Yesterday Is Here

"well today is grey skies
tomorrow is tears
you'll have to wait til yesterday is here"

--Tom Waits, Yesterday Is Here

I'm not going to go on some wild tangent, pissing on the season and its dreams simply because the Mets have lost three out of their first four games against the Braves this season.

I could do that, mind you.

I could piss and moan about Larry hitting a two-run homer in the first bloody inning before the indigestion of the hotdogs had even settled in, barking up the bile before the Mighty Mets batting order had even had their swings.

I could whinge on and on about where the bloody 'ell were all those hits gone now that those bats were facing Braves pitching?

And of course, I could harken back all the dark memories of years past when the Braves would toy with the Mets like Tomokawa teasing Sukemasa, the policeman mocking the retarded boy, and the Mets couldn't buy a victory that was meaningful when the Braves were in town.

But I won't. Nor will David Wright, whose season-long hitting streak was brought to a screeching halt by the Braves.



"I'm disappointed we lost, I'm not one bit disappointed that the streak ended," The Boy Wonder explained.

That's how I felt. Hitting streaks are distractions. Winning streaks are euphoric.

*****


Jesus, Mike. Are you going to use any lubricant for that thing you're screwing us with?

To be honest, this sort of blow-out loss is hardly shocking. The Braves had Tim Hudson and his 0.62 ERA on the mound, the Tim Hudson of yesteryear, the A's Tim Hudson the Braves thought they were getting in that massive trade in the winter of 2004.

Conversely, the Mets had the kid who began last season with Single-A St Lucie and in a meteoric rise, was starting only his, what, 6th game ever in the Big Leagues?

So in a way, you could see where this was going from the onset.

From Kelly Johnson's game-opening single to Larry's first-pitch two-run shot.

But this is one of those games you ball up and bin. You forget about this and think about Jackie Robinson instead.

I'm not even sure you think about Saturday wot with Zambrano Perez
attempting to redeem last start's worrisome disaster and Chuck James bringing his svelte 2.25 ERA to Shea.

Sure, there was that wonderous day last July when James lasted just one inning against the Mets, giving up seven runs. But that was last year. If that yesterday comes here, all the better.

Otherwise we might have to start feeling queasy.