7/31 - Mets 9, Astros 4

So Kaz Ishii is just as stomach-acid-inducing as ever and goes only four innings, yet the Mets still win? Huh? Every starter got a hit, Carlos Beltran has his best game in his old ballpark--and I somehow got through an entire game with Keith "Mr. Obvious" Hernandez behind the mic. Amazing.

And as I predicted, the Manny Ramirez trade didn't happen. Unfortunately all I heard today from Buster Olney and Steve Phillips on the special "Trade Deadline" edition of ESPN's Baseball Tonight is that the Mets fanbase will be pissed that no trades were made after being teased by thoughts of Manny or Alfonso Soriano. Guess what guys? Not all of us are pissed. I know I'm not the only person that is pleased that Omar Minaya didn't give up all the organization's best young talent for someone who undoubtedly woul have hit some home runs, but probably would have brought more negative baggage to the team than is needed. Manny is a perfect fit in Boston, and I hope he and David Ortiz lead them to another championship just so George Steinbrenner will keel over and die in anger.

In a final note, I must send my congratulations to Peter Gammons on his well-deserved induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and for giving one of the most well-thought out speeches I have ever seen.

Knights of the New Crusade

My cohort Steve is radiating the scent of fear, fear of mishaps on the part of the Mets' front office, and understandly so given last summer's panic-induced trades. You know things aren't going well in Mets-burg when Steve, the level-headed one here at Zisk, is hoping that the Mets get swept in order to prevent management from thinking the team is in playoffcontention. Yesterday, driving up to Binghamton to play a show (my first gig with the Lost Locker Combo after a year and a half of rehearsals), the Manny trade was the talk of the airwaves. Picturing Manny in the line up ([In "Homer" voice] "Mmm, Manny...") had me daydreaming about the post-season. It wasn't until about 3:00 AM, on the return trip home (yes indeed, up and back in the same night; good times) that I caught yesterday's disappointing score. Three in a row to the Astros. (At best that makes for a 2-5 roadtrip.) The evening was fun, though, highlighted by an appearance by a curious Christian garage rock band from San Francisco called The Knights of the New Crusade. They've got great songs, they dress as knights, and their lead singer brandishes a sword. I haven't quite figured them out, but recommend you see for yourself.

7/30 - Astros 2, Mets 0

Pitching duels can be fun to watch--unless your team is on the losing end. Another any day Tom Glavine would have a win. But with the Mets offense in a funk and Andy Pettite thowing like it was 1998, they had no chance. Roy Oswalt vs. Kaz Ishii today--who do you think is going to win?

7/29 - Astros 5, Mets 2

I know, I know--Manny Ramirez's bat could have helped the offensively-challenged Mets in this game. But come on, does anyone really think that this kind of deal will go through at mid-season? Not a chance.

I do smell an Astros sweep coming on, and I would almost welcome it. That would keep Omar Minaya from making some stupid deal that will bring up the ghost of Scott Kazmir. This team is not built to win in 2005--wait until next year has never been a more appropriate cliche.

Sidearm Delivery

I missed tonight's game against the Astros--the cable people switched the channel numbers around and I couldn't find the game (yes, we have a program guide but it's painfully slow and I knew from catching a score on the Yankees game that the Mets were losing so I wasn't all that interested)--but did come across another great baseball-related blog. It's called Sidearm Delivery and it's done by Dave who used to do Brushback zine. It's mostly baseball, focusing on the Double AA New Britain Rock Cats, but covers a wide range of other topics. Dave writes well and with a sense of humor, so it's a recommended site.

7/28 - Astros 3, Mets 2

This was the game in this series the Mets should have won. Pedro Martinez on the mound against a rookie; Carlos Beltran making his first start in Houston since powering the Astros through last year's playoffs; and the offensive seemed to be back on track after scoring nine runs the night before.

Alas, the Mets recent offensive woes continued, and Roberto Hernandez had a bad inning for the first time in what seems like forever. And it's amazing the vitriol the Astros fans had for Beltran, who they only had for four months as a rent-a-player last year. Well, it is Texas, home base of our current President, so stupidity seems to run through the entire state.

The latest great comment from Gary Cohen on WFAN: "That noise you hear is the fans doing the wave. It's a 2-2 game in the bottom of the eighth Howie, you'd think they have something more important to look at. What is this, the mid-80s?"

