Posted on 08/19/2006 3:46:41 PM PDT by qam1
August 19, 2006 -- The Mets will honor the 1986 championship team tonight in a pregame ceremony that will feature the majority of that memorable squad. It has been 20 years since the Mets last won the World Series and many believe this year's team has the ingredients to end a 20-year title drought in Flushing.
Tonight's ceremony, set to begin around 7 p.m., will welcome back many familiar faces from that memorable team, and the energy inside Shea could serve as a reminder to this year's team what they're playing for. It will be the first time in years that Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez on the field together.
The Mets went into last night's game against Colorado 13 games up in the NL East and could get a midseason jolt from tonight's festivities.
"That team, to me, was the ultimate team," David Wright said.
Among the notable no-shows tonight will be Dwight Gooden, manager Davey Johnson and Ray Knight. The Mets will wear throwback uniforms tonight and tomorrow to honor the 1986 team. Wright is looking forward to tonight's celebration and expects the home-field advantage at Shea Stadium to be at a season high.
"It's going to be a special ceremony. Obviously the fans will be into it, and I think that when the fans get into something, that rubs off on the team," Wright said. "When the fans come out in full force, they get into it, they bring a lot of energy, a lot of passion, and we can definitely use that to our advantage."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Shea has a "day of game" ticket window, where yours truly has often been able to get good "single ticket seats" at the last moment. You should be OK. Are you taking the 7 train or the LIRR?
Oops... disregard my post #40. I just noticed the date of GianniV's post...
A few things about the Mets worry me. First is the starting pitching. If they are going to win then Pedro must pitch like Pedro, and right now things aren't looking that great as far as that goes. Trachsel is unreliable, but he somehow managed to win 16 games (so far) this season despite having an ERA around 5. Who the hell knows how he is going to respond in the postseason. El Duque is solid, should be no worries there. Glavine, who knows? He has been a bit shaky but I have the feeling that his experience and savvy will come through big. The bullpen is excellent so there are no worries there.
Second is their lineup. They do have a stacked lineup that can score runs in bunches almost at will. However, it is extremely right handed heavy. There is no left handed hitting threat to be found. They have had very big struggles against even mediocre left handed pitching this season - and every other postseason team knows it. Going up against a team with a couple of decent lefty starters, and lefty relievers could be a huge obstacle, especially in a short series.
Don't get me wrong, I think that they have as good a shot as any to win it all this year. They have proven over the course of the regular season that they are certainly capable of big things. I'm just trying to be as realistic as I can be as a Met fan. I said at the beginning of the year that this years team will be very good and make the playoffs as either a wild card or division winner, but that they are still a year away from being a no doubt championship caliber team. That being said, they are already much better than I thought they would be at this point and have already shown that they know how to win tight, playoff type games. The scary thing for the rest of the league is that if the Mets do win it this year that they will in all likelihood be even better, much better, next year after they pick up another pitcher and a couple of lefty bats.
LET'S GO METS!!!!
BTT!
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