What a day for baseball and what a pitching match-up.  Johan vs. Pettite.  Today I went to the game with my other brother Dave.  We ended up driving to the game and got there about 1 1/2 hours early.  Our plan was to tailgate and have a catch.  Today's game definitely had a different vibe than last night's game, much more fan friendly.  Dave and I had a great time prior to the game, but I felt bad.  Dave has a son that is 4 years old and he is a huge Mets and David Wright fan.  When his son found out that he was going to the game, he started crying and wanted to know why he couldn't go too.  Finally when Dave was leaving the house his son said "Daddy, catch a ball for me".   Well, Dave had to the chance to bring home a souvenir for his son during the 6th inning t-shirt launch, but he dropped it.  Terrible, terrible hands.

When Dave and I went to Mets games as kids, my father would always as the ticket collector what the expected crowd was for that game.  That tradition has always stuck with Dave and myself and we laughed when we realized that we both ask as the same question today when we enter the stadium.  We were told that today they were expected 56,000 and change.  Nice crowd for a Saturday game.

After two rain delays and a very sloppy played game (Johan's balk and Reyes getting picked off), the Mets could only pull 2 runs.

Notes from the game:
- I am all for booing a visiting teams player, but how can you boo Jeter.  As much as I don't like the Yankees, I can't bring myself to boo this guy.  I love watching him warm up prior to a game, he starts with a short catch down the foul line and keeps backing up all the way down the line tossing.  It is quite impressive to see him long toss from LF from 275' out too a crowded home plate area. 
- Another flyover today, love the flyover.  Solid National Anthem by Glenn Close.
- Between innings the Mets have some pretty lame entertainment.  Maine Street USA?  Dancing on the dugout?  The ones that always are a favorite of mine are the Kiss Cam and the t-shirt launch, which as I noted above Dave dropped a t-shirt today.  At the end of the first they play the classic Meet the Mets song, fantastic.  This should be kept in the new stadium.
- I have made comments about buying and wearing baseball jerseys to Mets game.  I saw a very unique one today.  Sitting in the section below us was a couple, the women on the left was wearing a David Wright jersey, to her right was her boyfriend/husband wearing a Mets jersey that said Wrong on the back with the number 5 backwards.  I have to give them credit for that.
- Johnny Damon not only has a wet noodle for an arm, he throws like a girl.  The ball boy that warms him up between innings actually threw better than him.  In the 8th however, Damon made a sick play in the gap on a ball hit by Wright.  Saved the game for the Yankees, but his throw back to the second base bag got there on three bounces.
- Reyes, what are you doing getting picked off!  Are you kidding me.  Your hottest hitter is up and there are two outs.  What are you trying to prove.  Just terrible.  Equally as bad was Beltran's Golden Sombrero, 0-4 4 k's. 
- After the second rain delay when we went back to our seats there was a good four inches of water in the section.  This stadium can't get taken down quick enough.

Johan did his job.  David Wright hit the crap out of the ball and had a huge HR after the rain delay, but this team is really punchless.  Did you think they actually had a chance when the lineup was completed and you had Trot Nixon, Andy Phillips and Fernando Tatis getting ABs?  Once Rivera came out this game was over.  Church and Alou can't get back fast enough.

I really wanted to experience a double header at both Yankee and Shea Stadium in the same day.  What an amazing thing to say that you did, and in the final year of both stadiums.  Unfortunately they decided to have the double header on a Friday.  Oh well, had to sell my tickets for the day game, but was very happy to know the Mets won. 

Every year we look forward to the Yankees/Mets series, but I feel that it is getting kinda old.  I have to also admit that each year the series gets more and more rowdy.  My observation of this started on the LIRR train to the game.  Mets and Yankee fans squeezed into each car and jawing at each other.  I am not talking about the general banter, but guys getting in each others faces....on the train!  Come on now.  At the stadium there seemed to be a lot of riff-raff.  I don't get it, why is it necessary for drunk dudes to yell obscenities  and make the experience for  everyone miserable.  I tell you this, if I had a child I would NEVER bring them to this series.  Inside the stadium there were fights, and just general anger.  Why do certain people go to a game just to get into fights.  Why do they spend good money on tickets and beers to try to be as big of an ass hole as possible?  I just don't get it.  Maybe it is a good thing that the new stadium will be 14,000 people less and much more expensive, maybe the riff-raff will be priced out of Citi Field.  Now I know that the few bad do not make up the majority, but this was the most rowdy that I have seen a crowd at Shea Stadium.  I ended up talking with a Security guard who said that over 220 people were ejected.  Just unreal.  Yelling, cheering, getting loud at a game is one thing, but getting so out of control that you are ejected is just idiotic.

