Though I'm not yet up to counting the days to pitchers and catchers, I will crawl out of my post-Shea depression long enough to call your attention to the following.
• All-time Shea Stadium organist Jane Jarvis is making a public appearance at Saint Peter's Church, Lex and 54th, Sunday evening October 12 as part of the Jazz Ministry's All Nite Soul event. Great news for jazz fans. Incandescent news for Mets fans. Revisit a memorable Jane Jarvis interaction here.
• Gary, Keith & Ron has some nice-looking sweatshirts available here, proceeds going to their battery of good causes per usual. GKR has postponed its planned November 10 fundraising event but promises a silent auction in the near future and other offseason developments. Visit GKR often for updates.
• The Shea Goodbye ceremonies — that whole wonderful last game, actually — is available on iTunes for $1.99. SNY has been rebroadcasting just the ceremonies at odd intervals (next up Wednesday at 1:30 PM) but it's hard to say whether it will become the new Heartland Poker Tour and be on like wallpaper or disappear without warning soon enough so the network can show Beer Money a few thousand more times. (Mets Weekly has good behind-the-scenes footage from the Mets alumni on hand for the closing — it's rebroadcast this Wednesday at 1 PM and Thursday at 1:30 PM for your recording convenience.)
• Go Rays, albeit nothing against the Red Sox. Go Dodgers, albeit everything against the Phillies.
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Greg Prince discovered the Mets when he was 6, during the magical summer of 1969. He is a Long Island-based writer, editor and communications consultant. Contact him here. Jason Fry is a Brooklyn writer whose first memories include his mom leaping up and down cheering for Rusty Staub. Check out his other writing here. Like a Word With Us?
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While Awaiting the Thaw
Comments
Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
Inside Pitcher
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 07:37 AM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
The thing that sealed my determination that the people sitting behind me on Sundays were either fly-by-night fans or idiots was the fact that they didn't know who Jane Jarvis is.
I wish I could be there for the concert! Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
Dave
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 09:32 AM EDT | Permanent Link
130 days and counting....
Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
Kevin from Flushing
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 10:04 AM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
The Rays and Red Sox were clearly the best two teams in the AL this season (playing in a tough AL East, as opposed to the Angels going on cruise control in the AL West), so the ALCS is rather fitting, and should be a great series...
...but I can't shake the simple fact that the Rays already beat the Red Sox in a 162-game series!!! Why do they have to prove it again?! I really despise the fucking wild card. Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
Anonymous
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 11:47 AM EDT | Permanent Link
"I really despise the fucking wild card."
Did you like it in 1999 & 2000? Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
Kevin from Flushing
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 02:42 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
I accepted it in 99 and loved where it took us. Hated it in 2000. I wanted the division badly that year.
It's like if you went on a game show, lost the jackpot to your opponent, but still walked away with the home version. You'd probably play that home version and have some fun with friends and family, but in the back of your mind you'd always get upset thinking about what if. And in the case of 2000, your annoying older bully sibling ends up beating you at the game and then brags about it the next 8 years. What really really irks me is that the Marlins have never come in first place, ever, and yet they have two World Series titles. The Wild Card has brought us the 99 NLCS and both LCS's in 03 and 04. That was some phenomenal, dramatic baseball. It also brought us a National League crown, and it ended the Yankees season in 02, 03, 04, and 06. BUT I would still rather have baseball figure out a workable way to get rid of it. IMHO, it cheapens the game. Re: Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
The Wild Card is the Uncle Jack's gift certificate of Major League Baseball. You win it even if you don't get the question right.
Re: Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
Anonymous
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 03:06 PM EDT | Permanent Link
I don't mind the Wild Card. I think having 8 teams make the post season out of 30 isn't obscene like hockey and basketball. But I think that the division set up is outdated. If you advance to the World Series, no one really cares if you did or didn't win the division. Do you think the Braves would trade in a few of those division crowns for a few more World Series titles? Just lump the NL as one 16 team league and the AL as one 14 team league, and have the top 4 teams in each make the post season. That way you really would get the 4 best teams form each league in there. (See the Mets 89 wins versus the Dodgers 84 )
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
NostraDennis
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 04:17 PM EDT | Permanent Link
I hate the concept of the wild card for all the reasons stated above. But I have to grudgingly admit that it's been good for baseball. Each summer, fans in a dozen cities are bamboozled into believing their team, playing at or around .500 ball, still has a chance at the playoffs. Thing is, they do.
Though I agree with the sentiment that it's unfair, not allowing a division winner to make the postseason will never happen. If they did it that way, we'd never hear from a team in the NL West, and there'd be no 10pm first round playoff games. Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
Kevin from Flushing
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 04:46 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
"Just lump the NL as one 16 team league and the AL as one 14 team league, and have the top 4 teams in each make the post season."
This just compounds the problem. To do this would mean baseball would have to go back to a balanced schedule in fairness to all teams. Not only would baseball lose money on having less games between heated intra-division rivalries, but if they're all going to play the same schedule and one team comes out on top--what's the point in having the playoffs? We already know who the best team in the league is! I don't know how to fix the Wild Card problem. I was long enamored with Bob Costas' vision of Best Overall League Record Goes Straight To The LCS, Remaining Division WInners Play Eachother, only now it's fairly clear that extended time off is a disadvantage to teams (by the way his book Fair Ball, though it was stunningly outdated in record time, is still a great read). The only solution I could honestly think of would be to split the leagues into 4 divisions somehow. It's a HORRIBLE idea that would greatly favor Northeast teams and punish Southwest clubs (think intra-division travel time), though the NHL does something similar. God knows it'd be impossible for the AL to do it without adding a San Antonio and Oklahoma City franchise. Like I said: horrible idea. Yes, the Wild Card has been good for baseball. But there's just got to be a better way. Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
They could put the Mets in their own league and they'd miss the playoffs on the final day of the season.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
by
pcelli60
on Tue 07 Oct 2008 06:54 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
I wonder? Is it easier for you Greg to root for the Dodgers? Boy, you must really dislike Philly!!
Rich Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: While Awaiting the Thaw
Except for the Lenny Dykstrafied 1993 club, I've never been able to root for the Phillies to do anything but do what they've done with more plodding regularity than any franchise in baseball history: lose.
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