Mets Post-Mortem

These are the good things to come out of last night:

 

1) I can once again get to bed regularly before midnight.

2) I can now focus on the cards and not the TV at my Saturday night poker game.

3) Billy Wagner didn't blow it, so I can feel somewhat assured we'll have a semi-reliable closer in 2007. 

4) Perez is a legitimate rotation candidate in '07.  Glavine, Maine, Perez, maybe Pelfrey or Humber, Pedro at mid-season.   Put it this way, I won't be crushed if we don't get Zito. 

 

That's it.  That's the complete list. 

 

Now...Willie. 

 

I have absolutely no problem with Heilman starting the ninth, pitching after Rolen got on, or anything with what Heilman or Willie did in the Top of the 9th.  It's freaking Yadier Molina.  If they wanted to bring in me to pitch to him, that's ok.   Yadier freaking Molina is not a homerun threat, particularly on a damp October night at Shea.  Groove him a freaking fastball and he flies out routinely about 75% of the time, plus he's a stellar DP candidate.  In no way should the result reflect poorly on Heilman or in no way should the decision to keep Heilman in the game in the 9th reflect poorly on Willie.  After all, the game had all the earmarks of going extra innings, so if you can milk Heilman for more than one, you're ahead. 

 

Then it's the bottom of the 9th.  Willie made two major MAJOR mistakes.  First, you don't bring in A-Hern to pinch run for LoDuca, you bring him in to pinch run for Valentin.  Get your fastest guys on base right away.  Second, you have to bunt with 1st/2nd and none out.  Or better yet, with A-Hern and Chavez on base, square someone around to bunt, get the 1B charging, the 3B charging, the SS on the wheel and STEAL the bases.  Make Molina grab a slick ball and try to throw out someone at 3rd with that little shit Eckstein running over to cover the base.  If the steal works, and it will most of the time, you can pinch hit again for the would-be bunter and put Floyd in and you've removed the DP threat that looms over his head.  Now a flyball of routine depth scores a run, possibly gets Chavez to third, and you can try to salvage the game. 

 

The called third strikes on Floyd and Beltran are due to Wainwright's nasty stuff.  He's got about 20MPH between his fast stuff and off-speed stuff.  That's lethal.

 

It's heartbreaking to pour your time and thoughts into a team from March through mid-October.  170+ games, plus the time spent watching highlights, recap shows, reading columns, blogs and magazine articles, only to have it yanked out from under you in the last inning of what proved to be the last game.  It's completely different than watching a football team over the course of the season.  In the last week and a half, I've lived and died through seven games - practically half of a football season - and all after following a team from winter through spring, summer, and into fall.  Heartbreaking.  Gut wrenching.  Sad.  It's not easy to handle it today.