Random Thoughts

The Mets are getting ready to take on the Braves. Like many Met fans, I do have some concern going into this series. Forget the trades that Atlanta made, with the exception of last year, even when the Mets have been the better team on paper, Atlanta has just dominated them. I thought last year they finally broke out of it, but this year they have resorted right back to the old style.

On the Mets Today blog, Mac Thomason of the Braves Journal answered some question about the Atlanta Braves and it might be interesting to check out what he had to say (Click Here ). What I found most interesting, and I agree with him, was his comment that while this is an important series, it is not make-or-break for either team.

I do have some other random thoughts for today, as the game is not until tonight. They mostly revolve around the Cubs. I previously talked about night baseball in Chicago. What I recently found out was, while lights were not installed in Wrigley Field until August 1988, Philip Wrigley was planning on putting them in as early as 1942 but donated the equipment to the war effort after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Met fans take note: The first time they tried using the lights in Wrigley, the game was rained out, the next night, August 9, 1988 became the first official game played in Wrigley field under the lights and yes, They beat the Mets.

Wrigley Field became the first park to eject a farm animal from the stadium. Billy Sianis, who owned the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, was at a World Series game in 1945 with his goat. The goat was forced to leave and Sianis responded with the “Billy Goat hex”. The Cubs lost the World Series and have never been back there since (I never knew that).

Finally, readers of this blog know I hate Day-Night doubleheaders. Apparently, the Mets became the first (and I think only team) to play a day-night doubleheader in two separate ballparks; A day game at Shea and a night game at Yankee Stadium during inter-league play. The Mets lost both ends of the doubleheader (Wonder if that is one of the reasons I hate the day-night double headers).

By the way, the following three facts were things I learned while reading the book, The Unofficial Guide to Baseball’s Most Unusual Records.

Hopefully tonight there will be nothing about the Mets winning in tradtional fashion, beating the Braves.

Let’s Go Mets!