Fluffy

They say Johnny Damon is Captain Caveman.

But I can't help but watch Fluff Castro swing the bat and be reminded of the club that Captain Caveman carries around. The way Castro swings it looks like he's swinging a big club.

That club he swings was a magic wand tonight, as Fluff's eighth inning game winner may have been the most important home run the Mets have hit since Piazza's shot on September 21st, 2001, as the Mets moved to within a half game of the wild card lead with a 6-4 win.

The venom was spared today as early on, I was living up to the billing that the good folks at Mets analyst tagged me with: "Acerbic, but funny". Well, after falling behind 4-1 early...after Jae Seo saves his first hiccup for the most important game of the season to date...after Pat Burrell hit his 7,359th career home run in Shea Stadium...acerbic was a certainty. Funny was only the cherry on top of the cake from hell.

And when the man I challenged to be Superman the rest of the season struck out with men on second and third to end the seventh inning, acidity turned to disgust and despair. The Phillies, who had Charlie Manuel thrown out earlier in the game, left righty Ryan Madson to face Cliff Floyd, and kept Rheal Cormier cold in the pen, and Floyd still struck out. I had all but given up with the spectre of Billy Wagner facing the bottom of the order in the ninth.

But on came Ugueth Urbina in the eighth to walk David Wright and hope flickered back. It was an interesting move to have Mike Jacobs try to sacrifice...he wound up missing the bunt on a down and in pitch that Jacobs has been driving out of the park. Wright then steals second (!) and Victor Diaz followed a Jacobs K with a walk. Then up came Fluff...with his big Captain Caveman club and bigger Caveman head. What else could he hit but a big fly.

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Robinson Tejeda is fast becoming the latest Philadelphia Phillie who salivates at the mere mention of Mets. He has given up 5 earned in 16 innings against the Mets this season for a 2.81 ERA.

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The umps played a big factor in this game...but the call that Charlie Manuel got ejected for was the call that Fieldin Culbreth (sounds like the curator of a museum) got right. Carlos Beltran (who had a homer and RBI single tonight), threw out Kenny Lofton at the plate in the fifth with what would have been the fifth Phillie run. But although Lofton's foot beat the tag, his foot was over home plate and the correct call was made.

Actually, where the Phillies got screwed was the David Wright stolen base (he was out) and Chase Utley not being awarded first base on a hit by pitch (it brushed his uniform sleeve...yes, a hard call to make, but it's been made before).

By the way this was Charlie Manuel's second ejection at Shea Stadium this season.

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Fran Healy's alleged announcing skills have been a hot topic of discussion lately, and I must admit when the radar is turned up on him, the Healy factor becomes magnified to the point where he could offer free money and I would cringe.

He must have mentioned that Pennant Race ticket pack eight times in the first four innings. That was bad enough. But the worst came when MSG was going to commercial after Fluff's dinger, and Healy is screaming about how "Castro hit one into the Pepsi Picnic Area"

Who else but Fran Healy could take the most exciting moment of the year and use it to shove a plug for Pepsi down your throat?