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Deep breath. September games in Washington. Remember that the Mets are in first; the other team is in last. We’re the team with the stars, including five bona fide MVP candidates; they’re the team with our discards and a psychopath.
It’s impossible for me not to think about the two infamous games I attended last September at RFK (now home of the Eagle Bank Congressional Bowl on December 20th at 11 AM). My younger son didn’t want to go on a school night so I ended up going with non-Mets fans. I didn’t think it would matter, but it did. I went to the Monday game with my neighbor Bryan who just ate hot dogs and farted all night. On Tuesday, I went with my friend Jesse who is from Long Island, as I am, but is the opposite of me in that he has become a turncoat to the New York teams he once rooted for while I have remained loyal to my roots.
Brian Lawrence started the first game, blew a 4-0 lead, and was off the team by the next day. John Maine started the second game and also blew a 4-0 lead. I was so disconsolate at the end of the game, that I was slumped in my seat when Screech came by—that’s the Nationals mascot and he’s an effeminate chicken—looked at me, pointed and moved like he was laughing. That’s what it had come to: I was being mocked by Screech.
But, deep breath, that’s behind us now. I will be at Nationals Park for the Tuesday (112, G), Wednesday (113, AA) and Thursday games (113, AA) with my younger son so there are no worries about sitting with Nationals fans, other than the few that will be at the game, and most of them will be on their Blackberries.
Monday's matchup is Pedro Martinez v. John Lannan (LHP). Lannan lasted only 3 innings against the Mets last Tuesday, giving up 5 ER and 8 hits. Against Lannan, Ryan Church is 4 for 9 with two homers and 5 RBI and Jose Reyes is 5 for 12. After Sunday’s game, we need Pedro to step up and be the big game pitcher that he was for so much of his career. Pedro hasn’t faced Washington this year. Against Pedro, Christian Guzman is 7 for 21 with 3 doubles; Ryan Zimmerman is 0 for 6.
Tuesday's game features Mike Pelfrey and Odalis Perez (LHP). The Mets clobbered the other O-Perez last Wednesday (3 IP, 6 ER, 8 H). Leading the way against Odalis, D-Wright is 7 for 14 with 2 HRs. This is when we learn if last Wednesday’s poor performance by Big Pelf was an aberration. Against Pelfrey, Dukes is 2 for 2 with the bomb that lead him to blow kisses to the Mets bench. I think that Dukes should have been tasered and that Pelfrey showed admirable restraint from plunking Elijah Dukes.
Wednesday's matchup is Brandon Knight and Shairon Martis (RHP) [talk about your classic pennant race match-ups!]. Martis has never faced the Mets. He pitched 5 innings last Friday night against Florida, giving up one run. He only went 5 innings in his other start. His AB music should be “My Sharona.” (Fun Fact: he’s from Netherlands Antilles.) Knight once pitched for the MFYs and his ESPN picture still has a MFY hat. I prefer to think of him as a former Somerset Patriot. (Fun Fact: my parents live in Somerset). He pitched in the independent Atlantic League earlier this year, then pitched for New Orleans, then the Mets, then the United States Olympic team, and is back with the Mets. He pitched one inning last Tuesday against Washington, giving up one run.
Thursday's starters are Johan Santana and Tim Redding (RHP). Redding is 1-1 against the Mets in ’08, losing in April (5 IP, 3 ER) and winning in May (6 IP, 1 ER). Best against Redding is Carlos Beltran, 4 for 8 with a homerun. Johan is 2-0 versus DC this year. Against Johan, Christian Guzman is 6 for 10; Aaron Boone is 2 for 17.
That’s enough of that. What you want, what you desire, what you crave, is a return of dcbatgirl. You’re screaming at the computer, “please, bmfc1, make it so!” And so I shall:
What did you think of the reaction by the Crane Pool Forum to your appearance in the KTE?
Thanks to all for the warm welcome! I’ll be at the games on Monday and Wednesday, and I don’t yet have a date for the game on Wednesday. Will any of you be in town? On Wednesday, I’ll have excellent seats behind home plate (in the high rent district); I bet we could have a spirited conversation during the game.
Any thoughts on the actions of Elijah Dukes last Wednesday?
First of all, let me say that I am pulling for Elijah to get his personal life together and have an amazing career with the Nationals. I didn’t always feel this way; in fact, I was not happy when the Nationals acquired him, as my preference is to cheer both for good baseball and for good people.
This is not to say that Elijah is a bad person, but he has made more than his share of bad choices. And if I might be honest, the Nationals have enough problems without adding unnecessary drama to the equation. Initially, all I heard about was Dukes’ rap sheet (yikes!), but during spring training, I watched this video http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2008/02/that_my_friend_is_very_broke.html which I thought was pretty funny. It was a brilliant piece of reporting by the Washington Post in the sense that it began to introduce a real person, as opposed to just a long list of transgressions.
As the season progressed, and as Elijah found his rhythm, I began to really fall for his cannon arm, plate discipline, batting power, and probably more than anything, how he always gives 110%. He’s only had a couple of episodes of misbehavior this season, which I think is better than most everyone expected and a positive reflection on the extensive support system the Nationals have put in place for Elijah.
Which brings me to Dukes’ actions on Wednesday. My overall assessment is: come on, Elijah, don’t be foolish! Why taunt Mets fans? There are more than enough NY fans who have long memories and will no doubt use last week’s infractions as an excuse to harass Elijah forever. (The polite Crane Pool Forum posters probably excepted here.) It’s no help to Elijah or to my Nationals. But I also saw last Wednesday as a teachable moment. It’s too much to expect Elijah to go from probation to choir boy in one step, and I think this little episode is just part of the journey. The Nationals cannot put up with much. And because of his past, Elijah needs to do better.
Of course, doing better will probably require constant effort by Elijah for the foreseeable future. Among other things, I think he should spend more time with respectful, hard-working players like Willie Harris, and less time with the young hot dog we acquired from the Mets. I don’t think Lastings is a bad kid (I get the impression that his punishment in NY exceeded his crimes), but I do think he can be a little disrespectful. Recognizing that my next comment is probably unfair, I was more irritated last week by Lastings’ response to the episode. The quote in the paper from Lastings, “… I don’t think [Dukes] did anything wrong.” At least Elijah followed up by taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing to his teammates, Nationals management, and Nationals fans.
Like you, I will be watching what happens next.
-dcbatgirl
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