In the Heat of the Night

Games 59 (redux) through 62 - Mets

Padres 2, Mets 1
Padres 2, Mets 1
Padres 2, Mets 1 (10 inn., for a change of pace)
Padres 8, Mets 6
Record: 30-32

There wasn't much about the series in San Diego that you'd classify as anything other than "annoying." Even the bright spots -- the pitching, basically -- were sullied with the label "wasted." (I've been sullied with both of those epithets lately, or maybe just been just annoyingly wasted with Sully. Can't really recall, and the end result's about the same.)

A 2-1 loss, three games in a row. And then the finale, a bow rake to the abdomen, Tony Clark . . . Junior, right, gotta be Tony Clark, Junior? No?? Tony Clark is still playing baseball? And homering off Billy Wagner to win the game? He was left for dead by the Red Sox six seasons ago (.207/3/29), then went slummin' with the '03 Mets. He enjoyed something of a mild resurgence at Shea -- oh, he still hit .232, but his 16 homers were enough to elicit this snide blurt from across the aisle:
Felt the backlash on that one Sunday. It was actually something of a relief to lose by a score not 2 to 1. And now for something completely different . . . a dead person belting a Baltimore Special off our star closer.

'Round these parts only one thing's known for sure on June 10: I've already blown the Case Bet with Rob. The Mets may get to 91 wins by Earth Day next year if all goes well. And the guy we've been most eager to root for just went on the DL with concussion-related problems, and there's nothing even remotely cool about that.

It's blazing hot, the Mets aren't, and that's about all I have to say about that.