Seven Nights At Shea - Game 7
No column here, just some thoughts.
- Thank God Omar shipped off Chad Bradford and signed Scott Schoenweiss. A guy with a 208 ERA+ would have been just worthless this year.
- I really hope Daniel “Mancrush” Murphy learns 2B in the fall league this year and takes Castillo’s spot in the line up next year.
- Speaking of which, I’m thrilled that Omar got a 4-year extension for putting this bullpen on the field two years in a row and giving Castillo a four-year deal when he apparently had at least two decent options at 2b and one who is willing to learn 2B. Well done.
- Rumor has it Scott Boras just bought an island. It’s Australia. I have to presume he gets a blank sheet of paper from Mets management re: K-Rod.
- Jerry Manuel did a great job with what he was given and I hope to see him in uniform for Citi Field next year.
- Aaron Heilman will be a very good 3-starter for someone next year. Depending on how Murphy fares learning 2B in the offseason, I expect Heilman, Luis Castillo, and someone else to be packaged up for…. something.
- It’s a good thing we had Mike Pelfrey available in the bullpen and decided to trot out the guys who’ve done nothing but blow games all year. That was excellent.
- For a team that’s been “resilient” all year, they went very quietly against a pitcher who said to the media that he relished watching the fans cry last year when. In fact, the entire team was very vocal about how this was their playoff and how they couldn’t wait to end the Mets’ season. Way to defend the turf, guys.
- “Resilient” isn’t a great thing to be when you end your season on a loss.
- Speaking of “defending the turf”, I didn’t watch a second of the Shea’s closing ceremony, but it must have been the most depressing thing in the history of New York City. At least the Yankees understood the importance of closing their stadium with a win.
- It is something of a fitting end for this field that it ends on choke-job. I mean, it’s become something of a New York tradition going all the way back to Brooklyn and the Polo Grounds.
- Oddly, I think the new stadium couldn’t come at a better time. 1986 sucked every ounce of karma and luck out of Shea. Be it walking in NLCS-ending run in 1999, Mike Piazza crushing a 404 foot out in 2000, Yadier Molina in 2006, the epic choke last year, or the semi-epic choke this year — a change of scenery can’t possibly hurt.
- They’ll be some kind of post-mortem next week. I need to go a few days without baseball.
- Rooting hierarchy for the post-season is Brewers, Dodgers, Cubs, Rays.