I'm Not Gonna Lie To You...

The Subway Series scares me, for a lot of reasons.

Yes, the Mets come into the series extremely hot. And the Yankees are cold. But the Mets (and their fans) are in a no win situation here. If they win the series, the excuses will be that the Yankees used a couple of rookies as starters. If the Yanks win, the media and Yankee fans will destroy the Mets for losing this series. Most of the local papers seem to think the Mets will win this series easily. They have logical reasons for saying so. Let's start with the pitching matchups.

The Yankees will send Pettitte, Rasner and one of either Tyler Clippard, Chase Wright, or Wang to the mound. Pettitte has the ability to dominate any time out. I don't think he is a long term good fit, but he can take control of a game, and has an excellent history versus the Mets. As for the other two, they are classic SUCK ME opponents. Just yesterday, the Cubs threw Angel Guzman at the Mets, and he held them in check (albeit, he held the B Team in check, but still). So that worries me.

On the other hand, the Mets are sending out their top 3. Tonight, Oliver Perez, tomorrow Glavine, Sunday will be Maine. O Pea is good one start, then OK the next. He was great his last start, so the potential is there for a downer. That could hurt against Pettitte. In his favor is the Yankees abysmal record against lefties this year. That goes for Glavine tomorrow. I think Tommy is due for a good to great start, and will get it. Sunday night is Maine. He has struggled in May following an outstanding April. Will he get on track? Between Perez and Maine, the potential for a lot of walks exists. Ollie has kept them down, but the Yankees have a history of being patient at the plate. It is VITAL that all 3 Mets starters hit their spots early, to take the patience out of play. No nibbling, attack, attack, attack.

For all of the hype about how the Yankee offense leads the league in runs with 212, people forget the Mets have 211. And that is with Wright having been MIA for April, and Delgado still basically MIA. The Yankees are struggling now, they have gotten decent starts, but the lineup has gone cold. I fully expect them to do everything they can to beat the Mets this weekend. They know that George hates nothing more than losing to the Mets (save for losing to the Red Sox). But at this point in time, with the media poised to pounce on the Yankees and possibly move more coverage to the Mets, George would blow his top should they lose here. Plus, they then have 3 with the Red Sox in the Bronx next week. Going into that series losing to the Mets would be an invitation for disaster. In the back of my mind, I know Damon, Matsui and Abreu are too good to slump for much longer. They are due to break out, and it could happen this weekend.

So, what does this all mean? Do I really expect the Yankees to take this series? I have two words for you:

FUCK NO!

The Mets are in a prime spot here. The Yankees are struggling. The Mets are hot. Delgado has shown some signs of emerging from his slump. Wright already has. The rest of the guys are doing their jobs. Plus, they know the Braves are close, and are facing the Red Sox this weekend. The Braves are in for a tough series, and the Mets know they have an opportunity to increase their lead, leading into the visit to Atlanta next week. I fully expect the Mets to come out swinging, and to do everything possible to win. Beat up on the starters, and get to that overworked pen. The fact that they had to throw Vizcaino, Villone and Proctor yesterday hurts them. Their pen has been used more than Paris Hilton so far, and is as thin as she is as well. On paper, the teams are relatively even among the regulars. It is the pitching that separates them. The Mets pitching is superior. No ifs, ands or buts. From the starters to the bridge guys in the pen, to the closer so far this year, the Mets are better. Period.

I don't care about being perceived as the better team by the media. If the Mets win, the excuse that the Yankees are hurting is there for their fans to rely on. Giambi is going to be limited due to a bone spur in his heel and the lack of the DH in the NL. Of course, the old "Well, we have 26 Championships, what does a series in May mean" is there as well. To me, the important thing is to win series, no matter who the opponent is. The only reason a sweep for the Mets this weekend would be great is that the Braves could lose all 3 in Boston, and the Mets could put some distance between them. I don't care about the media being able to proclaim the Mets the "Best Team in NY". I care about the Mets winning the World Series.

Now, as I said up top, I'm not gonna lie to you. I would of course do my share of boasting if they won. I have had to deal with shit from Yankee fans for years, from co-workers, friends, neighbors. So far this year though, they have been quiet. I find that quite interesting. So I will give a little back. But at the end of the day, the only thing a series win in May means is that the Mets won a couple of games, and hopefully built some breathing room in the division.

I want to hear "Taking Care of Business at least twice this weekend. Three would be fantastic. All the while, I want a Sox sweep, and the Braves reeling as we head to Atlanta. That's the important series.

LETS GO METS!