didionville

well, it might as well be easy if the universe is such a place the mets can slam the phillies 8-0 …

yes, moyer was pitching, and theoretically there should have been a shut out (or close to one) when the mets and phills met may 2 … the woeful night santana imploded and takahashi had to poo-poo before bailing johan out, costing a grand slam …

r.a. dickey, obviously, did well; though, his performance was not without drama … bases loaded in back-to-back innings (2nd & 3rd) … but raul valdes did such a nice job … like that thing about not giving up any runs and then (bonus) hitting in barajas with a double and scoring a run himself. for most of the game, at the end of each inning, the mets score ticked up a run … like the little engine who could …

and now the mets are only tied for last place in the NL east, which is pretty tight anyway … four games separating first and last places; three games, first and second.

with takahashi pitching tonight, the mets might be able to win again … or at least lose a very close game, and as a mets fan, i am more than happy to accept the latter.

off baseball but related to our underdog theme: can anyone get over the phoenix bench?! holy crap! is it true that i might actually be excited for western conference finals? screw the foregone conclusion! woot!

holy crap if the mets didn’t win the series against the yankees. i, for one (gazillion), am shocked. being a mets fan is a labor, for sure, and this season is shaping up to be another in a long, downward spiral of wacky, manic disappointment.

so i was not looking forward to this past weekend’s subway series. friday did look promising … equivocating as all mets fans are required to do to maintain sanity, i have to say i was quite pleased that the mets were able to hold the yankees to two runs and only lose by one. but i can’t rationalize a pitching rotation frought with more drama-trauma than a high-school girl’s restroom … and an offense that turns on whether two veteran catchers — last-minute signups — can muscle out walk-off homers, god bless ‘em … and management that seems perpetually on a parallel plane: nearby, but totally disconnected …

let’s just say if not for gary, keith, and ron — unafraid to call out f*ck-ups and mix in quips about tacos and keith’s recent weight loss — the mets would be entirely unwatchable.

and this coming from someone who LIKES them.

poor santana … wasting away. every time i see him pitch, i feel sad … like seeing a da vinci hanging in a truck stop. thankfully, yesterday, we were able to see a mets offense (and defense) show at least partial worthiness of the greatness that is “the johan” …

and bay … i like him … but i think he is not getting the support he needs to get his groove in queens … and i don’t particularly hold the mets hitting coach responsible … i speculate (wildly, and why not?!) there is an entire leadership culture that is not player-centered … hell, i don’t think it’s centered on *anything* … but i am not surprised bay did well last night … come on, people! it was the yankees! bay whetted his marketability playing against them. if anything, i’ll bet this past weekend was a refreshing spa jaunt for the guy, culminating in last night’s performance.

the mets are still five games back in the NL east … dead last. philly, of course, remains numero uno … and the two meet in citi beginning tomorrow … but let us reflect on a happy surprise almost one month ago … april 28, 2010 … when for a billionth of a microsecond in the universal scheme of things, the mets were — wait for it — in first place in the east …

the season is still going to be a long one … counterintuitively, the ones without a post always are … but i can hang onto hope for a brighter tomorrow …

It has already been a great year for Rice football – a 9-3 record, three players honored by Sports Illustrated, one All American, the nation’s 10th best offensive team, and, to cap it off, an appearance in a bowl game. When Rice plays in the Texas Bowl on Tuesday it will be only their second bowl appearance since 1961. Even the International Herald Tribune is excited. Rice is favored by both Las Vegas and SI’s experts. Let’s hope Rice can notch their first bowl victory since 1954.

Go Owls!!

The Texas Bowl is Tuesday, December 30th, at 5 p.m. PST on the NFL Network.

UCLA’s next game is in 2009.

P.S. Didion is vacationing in sunny California and will return to blogging regularly in January.