A true September classic

Before Chipper Jones single-handedly took the New York Mets out of the divisional race, before the Atlanta Braves swept the Mets in a three-game series at Turner Field and before the Mets were in danger of not - that's right, not - making the playoffs, I sat down Tuesday night to watch the first game of the much-publicized Mets-Braves series with butterflies in my stomach. That's right, folks, you heard it here: I'm a New York baseball fan excited during a pennant chase and rooting for a team other than the Yankees.

Call me crazy, but I was actually a Mets fan way back in the cocaine snorting days of the mid- to late-80s. You remember - back when Darryl, Doc, Lenny Dykstra and Keith Hernandez were in their primes, yukking it up all the way to a 1986 World Series championship and all the glory associated with the October Classic.

But, like The Cosby Show, New Coke and the Michael Dukakis presidential campaign, the 1980s have come and gone. These days, the victories have come few and far between for my beloved Metropolitans. After careening to a pitiful 59-win season in 1993, the Mets had nowhere to go but up. Meanwhile, the Braves were winning the pennant every year with a vaunted offense and one of the best pitching staffs ever.

But I digress. Let's go back to the lounge, where I'm watching the game with a strange mixture of anticipation and bitter dread. This year, the Mets have followed in the footsteps of the Baltimore Orioles and the Arizona Diamondbacks by taking the enlarged wallet approach to success. Signing Robin Ventura and Rickey Henderson while re-signing Mike Piazza and Al Leiter to career deals proved to be wise moves for General Manager Steve Phillips - especially since those four, along with second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo and one of the strongest bullpens in the majors have just about carried the team to the 100-win plateau (Well, maybe not the unreliable Leiter, but at least he's rich.)

As much as the Mets have improved during the past few years, the Braves have actually struggled to maintain their dominance in the NL East. They haven't been to the World Series since their 1996 loss to the Bronx Bombers. This year, injuries to such key players as Javy Lopez, Kerry Lightenberg, Andres Galarragga and, most recently, Brian

Jordan have proved to be major obstacles to overcome. But the gutsy team from Hotlanta has proven itself worthy of the challenge.

So I'm sitting there, excited and placing more and more of my heart and soul into every pitch of the game, when I was struck with a joy that I could have never understood before.

My team, the Mets, the New York Mets, were actually in contention to win the NL East, something they had not done since 1988. But that joy proved to be fleeting. After Chipper Jones lofted one of his four home runs in the series in the very first inning of the very first game, I was vehemently angered with that former scab Rick Reed, the career minor leaguer who looks like a used car salesman with a poor five o' clock shadow.

But I stuck with them, as I have for the entire decade. Sure, I turned the game off for a while when they were getting their butts kicked, but I'm a New York sports fan, and I am supposed to be fickle, right?

The sheer competitive nature of this race (and the other races around baseball) give me shivers whenever I think about them. With every sunrise, the pressure mounts, while the conclusion of a long, hard season looms even larger. Can the Mets make it? Yes. They are just four games out as we speak and have a chance - albeit a slim one - to win the NL East. They are also in danger of missing the playoffs altogether, but that is just part of the excitement and fear that pennant fervor always delivers.

So I will enjoy the final stretch of the season as any loyal fan would. But let me say this: if the Mets do not make the playoffs, there can be only one poor soul - oh, excuse me, because he has no soul, he's a career minor league bullpen coach at best - to blame. That's right, I'm talking about Mets manager Bobby Valentine, everyone's favorite jackass. Every year, Bobby V. pulls the strings, uses smoke and mirrors to fool the fans and the media and yet somehow ends up with a winning record. Well this time, we fired your coaches and the team did it for you, pal. YOU, with your foolish, nonsensical and immature mustache and rubber nose gags. YOU, you disgrace to managing, the New York Mets and the game of baseball. YOU will be the one to blame, the first one to get the hook come the offseason.

Sorry, I had to get that out. Anywho, it's been a great run, with miracle after miracle and another great year for Iron Mike Piazza. So, as they say in the hallowed stands of Shea, let's go Mets!

I have one statistical note to add. Those TBS good 'ol boys mentioned an interesting stat that fateful Tuesday night. They said that Chipper Jones was the first player to hit 40 homer runs with 100 runs batted in, 100 runs scored, 100 walks, 40 doubles, 20 stolen bases and a .300 average in the same year. Can that be true? For all those other sports dorks out there (besides myself) that are interested in such foolish semantics and would like to check and see if that's true, please let me know your findings. It would be greatly appreciated.