The End Of The 2006 Regular Season

And away we go to the playoffs. I'll wait until the Mets have played their final game of 2006 to reflect, but it seems the regular season is going out with a flourish. Will this be a year like 1986, where everything came together? This is the 20th Anniversary, after all, though this weekend The Braves put an end to the chance for an NLCS rematch with the Astros.

Or could it be more like 1988? The Mets may face the Dodgers in the postseason, and Lasting Milledge is the 2006 version of Gregg Jefferies. Remember when Randy Meyers scrawled "Are We Trying? next to Jeffries name on the lineup card?

Either way, the Mets begin the NLDS Wednesday at 4:20 PM, and I'll be at Game Two Thursday night at 8PM. El Duque is on the mound for Game One, and my former nemesis Tom Glavine is on the hill Thursday. With yesterday's news about Pedro Martinez being out until maybe the 2007 All-Star Break, I'm thinking Tom Glavine can demand whatever he wants from the Mets to pick up his option. And Barry Zito may be a "must-sign" as well.

I got to see the Mets yesterday in Washington DC, as they swept the Expos out of RFK stadium to end the regular season. No pictures though, as RFK makes Shea Stadium look like the Taj Majal. But we all gave a standing "O" to Frank Robinson, and my cousin Neil the physical therapist explained to me exactly what a rotator cuff injury is. This is not a good thing, folks.

More immediately, of course, the Mets have to figure out who will pitch Game 3. It might be John Maine, and the availability of Steve Trachsel is in question, as he mysteriously left the team yesterday and flew off to San Diego for undisclosed personal reasons. WTF? Tubby and I were wondering if maybe Trachs had a meltdown after being told by Willie that Maine would be starting Game 3? Who knows? Someone does, but they're not telling. This is bad timing. At least the Mets finished the season with a four game winning-streak. They went 97-65 for the regular season, the same record as the Yankees. Are we headed for another Subway Series collision?

Two more ex-Junkees were outed today, as we learned Jason Grimsley the rat named Roger Clemens and Andy Petitte as users of perfromance enhancing drugs. Gotta love those Junkees.

Let's get the posteason started!