Things Not Heard at the Mets vs Cards Game Last Night

"Johan Santana looks good."

"Jeff Francoeur gets better at the plate in extra innings."

"At least, the Cardinals didn't score 7 runs in the first inning."

"Pedro Feliciano has amazing command."

"I'm glad to see the Mets walk Jay to pitch to Pujols."

"Jerry Manuel is a master of substitution."

"Can't wait to see if Oliver Perez gets to pitch."

"Castillo has fresh legs tonight."

"We sure could use Jason Bay in this spot."

"How could you not love Yadier Molina?"

"I wish McCarver and Buck were calling this game."

"Smart move. Let's take our chances pitching to Pujols with the winning run on third."

"I'm happy to see the Mets fight back even though they lost."

Are the Mets the 2006 Cardinals?

Talk about coming full circle. I had the epiphany this afternoon the the 2008 Mets are quite possibly the Cardinals of '06. If you remember the Cardinals had a decent lead in the division that year and basically limped their way into the playoffs by being fortunate enough to have the teams beneath lose just enough games that final week to allow the Cards to squeak in.

The Cardinals that year also had some bullpen issues that forced them to use a starting pitcher, Carlos Beltran's favorite Adam Wainwright, as a closer. The Cards also got production from some unlikely sources, like Yadier Molina, and a young infielder named Eckstein became the catalyst for the club.

There are a lot of similarities between the Mets of '08 and the Cards of '06. The biggest difference is the Mets haven't made the playoffs yet. Yet. That's a big word for only having three letters.

But if they do make the playoffs, you never know what could happen. But you gotta get there.

Blowout or Heartbreaker?

That is the question. After losing 2 of the last 3 games by scores of 9-0 and 8-2, something strange happened. I actually slept better than I have in the last than 2 weeks. Why? Because these games were over quickly and the Mets never really had a shot. Which begs the question: Would you rather the Mets lose a close game, or get hammered?

For me, I’d have to choose the latter. And here’s why: If the Mets get beat up early and suffer a big defeat, I don’t have to torture myself thinking about every single play that went wrong, or that they failed to execute. ‘If only Beltran didn’t swing at the first pitch to end the game with the bases loaded’...‘If only Wagner threw a slider down and in to an undisciplined Burrell, not a fastball in his wheelhouse’ or ‘If only Delgado had gotten one hit out of the hundred chances with men on they would have won’

You get the point. Heartbreaking losses are called heartbreaking for a reason; because they crush you. You think about them over and over, replaying parts of the game in your head, saying things like, ‘If only Timo Perez ran, the series would have been much different.’ But when they get blown out, micro-analysis (aka mental torture) is irrelevant. There’s nothing to obsess about, no single play would have made a difference anyway. You accept defeat and move on. Sleep well.

I was lucky enough (or not, depending on how you look at it) to have been at Game 7 last year. Many will remember it as a baseball classic. People will say, ‘You got to see one of the best Game 7’s’ ‘You saw Endy’s catch!’ Hogwash! Truth of the matter is that game still haunts me. We had so many chances to win and we flat out blew it. To this day, I have only seen one highlight of that called strike three and that was by accident (he should have swung). Had the Mets gotten thumped in that final game, I would have been ticked, but it certainly would have been less painful. Just give credit to the Cardinals and be done with it. Instead, it becomes one of the biggest wounds MetsLifers carry with them.

A “W” is a “W” and a loss is a loss. And no matter how you lose, it still counts as an “L” in the loss column. For die-hards, it’s just easier to deal with. Accept defeat and move on. Sleep well.

(Endy’s catch is the single greatest post-season catch in baseball history)