Amazin's Advance to the NLCS [J. Mark English]

"The Mets are gonna be amazing." - Casey Stengel

"Ya Gotta Believe!" - Tug McGraw

Well Met fans, the day we've been waiting for since 1996 has finally arrived. The Mets advance to the NLCS on the same day that the Yankees are knocked out of the ALDS by the Tigers. Many Met fans will feel great taking this fact to the bank.

But lets remember that playing in the NLCS will mean nothing years from now if the Mets cannot win the World Series. The eye should be on the ultimate prize, not on how the cross town rivals fair.

Be that as it may, tonight the Mets took care of business...and swept the Los Angeles Dodgers. They avenged the 1988 NLCS loss, solidified their status as the class of the National League, and proved that even without two of their top starters, they can still be a formidable team.

The Mets started the game off as if they were back on the nine game winning streak they had back in June. They scored early and often...taking a 3-0 lead against Greg Maddux in the 1st inning. But then things settled down. With the score 4-2 in the bottom of the 5th, Jeff Kent of the Dodgers tied the scored. Then the Mets walked in the go ahead run, to trail 5-4.

Without missing a beat the Mets battled back, and eventually retook the lead, and then built on it...nothing pretty...but with solid hits from everyone. Great hitting, great contact, great speed, great power...everything was great. No...it was simply amazin'. Finally, Billy Wagner came in to finish off the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth with a 9-5 lead. He gave you some moments of sweat, but he got all three crucial outs.

The Mets showed a killer instinct. They would not be denied what was their right. If they can continue to play as if they are on a mission, then the lack of starting pitching may not hurt them as much as it would another team.

One last tid bit...a sad bit of news about Cliff Floyd...as he injured himself today. Hopefully he can come back, but if not this may have been his last game in a Mets uniform. Thanks for all you have done for us Cliff Floyd.

Enjoy this for now... I can't wait for the New York Giants game tomorrow. And on Wednesday back to battle we go, as we await the winner of the San Diego Padres/St. Louis Cardinals series.

LETS GO METS!