Brad

Bring on the Cubbies!

Astros and Rangers fans (and players, etc.) will remember this one. So close to moving on. Cardinals can say, "oh, well, we'll be back next year." Don't know if it's worse to lose like Astros did or just be blown out. Neither feels too good. Mets and Dodgers fans are starting to have sweaty palms (2.5 hours to go as we speak).

That article doesn't completely convince me, not to mention its four years old. I notice they talk about the new Yankee Stadium and it's soulless. Unlike old YS it has no personality. At at any rate new ownership has renovated or is renovating the place. Regarding last night's game, I'm not terribly optimistic about tomorrow. Bats have been generally quiet for a couple of weeks, Monday being a major exception. deGrom will need to be close to perfect to win. They may need to bring in Syndergaard at some point, with him and Colon being a bridge to Familia. No one else in that pen is trustworthy.

Neither the Cubs nor Cardinals are among my favorite teams; Cub fans still whine about 1969. However, I know that they will draw big ratings and be America's darlings. Mike Shannon? One of the worst broadcasters and biggest homers around. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. I've never been to Wrigley but places like that and Fenway are our cathedrals. Duke, a great CF and part of the trio of great CFers (along with Mays and Mantle) when NY was the center of the baseball universe. Saw him play at the old Polo Grounds.

It's the end of civilization as we know it!

Via Netflix, "Death in Paradise," a British detective show with a stuffy British cop set in the Caribbean. It's formulaic but I've enjoyed it.

If the Cubs were in the WS, that would draw significant ratings, probably more than any other city, just because they haven't been in the WS since the 1940s or won anything since 1905 or whatever date it is.

Scott nailed it about football taking care of its own. Could there be a Green Bay -- the ultimate small market team -- in baseball. No way. I'm sure that baseball is worried about what might happen from the stands tonight, which is why Utley was suspended, and I'm sure his appeal will be quickly rejected. As it is, it will be a tense atmosphere tonight.

Good call on the witness protection. If you meant business, make it three. Just an attempt to avoid a controversy at Citifield. On on the lighter side, How the Dead Helped Me Understand the Mets, http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/magazine/how-the-grateful-dead-helped-me-understand-the-mets.html?_r=1

Utley has been suspended for games 3 and 4. That will mollify some but I'm sure the players still won't be completely satisfied.

Never knew that Wynton did the Burke's Law theme. Great show for that time, of course.

Rita takes the cake! Hard to top that one.

On Jim's HR question logic would seem to dictate that since he didn't touch 3rd (provided the appeal is upheld), he is out but is awarded a 2B On Neal's point, from what I have heard today, once the ump called Utley out he had no obligation to touch 2nd so he was safe on the reversal. As I understand it, interference would only work on a routine DP where you can use the neighborhood play. As this was far from routine, the neighborhood play couldn't be invoked so interference was out. I don't know if this is an alternative but I wonder if Utley could have been called safe at 2nd but Kendrick out at 1st because of Utley's slide. I don't really know. I think it's fortunate that there is a rest day between yesterday's and tomorrow's game as it may afford everybody to think more rationally and focus on playing game 3, not to say that Mets players won't try to take out Kendrick or Seager if given the opportunity. I like Howie from watching him with the Angels so I hope he doesn't get hurt; even my wife, who watches precious little baseball, knows who he is and likes him. Other than Kendrick and Turner, the other Dodgers are not really hitting the ball.

If it was late or with an intent to injure. Torre may just decide that he wants to defuse an obvious inflammatory situation and let the teams sort it out when they meet in the regular season, or for whatever team Utley is playing for at the time, assuming he hasn't retired. I would think the Dodgers wouldn't object too strongly if some sort of suspension took place. It might be better for all concerned. If this had happened in the 1940s, it would have been written off as one of those things.

