Today is my birthday. I have many things to be thankful for: K-Rod becoming a Met, the many warm wishes from my fabulous friends and family, my Giants clinching the NFC East, college basketball is in full swing, and yet I can’t help but feel a little empty. This would be due to the fact that I found out when I woke up this morning that my favorite Met in recent history had been traded to the Seattle Mariners.
Endy Chavez was an unsung hero in his 3 seasons as a Met. Chavez made one of the most miraculous catches in the history of baseball at Shea Stadium, when he robbed Cardinals’ third baseman Scott Rolen of a homerun in game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. After such a spectacular play, Chavez had the awareness to launch the ball to the cutoff man Jose Valentin, and double up Jim Edmonds at first base to end the inning.
It is noted in the anoles of baseball history as simply “The Catch”. The score was tied 1-1 and a homerun would have been an insurmountable dagger as the Mets could not hit Jeff Weaver if he was throwing beach balls underhand from four feet away. Consequently enough, the catch was in vain as the Mets lost the game, the series, and the season in a fashion in which only they can consistently recreate.
Chavez continued to excel defensively during his tour of duty in Queens, and despite his hitting style, almost always seemed to come up with the big hit in crucial stages of important games. Chavez will truly be missed by the Met faithful, especially yours truly.
My last memory of Endy in a Met uniform will always be a pleasant one. In the season finale, and last game ever played at Shea Stadium, Endy was put in as a defensive replacement in left field when a rocket off the bat of Jorge Cantu in a tie ballgame threatened to end the Mets season earlier than anticipated. Chavez sprinted back to the same familiar left field wall, leapt up and made another incredible catch to end the inning. I have never been to a sporting event that was louder than Shea after Chavez made that catch. The stadium erupted in a chant of ENDY CHAVEZ (clap clap clap clap clap!!!) for what seemed like forever. It gave me goose bumps then, and recalling it still gives me goose bumps today, despite the unfortunate outcome of the game, and the season for the Metsies.
This was a move that management had to make to consider the future of the franchise. We are proactively taking steps to solidify our bullpen despite giving up our most consistent reliever last season, Joe Smith. NOT AARON HEILMAN!! I will, however, miss the opportunity to boo Heilman after games as he would drive away, ashamed of his behavior, in his silver Audi Q7 SUV. I am glad Heilman is going as far away from Queens as any other location in the 48 states. So to Aaron I say goodbye to bad rubbish.
Joe Smith on the other hand, I believe I speak for all of us at the LLR and say you will be missed…Some for different reasons than others.
I wish Endy, and Joe all the best of luck in Seattle, and look forward to one day having you guys come to Citi-Field for a warm reception. May a prosperous career follow you to Seattle, or wherever you may end up.
Thursday, December 11
Endy Chavez - A Tribute
Monday, November 17
We've Got Grass!
Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com posted a few minutes ago that WCBS Chopper 880 took pictures of CitiField and the grass has been laid down. To check out the complete series of pictures of Shea coming down and Citi going up, visit WCBS 880.
I know this isn't our normal content, but I'm excited!!!
Sunday, September 28
Shea Stadium – A Fitting Conclusion
161 games, 5 months of highs and lows, joy, sadness, elation, anger, despair, all were meaningless on the night of September 27, 2008. You gotta believe, the quote that all Met fans hold onto way too tight was the sentiment that we all felt before the last regular season game at Shea Stadium. One game is all we needed. We held our fate in the palms of our hands. A win would have guaranteed at least another game against the CC Sabathia-less Milwaukee Brewers. The possibility that all in attendance would witness the Mets clinching a play-off berth was commonplace in Flushing on the afternoon of September 28. We all forgot who we were.
A rain delay was nothing to stop tens of thousands of optimistic Met fans from flocking to the ball park. Many realists came to witness the last game ever to be played at Shea Stadium. Truth be told, the atmosphere was electric. None like any sporting event I have ever been to. Unfortunately, electricity if not properly channeled can go awry.
Oliver Perez – Scott Olsen. Advantage Mets, right? Not in the biggest game of the season, at least. The game went by swiftly until the 6th inning when all in attendance received a rude awakening as the Marlins put two runs on the board. Oh shit! We all remembered. We are the Mets. Carlos Beltran in the bottom of the sixth answered with a two run blast in the bottom o
f the inning. The stadium was walking on air, with the thousands eagerly watching the scoreboard as the Cubs had a 1-0 lead over the Brewers.