One of Those "Is It Just Me?" Days (x2)

There are few drawbacks to being on tour, like I was for most of the past two weeks, one of them being that I could hear about the Mets 7-3 homestand, but not witness any of it. And how did the Mets treat me upon my return? They dropped the first two games in Colorado, losing to the single worst franchise outside of Florida. Losing was bad enough but putting up a mere three runs each game was mind blowing. Apparently, the Mets forgot that by merely showing up at Coors Field teams are spotted four runs, kind of like how you get 200 points on the SATs just by signing your name. So, with that in mind, the Mets really plated -1 runs per game. What became of the offensive outburst I heard so much about during the previous 10 games? Why did the team's behavior change once I was able to resume watching games? Why did they act differently because I was around? I take this stuff personally. It's kind of like when I stayed in a hotel outside of Cleveland at the start of my tour. I walked into the office to get a room and encountered a guy, in his mid-20s, sitting behind the counter. As he was running my credit card through the system, I noticed him looking over my shoulder. I turned around and realized that he was watching TV, apparently an infomercial for an exercise machine, though I thought the woman's outfit was out-of-place lacey. As he punched in numbers he kept watching the TV, but it was more like he was sneeking peaks. When I heard moaning and groaning eminating from the TV I turned around again only to see a blonde woman, completely nude, pushing a brunette, equally nude, on some sort of sex swing. "All right, you'll be in room 232," the guy said, completly unfazed, "it's around the corner to the right, second floor." The dude was watching the Playboy channel and making no effort to cover his tracks. And it gets weirder. After leaving the office, I wanted to call home and didn't want to get stuck with the fees that come from making a call from the room, so I walked back to the office to see if they had a pay phone. Upon returning to the office I saw a big guy waiting for a room, 6'4", sleeveless shirt, tons of tatoos, biker helmet in tow...and the TV was set to an episode of Law and Order. I love Lenny Brisco and company as much as the next guy, but I wanted to know why the desk dude felt comfortable indulging in his habits while I checked in and, mere minutes later, felt sufficiently embarrassed in the presence of an Aerosmith roadie as to change the channel to a cop show.

Tell me what I did wrong, and I'll be certain to behave differently.

7/28 - Mets 9, Rockies 3

Really, it's about time they scored at Coors. And Victor Zambrano erased some bad memories of this field with a solid pitching performance. Now it's on to the other pinball machine of a park, Houston's Minute Maid Park and the very hot Astros, where the Mets must at least split to avoid making the road trip a complete disaster.

7/26 - Rockies 4, Mets 3

It somehow seems appropriate that the Mets would settle back to down to where they should be (.500 ball) against the worst team in the west. It's amazing that a team that averaged 6 runs per game during their recent homestand have only scored 6 runs total in the pinball machine we call Coors Field.

And really, let's just get rid of Kaz Ishii.

7/25 - Rockies 5, Mets 3

I'm glad that I didn't watch this game at all (a friend text messaged me at 10:20 and said it looked like a total rainout, so I didn't even turn the T-V on when I got home). I probably would have found my blood boiling even more than it has been under the oppressive heatwave we've had recently in New York. There's nothing like messing up a hot streak by losing to the worst team in National League. This is how bad it got: Mike DeJean, who the Mets dumped earlier this season, didn't allow a runner to reach base in his inning of work--at Coors Freaking Field.

Sometimes rooting for this team seems dangerous to my health.

Zisk # 10 Online Soon! Zisk #11 in the Planning Stages!

Zisk issue # 10 (with the picture of Curt Shilling's sock on the cover) will be available on our site soon, with pictures from the issue!

Also be on the lookout for Zisk issue #11 in time for the playoffs. If you have an idea for an article, contact us at the email on the right. Our deadline for submissions is September 7th.

7/24 - Mets 6, Dodgers 0

Can we safely say that Kris Benson might be a legit #2 starter? We might be.

Can we say that Mike Piazza likes the 6 hole? I think so.

Can we say that the Mets will probably blow all this momentum tonight in Colorado by losing all three games to a last place team? Hmmm....

7/23 - Mets 7, Dodgers 5

Wait a sec--Pedro gives up five runs, and the team comes all the way back to win? What in the name of Jeff Kent is going on?

Here's what's (or better said, who's) going on--Jose Reyes. This 5 of 6 stretch the Mets are in right now is all about this guy's hot streak (4 for 5 today and a menace on the basepaths). If he keeps this up, the Mets could put some distance between themselves and .500.

