Archive for August 5th, 2009

Following Tuesday’s Spanish Heritage night with the Los(t) Mets Jose Reyes koozie giveaway, the Mets followed suit with the “Mets September 2007/2008 Re-enactment Night at Citi Field!”  In case you were unable to attend last night, you can see the give away below….

Dear Mets Fans,

Thank you for attending September 2007/2008 Re-enactment Night, held tonight at Citi Field against the Cardinals on this beautful August evening. While ownership has been hard at work promoting Dodgers history (check out the nifty pullover jackets in the dedicated Dodgers section of the Clubhouse Shop in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda!), they have not forgotten to celebrate the Mets’ heritage. Their rich and colorful history has been on full display within the walls of Citi Field all season long.

This evening’s game took us back to our most recent glory days, late in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. And boy, did it have it all or what! With a fast-fading Mets team playing do-or-die games against a real contender, tonight’s game in particular included a so-so performance from our “ace” and even provided a glimmer of hope when they fought back to regain the lead and went into the 9th with a two-run lead!

But what kind of homage would that pay to those great Mets teams from yesteryear (and the yesteryesteryear)?  To ensure you had the full experience, the Mets blew the lead in the 9th thanks to terrible pitching from the closer.  They then continued to make things oh-so interesting when Angel Berroa (former Rookie of the Year, you know! You’re welcome, Mets fans!) botched a routine one-hop ground ball to load the bases with two outs. Hopefully, you noticed that the seat you squirmed in is wider and more comfortable than the old seats at Shea were. Alas, they did juuust enough to keep you in you around with a glimmer of hope when the 9th inning ended with no further damage.

In a nod to former skipper Willy Randolph (second-highest winning percentage ever as a Mets manager after Davy Johnson, don’t you know), current manager Jerry Manuel made unecessary and, at best, questionable use of the bullpen in the 10th inning. Attempting to overmanage to the best of his ability, Manuel allowed the bullpen’s most effective righty, Brian Stokes, to get the first out by throwing a single pitch. But to ensure that the performance of 2008′s dynamite relief corps from last September was acknowledged, Manuel trotted out his overused lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano, who was immediately betrayed by his defense when Cora’s routine throw was fubar’d, allowing the runner to reach safely. The bases were eventually loaded (again), and suddenly it was time for Jerry to play matchy matchy again!

In comes #50 to try and put out the fire, a number which carries its own taint from last September, and who’s current owner lost a game on a wild pitch earlier in the homestand. In classic Amazin’s fashion, the very first pitch hits the batter, allowing the go ahead run to score. Did you start feeling the fingers tighten around your necks again, Mets fans? The warm, gut-wrenching feeling is just a way to remember that we actually had a lead to protect to begin with! A grand slam from King Albert Pujols followed, simply driving a wooden stake into the still-warm body of a deceased season.

And to think, we didn’t even mention yet that Castillo’s ankle was sprained during the game just by walking down the dugout steps! If insult to injury is a new concept to you, well, then you haven’t been a Mets fan long enough. In any case, the Mets hope to see you again soon! And why not, when the tickets in your partial or season plan were paid in full months ago and are now not even worth the paper they’re printed on! So come on back to Citi Field, where the current cast of characters will be back to re-enact, in slow motion, the endings of the last two seasons!

Yours,

Jay Horwitz

Director, Public Relations