EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – Happy Monday to everyone – mainly my NYC people. Wait, that’s not gonna sound right… See, for the first time since 2009, the Mets, Yankees, Jets and Giants all won on the same day. So I was going to talk about the three of the four teams (the Yanks suck), but then I read about the loss of a Mets club legend and decided to follow my heart. My heart has no real room for the Jints, so I will leave that for Tuesdays with Benny. Without further ado, let’s get to today’s topics: RIP Bad Dude, Mets Sweep Peg-Legs; Jets Win.
RIP Bad Dude
The catcher position in baseball is one of the two positions where defense is what is valued most. Being good with the bat is a bonus. There are really only three that standout in Mets history. For a number of Mets fans 25 and under, it would be Mike Piazza. If you are in your 40s like me, you also remember Gary “The Kid” Carter. If you are older than me and closer to Short Matt’s age, you will remember John “Bad Dude” Stearns. From 1977 to 1982, Stearns made the All-Star team. That’s 4 times on a terrible Mets’ teams. On Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, the organization announced that the four-time time All-Star, died after a long battle with prostate cancer. Stearns was so dedicated to the game and the Mets that despite knowing time was running out for him, he willed himself to make the most recent Mets Old Timers Day, just to see his buddies and hear the fans cheers one more time. Also, I assumed his nickname was because he was a bad bad man in the jive sense. RIP Bad Dude.
Mets Sweep Peg-Legs
The Mets keep hanging on. After being swept in 3 games by the Chicago Schlubs, who had been declared dead months ago, Flushing fans were feeling that agita – AGAIN – that they are so familiar with. However, the Amazins came back and won four in a row against a wobbly Pirates. This has us fans feeling better, despite the Atlanta Braves hanging tight and only being 1 game behind. Yesterday the Metsies overcame a human performance by Jacob deGrom, who gave up 3 runs in the 6th after dominating for the first five innings. It was tied 3-3 until the 8th when the bats finally woke up. The Mets continue digging deep and finding ways to stay on top of the East, as the Braves stay on the warpath. It may bode well for the #NYM come playoffs, as they will be use to the pressure.
Jets Win
The Jets normally Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory – not the other way around. Yesterday, they found a way to win a game, they were destined to lose. The Cleveland Browns moved to 13-points ahead with less than two minutes to go but the Brownies have a similar history like the Jets, and sure enough there was a blown coverage that led to a long touchdown pass for the Jets. Then the Jets somehow won the onside kick. The stats on winning the onside kick are slim. In 2021 it was actually high, at 18% – but that was an abberation. Anyway, the Jets drove down the field to score – tying the game. The in-the-hot-seat kicker made the extra point and viola, the New York Football Jets somehow had won a game. So much for me having to spin another loss, as Aristotle “Mugsy” Sakellaridis said would be happening yesterday.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below. Come back tomorrow for Ben Whitney, who will educate me on why that Giants win means they are gonna win the East, allegedly.
