Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Let's Go Mets Go!

The baseball playoffs are underway, but perhaps the best matchup on paper has yet to begin. It will today at 4:00 PM when the New York Mets face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a battle of arguably the best teams in the National League. For much of the season, the boys from Queens have been the favorite, but recent devastating injuries to the pitching rotation have given the series more of an equal advantage.

What makes this season special for the Mets, besides the dominance they put on display all season long, both of the New York teams won their respective divisions in the same season for the first time in history. And both the Mets and Yankees finished with identical league-best records at 97-65. A Subway Series revival certainly seems looming over the horizon on paper, but first they must battle their way through the league's other best.

The media and internet are buzzing over the playoffs, and the Mets in particular due to their eye-catching resurgence this season and return to a dominant force not seen since the Mets last won the Eastern Division Championship eighteen years ago.

Here are some highlights of the coverage:

ESPN: Short Hops, previews for each playoff team
ESPN: 100 reasons to watch playoffs, very funny and insightful overview of what's to come
This one gave me chills while reading it:

"99. The possibility of Julio Franco, 48 years young, delivering a pinch-hit single in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series to win it for the Mets."
ESPN: Expert picks, 8 of 17 pick the Mets to go to the World Series
ESPN: Mets vulnerable against lefties
ESPN: Vote: Are you picking the Mets or Dodgers?
ESPN: Main playoff series page
MLB: Dodgers-Mets: Quick hits
MLB: Dodgers-Mets: Position analysis, even "intangibles" are compared
MLB: Dodgers-Mets: Rotation analysis
MLB: Wide-open postseason great for game, fantastic article detailing the entire playoff field
Excerpt: "The New York Mets were the other most notable breakthrough team of 2006. Not only did they end the Atlanta Braves' record of 14 straight division titles, they became hands down the best team in the National League. They put a wonderful lineup on the field; both powerful and versatile, able to score runs in bunches or manufacture runs one at a time with speed and craft. The Mets' success, not completely unexpected when you consider the star power they amassed, still represented a change in baseball's pecking order."
MLB: Twenty questions and playoffs loom
"5. Can the Mets make it to the World Series without Pedro Martinez?

Absolutely. The Mets have the best lineup in the NL, and they were able to forge the league's best record, even with Martinez missing much of the season. Even without Pedro, the Amazins still have enough to get past any team they face in the NL playoffs."
Deadspin: Where My Team Stands: New York Mets
Deadspin: Playoffs Pants Party: Mets Vs. Dodgers
The New York Times: Fans of Yankees and Mets Cast a Wary Eye at the Other Side
North Jersey: Bragging rites, another fun article on the Mets-Yankees rivalry
The New Republic: Mets = Dems, great quick article
Best Week Ever: Congratulations To The New York Yankees!, fucking hilarious

MP3
: Our Team, Our Time (the ridiculous and hilarious, yet awesome 2006 Mets theme song -- via Central Village)

Here are some other things that are pretty awesome:

Top 10 Weird Al Videos - they've been YouTubed!

Street Fighter: The Later Years
(click anywhere in the white box to view)

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home