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October 16, 2006
The Week in Geek: Twenty-four Little Hours
Things were looking — and feeling — pretty bleak for the Mets prior to last night’s game. Cardinals pitchers had dominated Padres hitters in the LDS, but most people chalked that up more to a lackluster San Diego offense than anything special the Cardinals were doing. The Mets hit Chris Carpenter pretty well in Game 2 but then struggled to get anything going once he was relieved by the bullpen, and they mustered bupkis in Game 3 against Jeff Suppan and Josh Kinney. The offense that was mostly dominant during the regular season had apparently gone dormant under the bright lights of the NLCS. Any questions about the Mets’ offense disappeared into the St. Louis sky last night as the Mets snapped a fourteen inning scoreless stretch by piling up a team postseason record twelve runs. They scored runs off of starter Anthony Reyes, and they deconstructed a Cardinal bullpen that had been dominant in the playoffs. Other than Randy Flores, the Mets scored runs off of every Cardinal reliever, hitting Brad Thompson and Josh Hancock particularly hard. As this series wears on, their success against these guys last night can only help their confidence should they face them down the road. Oliver Perez pitched well enough to earn a victory in Game 4, and he will get plenty of credit for keeping the Mets in the game long enough for their offense to take over. Perez wasn’t spectacular; he gave up three homeruns, two of them to the zero-power twins David Eckstein and Yadier Molina. Perez, who typically struggles with his control, did well to limit his wildness to a single walk, forcing Cardinal hitters to swing the bat if they intended to do any damage. This was especially critical once the Mets starting putting runs on the board. That Perez gave up five runs wasn’t important. He managed to go 5.2 innings on a night where his expected performance was a complete mystery, and Willie Randolph was able to give his two bullpen chips — Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner — a second night off. Heilman will undoubtedly be available for two innings tonight if need be. Pitching aside, the real story of Game 4 was the resurgence of the Mets’ multi-faceted offensive attack. They pounded out four homeruns and fourteen hits overall, adding six walks including one by Perez. Carlos Delgado drove in five more runs to give him nine in the series, but the key to the offensive explosion was Carlos Beltran, who went 3-for-3 and reached base all five times he came to the plate. Beltran hit two homeruns and picked up two walks and a single, scoring four times and really setting the table for the Mets’ big fifth and sixth innings. Jose Reyes and Paul Lo Duca only reached base one time apiece (though both came in the Mets’ six-run sixth), so Beltran’s perfect on-base night was critical to the team’s production. The night was not without its share of problems. Despite hitting a solo homerun in the third, David Wright continues to struggle mercilessly this series, collecting just one hit in thirteen LCS at-bats. Even Shawn Green, who has looked about as lost in right field as a vegan at an all-you-an-eat rib joint, has managed a reasonable offensive contribution in this series, collecting four hits and three walks in the four games. Wright reached base twice tonight — once via the walk — so that may provide a glimmer of hope that he can rebound and help this team with his bat as the NLCS has been reduced to a best-of-three series. The Mets have set themselves up nicely for Game 5 tomorrow night where they will send their ace, Tom Glavine, to the hill to take on Jeff Weaver. They have already guaranteed themselves a return trip to Shea and a win tomorrow night will give them two chances to move on and play the Tigers in the World Series. The weather looks like rain for tomorrow afternoon, and despite what Willie Randolph said in his post-game press conference, a day off tomorrow would work to the Mets’ advantage, giving Glavine an extra day off and allowing him to pitch on regular rest on Tuesday. Without rain, Glavine on short rest works out in the Mets’ favor as Weaver will likewise be pitching on three days rest. Before I wrap this up I just want to talk a bit about the fans in St. Louis. Time after time we have heard the Cardinals’ fans effusively praised as the best in baseball, and after watching the first two games at Busch III I have to admit that I simply don’t understand the hoopla. Sure, they get up and cheer when something good happens, but who doesn’t? Tampa Bay fans cheer when Ty Wigginton hits a homerun but you don’t see anyone showering them with “best in fandom” accolades. When the Cardinals aren’t scoring runs the crowd is just a sea of vapid, emotionless faces. Fans around the league cheer their team when they perform, but unless taping red construction paper to your chin is emblematic of some midwestern ebullience that I’ve just missed the boat on, the professed superiority of the St. Louis fans has been greatly exaggerated. 286 Responses to “The Week in Geek: Twenty-four Little Hours”Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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hee hee hee WOO
Um well uh thanks :slowly backs away, then turns and runs:
udam - i like the way you move
Yeah but they never change their underwear
Ok Ok I get I am good enough, I am smart enough, and gosh darn it people like me.
