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Where the Mets are

Doing almost everything right just not good enough

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By John Donovan, CNNSI.com

	• Storylines • All Thumbs • Heroes & Bums • High Hard Ones • The Pitch • The Bottom Line

NEW YORK -- The New York Mets have done just about all they can do. They've done a lot of things right. Most things right.

Maybe they could have hit a little better in the last few games. And run. Maybe. Other than that, the Mets have not played badly at all.

And, yet, here they sit, a game away from a World Series wipeout, staring into Game 5 on Thursday night behind three games to one.

What's Bobby Valentine to do?

"We're giving everything we have out there," the Mets' manager said Wednesday night, still defiant after the New York Yankees handed him his third one-run loss of the Series. "They're giving just a little extra."

The Mets are hitting just .227 in this Series, probably the reason they are where they are. Everything has been a struggle for them. Every mistake they make, it seems, has cost them.

In Game 1, a man who saved 41 games in the regular season allows a walk and a bloop single that leads to the tying run in the bottom of the ninth, and the Yankees win the game in 12 innings.

In Game 2, Roger Clemens' bizarre bat-throwing incident throws them off stride, but they make a valiant comeback from a 6-0 hole with five ninth-inning runs, falling just short once again.

They won Game 3, but reverted to form in Game 4. Right fielder Timo Perez barely bobbles what would have been a double by Paul O'Neill in the top of the second, then misses the cutoff man on the throw in. The play turns out to be so close that O'Neill is credited with a triple. It leads to a sacrifice fly in a 3-2 Mets' loss.

And that is all it has taken for the Yankees to scramble to within one win of their third straight World Series title. A walk here. A Mets' strikeout there. A bobbled play.

That is why the Mets are where they are.

On to the World Series Day at a Glance, which asks: What is up with Bernie Williams?

The answer: Clearly, it's not his average.

The Final Act The Yankees were talking Wednesday night as if this thing were a sealed deal. And it's pretty close. Of the 40 teams to take a 3-1 Series lead, 85 percent of them (34) have won the Series. Note, though: Only 52.5 percent of the 3-1 leaders (21) have won it in Game 5.
History Where will this Yankees team rank in the dynasty poll? If, indeed, they win? Three straight titles. Four of five. And in an era where there are division series, the league championship and the World Series every season. You'd have to put them among the best ever.
A Game 7? Nobody would bet on it now. But if the Mets pull out a win in Game 5 Thursday, they'll go against Roger Clemens in Game 6 Saturday. And you think they want to beat him a little?
The Bullpens All the talk before the Series was how deep the Mets' bullpen was. The Yankees', though, has been more effective. Mike Stanton has been incredible, David Cone did the relief thing well in his stint Wednesday night and Mariano Rivera is as good as they come.
Games 3 and 4 . After a sloppy first one, and that bat thing in the second, the Series has shined with two tense, one-run games. They're not exactly snappy, but they're worth watching.
Paul O'Neill . An old (37) guy you can root for. Looks like grandma running the bases, but like sweetness at the plate (he's hitting .563). A major reason this Yankees' dynasty is what it is. Can you say MVP?
Baha Men . OK, the World Series DAAG does not pretend to be a pop music critic. But, judging from the reaction of the crowd at Shea on Wednesday when these guys did their "song" live, we'd say this thing has run its course. Time to put the dogs out.
Aggressiveness . Another edge in the Series that goes to the Yankees. Derek Jeter jumping on the first pitch of Wednesday's game. Jeter on the basepaths. O'Neill on the basepaths. Joe Torre yanking Denny Neagle early. Torre calling for the hit and run. These guys are not messing around.
Hero -- Joe Torre: He does what he thinks is right, period. And it works, most of the time. Stuck with Bernie Williams, didn't stick with Neagle on Wednesday. Neagle the right move, Williams didn't hurt them.
Bum -- Bernie Williams: Let's say this. He's lucky his team is picking him up. He's 0-for-15 in this Series, which makes him .118 lifetime. Ewwww.
Heroes -- The New York fans: For the most part, they've been cool about this rumble they call the Subway Series. And you thought New Yorkers couldn't behave themselves ...
Bums -- Mets' No. 1 and 2: Don't be surprised if Valentine shakes things up. Leadoff man Timo Perez and No. 2 Edgardo Alfonzo are both 2-for-16 (.125) in this Series. Wondering what ails the Mets? There it is.
Hero -- Mike Stanton: He's pitched 3 1/3 innings of hitless relief, including two huge strikeouts Wednesday night. A stopper before the Yanks get to The Stopper.
Bum -- Robin Ventura: He's doing some (one home run), but his .188 batting average shows he's just not doing enough.
That top of the lineup is killing the Mets. They can't get anything going.
On the other hand, it's not like the Yanks are playing their best, either. David Justice is hitting .133.
You can find Yankees fans anywhere in this city. Even in Shea Stadium.
Compare the two teams by the demeanor of their managers in the dugout: Gum-popping, fidgety Bobby Valentine vs. the stoic, Yoda-like Joe Torre.
As good as these last two games have been, the 2000 Series will still be remembered for Clemens and the bat.
A look at the Game 5 pitchers Yankees' Andy Pettitte (19-9 regular season, 4.35 ERA). The lefty throws a cut fastball, a split-finger and has a decent change. Went 6 2/3 in the no-decision in Game 1, giving up three runs on eight hits.
Mets' Al Leiter (16-8 regular season, 3.20 ERA). A decent fastball, a solid cut fastball and a slider are the money pitches for this lefty. He went seven strong innings in the opener, leaving with the lead after giving up two runs on five hits. The bullpen blew it for him, though.
There was a good deal of relief among the Yankees after their win Wednesday night. They'd like nothing better than to close things out in Game 5. Counting the Mets out, though, has not been a winning proposition this season.

The World Series Day at a Glance appears every day through the conclusion of the Series.

 

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