Monday, August 06, 2007

Three Hundred Apologies

I bought tickets to see The Police way back on February 26th. I had tried to get tickets to see them at Madison Square Garden and Fenway Park...with no luck. But with some luck, one show at the 76,000 seat Giants Stadium was added for Sunday, August 5th. How the hell was I supposed to know that it would be the exact day that Tom Glavine would win his 300th career game?

Oh yeah, my name suggests that I'm a soothsayer. Damn!

So please Tom, except my apologies for not witnessing your historic victory live. Synchronicity was never one of my strong points. But I'm watching you on ESPN's replay...you seemed to have the Cubs Wrapped Around Your Finger all night. I bet you were so nervous, you must have felt that you had Voices Inside Your Head. (Rickey Henderson has those same voices, you know...but all they ever seem to say is De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. Rickey's a little weird, you know.)

And know that your efforts kept your team in pace with the Braves and Phillies, who scored five runs in the ninth to tie the Brewers, and then eventually defeat them. When I heard that after I came home, I was practically Driven To Tears.

At least Moises Alou, the King of Pain, got to play and support your efforts. And Paul Lo Duca caught your historic victory for you...he wanted so bad to be in there and be a part of your historic evening. But what could he do? All he wanted is to be Next to You. Too bad that Luis Castillo left early due to heat exhaustion. If he needed water, then some scientists suggest that all he needs to do is go Walking On The Moon.

In 2005, people thought you were through. You found out that eventually, the Truth Hits Everybody. But when your World Was Running Down, you (and Rick Peterson) made the best of what was still around. And now, you are a 300 game winner. Oliver Perez, another lefthanded pitcher, would be wise to follow every move you'd make (if not necessarily hanging on Every Breath You'd Take), if he is to someday win his 300th, when he would be Walking In Your Footsteps. But seriously, if you expect anyone to be joining you in the 300 win club soon, you'll be lonely...So Lonely.

So rather than send out an S.O.S., my Message in a Bottle to you is simply this: Congrats, Tom. You earned it. May Everything You Do Be Magic, from now until October.

(Editor's note: This isn't the first time the author of this blog missed an historic Mets game due to attending a concert. Metstradamus' very first concert attended took place on July 4th, 1985. You may remember that date for a 19-inning victory in Atlanta. Thankfully, there was a rain delay in Atlanta that night, enabling the author to witness over half of the game on television upon returning home from the concert.)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm not sure i'd cop to liking hall and oates, let alone attending a concert of theirs, but that was a different time.

here's to glavin, and at least his wife looked reasonably sedated.

The Metmaster said...

Tom Glavine is everything that's good about sports. Nice guy, tough competitor, great talent. Congratulations to him and his family. Loved the shots of his mom and dad in the stands. Their kid is a multi-millionaire and they looked like the people in "American Gothic", two tough, average New Englanders. God Bless America.
Too bad that jerk Wallace Matthews had to rain all over the Mets in today's Newsday.

beezermess said...

Hey Tom...I still hate you....I still hate you because of your victories in a Brave uniform. I hate you for all the torment you handed me for oh so many years. Along with your idiot companions, Maddux and Smoltz, all you guys did was win, win and win. But for a fan of a franchise that has been around for 45 years, I have to say "Congratulations!!!" You accomplished something for this franchise that no one has ever done, not even the best pitcher in Mets history, "The Franchise"...You won your 300th game as a New York Met!!!!

Krup said...

if you had contacted The Spirits in the Material World you might have been able to be in two places at once (even when you're not anywhere at all)

Anonymous said...

Well done, Tom.

By the way, Metra, don't stand so close to Wallace Mathews.

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain, Metstra. As a musician myself, I can't tell you how many games I've had to miss because I've been PLAYING performances. It's a drag. Thankfully, though, I get a lot of the baseball season off!

While not a replacement for watching the game by any means, the browser option on smartphones can be a godsend in a pinch. Just be sure you're not a damned annoyance to anyone near you. I'll bet you'd have more understanding folks near you at a Police concert than I did at the opera house recently: http://perfectpitch.mlblogs.com/
my_view_from_second/2007/07/
scena_at_the_op.html

Anonymous said...

I agree that Tom Glavine represents the best of sports in a time where there seems to be nothing but bad news (steroids, dog fights, and crooked officials). Its really a time to embrace this feat and I thought ESPN did a good job of capturing it.

However, I agree with Beezer that Glavine will always be a Brave after leading them to 14 straight division titles and World Series Championship. He and his Hall of Fame cohorts put the dagger in the Mets many times. Glavine will go INTO THE HALL AS A BRAVE. I'm actually kind of glad he accomplished this feat on the road because as usual the Met org would be over the top in its celebration. To celebrate a Braves Hall of Famer at Shea seems a bit perverse. They'll do a tribute when they get home and that will be enough.

Sassdawg. said...

Metstra,

what section were you in for the Police. Coop and I went to the show.

-The Dawg-

Sassdawg. said...

Oh and booyah Tommy G!!!!

Metstradamus said...

Dawg,

115.

Anonymous said...

But for a fan of a franchise that has been around for 45 years, I have to say "Congratulations!!!" You accomplished something for this franchise that no one has ever done, not even the best pitcher in Mets history, "The Franchise"...You won your 300th game as a New York Met!!!!

I absolutely agree with you. I'm also a great fan of this franchise.

Also, I've got a blog with business franchise information. I will write about it soon.