Then all went wrong. I had always had a slight feeling that this ball club was cursed. Now I know it.
The hated Wes Helms hit a pinch hit solo home run in the top of the eighth off of Scott Blowenweiss. After receiving the Booing of his life Schowenweiss walked off the field for the last time hanging his head in a terrible shame. It was then Luis Ayala faced none other than Dan Uggla. Through the anxious chatter, I heard what seemed to be the wrath of God himself come off of Uggla’s bat. There was no doubt about that shot. With that Karmic blast, so deflated the spirits of all supporters of the Metropolitans, fans and players alike. Almost simultaneously the Brewers took a 3-1 lead.
This was the time when all realized what they were truly there for. To witness the last baseball game ever played at Shea Stadium. But how screwed up is the fact that the final nail in the coffin of the ’08 Mets and the 46 year old stadium, that has seen the likes of the Beatles, and the infamous Buckner error, be hammered down by Locker Room’s public enemy number 1? *This is not an Uggla posting.* The last outs of the game were recorded with the strobing of thousands of camera flash bulbs. I admit I wanted to catch the last out on20film. AND I DID!!!
The relentless boos rained down long after the players left the field. A few Florida Marlins ran onto the field to collect dirt from the historic stadium. Enraged, the stadium bellowed with a thundering chant of “GET OFF OUR FIELD!!! GET OFF OUR FIELD!!!” As I met up with Stars and Boogie for the post game closing ceremony everyone was booing at everything. It was said that the Pope himself would have been booed if he dared walk on that field. With the announcement that the ceremony would begin in five minutes the entire stadium became enraged. BOOOOO!!! Shea Stadium this night contained the angriest mob that would make soccer hooligans look like catholic school girls. As the police horses marched onto to the field and the P.A. announcer Howie Rose addressed the crowd, he was met with a chorus of boos.
Closing Shea Stadium had been built up for the entire season and the ceremony was less than mediocre. It opened with Billy Joel on the big screen playing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Mr. Joel was not in attendance. Then many legends who also were nowhere to be seen were announced. Howie then told us to hold on to our hats for a pyro-extravaganza. After which a couple of bottle rockets were set off by people on the roof, and two handfuls of confetti rained down and unfortunately blew out of the top of the stadium. Then everyone was told to go home.
Karma Is A Bitch to the Ladies Lockerroom
Tonight we all Shea'ed Goodbye (Shea'ed? So I just took a stupid slogan and made it worse. Nice.) And while there is more to come on that sad farewell, I must begin with this.
Karma bit the LLR right in its' fat behind.
Tonight saw the end of the Shea Stadium era and a few notable lasts. Ryan Church made the last Shea out. Scott Schoenweiss recorded the last Shea loss. Damion Easley was the last baserunner at the soon to be gone Queens stadium. And who was the last Shea homerun and was the very last man to ever cross the Shea Stadium plate? My very favorite and yours... Dan F*ck%ng Uggla.
Unbelievable.
I had the pleasure of running into this 2nd baseman from hell on Friday night. Much to my dismay, he seemed to be a relatively likeable guy... for a bastard. Leaving Friday night's game, I was heading to the 7 train and crossed paths with Uggla. Certain I would say something nasty to him, I approached him and found myself plagued with the curse of Boogie when she ran into Ryan Howard. An unsolicited backhand chop to the shoulder caused him to turn and I simply stated, "Dan Uggla." He looked and responded in the affirmative. Through my head ran a thousand snide remarks but out of my mouth came, "Good game." Dan smiled and said, "Eh, I didn't really play that well tonight." Now unable to control myself, I retorted with "I've seen you play worse." He laughed and told me he was sure I had.
With my chance blown to take out Uggla, I consoled myself with the fact that he is a champion error-maker. I even thought about posting a blog and crushing all beliefs that he was a jerk. Dan Uggla is a cool guy. (God, I HATE typing that.) But I decided not to and to allow the rest of the world to be at peace thinking of Uggla as a total douchebag.
He's not. But I am. And he made me eat a year's worth of words tonight with a homerun that cracked off the bat with a deafening explosion.
God, I hate him.
-stars
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