Ollie's Folly

I had noted that I wouldn't be scared of this Rockies team unless John Elway grabbed a bat and emerged from the dugout. Well, I had the wrong quarterback in mind...because playing the part of Richard Todd tonight was Oliver Perez. No humidor in the world is going to help this guy right now as he battles so hard to find the strike zone that his pitches had no zip tonight. The proof? Twelve hits in three plus innings enough proof?

But what's the use in blasting this poor kid trying to make the transition from Mitch Williams to Greg Maddux? I'm certainly not going to blame him. And I can't even blame Willie Randolph for giving him an at bat in the top of the fourth after the Rockies had more hits than the Jackson Five. Heck, it was entertaining to watch Ollie swing for the fences and tie the game up in the fourth (although Randolph did announce after the game that Perez swung so hard, he aggravated Jose Valentin's hamstring.) You have to understand how hard it is to place blame on someone when your team is up by fifteen and a half games. Three games lead? You can get on Randolph. Fifteen and 1/2? No.

But you know who I do blame?

Victor Diaz.

Because if Victor Diaz hadn't sulked so much to the point of being a waste of space at the triple A level, then perhaps he could have been the right handed bat off the bench that the Mets needed and given them a power option against the portly Ray King. Instead, he's in Texas butchering fly balls for the Rangers while actually believing that he's a miniature sized version of Manny Ramirez...when in actuality, he's a supersized version of Manny Alexander.

Besides, it's easy to blame Victor Diaz...because he's not here to defend himself. And I could use an easy target right about now.

So it's on to Houston for the weekend as the magic number drops to fifteen after Marlon Anderson's winning run on a wild pitch handed the Phillies a loss (and what reward does Marlon get for his troubles? Show him what he's won: Why, it's a trade to the Dodgers!) Without having to face Andy Pettitte or his personal relationship with God, the Mets have a chance to end or severely damage the wild card hopes of FOX Sports' alternate darlings, the Houston Astros...hereby putting to bed this ridiculous talk of the Astros being the team nobody wants to face in the playoffs, and preventing the sure fire endless discussion of whether this will be Roger the Unconvicted Felon's final year. And when you think about the possibility of the Mets knocking Roger and his light hitting friends away from playoff contention, it makes you realize just how good a season this has been. I mean, let's put this in perspective:

The Mets are going to the playoffs.

And they still get to play spoiler.

It's like having your beer and drinking it too. The beers at Cooter's are on me.