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Showing posts from August 19, 2007

Aloumost Famous

Boy, if Moises Alou had just pushed the ball a little bit more to the left of second base, we'd have had a walk-off for the ages, or at least one that would have matched that of the comeback against the Cardinals a year and a day prior (Carlos Beltran's walk-off HR off Jason Isringhausen, for those who forget). It got me thinking about "Almosts." When I reference an "almost," I'm thinking back to a game most probably forgotten by most, by now, but one that would have made for a heck of a memory had the Mets pulled out the victory. I don't have a lot of time and this is certainly a subject on which we could pontificate for an extended period (let's save our lamenting about Kevin McReynolds/Orel Hershiser in Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS for another time, shall we?). I'll toss out one of prominence to me and those who wish to add can do so in the comments section. For some reason, September 7, 1987 comes to mind first, and I don't know why that i

Castillo of Thousands

More to come when I wake up... * Walk-off win #348 was the Mets 7th of the 2007 season and the first since June 25. The Mets are 7-1 in walk-offs in 2007. * It was the Mets 20th walk-off win against the Padres, the first since Chris Woodward's 2-run HR, July 19, 2005. * It was the 6th career walk-off RBI for Luis Castillo, 5 of which have been walk-off singles. The one that wasn't was a walk-off walk, against none other than Jesse Orosco and the Orioles, June 8, 1999. * It was Trevor Hoffman's 4th career walk-off loss against the Mets, his first since Mike Piazza beat him with a two-run HR on April 28, 1999. * The win came nearly a year to the day of another 9th-inning comeback walk-off win, the one against the Cardinals on August 22, 2006, in which Carlos Beltran hit a walk-off HR against Jason Isringhausen. * August 21 is a popular day for Mets walk-off wins. They've gotten them in 1962, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995, and 2007. * Luis Castillo is the first Luis in Mets histo

Stitch in Time Saves Conine

Don't know if you've seen this " Actober " contest that FOX has been promoting all season, inviting fans to recreate famous moments in baseball history. Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Orlando Hudson joined in the fun, staging his version of Kirk Gibson's limp-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. The Mets could stage their own version given that they now have three integral parts from one of the most infamous moments in postseason history. The connection between Luis Castillo and Moises Alou regarding the "Bartman ball" from the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS has been well-documented, but oft forgotten among baseball historians is that it was new Met Jeff Conine who hit the sacrifice fly that gave the Marlins a 4-3 lead in an eventual victory. It was also Conine, then the Marlins left fielder, who made the throw to cut J.T. Snow down at the plate to end the 2003 NLDS in dramatic fashion. This is a guy with a knack for the big moment. He

Capital Offense

Sorry I didn't get to post in Washington D.C. Here are a few quick-hitter leftovers from the trip. * Got to the Air-and-Space Museum, the Natural History Museum (both Smithsonians), the National Archives, and the Lincoln Memorial. Much to my chagrin, the American History museum was closed for renovation, the FBI no longer gives tours, and the Supreme Court was closed on the weekend. Wasn't the best weekend as far as sightseeing went, but I was able to make a Mets tie-in or two along the way. When my sister lamented how we left the Natural History Museum before seeing the dinosaurs, I told her she got to see the next best thing- Tom Glavine and Moises Alou. * They gave out Abraham Lincoln bobblehead dolls on Saturday and the craftsmanship is far better than those used in Mets bobbleheads. I wouldn't trade my Lincoln for any of the current David Wright incarnations, none of which have been very impressive. * Final tally from the 6 games I saw: 43 runs, 71 hits, and one blogge