying? The other issue is this: By citing Barrett aren't you slighting the man who, had the Red Sox won, would have had the biggest hit in franchise history? It's not like Dave H...

Last night I posed the question to someone who would know, from having faced him a couple dozen times. What kind of pitcher was Brian Bannister's father? "Floyd? He was nasty..." The Mets found that out firsthand during the 1977 season when the elder Bannister, then a rookie not long removed from being the No. 1 overall draft pick, faced them three times. He was quite nasty on each occasion. On the first, on June 12, he more than held his own against Tom Seaver and carried a 1-0 lead and three-hit shutout into the eighth inning before faltering slightly. The Mets tallied twice, scoring the second run on a wild pitch to send Bannister down to an eventual 3-1 defeat (with Seaver retiring Art Howe for the final out). The story in Houston that day may have been Bannister's tough-luck performance and fifth straight defeat, but there was a much greater story brewing in New York. Seaver was on the verge of being traded. He would be dealt to the Reds three days later. Seaver...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8547285560243429315&q=RBI+baseball&pl=true The above is a link to an amazingly done reenactment of the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 WS, using the video game RBI baseball. I suggest you check it out while waiting for my next posting. I'm planning my own version, using sock puppets...

Combing the internet for nuggets about prior David Wright walk-offs proved to be an unsuccessful journey through the information superhighway, but I did make a nice detour on the information Subway. I think the reason that Willie Randolph likes Wright so much is not because of Wright's penchant for superb play, but rather his affinity for a certain deli treat. Years ago, Wright was asked for his pre-game meal preference and he indicated his choice would be a turkey sandwich from his favorite fast-food chain, Subway. Move over Jared the weight-loss wiz and Joe Torre. I think it's time for someone to sign an endorsement deal. That restaurant would be wise to sign Wright while the price is still affordable. They're already in tight with the Mets, as evidenced by the advertisements on the back of this years ticket stubs. It seems likely that Sunday's win provided the first of many walk-off moments for Wright, who in the opening week of the season lived up to the billing of...