Brad

I gave them a glance. Of course, you will post articles supporting your case. I leave those things to history.

Didn't look at them. If I get a chance I'll read them.

I've been watching it 53 years (got you by two ) and greatness (whether great or not) is probably best not decided in the moment but for history to judge. Let the Royals first win it before we start conferring them a royal status. If they win it in four, I will be the first to offer congratulations to Scott as I'm sure he will be on Cloud 9. However, I don't think it's going to happen. Hope it goes back to KC. I will agree that if the Mets don't win tonight, the Royals will probably win in 4 and we can start planning for next year and, hopefully, a return trip. *** This was in today's New York Times: The Mets, the Royals and Charlie Parker, Linked by Autumn in New York

This is a question for Jim as moderator but a couple of days ago I was going to quote Scott in one of my responses (to be posted from my PC) and then had to do something else (like work!). When I went back, I couldn't get rid of the quote box so I've had to post responses from my phone. Anyway someone can help?

great is different for individual players vs teams.

I can't speak for what the Yankees or other like teams may do because the Mets don't follow that approach. So you're saying that if somehow the Mets come back and win this series the Royals are a great team? Seriously? If they win this year, which they should, that's a great achievement. Two WS appearances and one championship. I consider the 86 Mets a very good team but because they didn't do it again (should have, but that's another story) they were just a very good team. These are just my opinions as a fan and if you disagree, that's no problem. We're just having an exchange of views.

If you don't win it all you're not and they didn't. If you want to say the Orioles from 69 to 71 were a great team, I suppose I have no issue with that. To borrow from another sport, the Bills went to four consecutive SBs but because they failed to win one they are not considered a great team. I realize it's all a little subjective.

If the pundits and experts don't give them the respect you think they deserve, that's their issue, not mine. I think we all knew they were good and they demonstrated it throughout the season. They are good, a very good team but before we start calling them a great team let's see them first win this one and then do it again. When I think of recent great teams, the late 90s Yankees and the Red Sox of 2004 and 2007 come to mind. I don't even include the Giants there although they are or had very good teams. If it was me I wouldn't worry about what others think. In fact, during this year's playoffs I liked that the Mets were the underdogs.

I thought the Royals were a good team -- not a great team, a good team -- before. Great is thrown around too much. I tend to be sparing in the use of that word. No disrespect to your team intended. However, I thought the Mets pitching could limit their damage. Obviously, I wasn't correct, at least so far. This series might have changed in the first game in the ninth inning. Reminds me to a certain extent of the 2000 World Series when the Mets were ready to take game 1 but Armando Benitez lost the game. Series basically over. Are the Royals a better team or a team playing better. Right now, it's both. Moreover, Too many automatic outs in the Mets lineup. I also think that Mets pitching need to move people off the plate and throw inside and hit a couple of people if necessary. Royals hitters are too comfortable right now. Hopefully, being home will make a difference.

Ok I'm a believer. It's no crime to lose to a better team.

They lifted Niese too early so after Colon I think it would have been Gilmartin. They also had Robles. Not sure why they didn't bring him in. They weren't going to use Matz under any circumstances. If the Mets are going to get back into this series deGrom is the man. Contrary to what everybody thinks deGrom is the ace of the staff. If the Royals beat deGrom it could be a short series. Let's face it, Harvey is still in a recovery year. However, he (along with Familia) blew the game; he wasn't good when he needed to be as the "ace" of the staff. He's a bit of a prima donna and his teammates just sort of shake their head when something comes up involving him, be it the innings thing, being late or what have you It wouldn't surprise me if they trade him; there will be no Cespedes next year and they will need to bring in a bat. Mets ownership is pretty cheap (due to the Madoff scandal) so they will be looking to spend as little money as possible.

See, that's all the more reason to respect the baseball physics of the Bartolo Colon Zone - he's a walking emitter of synthetic manstuff into every occupiable molecule of baseball matter. I bet he can bend baseball light just by looking at it. Something's gotta be keeping those legs viable. I love Colon. Yes, he did steroids but did his time. He's just a very good pitcher and I'll be see sorry to see him go. He's been a tremendous influence on some of the Latin pitchers; he even told Robles that if you're not going to throw inside, why don't you go home. He's been a treat to watch, just as Young was a treat to watch because they show you that you don't have to throw 95 to succeed. Just move the ball up and down, left to right and so forth.