Well, onto the game, which was not that great of one.  I went with my brother Jack and we had a good time.  It is nice to have a playoff atmosphere.  Pedro was very underwhelming and the Mets offense left so many runners on base.  This team just can't put teams away.  A few base hits here and there over the first half of the season and we are talking about an over .500 team.  Here are some other things that Jack and I noticed discussed during the game:
- Delgado had a very loud standing ovation, which was well deserved after his 9 RBI day game.  However, after the standing ovation he was booed after striking out with the bases loaded.  Unreal.
- Sidney Ponson looked like a Cy Young winner tonight.  It reminded me of the way David Wells dismantled the Mets on a Sunday night game last year.  Was Sidney that good or is the Mets lineup just that bad.
- Castro hit into a rally ending double play which seemed to take all of the life out of the Mets.  Where is that fighting instinct?
- Arod is a beast, even from the Mezzanine he looks like Andre the Giant.
- Giambi and his stache, unreal.  Very unique, but it does not compare to Mex's.
- Chavez had a few plays at the plate, for a skinny guy he has an absolute cannon.
 
Other than that, the Mets seemed to be in trouble all night long, the game never seemed to be in their control.  It seems that Pedro's second time through the line-up continues to get worse and worse.  Hopefully he'll make a few adjustments and come back next time stronger.

I didn't go to the game tonight, but my friend Jason (the hot shot TV executive) and his friend did.  I am happy to say that I missed this game, although it appears Jason and his friend provided some much needed comic relief:

"I had the terrible misfortune of being at Tuesday night's embarrassing 11-0 loss to the lowly Seattle Mariners.  The Mets were just plain bad.  They made a guy named Dickey look like Cy Young.  He got a big hit too, but I guess we should really be happy he didn't hit a grand slam.  Those AL pitchers are tough at the plate.  Anyway, outside of great tantrums by Manuel and Beltran, the game isn't worth talking about.  But there was one memorable moment.... for anyone sitting within a couple hundred feet of section 25 in the loge.

It pains me to be a New York Mets fan today.  I woke up today on my 32nd birthday and read an email from my friend in London (+6 hours) who said Willie had been fired.  What!!!  Who has their manager travel to the West Coast, win a ball game (4 out of the last 6), and fire him at 3:00 am EST?   It is like they just swept him under the rug, hoping that nobody would notice in the middle of the night. 

Why do the Mets continue to run their organization with such a lack of class?  Why do they have such a lack of business sense?  Seriously, making business decisions at Shea is an absolute disaster which is unprofessional and classless.  Listen, I knew Willie had to go, read my past posts, I wasn't shy about saying it.  However, the manner in which it was done was absolutely appalling.   I am not proud to be a Mets fan today.  I can only imagine how Clown #1, Omar Minaya, is going to handle hiring the new manager. 

If the Mets organization can't handle the simple task of firing somebody, imagine how they are going to handle season tickets and plans in the new stadium (by the way, the rumor is a 25% increase in ticket prices next year).  I am waiting to feel the pain of that process. 

You had to go Willie, but not that way.  I don't feel bad for you, Willie, you are making some good coin.  I wonder how long it will take for you to be in Dodger blue sitting next to Joe Torre. 

Quick note, I have listed on CraigsList tickets for the Rangers series this weekend.  All games are below face value or you can give me your best offer.  Two tickets together.  Follow the links below to each game listing and email me.

Friday June 13th, 7:10 start
Saturday June 14th, 7:10 start
Sunday Father's Day, June 15th, 1:10 start

Will take any offer at this point, I can't use the tickets and will be unable to go to any of the games.  Thanks and Let's Go Mets!  Huge walk-off win last night, let's keep it going!