So what? So let’s dance!
**running after udamn with arms extended**
You guys crack me the F up.
lol lister with the caddyshack reference. I bet $50 bucks the smails kid picks his nose?
lol @ ‘i like the way you move’
Wdwrkr - I got the Caddyshack reference off a negro. Grant Roberts is probably high already and he doesn’t even know it.
**Hides in closet trying not to breathe**
LMFAO Danny
uh oh udamn is back in the closet, what happened to equal rights lol
DADDY - COME OUT OF THE CLOSET!!!
goo goo gaa gaa
Not to get ahead of ourselves but if Duque can pitch in the WS who does he replace, Trachs or Ollie. You know where I stand
Ill believe Duque can pitch when i see it, a torn tendon cat heal that fast
Trax is dunzo.
I agree after his last 2 starts I would pitch anyone over Trachsel
They say he needs to pitch out of the stretch for him to be effective but who knows. If he’s going to try we better carry an extra pitcher just in case. Ahern is a waste it seems, is he ever going to replace Stache for defensive purposes?? I think not
Wdwrkr, No more Cy Traschel? Damn what happened? Do I have to get rid of my Traschel jersey now? Guess I’ll have to put it in the closet with Bonnila’s, Alomars, Cedenos, and Zambrano :(
IF El Duque can pitch, he would replace Trachsel.
Ironically, I actually think Trax is the kind of pitcher who might have success against the Tigers.
Trax has problems with teams that are patient and won’t expand the zone. Trax would seemingly have some success against guys that expand the zone. The Tigers are chock full of impatient hitters that would expand the zone and get themselves out. Although the Tigers also murder mistakes, so Trax would have to keep the ball down and not make mistakes, and he has not done that this year.
I think the Tigers would hit Perez hard unless he has good command, which there is not a good chance of.
Sorry to change the subject but the Udam, Danny situation was scaring me
the Mets website is silent on Duque
I would be very hesitant on El Duque, a torn tendon and to be able to come back that quick? Doesnt sound right. Im hopeful, but definately not banking on it.
Pinella is the cubs manager, hes taking on that storied post season failure job. Good luck Lou. Hes gonna need it
Good analysis Danny. So I take it Glavine should be pretty darn good v those guys and El Duque as well. (If he was able to pitch)
Good points Danny but I think I would be more afraid with Maine than Perez. Perez at least has that nasty slider that he could get those guys to chase, whereas Maine still doesn’t have a second pitch and that fastball could be meat to them
Who cares about the fans getting dressed up or put makeup on. What is this Queer guy for the st8 guy. I am still laughing that this was even posted.
I mean this is getting funny how everyone is so sensitive right now. Just enjoy. Please. WE ARE GOING TO WIN THIS SERIES. I dont care about Carpenter, I dont care about Pujols. I care about MY TEAM> MY METS>
We do want rain tonight. And thats that. Glavine will pitch tomorrow and the xtra days rest will suit him just fine.
Randolph is the man. Makes the right call more than not and has done a wonderful, I mean masterfull job with the depleted rotation.
Trax should not pitch another inning for the MEts. EVER. ANd thats that.
We will outpitch and out hit the Birds from here on out to the WS> See you in Detroit
Right on metswin Duque and Glavine are the perfect guys to face them
Well lets hope El Duque can pull of a Curt Schilling, lol.
Wow did you see the puddle just outside of 2nd base in Stl just now on M&MD? Still raining and doesnt look good
Yeah that field is a mess
Just checked weather.com. I’ts raining now in StL and it’s going to continue all night with up to an inch of rain total. So while it’s not official yet you can make other plans because there won’t be a game tonight. BTW tomorrow’s StL forecast is good, so Glavine v. Weaver round 2 is a go for Tuesday night.
No way they’re playing that game tonight.
Which in a way will be good for the Politics At Home: Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights all lost to Met games did not make for a happy Mrs. Mike, let me tell you. Not only win rain give Glavine the extra day to rest, it’ll allow me to recharge my Mojo batteries, and let the good vibes flow Tuesday night.
