WE WILL: Remember a Rivalry

Mets 5

Pirates 4

fangraphs.com game chart

I can remember back to the days when the Pirates and the Mets were in the same division and playing each other 15 times a year. Back to the days when Three Rivers would rock with chants of "Darrrr-yl, Darrrr-yl" and boos each time Doc Gooden took the mound. The days when Gary Carter would put fear in the heart of Bob Walk.

Can you imagine this man scaring anyone?

The Mets were the premier ticket to have in those days. We were rivals in the truest sense. Half of the 25k in the stands last night were Mets fans, which created a buzz in the crowd like that felt in Three Rivers in the late 80's. Without the Bonds, Bonillas and VanSlykes to take on the Metropolitans, the excitement is short lived unless the Pirates play a perfect game.

Only team in baseball named after a woman's drink

Mets' fans are obnoxiously focal and loud. A group of 4 drunks started a "Ho-zay, Ho-zay...." chant each time Mets' lead-off hitter Jose Reyes strode to the plate. Reyes went 0-for on the night. The Mets contingent attempted several "Let's Go Mets" chants that were not so easily thwarted by the too similar sounding "Let's Go Bucs" chants. Eventually the PNC faithful learned to just boo when those chants started. After all Mets fans put on a truly gut wrneching display of emotion after Jack Wilson failed to make the turn on a potentially inning ending double play that allowed the Mets' to tie the game at 3, my wife offered up the quote of the season....

Why are they cheering? Its only tied. Even if they were winning, they would be beating up the girl of baseball. They are big bully beating up a girl and cheering about it.

What a great visual. The obnoxious New Yorkers so proud to be winning that they take sick pleasure in barely beating a team they should demolish. The disparity between the two teams was beautifully summed up in one sign:

$116M > $38M
Math and Ownership
are against us

Yes, the Pirates payroll is not even 1/3 of the Mets' payroll. That did not deter Ian Snell from dominating most of the game. Beltran deposited one mistake pitch in the fourth. In the seventh I was rather livid when it appeared Snell was done for the night when he allowed runners to reach second and third with only one out, but Tracy stayed in the dugout. Tracy's message to Snell, Man Up.

Snell channeled his inner Chuck Norris

Too many minor mistakes that were not called errors (Snell dropped a bunt and Wilson's drop of a DP ball at second - which can't be called an error because you can never assume the DP) were too much for the Pirates to overcome.

For those who have been complaining of no emotion coming out of the Pirates, I offer up two instances that might not have made it to the TV side. Jason Bay missed a 2-0 fastball in the first. After the swing he cursed himself several times as he walked away from the batter's box. Jose Castillo was incredibly frustrated with himself after striking out in the third and gave an exuberant leap after beating out an infield single in the 8th. At least these girls do show some emotion.

I just wonder if these girls will ever get invited to the prom again.

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