Afternoon games at Wrigley...idyllic, no?

No?

Not this one. And that was the only one we get for 2008, which is OK from here. The Cubs are good and the Mets are relentlessly so-so, making it difficult to enjoy the ivy for the trees. The charm of America's most charming ballpark dissipates when you're losing 8-1 the day after the night you lost 7-1.

You can analyze the poor fielding by Delgado and the poor hitting by Delgado and the poor relieving by Delgado (what fun is blaming Jorge Sosa?), but I won't. The Mets defy useful analysis at the moment. The slippery slope of trying to unravel their ennui runs from "what's wrong now?" to "what's wrong tomorrow?" to "will it ever be righted?" and in about 15 seconds you're hosting one of those enlightening shows on SNY wherein second-tier WFAN talent shouts each other down for half an hour.

Let's go back to Wrigley instead. It looks so good on television. It looks so good in real life. It looks great in daylight. Get Ronny Cedeño the bleep out of there and you can't do any better for a few hours' commune with nature and baseball.

It boggles the mind to realize that not only was the darn thing built in 1914, it was built to play home to a Federal League team. A Federal League team, for cryin' out loud. Shea was sort of planned for a Continental League team, but it's not quite the same. Nothing's the same as Wrigley, no matter how many bricks are used by those who would be inspired by it. Compared to Wrigley Field, all those places are brick teases.

'Twas pointed out by Gary and Ron how Wrigley's the "template" for so many of the retro parks of the modern age — though not for limestone-based Nationals Park, the Mets' next stop and mine, too. We won't be seeing any more of Wrigley Field this season though a Mets prism, but we may as well get used to what they've got in D.C. as we play them down there nine times this year and nine or ten times every year for years to come. (Rumor has it we play nineteen different clubs in 2008, but mostly we seem to play the Washington Nationals.)

I look forward to telling you what it's like on the inside. If the Mets play the Nats like they did last week, it will be a far nicer place than Wrigley Field was this week.

14: Saturday, September 6 vs Phillies
Ladies and gentlemen, this afternoon for our Countdown Like It Oughta Be salute, we honor one of the most memorable seasons in Mets history. In many ways, "season" is an overstatement because this Mets team did all its important business in the span of about six weeks. No team ever accomplished so much in so little time. You could even call them the patron saint of lost baseball causes, because after the world saw what the 1973 Mets could do after being in last place at the end of August, no team could ever lose faith in its chances again.

The essentials of this particular Met miracle have been handed down over 35 years now, but the telling never gets old. On August 30, the New York Mets were a last-place team. On October 10, the New York Mets were National League champions. You've heard it a thousand times if you've heard it once that it wasn't over 'til it was over and that you had to — absolutely had to — believe, but there is a well-kept secret about those 1973 Mets.

They had some pretty good players. If injuries hadn't gotten in their way, maybe the flag they earned would have come about in a more conventional manner. But then we wouldn't have the story to tell and retell, and we sort of enjoying doing that.

Let's meet nine of your 1973 New York Mets right now. They were all, to say the least, pretty good players.

We'll start on the mound, where manager Yogi Berra could depend on depth that was the envy of the other skippers in the N.L. East. For example, few teams had the luxury of a proven lefthanded veteran — a 20-game winner no less — filling in as a swingman, starting or relieving as needed and providing great leadership every step of the way. This man delivered all that and more to the Mets across five wonderful seasons in New York. Welcome back the southpaw Ray Sadecki.

Another pitcher who could take the ball in whichever inning was necessary enjoyed his first full season in the majors in '73 and boy did he make the most of it. An 8-4 record with 5 saves to boot, he was a rock for pitching coach Rube Walker. Give a warm hand to Harry Parker.

Also coming up to stay in 1973 was a righty with a world of promise, talent that would show itself most noticeably a year later when he led the National League in earned run average. He defended the honor of the Mets against Pedro Borbon and the Reds in the NLCS, proving his versatility as a fighter as well a pitcher. Let's have a big round of Shea Stadium applause for Buzz Capra.

