Please allow me my Bart Simpson chalkboard moment:
THE METS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES.
THE METS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES.
THE METS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES.
THE METS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES.
THE METS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES.
The Mets are going to the World Series after sweeping the Cubs on Wednesday night to claim the National League pennant. If you thought a minor plot point in a sci-fi movie was going to stop this Mets team, I’ve got a hoverboard to sell you. The Mets have played nine games in this postseason and won seven of them. They might be perfect if Chase Utley’s genetic composition wasn’t 80 percent dirt (or the umpires had acknowledged the manifestation of said dirt and made the right call).
The Mets are looking for a bat to improve their struggling offense. They have a wealth of talented young pitchers to offer in a trade. Should they make a deal? Tomorrow night’s game is a reminder of why they might be wary.
I keep the tickets from every sporting event I attend in binders, where I jot down the result of the game and some key details. One ticket is from a Mets doubleheader against the Marlins on July 8, 2006. The Mets’ top pitching prospect at the time, Mike Pelfrey, made his major league debut in the second game. He got the win, and even though he was far from dominant—two earned runs, three strikeouts, four walks in five innings—his considerable hype excited me enough to conclude my entry with: “Maybe Pelfrey will be in the HOF one day.” Pelfrey pitched to a 4.36 ERA over his seven seasons with the Mets and has been a disappointment for the Twins since.
The Sportswriting of Andrew Kahn 