But I still won't think wild card until mid-September.

7/22 - Dodgers 6, Mets 5

I always look forward to the Mets and Dodgers twice a year meetings. I've been a Mets fan for almost my entire life (there was a time I lost interest in baseball from 1990 to 1993), and in the 70s and very early 80s I also rooted for the Dodgers because my grandmother hated the Yanks. So in 1977, 1978 and 1981 the Reynolds household was very much in the Dodgers corner.

Mets vs. Dodgers also presents my colleague Mike an interesting dilemma, as I know that his blood still contains a bit of Dodger blue. I'm not sure who he roots for when these games come up (perhaps he'll let us know when he gets back from tour), by I know that my heart and mind reside with our guys from Queens.

Alas, our guys from Queens didn't look so hot during the first 4 innings (well, they sounded like they were having problems, as I listened on WFAN as I drove upstate). Victor Zambrano had his shittiest start of the year, causing the Shea faithful to boo viciously when he left the mound. And the Mets just couldn't decode the pitching of ex-Yank and surfer boy lookalike Jeff Weaver.

All of sudden--crack!--Doug "I Can Hit Home Runs" Mientkiewicz blasts a two run shot. The next inning--crack!--Carlos Beltran hits his own three run dinger. Those five runs weren't enough to complete the comeback, but almost coming back from a six run deficit is a good sign for a team that has not come back from three runs down all season.

Finally, some more words about WFAN's announcing team of Gary Cohen and Howie Rose. These guys really know how to entertain and inform without being "homers" like those jackasses that call the Yankees games on WCBS-AM. I heard almost all of Friday night's game in the car, and it was the perfect accompaniment to a long, traffic filled drive. My favorite comment of the night came when Rose brought up ex-Mets catcher Jason Phillips and his incredible lack of speed. Rose called Phillips "Sid Fernandez slow," to which Cohen replied, "What about Mo Vaughan?" After discussing the merits of both, Rose capped it off by saying of Vaughn, "What is he, Secretariat?"

Oh, I laughed.

7/21 - Mets 12, Padres 0

This has to be the most unlikely sweep of the year. Kaz Ishii throwing six scorless innings (even with five walks and four hits) just blows my mind. Doug "I Swear I'm Better Than This" Mientkiewicz and Jose Reyes each had great games, and even Mr. Koo threw a scoreless inning.

Of course, the four game winning streak will be followed by a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, because that's what a .500 team does.

7/20 - Mets 7, Padres 3

I wish every Mets win would go to plan like this: Jose Reyes causes havoc on the bases, Carlos Beltran hit a first inning home run, Mike Piazza blasts a home run and a double from the number-six hole and Tom Glavine pitches like the guy the team thought they were getting from Atlanta. getting a win last night was key, as I have no doubt today is the end of the winning streak with Kaz "Anthony Young" Ishii going up against the Padres All-Star Jake Peavy. It could be a long hot afternoon at Shea.

7/19 - Mets 3, Padres 1 (11 innings)

I missed this game because I was attending (and performing at) a reading done by my Zisk co-editor Mike at a great alt-bookstore called Jigsaw on East 11th st in the East Village. Once I got home to my oven of an apartment (where paint is literally peeling off the walls due to the heatwave that currently has the metro area in a headlock), I flipped on ESPNews and was stunned to see a replay of Chris Woodward's walkoff homerun. Suddenly the sweat pouring down my face didn't seem to matter at all. And I'm sure Mark Simon's Mets Walkoffs site will tackle this one soon.

Other quick thoughts:
Is Kris Benson a legitimate #2 starter? Quite possibly.

Is Mike Piazza done as a #5 hitter? Most likely.

Could tomorrow be Kaz Ishii's last start if he blows it again? I am positive of that.

A Mets Blog Worth Reading

There are many blogs out there in the world wide mess devoted to the Mets and recently I discovered one of the best, Faith and Fear in Flushing. It's co-written by Greg and Jason, a pair of longtime friends and lifelong Mets fans, and truly captues the voice of being a Mets fan. I reccomend all of it highly, but the post that they put up today is one of the best things I've ever read about the Mets, and indeed, is one of the best I've ever read about all of baseball. Do yourself a favor and read it now.

