Take Two?

YANKS-METS playing a rare two-stadium Subway Series doubleheader today/tonight. Unfortunately for my fellow Yankees fans, Mets are crushing us 15-5. Carlos Delgado had a good season in the 1st game: driving in 9 runs and smashing 2 HRs. If I told you his second homer -- an absolute moon shot to the old Yankees bullpen -- came off Yanks reliever LaTroy Hawkins, would you be even remotely surprised? How could you be? This guy gives putrid a bad name. He had an ERA over 6 coming into the game, and now it's a case of If 6 Was 9, which it will be. This guy is not only letting in 6 of his own runs a game, but what about the inherited baserunners he lets in every outing. This is one of Brian Cashman's more boneheaded moves, and that's saying something. The guy has absolutely nothing left, and I don't even have the heart if that's the right word to look up Hawkins' salary this year; it's gotta be something obscene that Cashman threw at this guy to come ply his trade in the Bronx.

Mets shill Mike Lupica was whining about the Yankees having such an easy stretch recently: "The Yankees really are in the middle of one of the softest interleague schedules in the history of the known universe: Astros, Padres, Reds, Pirates. And, well, our kids from Shea." Lupica can't resist taking shots at the Yanks, even if he did cloak it with a knock at the Mets. What can't be denied is that nobody would have heard of him if he didn't ride the wave of New York Yankees championships back in the late 1970s (writing several books about the team in the process) while he worked for the Daily News. Now that he's on the Wilpons' dick, however, he takes a minimum of 2-3 shots in his lame Sunday "Shooting from the Lip" column.

The irony is that the Mets hosted the mighty Mariners of Seattle earlier this week, owners of the worst record in MLB coming into Shea at 26-49, and yet the Mets were lucky to salvage the last game after getting absolutely humiliated at home the first two games. In fact, the first game they were shut out by M's knuckleballer R.A. Dickey -- which come to think of it sounds like a name Bart Simpson would use on a prank call to Moe's Tavern. Dickey came into the game with a 5.77 ERA, and had lost 11 of his last 12 decisions. He got well on the Mets, though, but in fairness seeing a knuckleball for the first time in who knows how long can't be easy for the hitters.

Ex-Yankee Shawn Chacon was first suspended by the Astros for insubordination, then waived, after his run-in with GM Ed Wade. Actually, it was more of a physical attack than a run-in. After Wade informed him he was going to the bullpen, Chacon took him by the neck and pushed him to the ground, if you can picture that. This is not the first sign of disturbing behavior by Chacon, but it could be he just burned his last chance in the bigs.

Mets have a nice 12-game stretch coming up: 4 against Yanks, 4 vs. Cards, then 4 with Phils. Cards are a surprise team, 10 games over .500, while Phils have been sucking lately (10 runs scored in last 5 games) but they're due to break out offensively any day now.

The 9th inning of the Mets-Yankees game at Yankee Stadium just started and it's almost 6:00. The next game is at Shea and is set to begin at 7:30. Unless the teams are airlifted, it looks like that start will be pushed back a bit. But wait, Wilson Betemit just drove in a run, cutting it to 15-6! John Sterling senses a comeback! But no, it's over. Mets win, Thuuuuuuuuuuuhhh Mets Win!

Now it's off to Shea for 3 more games this weekend. Guess who starts for the Yankees tonight at Shea? Sidney Ponson! I'd rather have Shawn Chacon pitching the second game. Maybe Cashman is working the phones trying to pull off a big deal for pitching between games of the doubleheader. With no Hidecki Matsui available, hitting .323, Yanks are gonna need all the help they can get tonight against old friend Pedro Martinez in Game 2.