Marlins 4 Mets 2

September 28, 2008
Sunday afternoon
with Erik, Dave, and SHR
Shea Stadium

Ouch, the Mets did it again. Granted, it wasn't as bad as last year. They didn't suffer an epic collapse this time. They just sort of came back to reality. Last year, they blew a 7 game lead with 17 left. This year, just a 3 game lead with 17.

They didn't give up 7 runs in the first inning of the game this time. They just gave up late inning home runs. Either way, it was two years in a row of blowing a late season lead. This time, it was at the last game ever at Shea Stadium. Sad.

Both years were remarkably similar at the end. Both times they lost to the Marlins. Both times, a stellar pitching performance the day before raised the fans hopes for the last game.

All they needed to do was win to at least force a tie for the Wild Card with the Brewers! Let's go Mets!

The game was slightly delayed by a bit of rain. This little bit of gloom foreshadowed the result of the game.


The Show Up in the 3rd Inning and Leave in the 7th Inning, We're Not Gay - Honest We're Not Gay So That's Why We Sit As Far Away From Each Other As We Possibly Can As We Eat From Our Cute Little Baseball Helmets - That Is When We're Not Ignoring The Game for Our Blackberries Pals sit next to crazy Clapping Lady. Everyone was pumped!

Of all the characters in our section, the girl over my shoulder is the one I most never want to see again. Her voice, her inane comments, her refusal to stand up for people thus necessitating people to walk into me as they squeeze past, her knees in my back, her hairy legs ... please God, please never again.


The Freud Family got it on, one last time.
(photo by Erik)

Tom Terrific and Mr. Met


(photo by Erik)

Oliver Perez wasn't great but he was worlds better than Glavine's start last year. Sign Guy held up a sign that read "Just get out of the first inning!" He did that and four more. He managed to go 5 shutout innings but was wild. Not bad on three days rest.

In the 6th, he tired. He watched as the first Marlins run scored.

In trouble.

He left with the bases loaded. Joe Smith walked in the 2nd Marlins run.

In the bottom of the 6th, Carlos Beltran tied it with a 2 run homer.

SHR shared a Ladies Room moment with Hawk Lady who took credit for Beltran's home run. She claimed, "I said 'Carlos hit a home run' and he did!"

In the top of the 7th, the Marlins had a runner on 2nd with 2 outs. Jorge Cantu hit a rocket to left. Endy Chavez sprinted to the wall and made a stellar catch. The fans went nuts. He did it again! The Mets were not going to lose! No way, no how. Um, that didn't exactly work for the Mets the last time he made a clutch catch in a huge game though, did it? Fuck!!!!!

The Catch in '06 vs. the catch in '08.

In '06, he flew out to end the following half inning with the bases loaded. In '08, he led off the following half inning with another flyout. Oh Endy.

Soaking up the 2-2 tie. It didn't last long.

In the top of the 8th, Scott Schoeneweis gave up the go ahead dinger to Wes Helms. To make things worse, Luis Ayala came in and immediately coughed up a homer to Dan Uggla. Blah! 4- 2 Marlins.

Who needs to actually watch the bottom of the 8th?

With two outs, Reyes and Beltran got on base for Delgado. Fans implored him to do something, anything, with chants of "MVP, MVP" He hit the ball well but didn't get enough of it and lined out to left.

The last chance in the 9th. Damion Easley walked with two outs which left it to Ryan Church to be the final out at Shea.

BOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Some of the Marlins scooped up dirt for a keepsake. Fans started a "Get off the field" chant. What a terrible ending yet again.

Once again, a waste of paper.

We didn't stay for the end of game festivities. We were too grumpy and ready to go.

Yeah, yeah.

Exactly.

(photo by Erik)

The cop says it all.


As we walked through the parking lot to get back to the car, the vendors tried creative ways to hawk their wares by crying out, "Buy a Mets shirt to burn!"

I can't wait to see how much the Mets jack up the prices in '09!

In the papers the next day:

José Reyes sat sobbing in front of his locker, his head in his hands, cursing himself. Wright, who admitted feeling pressure to carry the team, staggered around like a zombie, his eye black smudged. Jeff Wilpon, the chief operating officer, walked around consoling players, shaking Schoeneweis’s hand and sitting beside John Maine and Mike Pelfrey to offer encouragement. As he left, Carlos Beltrán fell onto Martínez’s shoulder, crying.

"I'm still kind of in shock over it," a teary-eyed Schoeneweis said before cutting his comments short. "I can't describe it. If I could take it back, I would, but I can't."

An interesting and depressing stat:
Excluding the 1981 split season, the Mets became the first team in major league history to hold 3½-game division leads in consecutive Septembers and fail to make the postseason both times, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Overall, I attended games at Shea over the part of 14 different seasons ('86-'87 & '97-'08) thus eclipsing the 13 seasons I attended games at Memorial Stadium ('79 - '91). The current leader is, of course, Camden Yards with a total of 15 seasons ('92 - '06).

Some of my favorite photos of the day





The Movie


My regular blog post on the game can be found here.
A movie of the clapping lady can be found here.

Since I've been writing on this blog beginning with the 2005 season, my game totals have steadily declined from 40 to 35 to 30 to 29. With the spring arrival of my twin boys, I'm assuming that number will continue to decline in '09 - most likely by a lot. Then again, who knows? Infants are free to bring to the ballpark! Bring on '09!

Mets: 89-73
Marlis: 84-77

Posted: 11/18