Statues of Liberty on Parade: The New York Mets

In the spirit of The Cow Parade, New York City's upcoming hosting of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game next month has a publicity parade of its own. Although this occasion was discussed earlier this month in the media (New York Times article here), Wednesday morning revealed this New York Mets-themed statue in Penn Plaza, directly in front of the Borders store.


Of course, Mr. Met was relegated to the back of the statue:


When I see any of the other teams, I will post photos here.

Unhappy Mets Fans Here in New York

The New York Post's back page is ruthlessly honest, and startlingly accurate, as New Yorkers brace for an historic collapse unparalleled in baseball history. You almost get the feeling that New Yorkers want the Mets to fail, figuring that their team will live in infamy if they don't make the playoffs. The Daily News, usually a little lighter with their punches than the Post, ran this as their front page:

Back Issues: Stairway to Heaven

In my random grabbing of unread, neglected back issues of The New Yorker, I skimmed through the October 23, 2006 issue.


For the sake of Mets fans this year, let's hope the team from Flushing can work out its current tailspin and start playing good ball again.

This issue was rather uneventful, with the exception of the story "Stairway to Heaven" by Aleksandar Hemon. Read the story here.

Cubs 10, Mets 1

Ugly loss for the Mets. Exciting game for the Cubs fans.

So the Mets lose a nasty one, but at least it was a nice night for a game. Temps in the 70's. Breezy. Article about the game here. Most memorable was this:



That was Aramis Ramirez hitting a monster grand slam (Newsday referred to it as "spectacular") off Scott Schoeneweis. When the ball was eventually thrown back onto the field from deep in the left field mezzanine, the obnoxious, drunken, foul-mouthed Cub fan next to me boasted, "At Wrigley, they throw the ball back faster". Granted, New York fans are not known for their calm demeanors. Melanie pointed out, correctly, that at Yankee Stadium, such fan exuberance would have resulted in a spirit-dampening barrage of verbal abuse. Here's shoddy footage of the drunken Cub fan. You have to wait until the end of the clip when the Cubs turn a double play and she practically assaults the guy seated in front of me:



Carlos Zambrano pitched a great game, with all due respect.



Despite the home run he gave up to Shawn Green, he pretty much stymied the Mets batters. Kudos to Mr. Green though.

Because he hit a home run in the bottom of the 5th inning, one fan left the game with a vacation to Barbados.

(Note: Three posts below are live-blogged from the game)

Liveblogging from Shea Stadium (Mets vs. Cubs) - Ugly Loss

Aramis Ramirez hits a grand slam for the Cubs. Obnoxious turns even uglier. By the way, call the Fruitco Corp. at (718) 893-4500 and tell them to not give their box seats to annoying Cubs fans.

Liveblogging from Shea Stadium (Mets vs. Cubs) - The Most Obnoxious Cub Fan in the World?

6th inning

Mets down 3-1

Shawn Green is having a great game, with a solo home run.

The seats next to us are occupied by the most obnoxious Cubs fans I have ever seen, and I spent many a summer in Springfield, Illinois, so I've seen my share of Cubs fans.

Liveblogging from Shea Stadium (Mets vs. Cubs) - Starting Pitcher Music

The opening/pre-game music for Mets pitcher John Maine is Metallica's "Seek and Destroy," from their first album Kill 'Em All. What sounded so hardcore in 1983 is apparently mainstream today.