Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

Let's flash back to happier times, like say Wednesday, which if things break right will be remembered as one of the most Metmorable wins of a great season. I tried to come up with the appropriate name to describe the manner in which Billy Wagner skated through the ninth inning and came up with the idea of the "Walk-Off Tightrope," which in my world shall describe any scenario in which the Mets won a game by one run, and the opposition had a bases-loaded opportunity in its game-ending scenario (thank you, Jeff Francoeur and Andruw Jones). Turns out the game was payback for Willie Randolph and hitting coach Howard Johnson, who might recall the disaster that was July 8, 1992. That game was a 2-1 loss to the Braves, one in which the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning, but didn't score because Johnson popped out and Randolph hit into a game-ending double play. The winning pitcher that day: Tom Glavine (victory #66). Funny how it all ties together. I ...

I'll say this for Mike Bacsik. He knows how to work his way into a milestone event. Prior to Tuesday night, Bacsik had a claim to fame that few, other than regular readers of this blog, would appreciate. Bacsik's major-league debut came on August 5, 2001, in a game between the Mariners and Indians, one that just happened to feature the greatest comeback of modern times. It wouldn't have been possible were it not for Bacsik's efforts. It was a Sunday night contest, featuring a Mariners team with an 80-30 record against an Indians squad that was a more respectable 61-48. The Indians were all-too-hospitable hosts. Starter Dave Burba yielded four runs in the second inning, then was removed after yielding three straight hits to start the third. Enter Bacsik, a rookie and son of a former big leaguer, who must have been a little nervous. He was greeted by Mike Cameron, who doubled home two runs. Next was Carlos Guillen, who singled home two more. By the time the last Mariners ...

Much like Msrs. Rodriguez and Bonds, I was feeling the pressure of approaching a milestone and it took me a few days to get comfortable again. Behold our 500th post... Congratulations to Tom Glavine on win number 300, which I presume will go down as the second-best day he's had as a big league pitcher so far in his career (No. 1 being winning the clinching game of the World Series in 1995). I would presume it would also go down as the second-best day he's had as a big league hitter, since he had a key RBI and a nice sacrifice to help the offensive cause on Sunday. I'm guessing his number one day as a major-league hitter came on August 10, 1995, the anniversary of which is forthcoming. That would be the day that Glavine hit his only major-league home run. That day, the Braves were playing the Cincinnati Reds in what turned out to be a playoff preview and a matchup of the two best teams in the National League. If you'd watched the first inning, you'd have wondered how...