Of course when you mention versatility in the context of the 1973 Mets, you have to mention the man who filled in so ably while so many regulars were on the shelf. He played short, third, second, left and center, and he handled them all like the pro he was. Say hi to old friend Teddy Martinez.

Our next two guests from the summer of '73 have to come out together, but they're going to be careful. They gave the Shea crowd quite a scare on July 7 when they collided at the left field wall in pursuit of a Ralph Garr fly ball. It wasn't pretty, but both players were typically giving it their all. Safe and sound, let's welcome home Don Hahn and the Stork, George Theodore.

If the pennant achieved by the '73 Mets is viewed as a surprise, then this fourth starter's accomplishments probably shocked a few people. He was a capable pitcher for his former team, but when he came to the Mets, he simply excelled, posting a 12-3 mark and making a case for the ages that he sure would have looked good taking the ball in Oakland during the World Series. We remember him fondly today as we greet him in Queens, ladies and gentlemen, George Stone.

George had some company in coming to the Mets from the Braves. His companion was one of the best second basemen in the National League, a title he maintained when he arrived in New York. Not only was he a surehanded fielder and the steadiest of hitters, he was an instant fan favorite. One of the most popular Mets of his or any day, let's hear it for someone who inspired a million area kids to choke up on their bats as high as they could, Felix Millan.

And to lead our group of 1973 National League champions to the right field wall to remove number 14 is a Met who burned hotter than just about any of his teammates down the stretch drive. Six homers, 17 ribbies, a .323 average, an Amazin' glove at third. He was so hot, it was probably more than genetics that caused his hair to glow a bright red. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the true Met stalwarts of 1973, Wayne Garrett.

Number 15 was revealed here.

CHICAGO (FAFIF) — The Mets lost 7-1 at Wrigley Field Tuesday night, which came as something of a surprise to this reporter who nodded off on the couch with the Mets behind 2-1 in the eighth.

"How the fuck did it get to be 7-1?" this reporter wondered upon waking and observing the final score.

The Cubs scored five runs while this reporter napped, leading him to believe some combination of Aaron Heilman and Willie Randolph must have been doing the same thing.

"Shit," he said. "Five runs! How the fuck did that happen? Fucking Heilman? Fucking Willie? Fuck!"

In the portion of the game for which this reporter managed to stay awake, the Mets offense sputtered while John Maine was outpitched by Carlos Zambrano.

"Fucking Maine," this reporter noted. "And fucking Zambrano, while we're at it. Fuck!"

The Cubs took a 2-0 lead while this reporter had switched away to watch Countdown With Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. Usually this reporter switches back and forth between Countdown and the game frequently during the 8 o'clock hour, but Keith was interviewing Hillary Clinton, which "seemed newsworthy enough seeing as how it's obvious Keith can't fucking stand her," this reporter surmised. Upon turning back to SNY after a 20-minute absence, this reporter learned Aramis Ramirez had homered off Maine.

"Fucking Ramirez," this reporter said. "Hillary's a fucking Cubs fan, too."

The Mets got a run back when Endy Chavez doubled and eventually scored on a Jose Reyes double play.

"How the fuck does Jose Reyes hit into a double play?" this reporter asked himself. "They're always saying how rare it is, yet it seems to happen twice a week.

"Fuck!"

Even before things began to go against the Mets, this reporter admitted he wasn't really paying very close attention to the game.

"I thought it was going to start at 8 o'clock like they usually do in Chicago," he said. "Then I turned on the FAN around 6:30 and they were doing the pregame show. 'Fuck,' I thought, 'ESPN's doing the game, it starts at 7.'"

The mildly surprising starting time caused a brief controversy as this reporter was expecting he and his wife would do their usual Monday night grocery shopping between 7 and 8.

"She didn't feel like it any more than I did," this reporter explained. "Good, I get to watch the game from the start. But it was weird. I wasn't really into it. Go figure."

Game notes
This reporter agreed to pick up "some crap we're probably running out of," including milk, at the store Tuesday. ... Delgado fucking sucks. ... Moises Alou is expected to come off the 15-day disabled list later this week. ... Moises Alou is expected to go on the 15-minute abled list soon after. ... Castillo kind of sucks, too.