It was like a perfect storm for the Mets: Murphy didn't make a good flip to Tejada, he was in a vulnerable position and Utley, no matter what, is coming in hard He's a dirty player. However, it couldn't be a double play because Tejada didn't get the one out. Just a bad situation. The Mets should have retaliated when things got out of hand. There would have been a brawl but it would have settled matters until putting it off until next week. Yes, I'm sure there will be a warning. However, if Utley makes an appearance all bets are off and it could be ugly. I wouldn't be surprised if Torre suspended him for two games. There will be retaliation of some kind, most likely on the base paths. As bad as the situation was, it was still 2-2 but the Mets bullpen, particularly in the 7th, has been notoriously ineffective this season. Addison Reed was supposed to be the answer but he proved ineffective last night. In retrospect I suppose he should have brought in Robles but that's a second guess. However, I hope he goes to Robles in the 7th the next time. For sure Robles would have hit someone. He nearly incited a brawl at Philadelphia last week and got himself a three game suspension.

Listening to Torre explain the reasoning was comical and all interpretational. Torre says he's looking at it to see if it was a dirty slide. Whst does that mean? Game is over, they lost a SS and the game.

The call on that piece of shit Utley should have been interference and a DP called. He was there to hurt and this goes back to the Phillies and the Mets. No love lost there. Harvey hit Utley earlier this year and Utley tried to hurt Tejada a few years ago. Swift retribution is needed. However, I'm guessing both benches will be warned before game 3. Mets players are angry and there is bad blood now.

Funny you mention Angel Hernandez. Going back to god knows when, the Mets think he's had it in for them. Wonder how many other teams think that. Bob Davidson is another terrible ump. Why they let him back in is besides me.

Yes, they have but in over 50 years of watching, there was more predictability to it than there is now. Some calls I saw in last night's Mets game made me shake my head. However, you can't ask for any more as long as they're consistent in calling it the way they do

Put it in the books! Mets take game 1

I've been watching games a long time and had a pretty good idea of the strike zone. In the last couple of years, with the way they call it today, I have no idea anymore.

Every away team has won so far. Let's hope this trend continues through tomorrow night ;)

Brad, I too was at that game, and I too ran onto the field! When the fans chanted, "We want Short!", I sensed (for the only time in my life) a vibe that bordered on violence. I believe that if he had attended the game, he would have been killed. Of all the games that I've attended over the years, that's the one I remember the most. As I recall (which could be shaky), the Yankees held the lead through the middle of the 8th. Then a couple of fans ran onto the field. The crowd was warned that if it happened again, there would be a forfeit. In the bottom of the 8th, the Senators grabbed the lead, maybe 3-2 or 4-3, don't exactly remember. Comes the top of the 9th. Bang! It was like a jail break. Hundreds, thousands, ran onto the field. Everything was taken: bases, lights from the scoreboard, you name it. I ran onto the field too, but too late for any souvenirs. I saw some people ripping out seats. My thought at the time was that some Redskins fans wouldn't have seats to sit on Sunday. Amazing scene, to say the least. And, yes, had the fans seen Short they definitely would've assaulted him. They're there all kinds of signs in the ballpark like "Short sucks." Unforgettable. ****** As you can see from Jim's stats, the Cubs killed the Mets this year. The only thing I can say is that it wasn't against the team that was changed at the trading deadline: no Wright, Cespedes, Kelly Johnson or Conforto. Not much to hang your hopes on but better than nothing. Of course, both teams have to get there first.

Looks like Pirates are screwed. Heck, they were screwed after the top of the 1st.

I know you don't like the Angels, which is understandable because the Rangers and Angels are division rivals and my son who is a big Angels fan and Trout fan hates the Rangers, which is also understandable. What I don't get is these comments about Trout, just the greatest player in the game today, along with Harper. The Angels announcers creepy? Now, the TV guys are not that great (at least compared to the Mets announcers) but I like the radio guy Terry Smith. Think he does a pretty good job. Fans just lord it over other fans, that's just the nature of the beast. BTW, I went to school in DC and was at the last game the Senators played at RFK when they forfeited to the Yanks. One of the most unforgettable games I've ever seen as every fan crashed the field the top of the 9th and took everything in sight. The fans hatred for Bob Short knew no bounds.