7/17 - Mets 8, Braves 1

If the Mets only got this type of production when someone else besides Pedro Martinez pitched, they wouldn't have such a firm grip on the .500 mark. While taking him out after six shutout innings seemed odd, I suppose keeping him well-rested is a good move on Willie Randolph's part.

7/16 - Braves 3, Mets 0

This is why the Braves continue to win each year. They have a guy come off the DL (Tim Hudson), and then he puts up a bunch of goose eggs on the scoreboard. Damn, I hate the Braves. I mean HATE them.

7/15 - Braves 2, Mets 1

Tom Glavine deserves better than this. The man pitched his best game ever against his former team, and came away with only a lower ERA to show for it.

Jose Reyes doesn't deserve this either. Sure, the kid has shown some defensive lapses, but having a ground ball take a funky hop and hit his bare hand and dribble into the outfield is no way to lose a game.

Finally, it seems as though David Wright does deserve all the buzz about him. He hit another solo shot last night, and is on track to end up with 27 home runs and 85 RBI's, which would be great for his first full season.

7/14 - Mets 6, Braves 3

Most of New York was watching the bigger rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox last night, which is rather unfortunate. Those folks missed out on one of the most dramatic baseball games of the year, and easily the best Mets game of the season.

This late inning comeback against the Braves brought back echoes of the late '90s when Mike Piazza truly was one of the most feared hitters in the game. His three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth to win the game was perhaps his most dramatic home run since that September night in 2001 when he crushed a ball to center field, propelling the Mets to a win in their first home game after 9/11. I never saw that game live because I was down in Austin, but when I saw the highlights on Sportscenter at this cool local dive, I never wanted to be at Shea more than that moment. Watching last night's game at a local Brooklyn haunt (surrounded by Yankees fans salivating at their comeback against the Sox) and seeing Piazza hit another majestic blast, it gave me almost the exact same feeling.

Piazza hasn't smiled at all this season--until last night. His look when coming out of the dugout to take a curtain call has been M.I.A. It was the look of a player who enjoys the game. The tons of slagging he's gotten from fans and the media didn't matter. Where his team is in the standings didn't matter. And the constant speculation about the end of his Mets career (or entire baseball career) certainly didn't matter. This was a look of joy on the face of a player who has brought a decent amount of joyous moments in his Mets tenure, which most Mets fans (myself included) are very quick to forget in the wake of the last two seasons.

This game was also more than about Mike Piazza, it was also about the "new Mets." David Wright continued his penchant for coming up big (two solo homeruns), making a boneheaded error (which cost one run) and then in the words of some movie I can't seem to recall, "You come along and totally redeem yourself!" Wright worked a walk and came around to score the tying run in the 7th, and then made a great grab of a Kelly Johnson bunt in the air on a squeeze play, leading to an unassisted double play in the top of the 8th. And Carlos Beltran seems to be heating up with a 4-for-4 night.

And the "not-so-new-Mets" department, Cliff Floyd made an outstanding catch, diving into the stands in left field to snag a foul ball that he really had no business giving up his body for.

Hopefully this game won't color Omar Minaya's judgment, where he trades away the future to fill some holes in the present. This team won't be contenders until next year at the earliest. Let's keep that schedule in mind, Omar. And let's hope one of the best catchers who ever played the game can go out with dignity, and a little pop in his bat.

Zisk Watches the All-Star Game

The Zisk executive staff got together for some brews and chili nachos and watched Tuesday night’s All-Star game. Here’s a list of the Top 10 things we noticed during the telecast:

1) FOX’s Jennie Zelasko is approximately 19 months pregnant.

2) Scooter, FOX’s animated ball that helps explain pitching terms, is more embarrassing to the game than any steroid scandal.

3) Tim McCarver actually makes mistakes--who knew?!? (He claimed that Carlos Beltran was on the DL this season and that Hank Aaron got his first extra base hit in an All-Star Game after 20 years in 1971. Both are wrong)

4) Mark Buehrle is the real voice of "Boomhauer" from FOX’s King of the Hill.

5) A-Rod is obviously gay--did you see those white shoes?

6) According to one of the car ads during the game, “There’s no Japanese word for pickup.” Alas, there’s an American word for that spot--racist.

7) Kevin Kennedy can actually be funny, as evidence of his crack to Kenny Rogers after he pitched, “I don’t wanna shake your hand too hard, just in case.”