Quiet Monday with the lady = Me rocking in front of the TV, sending out the Psoitive Tommy G-waves Tuesday. Get it?
Don’t worry, I don’t either, but trust me, it’s alllllllllll good. Mets 3-2 when they touch down in Queens.
I don’t know about the Mets, Glavine, the bullpen, or PLD, but I know I could use the rest. Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain. Let’s give Glavs the extra day, and take Karen Carpenter’s other brother on short rest. Between him and Dream Weaver trying to catch lighting in a bottle twice, I like our chances. Also, even tho I would obviously love to avoid a Game 7, something tells me Suppan shot his wad the other night. Having him throw at a rocking Shea would be a tad different. Also, it’s Trax and the entire staff that night.
As for El Duque, his right calf last night looked as big as Anna Nicole Smith’s thigh before she became jacked on Dexatrim and Benzadrine. I’m not holding my breath.
whew, I know I’m in the clear because I’m generally ignored in here! :))
see what I mean? lol
Hey did you guys hear anything???? No I guess not
Rangers vs Devils tonight if the game doesnt play
For the record, I have never felt bullied or offended here … sorry, Tony, Ynot, or PR. Believe me, I’ve been “corrected” on some of my assertions, and most of them deserved it! To me, this is no different than a WFAN or any other radio or TCV station - you don’t like it, turn the channel. Last night I watched the entire game with the sound down, and it was a pleasure not hearing those avian boosters call the game. The only time I turned up the sound was on Stache’s double, because I wanted ot hear the air come out of that place. The bonus I got was hearing (rhymes with) Buck and McCarver sound as if someone just told them that their kitten got caught in the lawn mower.
I’m not afraid of anything with this team but I would really prefer not to face Suppan again. The guy just has this teams number. I mean no one except Laduca and Valentin can hit the guy and they don’t exactly crush him.
how come everyone thinks Piniella is such a great manager? He had one incredible season with Seattle coinciding with the arrival of Ichiro, Bret Boone at the height of his steroid use, 38 yr. old Jamie Moyer throwing the season of his life. Take out that season and his W/L is at .505, hardly worth mentioning. Granted he did take the D-Rays on, but he didn’t exactly turn them around (7 win increase from their highest to that point).
He did pretty well with the Reds too Walt
I’m sorry I meant Wally
Yeah, but Piniella over Torre? Cubbies are one thing, but Torre?
everyone is generally very cool in here and I LOVE this site because I really do learn so much
plus, kudos to Andrew Hintz and the boys for warning those who get too nasty and make stuff personal….I think the Geeks are doing a fantastic job with this and I wouldn’t change a thing about this site
MetsGeek.com: I LiVe fOR thIS
:)
Thats because George loves him like a son. But really there aren’t many winning managers out there
Trust me — I would much prefer to win this thing in 6 than to face Soup’s On in a Game 7. That said, I don’t think we’ll see the same guy. The analogous game for me would be game 7 of the WS against the Red Sox. We could do nothing with Hurst before that, and we were down 3-0 before cracking the code in the 6th inning and never looking back. I would imagine a similar game.
What can I tell you — all of life’s lessons can be found in 1986.
Wow, things got rather…interesting here while I was in class.
He also managed the Reds to a WS win in 1990.
I see that Oakland fired their manager, supposedly because of communication issues with his players.
Seriously guys I keep hearing something but I just can’t put my finger on it
1990 was a long time ago. Lou won’t do much at Wrigley besides throw some tantrums.
very funny, mdog….okay, I’m reporting you now!!!! LMAO
or choke players in the locker room for not acting “like a man”
There it is again ….LOL
Andrew, Geeks, please help me!!
MDOG is making cry like a Yankee fan in Oct 2004!!!!
LOL
GAme cancelled
Quote from Billy Beane: “Not to fault either side, but I felt a disconnect on a lot of levels,” general manager Billy Beane said. “Once again, it’s not to point the finger at Ken or anything like that. But that disconnect was there and it was something we needed to address as soon as possible.”
I always love these quotes that basically say, “Gee, I don’t want to say the guy we’re firing is to blame, but he was basically inept, a failure and total azzhat.”
awesome post. :) i can hear you ‘71.
