Luis Castillo is a lot braver than I am. After a sleepless night, Castillo couldn't wait to go right back out there. After a sleepless night, I could not face watching another game that could end with the Mets ripping out my heart.
I suggested to Squawker Lisa that we attend the Big Apple BBQ festival instead, even though she had vowed never to go again after we spent hours waiting in lines last year in 95-degree heat.
But Squawker Lisa held firm.
"You've got to forget about last night," she told me. "Once you pick up the remote, the butterflies will disappear."
"Maybe I should go on the DL," I replied. "I think I have an anxiety disorder. I have a mental block about putting on a Met broadcast."
"If Luis Castillo can go back there with 50,000 fans laughing at him, you can sit down in front of the TV with just me laughing at you," she said.
I knew Lisa was right. I had to face my fears. I had to get back on the horse and watch another Met game.
But first, I needed some inspiration.
"Will you show me some clips from 'Rocky,' '300' and 'We Are Marshall'?" I asked.
Lisa was unable to provide the movie scenes. But she did turn out to be right about a couple of things. The Yankees do have a lot of trouble with unknown pitchers. And my butterflies did eventually disappear while watching the game, though it took until Sean Green finished the eighth inning with the Mets still up by four runs.
How did the Mets manage to go back on the field less than 24 hours after a historically bad loss and roll over the Yankees behind a pitcher who will likely be an answer to a trivia question by next year?
Here's the manager's take:
"I sensed there was an urgency to play well," manager Jerry Manuel said. "Obviously, the way the game ended last night, we all know to a man how difficult it’s been for Luis, and for him to go through it, I think to a man they felt an urgency to play well."
It was a great win today, especially after Friday night. But it would be nice if Manuel could figure out how to make sure his team always has an urgency to play well.
Did you watch the game today? Or did you need a break from the Mets?
Jon and Lisa,
ReplyDeleteIf Friday night's game was the most devastating loss of the year for the Mets, I thought yesterday’s game was the most devastating loss of the year for the Yankees. Much as I feel bad for Castillo as a fellow human being, I really expected the Yanks to say “thank God for that gift, now our losses vs. the Red Sox are forgotten in this atmosphere of euphoria, we have a new lease on life, and let’s shove it down the Mets’ throats tomorrow.” I expected a 6-1 victory with Andy going 7 then turning it over to some combination of Coke, Hughes, Aceves, and Veras for a crisp well-played win that would catapult them to a new winning streak. But Andy didn’t have it and the Yankee hitters (again ) couldn’t figure out a minor league pitcher. I think this is a really bad omen for the rest of the season and the playoffs. I am sure they’ll do fine against most teams, but they can’t seem to win when they really need to. Their starters are faltering, they still don’t have an 8th inning guy that Girardi trusts, etc. It’s really depressing.
If I was the opposing team coming into a series with the Yankees, I would start my ace in game one, then call up two guys from the minors or the Mexican League or the independent Atlantic Coast League for the other two games, and I would get a sweep. I would never start my 2-3-4 guys against the Yanks. They can beat those guys. They just can’t seem to hit against the really good pitchers or the unknowns.
Bob in Kiev