Game 32 - Mets 4, Braves 3 (10 innings)

OK, while yesterday's game was one they should have won Tuesday's matchup was one they totally should have lost.

In fact, if my wife was home I would have likely given up hope of a comeback after the Braves go up 3-0. Not that I don't believe, but the way they were swinging the bats was so pathetic that I turned my interest to the Boston-Orlando game and the jumping 20-month old near my legs.

OK, here's a couple of points from the final frames:

- While Citi Field is a pitcher's park and a speedy hitters dream, you can't hit a triple to left-center field. Simple as that and I could have told you that before Jose Reyes was thrown out by "a mile" according to Don Sutton. It's something that he had to learn by getting thrown out, but now that he knows I bet you he'll hold up at second base next time out.

- The best part of the comeback was getting Mike Pelfrey off the hook for the loss. He pitched well and his off-speed pitch (I guess it's a slider) looked a lot better. I was saddened to see him leave on the losing end.

- Bottom of the ninth, Carlos Beltran leads off with a double down the line. David Wright should have only one goal in mind - GET THE RUNNER TO THIRD AT ALL COSTS.
This was the only thing he had to do. As a hitter, you get one swing for yourself and he took it on the first pitch, an uppercut swing that looked like he was aiming for a 5-run homer. Then he worked the count to 3-1 and I'm thinking, "This is a spot where you are either looking for a specific pitch like fastball middle out to drive to right field OR YOU DON'T SWING.

Instead Wright hacks at an inside fastball with an inside out swing that pops the ball to the right side near the tarp and Casey Kotchman makes a good catch to keep Beltran at third. At this point, I didn't really care about the rest of the inning. It's at-bats like this that infuriate me to no ends.

- As for Beltran stealing third base, I go back to the second inning. Wright walked and took off for second base. McCann made a good throw but the reply clearly showed that David got his hand on the base before the tag.

Then Wright tripled and tried to score on a short fly ball to center field. McCann made another great play and Wright made a great slide. The ump got the right call, but that's one that could have gone either way. So needless to say, I'm going to view this as they got two calls and the Mets got one. The biggest one of the game, yes, but just one call.

- Bottom of the 10th with two runners on and the pitcher's spot due up, when Ramon Castro got a bat I resigned to the inning being over. I have no faith in that man with a game in doubt, regardless what he's done. I'm always expecting him to pop up lazily to second base, swinging at a bad pitch on a 2-0 count.

But once he got on and the game was in Beltran's hands, I kind of figured he would finish the job. Granted, there was part of me that expected the game to continue but once he took the first two pitches for balls, it was just about a done deal.

OK, I finally figured out what I'm rooting for in the NBA playoffs - Cleveland vs. Denver in the Finals. I don't want to see the Magic cuz for all 17 of his rebounds, Dwight Howard couldn't grab one in the last 1:25 when his team needed it the most. As great as he is, the only play they have for him is a high screen pick-and-roll. He's still young, but right now he's got no post game and Rashard Lewis and Turkolu aren't that good.

I don't want to see an undermanned, outnumbered Celtics team there although I'm sure they'll give the Cavs all they can handle in the Eastern Conference Finals.

As cute as the Rockets are, I think they know their season is basically over. I mean they had a chance with Yao Ming. But without him, I wouldn't want to see them move on.

And hasn't Kobe and the Lakers basically moved into the role of the team you love to hate. I mean, granted, they are a bunch of pansies. They have no true presence in the post. If you want to argue about Bynum, I'll say that while he can defend due to height and block from the weak side, him and Gasol are neutralized by Nene and Birdman Anderson.

The Lakers have no one to match the intensity of Kenyon Martin, who's been to the Finals with the Nets by the way, and while the Creamy Nougats can't defend against Kobe, the Lake Show has no answer for Chauncey, who's got an NBA Finals MVP trophy sitting of a shelf somewhere.

I would much rather see stories about the 2003 NBA Draft with King James, Melo, D-Wade, Chris Bosh (can you say overrated?), Josh "I'll smoke a dude for $400 Alex" Howard, the legendary Kendrick Perkins, Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa, America's favorite white point guard on an all-black team Steve Blake, Mo Williams with the 47th pick and local favorite Matt Bonner two picks before him.

I would rather see the ongoing argument on PTI when Tony reminds Wilbon that he liked Melo more early on and who's bandwagon is he on now. And the series itself would be more entertaining cuz The Big Z can score in the post and James makes others better unlike Kobe most of the time.

Yeah, it's a nice dream. One that will be ruined when Lamar Odom remembers he's a 6-10 freak of nature with skills beyond compare. That he too was a lottery pick (#4) and was good enough to be seen as the central piece in the trade that sent Shaq to Miami. There's very little on the court that he can't do, like Derrick Coleman but about 25 pounds lighter. If he gets a fire under his ass, it's over man.

If the Mets and John Neise get a fire under their collective ass tomorrow afternoon and put away the Braves, they could end a lot of stupid talk around here. That and stem some of the bad feelings before a long road trip out west with no off days in sight.