Jewel Among Confusion

Wednesday’s game had it all: announcers in the Pepsi Porch getting barraged with home run balls and signing one for a fan, a Mets pitcher driving in a run much less getting a hit, trade bait hitting a bomb to tie the game, a new father tying the game again, an old closer reaching back through the years to blow away the best of the best with a “Generation Special K” (boo), the first walk-off home run of the season for a 6-5 victory over the Cardinals in 10 innings, and even a yahoo storming the field and trying out his lacrosse moves.

This game was like a plate of gravy fries served a la carte: really tasty, but it could have used a burger with some Peter Luger sauce to hold it together. Don’t get me wrong, Wednesday night was awesome to watch on television, probably more awesome for those there. But imagine how good Wednesday’s game would have been if it had been played with the backdrop of a pennant drive.  If this game was in 2006, all our chests would have been puffed out a few feet. And Jason Isringhausen would have been with the Cardinals instead of the Mets, but that’s semantics. It’s really too bad that Angel Pagan’s bomb happened now and not five years ago, or even during the collapses. Instead, this great game comes among the rubble of injuries and trade rumors … rumors that get more intriguing every day.

Phillies scouts were there to see Carlos Beltran smack around a two run homer to tie the game. But where 24 hours ago Sandy Alderson had clearly the best bat available via trade, now his job may be getting slightly more complicated with word out that B.J. Upton and Hunter Pence may be available for a trade. Upton’s stats look pretty terrible, but he’s hitting much better on the road than at home which may make a team think that all they need to do to unlock him is get him out of the Trop. As for Pence, if Houston deals him I can’t imagine that teams that need a stick wouldn’t line up for him. What it all may mean is that if Sandy doesn’t pull the deal quick like he did with Frankie (an investment that didn’t work out so well tonight), the price which is being rumored to border on top notch might come down a little bit.

But for one night anyway, it’s pointless to worry about all that as the Mets game up with a game that would have been for the ages had it simply had better timing.