Taboo

There's a legend about the ball that Dusty Baker handed back to Russ Ortiz, who was pulled with five outs left to go in the 2002 World Series when the score was 5-0 San Francisco and all was seemingly well...Except that the ball had thusly been tainted with the curse of hubris; given as a symbol of Ortiz's good work and of a World Series clinching victory.

Of course, it was all downhill for the Giants after that ill fated handoff.

And we now have proof that the ball still haunts Ortiz to this day...in fact it's probably sitting on his mantle right now, dooming all who dare to lay eyes on it. The ball, along with Ortiz's career, is taboo. And after today's Met bombardment...let's just say that if I were Russ Ortiz, I wouldn't go surfing with Bobby Brady anytime soon.

If you are a degenerate gambler (and I'm not talking about the kind that drops $20 a week on an office pool...I'm talking about the guy would would sell his daughter into slavery because he got a hot tip that Joe Nieuwendyk was going to come back early from an ankle injury and that he should bet the over on that night's Panthers/Capitals game) and you didn't bet the house on the Mets to defeat winless Russ Ortiz today, then you're never going to break even in your life. This was the surest bet since Reagan over Mondale, and you didn't take advantage of it?

The Mets are rolling out of bed these days with a 3-0 lead. And then they don't stop. They haven't stopped this whole road trip as the bats exploded again today for a 15-2 victory. Carlos Beltran had four more RBI's and didn't even play the whole game. Newcomer Eli Marrero took over for him in center, and he drove in two runs...already making his season as a Met more productive than Kaz Matsui's. Chris Woodward gets his first at bats in three light years and goes two for five. Lastings Milledge gets two RBI's for not only the Mets, but for the "Neon Stick Figures" (my fantasy team). Carlos Delgado seems to be coming out of his slump with three runs driven in.

What scares me is that this road trip has been so sweet for the Mets, we all might come down with diabetes. Can it continue to be this good? I mean, it can't...can it? It would be nice if it would...the six and a half games back Phillies (and fast disappearing in the rear view mirror) are next. But we've seen what can happen when souvenirs are given out for jobs well done before the job is actually done, so cut down on your sweets, don't pick up any necklaces on the shores of Hawaii, and if Dusty Baker tries to hand you a baseball, run!

***

When does a defensive play stand out in a 15-2 game?

When Endy Chavez and Fluff Castro team up to stop a potential D'Backs run in the first inning, that's when. It probably would have been the same type of massacre if Craig Counsell had scored on Chad Tracy's fly ball...but when Counsell was cut down by Chavez's throw and Fluff's blocking of the plate while snaring an in-between hop and tagging Counsell all at the same time, the game was pretty much over at that point. It will go down as one of the plays of the season.

(Caution, severe detour ahead):

But was it me, or did Fluff look a little too dolled up today? Perhaps shame on me for noticing, but when Castro was at bat, I noticed that his eyebrows and goatee were a little too neat, and I also noticed eyelashes. I should never notice eyelashes on a ballplayer...and on a catcher no less. But the fact that I did tells me that Castro went and got himself made over for the cross country flight back east. Maybe he's going to end up on one of those TLC shows like "Catcher Makeover" or something.

But as long as he keeps making plays like he made in the first inning, he could wear an avocado and honey mask to the plate as far as I'm concerned.