October 4, 2005

         As of last Friday night, there were 90 days till December 30. Something I thought
would never happen is now a mere 90 days away. So where did I spend part of that night?
At Hooters.
         The Post decided to send me to a sports bar to cover Friday nights Yankee-Red Sox
game at Fenway Park. The photo desk and the city desk were debating where to send me. I
wanted to jump in and say "Look I don't know a hell of a lot, but there are two things I
know: baseball and bars."
But the photo desk knew a guy at Hooters, so that's where I went.
And I got about what I expected. A bunch of out of towners. Most of the fans there had won
a contest on ESPN radio. I got like two quotes from fans there, before they mercifully
moved me to Scruffy Duffy's on 45th and 8th.
        I've done stories like this before, and while they're fun to do, there also somewhat
difficult. First of all most of the fans you talk to have had a cocktail or two prior to the game
then a few more during the game, so getting coherent quotes are a problem. Then,
everyone thinks they're an expert and want to tell you what we all just saw. All I'm trying to
do is get reactions, Wow! What a catch by Bernie, or Oh, No! We're in trouble. "The Red Sox
are a bunch of f--king pussies" is not getting in the paper.
       And as it ends up, they didn't run the story. But you can go to the blog
(www.weeklymail.blogspot.com) and read the story that I wrote.

ONTO the News


         Bill Bennett: The former Education Secretary, on his radio show last week, said that
"... I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could - if that were your
sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go
down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but
your crime rate would go down."
Really now?
      Well, why not? Just think of all the trouble we could have avoided had we simply
knocked off the likes of Colin Powell, Bill Cosby and Maya Angelou when they were babies.
What a better country we would have been without Matin Luther King, right? How about if
George Washington Carver's mother had decided to abort? No penecillin, and more
importantly no peanut butter.
Who needs penicillin right?
      I've heard some pretty idiotic things in my life. This one is pretty high up there on the
idiotic list.
      Bennett's gotten a well deserved verbal butt kicking for his stupid remarks. He's also
had some people defending him;saying his quotes were "taken out of context." In which
context was Bennett talking about?
 We all say things that we regret, hell, I've made a lifetime of it, but this didn't just cross the
line, this obliterated it. Whatever point he was trying to make doesn't matter. This was just
unbelievably wrong on so many levels. It's disturbing.

Weekly Mail Baseball Playoff Preview:

AL Divisional Series

Yankees vs. Angels-- Joe Torre and A-Rod were complaining that Rangers manager Buck
Showalter pulled 3 of his best players out of Sunday's game with the Angels, thereby giving
the Angels the win and home field advantage for this first round playoff game. If the
Yankees wanted home field so bad, why did they start Jaret Wright and bring in the same
host of lousy relievers that brought us all those 17-9 games we saw this year. They have no
right to blame Showalter. They have been a resilient team all year, now's not the time for
them to start crying.
Yankees in 4 (unless they keep up this crap--then Angels in 5)

White Sox vs. Red Sox-- The White Sox played great for four months, played like crap for
two months and have began to turn it on again for the stretch run. The Red Sox talked alot
of smack early in the season, but couldn't put the Yankees away. Destiny says it will be
another Yanks-Red Sox ALCS, but it won't be easy.
Bosox over Chisox in 5


NL Division Series

Cardinals vs. Padres-- The Padres almost became the first team in baseball to go into the
playoffs with a sub .500 record. I wish I had the guts to pick SD, because history has shown
that teams who scratch their way in have done well. I wish I had the guts. But I don't.
Cards in 5

Astros vs. Braves-- Of all the series in the first round, this is the easiest to pick. The Braves
are the greatest baseball team of all time----between April 1st and October 1st. After that,
they're not much better than the Devil Rays.
Astros in 4.

I'll preview the ALCS and the NLCS before they happen.


          As far as this baseball season that just ended, for the first time since 1997, as a Met
fan, I can say I'm fairly satisfied at the way the season ended. In 1998, they blew a playoff
spot on the last day. In 1999, they nearly fought their way back down 3 games to the
Braves in the NLCS, only to lose Game 6 10-9. (It took me weeks to get over that) We all
know what happened in 2000 (I still haven't gotten over that) 2001, they had a great
September, but were never really that close. The last 3 years, I stopped caring by August.
        But in 2005, they were up and down all year, then had a horrible 10 game road trip in
early September that effectively knocked them out of contention. Still, they played hard the
rest of the way, and ended up 4 games over .500. One game that will stand out for me
during this winter will be one they played last Monday night in Philly.
        They Mets were all but eliminated from the wild card, while the Phillies were battling
the Astros for the last playoff spot. There was an almost 2 hr rain delay, and the when play
resumed, the Phillies took a 4-1 lead. The teams exchanges runs in the 7th to make it 5-2,
but the Mets scored 4 times in the eighth and held on to win 6-5. It was a game the Phillies
had to have and after sitting through a rain delay during a meaningless game who could have
blamed the Mets for mailing it in.
But they didn't. They battled. And unlike Art Howe who said they battled when they actually
laid down and died, these Mets really did fight. And yes, I give Willie Randolph a tremendous
amount of credit for that.
      The other thing that made me smile was the tribute the fans gave Mike Piazza on what
will be his last season as a Met. After I wrote my little tribute to him back in July, he got
huge ovations every time he stepped to the plate at Shea these last few weeks. Seems like I
wasn't the only Met fan who appreciated what this man did for the Mets. There wasn't much
if any talk about how the Mets didn't win the World Series while he was here, simply because
it wasn't for his lack of effort that they didn't.
     And while he was here, he had to put up with all the Roger Clemens stuff, the gay
rumors, and a host of other nonsense. He handled it with class and dignity.
           One night in the early summer of 2001,  I was sitting in O'Casey's Bar on 41st
Street, and I was talking to an old timer named Brian who told me he was a Yankee fan
since 1948. I was having a great time talking to him, he was a nice guy and he had seen alot
of baseball in his day. Talk got around to the 2000 World Series, and he heaped praise on the
Mets, how tough they were, how every game was close and that as a Met fan I should have
no shame. I appreciated that.
But then he said "except for that pee-aza. What a crybaby he is. Man, what's his problem." I
could feel my blood pressure starting to rise. "Complaining that he got hit by a pitch. It
happens. It's part of the game.."
That's when I lost it. "HOW ABOUT GETTING A BAT THROWN AT YOU? IS THAT PART OF THE
GAME TOO?"
I left shortly thereafter. I felt bad because he really was a nice guy, but what can I say, it
struck a nerve.
        My sister Katie points out that after the Mets lost their last game in 1998, I said of
Piazza "Good riddance." amongst other things. Mainly because I thought he was going to sign
with the Angels. Instead, when he re-signed with the Mets, he said it was because he
enjoyed New York, and wanted the chance to win here. I believe the Orioles offered him
more money, so it wasn't just a money issue either.
I hope Piazza signs with a team in the east, even if its the Yankees. He's one baseball player
I'd pay to see.

Happy Birthday this week to Colleen Mathis (Wednesday)
Everyone Else Have a Great Week
Bill