8) More players should be miked during games, if for nothing else to hear an exchange like this of the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins talking to the Marlins’ Luis Castillo. “Where do you open up? At our place? Uh-oh.”

9) The game doesn’t matter to the players if Ichiro gets picked off.

10) No one missed Derek Jeter. Fuck that fuck.

Bring on the second half!

Sweet Relief

Pedro bails out the Metropolitans once more and the All-Star Break is upon us. Time for more "check-in" fun...

Q: Who can take three of four from their division leader and then drop two of three to Triple-A Pittsburgh?
A: The Mets!*

Q: Who gave the Pirates Jack Wilson 20% of his RBIs on one swing?
A: The Mets!

Q: Whose second best pitcher is Victor Zambrano?
A: The Mets!**

Q: Who continues to start Kaz Ishii (2-8, 5.57) over Aaron Heilman (3-3, 4.63)?
A: The Mets***


*Though, I must admit to admiring the Mets for clutching to the .500 mark with such bulldog tenacity.
**Just ahead of Kris Benson, 3.58 to 3.65.
***And before you go spouting off about how Kaz has been more valuable despite the higher ERA because he's thrown a lot more innings, you should note that he's only pitched six more innings than Heilman, (74-68).

7/10 - Mets 6, Pirates 1

Once again Pedro Martinez stops the bleeding, but there were still too many base running errors in this game. Mike Cameron forgetting how many outs there were was just simply inexcusable, and is something that must be corrected if this team is to inch above the .500 mark.

7/9 - Pirates 11, Mets 4

This game wasn't even as close as the score indicates. Jack Wilson hits a grand slam? Give me a break. Any momentum gained by the series with the Nationals has been washed away near those three rivers.

7/8 - Pirates 6, Mets 5

Worst loss of the year? When your bullpen blows a four run lead in the bottom of the ninth, one would have to say yes. Just ugly. Nothing more needs to be said.

A Worthy Cause

I admit to missing all of yesterday's game, but I've got a good excuse. I was able to attend my first Brooklyn Cyclones game, which was great (despite their late inning collapse to the Staten Island Yankees). The real treat, though, came after the game when I witnessed projectile vomiting (for the first time) outside the ballpark, a dude repainting his buddy's '78 Caprice Classic. Irish night brings out the best in all of us.

7/7 - Mets 3, Nationals 2 (11 Innings)

I don't think I can accurately depict how surprised I was that the Mets won this game after the incredibly stupid baserunning blunders by Mike Piazza and Cliff Floyd resulted in an inning ending double play in the top of the 11th, instead of runners on the corners with one out. (Even though replays seemed to show that Floyd was safe, it still was stupid to dash for home after Piazza was tagged out at second.) Somehow this team took three out of four from the division leaders, but with the way the season is going, I expect a sweep by the Pirates before the All-Star break.

I'm not sure anyone will be able to figure out this team before the trading deadline, but I do have that deja vu feeling that the front office will give up some quality young players for some worthless veterans trying to make a run for the wildcard. It was stupid last year, it would be even stupider this year. Let's hope Omar Minaya comes to his senses and realizes that 2006 is the year to shoot for a playoff spot, not this year.

7/6 - Mets 5, Nationals 3

Aaron Heilman looked great last night in relief of Tom Glavine. (2 and 1/3 scoreless). Please don't let the Mets trade him away at the deadline for some hitter that is washed up that they think could give them some punch.

Please.

Best line of the night came didn't come from Keith Hernandez, but the master of the obvious Fran Healy. Talking about how speedy Jose Reyes was, he said, "Ron Leflore was the fastest guy I saw from the right side of the plate. When he was arrested, someone should have signed the cop that caught him."

Oh That Keith

Agreed, last night's game was fun to watch, especially as the Mets tried to mount another late inning charge. My favorite part, however, came from the broadcast booth, another gem from Keith Hernandez:

"Nineties pitchers were so stupid! They were always pitching outside, pitching to hitters' strengths. (Pause) Well, forgive my adjective. (Cue panic and confusion) Is that an adjective? (Cue regret) That was a little harsh, wasn't it?

7/5 - Nationals 3, Mets 2

Pedro Martinez got a taste of what Tom Glavine has faced over the past three seasons--pitch a great game, yet not get any run support. The 2003 version of Esteban Loaiza (the one that was in the running for the Cy Young award) showed up on the mound for the Nationals, making this an incredible pitcher's duel that was quick and fun to watch. Well, except for the final result.

