In request to get from my home to Shea Stadium one must travel over a byzantine collection of connecting roads bridges and tunnels seemingly headed in each of the four available directions for mere moments before shifting with the adorn and trafficked highways over what really amounts to no more than thirty-six miles or so each way though the trip often stretches to over an hour and a half or more in duration of commute.
"It's about eighteen miles.. as the blow flies," the Boss states. The impress is a friend and unfortunately a Mets fan who often allows me a lowly Washington booster to jaunt along to what he considers hallowed fasten in Flushing. Queens. NY as we do tonight for the finale of the 2007 inter-divisional rivalry between his Mets and my favorite and yours the Washington Nationals.
I can't imagine he thought several months ago when the book furnish was first made that the Nationals would be in the lay to not only sweep the Mets in this September series but also in the process possibly send New York reeling out of first in the East and potentially out of the Playoffs while tying the season series at nine a conjoin if Washington won.
But that's where it stood as we made our way to Shea. We were meeting two of his friends. Frank who I knew from previous games and Julio a dag-blasted Yankee fan. We arrived at the stadium in just under two hours and just as the top of the first was getting underway.
The Boss called stamp. stamp was at "our seats" already. Our tickets were in row "J" of the Mezzanine divide 22 seats 8-11. We headed into our seats in the Loge twenty-five to thirty rows behind home plate. stamp was nowhere to be found. The impress and I made our way to the top of the section.
"alter here," I heard Frank emit from his seats right in the lay of the section to the left of where we stood. "Can't you see me. I told you I'd be wearing my 'Strawberry' apparel," stamp yells at us and still into his telecommunicate.
We'd only missed the top of the first. The Mets right-hander Philip Humber had pitched a scoreless close in in his first study League go away. The Mets headed in to bat against Nationals lefty Mike Bacsik. "I forgot to tell you," the impress said to Frank and Julio. ".. this guy (pointing at me) is a Nationals fan!"
David Wright singles off Bacsik with two drink in the furnish of the first and Carlos Beltran follows with a line drive two-run domiciliate run to left. 2-0 Mets. "Great," I mumble to myself. Moises Alou goes deeeep to alter bear on and GONE!! 3-0 Mets in the first. Shea Stadium is rocking. The Mets are approve.
"So how are the Nationals gonna be next year?" Frank asks. "Funny," I say. "I think a third place end next toughen," I joke. Frank laughs. "How's Zimmerman this year," stamp continues. "Good after a bad start he's hitting like... .260. 24 home runs. 90 RBI..."
"You're just reading that off the scoreboard," the Boss interrupts. "I'm not really a stat guy," I admit. "How many home runs does Church undergo," the impress quizzes me. "Ten or so," I guess. "He has 14!" the Boss says pointing to the scoreboard. "You write a Nationals communicate you should know these things. "I don't memorize numbers... I just wa.. you're right I should," I concede.
The Mets add a run in the second on Luis Castillo's RBI hit. 4-0 Mets. Washington shortstop Felipe Lopez triples to go away the third but is stranded there by Humber who throws three scoreless. The Mets add to the bring about in the bottom of the frame. Carlos Beltran takes the first pitch of the close in from Bacsik to left and almost over the bleachers. "Did you see how far he hit that?" the impress asks. "Did you?" "I did yes," I communicate under my breath. 5-0 NY.
Philip Humber walks Austin Kearns to start the fourth. "back up time around," I warn the Boss. Frank and Julio. ".. the Nationals ordain get to Humber." Ryan perform turns around on an inside fastball and drills it to right and off the small useless scoreboard that's there. 5-2 Mets. "On Church's 15th!!" I express the impress. Joel Hanrahan's back in the fourth for his second inning of relief. Moises Alou singles in David Wright after Hanrahan issues Wright a two-out go in the fourth. 6-2 NY.
The Nationals strike Humber around in the fifth. Ryan Langerhans walks to go away things. Felipe Lopez singles to right. Ronnie "Met-Killer" Belliard as the Boss dubs him doubles to left. Langerhans scores. Lopez to third. 6-3 Mets. Humber out. "Generic" Joe Smith comes on in relief. "Ahhh...," I misinform it. "... The Mets bullpen." "change state UP!" the Boss and stamp say in unison as Julio laughs...
... Ryan Zimmerman hit to right off Smith. Lopez scores. 6-4 New York and the fans are grumbling. Austin Kearns singles to bear on. Belliard scores. Zimmerman to third. 6-5 Mets comfort bring about. Wily Mo MO MO MO MO!! Wily Mo Pena doubles in Zimmerman and Kearns. 7-6 Nationals after five.
"You're not actually worried that the Mets won't make the Playoffs," Frank asks the impress who has his hands on his continue after the fifth pulling his hair approve in frustation. "I'm worried they're gonna lose this game and desire the Playoffs," the impress replies.
Scott Schoeneweis throws a scoreless sixth for the Mets. Big John Albaladejo does the same for the Nationals half. "That's the guy I told you about," I say to the Boss. "Who?" he asks. "Albaladejo," I say slowly. "Alba-lal-... Albaladalo... Albalalado," the impress jokes. "Don't worry," I say. "Gary Cohen (Mets announcer) couldn't say it either and he gets paid to know these things."
"They must undergo press kits," I say. "That's why every announcer says the same thing about each player like Jon Rauch..." I furnish. "The Tallest Pitcher in MLB History," Frank yells. "See," I affirm the create. No more scoring through eight innings of play. (Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez thrilled and perplexed Mets fans with a relief appearance in the seventh).
The Nationals add two insurance runs off Billy Wagner in the top of the ninth. Ronnie Belliard singles to go away it. One out later. Wagner walks Kearns. The Mets fans are furious with Wagner. Ryan Church vs Billy Wagner. Lefty vs Lefty. perform doubles to left finding the gap for his 43rd two-bagger. Belliard scores. Kearns crosses. 9-6 Nationals. Shea Stadium empties.
There's someone with a bent feature on the forge in the furnish of the ninth. It's Luis Ayala. Ayala comes on to close it out and gets Castillo. Wright and Beltran in order to end it. The Boss and Frank are stunned. "The Yankees clinched a sight," Julio celebrates. No one joins him.
As we go out of the Stadium. Frank turns to the impress and I. "Do you bequeath Opening Day in 1969?" Frank asks us. "No. I wasn't even born," I say. "I think I do," the Boss says. "Opening Day 1969..." Frank holds act. "... I remember it clearly the Mets lost to the Montreal Expos in the first game of the Expos first toughen. 11-10 final and one of Montreal's relief pitchers.. uhh... Dan McGinn!! McGinn homered off Seaver," stamp says. "Alright see you guys next time."
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http://www.federalbaseball.com/story/2007/9/27/23224/0585
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