Dam I really wanted to play tonight
Latest forecast from St. Louis:
Rain and wind early, followed by falling frogs, with pestilence and locusts toward dawn. High in the low 50s.
I want Zito.
from WFAN mdog?
It’s cancelled 86
I used to “teach” better lessons to ANYONE when Krissy-Poo was a Met, but Mets management just wanted no part of me….boo hoo! :(
SNY
On ESPN News under the Breaking News…
damn i wanted to play tonight too.
I wonder if Carp is gonna get moved up now….I’m not so sure he will
thanks, dep!
I wouldn’t mind that dep
totally mdog, we’d smack him around and they’d be f’d for 6/7.
that’s why i think TLR wont do it.
I don’t think Carp is going to get moved up. Weaver pitched well enough to go on normal rest. Of course, I think the Mets will destroy him the second time around.
The real Carp is our beloved Big Red anyway.
at least i can catch up on lots of TV
i love this new trend that all the on-demand channels like the HBOs and Showtimes have been posting next sunday’s episode of shows on monday…its fabulous
Gary apple is not doing Daily news live, maybe SNY has finally gotten a clue?
So i think we should start an elitist club after this season is over…and get rid of all our handles and just post as Elitist Club Member #1 and so on….. LOL!!!!
I know nothing of Gary Apple’s absence. Please direct any further questions to my representation.
Apple just doesnt seem to be a sports guy. hes a decent talker but he would do much better on the news I think.
LaRussa press conference on SNY
The one thing that might cause LaRussa to pitch Carpenter on short rest is that Weaver pitches decently on the road (4.03 ERA 5.8 K/9 2.6 BB/9 1.41 HR/9 in the regular season since joining the Cards), but gets TORCHED at home (6.52 ERA, 3.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 2.09 HR/9 in his starts at Busch this year).
Wdwrkr is LaRussa saying anything important?
new thread open
Gary Apple is in St Louis thats why he’s not doing the show but he was on earlier
Can they leave him there? ;-)
To shed some light on a subject that someone is obviously confused about…
St. Louis fans are widely considered among the greatest in baseball and sports because of the respect and appreciation they consistently show for the game and its players. This has been going on for decades now, and this is not limited to their home team, the Cardinals, but also to opposing teams as well. Year after year, players and managers not on the Cardinals consistently cite St. Louis as one of their favorite cities to play in because of the fact that Cardinals fans consistently show respect and knowledge of the sport by not only showing up and cheering, but extending courtesy and respect to opponents as well. Cardinals fans are insanely loyal to their team, but unlike most baseball cities, in St. Louis, if an opposing player makes an outstanding play or effort, St. Louis fans also applaud and sometimes even stand to show that they appreciate the efforts of all athletes- not just Cardinals- to make the game of baseball great. This is rare in any stadium across the country in any sport.
Furthermore, we don’t boo assets and superstars to the game, like, say, an Albert Pujols, consisently, year after year, for no good reason. Huh. Read that one again. And please don’t try to pull the Glavine comments out of your hat…Pujols has been booed long before the other night in New York, for no good reason. Other than he’s incredible and you would love to have him on your team.
Now, has New York been louder than St. Louis the last few nights? I’d say yes.
But being loud and booing people for no good reason is not what makes great fans. And as far as making good arguments goes, what else is whack is using a sample size of 2 games to make a grossly inaccurate and obviously uninformed point about the quality of a fan base over the past century.
So, keep on thinking that being great fans means yelling and booing as loud and long as you can. Especially when you’re on TV!!! (’Cause it does make for good TV, I’ll admit.)
And keep on selecting a pathetically small sample size as evidence when trying to make points about scenarios that have been decades in their development.
While you’re busy with all that, St. Louis fans will keep on being regarded- in fact by the players themselves- as the best in the game.
While you’re yelling, you might want to look for a clue.
Scumscimmer if you check back to read this thread. I have exhibit A on this thread of Cards fan get sick of the people at your stadium and people discussing how David Wright was Heckled. If you read the whole thread you have posted on Cards fans came here and dicussed that it is not the same anymore.
FYI:
Any Clown can jump up and down and make noise when there’s 2 strikes on an opposing batter.
Cardinals fans are the best because they are the most loyal, and also the most knowledgeable. They know what’s going on in baseball and what should go on.
Take a shower, you cannoli eating monkeys.
How do you like us now, Brock?