The Royals are a very good team, probably better than the Mets top to bottom but in my opinion the Mets let one slip away that they had won. Familia, from time to time, likes to use this stupid quick pitch, which is not very effective. Why a guy who has this fantastic splitter and can throw 97 plus needs to think he needs a trick pitch is beyond me. The Royals aren't stupid. They saw the videos of when he does it and Gordon was ready. Give him credit for hitting it. I hope he learns from this not to do it again. When Gordon hit the HR, game over. I've seen this before, game 4 of the 1988 NLCS against the Dodgers, a game that will haunt me the rest of my life but let's not go back to ancient history. My criticisms of Collins: why on God's name is he starting Kelly Johnson and then replacing him with Cuddeyer (who is done in my opinion). I thought (as did a lot of Mets fans) that Lagares would be in CF, with Conforto as the DH. A mistake as they gifted a run in the first. Also, what in the heck is Collins thinking pulling Conforto in the 6th for defense. This is a move I would have expected in the 8th. Now, it didn't really hurt them as Lagares got two hits and scored the 4th run but you have to wonder about the thinking process that goes into that. Bullpen was better than expected so I was pleasantly surprised there. I still wish he would go with Addison Reed in the 8th but Collins sticks to his formula. Wright is a liability at 3rd. Due to his spinal stenosis, he has to throw a certain way and it cost him in the 14th. Interestingly I was surprised that Collins didn't use a challenge on the play; nothing to lose at that point. Harvey wasn't real sharp, probably due to the layoff. His start against the Dodgers wasn't sharp (due to a long layoff) but was sharp against the Cubs because he was on regular rest; I expect him to look good for game 5. Don't know what to expect from deGrom tonight as he hasn't looked good in the early innings in any of his post season starts. Being down 2-0 is not in a good position to be in but not the end of the world as the 85 Royals and 86 Mets have shown.

This game is a killer on sleep

Friggin Collins keeps going to Clippard. Game over

I go back to my earlier post that in pitching the Mets strength is the starting pitching and middle relief is weak. If the Royals hitters knock out a starter we are in deep trouble. I think Colon could save the day but you're asking a lot. The strong part of the Royals pitching is their middle relief and I don't think their starters are as strong. The Royals could survive a starter going down early. The Mets simply cannot. That the Mets middle relief is unpredictable at best is not a secret. I don't see this happening with Harvey but it could happen with deGrom and Matz. We will see. That's why they play the games! :)

You're probably correct about the starters. However, you can probably survive a poor start by your starters. The Mets probably cannot. That is the one advantage the Mets have in this series.

From what I've read -- and I'll admit to not seeing many of their games -- KC looks to their starters to get them at least five or six and turns it over to the pen, which is very strong, certainly much stronger than ours. Middle relief is a problem for many teams. Mets are the converse; they look to get at least six or seven from the starters and use Reed and Clippard to bridge to Familia. In the post season, Colon has been part of the bridge as Clippard has not been very effective for a month or so. If I were Collins, I'd flip Reed and Clippard but he's pretty loyal to his guys.

Lack of soda and perhaps too much candy corn has obviously turned your brain into mush. what's your pick or you just gonna bash mine Catesta is from NY so I assume he's picking the Mets.

The Royals are going to play the way that has been successful for them all year as will the Mets and it will be up to each team to try to counter what the other one does. The Mets pitchers pitch, not just try to strike you out; they know how to pitch to another team's strengths and weaknesses. That is why the Mets are here. Obviously KC has their formula: limit the damage of their SP and turn it to the bullpen, which is the Mets Achilles heel. It will probably be a long series. Mets can win on the road, something like 21-6 during the regular season in the last 27 games and 4-1 on the road. As the season wound down, they were actually better on the road than at home. As far as Murph goes, he is a good hitter: he will get you a lot of doubles and can hit to the opposite field but he is streaky. He may be on a prolonged streak or maybe it's coming to an end. However, here are a couple of interesting articles, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/sports/baseball/how-mets-coach-brought-out-daniel-murphys-power.html?ref=baseball and http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/27/upshot/trust-your-eyes-a-hot-streak-is-not-a-myth.html?ref=baseball Mets had -- and may still have no intention of resigning him (he's not great defensively and makes some stupid mistakes on the basepaths) -- but the fans love him (he's imperfect like the rest of us) and if he has a decent World Series, regardless of the outcome, they may have no choice. Even before the playoffs started, fans felt (myself included) that he was probably not a Met next year and that the team would miss his hitting.

I guess I'm not surprised that you guys would pick the Royals but the Royals haven't faced starting pitching like this, the best starting pitching there has been in baseball in a long time. They are not just strikeout pitchers but they can do that also. Since the trading deadline, their lineup has been one of the most explosive in baseball. Royals rotation is ok but not overwhelming. On top of this, no DH at Citi. American League teams don't do well at the National League park; heard on one of the baseball channels that since 2006, they were 8-17. Mets in 6, 7 at the worst.

That seems to cut out the fan who follows them all year Scott but I think that's always the case. I also noticed looking on Stubhub that parking passes are $500! Now, Citifield doesn't have the greatest parking situation but that's crazy. Getting out of Shea Stadium (which is now the parking lot for Citifield) was always a nightmare so I used to park in Flushing (about 5 minutes from Shea) and take the subway one stop. Had I been going to a game, that's what I would have done this time.

Don't know about KC, but prices are ridiculous for the games in NY; $700 for standing room only. Crappy seats are around $1,300. CitiField is not the largest, only seats about 42,000. Shea had around 56,000.

I think he meant either team. If the Mets don't win, the WS it will still have been a tremendous season; sure beats the last six seasons. I'm not sure the Royals would feel the same way if they lost as they went to the WS last year.

Some great players like Jon Matlack, Wayne Garrett, Gary Gentry, Amos Otis and Ken Singleton. He felt he was snubbed by M. Donald Grant, the President of the Mets, when Grant named Yogi as Manager over him when Gil Hodges (the greatest of all Mets managers in my opinion) died in 1972. He eventually left the Mets and hated them forever. Grant is the same idiot who traded Seaver.