7/4 - Mets 5, Nationals 2

Willie Randolph is still tinkering with his lineup, trying to find the right combo that will consistantly deliver. Now it's hard to think of Mike Cameron as a leadoff man with his penchant to strike out, but at least he gets a walk once in a while. Carlos Beltran has never looked totally comfortable in the three hole, and being a number-two hitter worked for the Astros last post-season. And Jose Reyes, well, he's just not good enough to be a leadoff hitter yet, so why not try him further down in the lineup?

So Randolph tried all of the above, and shockingly every change worked. They above mentioned trio of hitters delivered five hits, drove in four runs and scored three when the Mets scored five unanswered runs against the Nationals (or as Keith Hernandez repeatedly said, "Senators") bullpen from the 7th inning on.

As much as I've been a half-hearted supporter of Reyes, Mark Simon of ESPN's Baseball Tonight Extra and the excellent Mets Walkoffs site discovered a great stat about the shortstop's aggressiveness paying off:

The Mets are ...
13-6 in games when Reyes steals a base
6-1 in games when Reyes triples
24-11 in games when Reyes scores a run
8-1 in games when Reyes scores 2+ runs

Very interesting...

Halfway Check-In

As Steve noted, the season is about half over and, as we predicted, the Mets are on pace for 75-80 wins. Let's check in on some individual stats...

Number of Mets on pace to score 100 runs: none
Number of Mets on pace to drive in over 90 runs: 1 - Cliff Floyd
Number of Mets on pace to hit 25+ home runs: 1 - Cliff Floyd
Number of Mets on pace to .300: none*
Number of Mets on pace to pitch over 200 innings: 1 - Pedro Martinez

(*Excludes Chris Woodward who lacks enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title)

And yet I continue to tune in.

7/3 - Marlins 3, Mets 0

There's not much to say about this game, except that Dontrelle Willis was dominant after the first inning.

This game marked the halfway point of the season, and a close to .500 mark is pretty much what I expected at this point. A big series against the Nationals this week will go a long way to determining if this team are buyers or sellers at the trading deadline.

That's Going to Leave a Mark

The Mets were run over by the D-Train, Dontrelle Willis, 3-0, and dropped 10 games behind the Nationals.

7/2 - Marlins 7, Mets 3

When Carlos Beltran failed to run out an infield pop up in the third inning, it seemed to be a blip on the screen, a bump in the road to another win. (Marlins first baseman Carlos "The One That Got Away" Delgado realized that the infield fly rule was not in effect, so he let Beltran's bloop drop in front of him and started a 3-6-3 double play by throwing to second to force out a confused Jose Reyes.) Kris Benson was cruising and Beltran redeemed himself with a 2-run double, breaking up a 1-1 tie in the fifth. It looked like the kind of game the Mets have been winning this year: good pitching and just enough offense. Turns out that Beltran's blunder was a taste of things to come. Benson gave up four runs in the sixth, thanks in part to Jose Offerman, the Mets first baseman of the day, dropping a throw that should have sealed an inning-ending double play. (How many guys are going to play first for the Mets before the year is over? Mientkiewicz, Woodward, Daubach, Offerman...Didn't Marlon Anderson play there, too? Now there's talk of Victor Diaz moving to first after a bit of training at Triple A Norfolk). Royce Ring added insult to injury by coughing up two runs in the seventh.

7/1 - Mets 7, Marlins 6

Last night, en route to Syracuse for a wedding, we tried valiantly to keep the Mets game tuned in on the car radio. Reception was intermitent, cutting back and forth between the Mets game and a soft rock station. To make matters more interesting, it was a see-saw contest, one of those games where neither team seemed particularly interested in winning. As it turns out, we were able to hear the game only when the Marlins were doing well. Whenever the Mets were rolling the ballgame would cut out and we'd be treated to a Leo Sayer song. ("Glavine looks in for the sign. Here's the 0-2 delivery...You make me feel like dancing/Gonna dance the night away!") Fortunately, the Mets' offense had plenty of gas in the tank, breaking a 6-6 tie in the eighth inning when Chris Woodward, the team's only .300+ hitter, drove in Marlon Anderson. Braden Looper made things interesting in the top of the ninth, giving up a leadoff double, but then closed things out for his 17th save (in 20 attempts).