Three Down...

Dave Paisley

So the Yankees are one win away from their third straight, fourth-of-the-last-five World Championship. The Mets face sudden death each and every night from here on out. If they win a game, it's just more of the same until it's over. Another game like Game 4 and we all pack it up till spring training. Good effort, just not good enough to beat the Yankees. Yes, the team that had the ninth-best record in the regular season, and the worst record of all teams that made the playoffs (just another tongue-in-cheek reference, Yankee fans...)

And speaking of more of the same, just how excruciating is the FOX coverage? Normally I wouldn't complain about not being able to hear Tim McCarver babble on, but knowing that he's babbling and I can't hear it because the crowd noise is mixed so high over the commentators' voices is worse. It seems that FOX has a crowd mike stuffed right inside that cow bell that clanks away like crazy, and another one stuck right in a PA speaker out in the bleachers.

I'm all for a decent amount of "ambiance of the game" type noise, but this is ridiculous. It's even more noticeable when switching to another channel during the breaks when the incessant and annoying crowd buzz completely disappears. I was trying to think of a way to represent in writing just how obnoxious the sound has been, and the best I could come up with was the following:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXFOX'sXXXXXcoverageXXXXofXXXXXXXtheXXXXXXXXXXXWorldXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXSeriesXXXXXXXreallyXXXXXXXXXXXblowsXXXXXX.XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXchunksXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You get the idea, I'm sure...

It also seems like the World Series doesn't sharpen up the IQ of the average fan, either. During the regular season I get to see enough fair balls down the lines that curve into foul territory against the fan seating. Now it seems to me that if you're willing to cough up the bucks for a front row seat down the baseline that you'd know enough about baseball that when the ump points his arm towards fair territory that the ball is fair, and thus still in play.

Whether it's the primitive caveman "must get ball" instinct, or just the lure of a free $6 souvenir, it seems that the hypnotic nature of a ball down the line compels every yokel in the front row (and some in the second) to reach over the rail and interfere with it. It's interesting that darn few of them actually retrieve the ball anyway.

Such was the case with Mike Piazza's double down the left field line in Game 3. It's a good job Benny Agbayani didn't hit his double in the eighth down there because the fan may not have survived the ensuing dismemberment as Zeile would have been sent back to third base. Of course, the stupid bunting hanging down to the ground didn't help, either.

According to most parks' stated rules, such interference is rewarded with prompt ejection by the security staff. I have no idea whether said Game 3 yokel was treated that way, but it was fun to see the guy who retrieved the ball (a ballboy, I believe) roll the ball in towards the dugout rather than give it to the expectant fan. The crestfallen look on the guy's face was a beautiful sight to behold.

But back to the games themselves. Every game so far has been very tight, the exception perhaps being Game 2, but even that game came to a glorious finale. And that's one reason I don't believe the Mets can pull this out. With four nail-biters behind us, I don't see much changing, and it's very difficult to win three straight tight games.

And let's face it, the Yankees have managed to get to a 3-1 lead without a peep from Bernie Williams. How long is that going to last? With a suddenly rejuvenated Paul O'Neill, Derek Jeter cementing his place in Yankee folklore, and solid contributions from Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius, the Yanks' offense has done quite well for itself.

The Mets have had precious little to cheer about from Edgardo Alfonzo, Jay Payton and Timo Perez. Of course, it's really asking a lot for the latter two to contribute much. And speaking of Payton, has there ever been an uglier at-bat than Jay Payton's strikeout in the sixth inning of Game 3 with the tying run already in, bases loaded and nobody out? They might as well have put a blindfold on him -- he couldn't have done any worse. But of course, the Mets won that game anyway, so I guess the loss of style points doesn't count.

Of course, the Mets' main goal is to take it "one game at a time," and the bonus for them with a win in Game 5 is chance to see Roger Clemens again in Game 6. Now there's a grudge match to look forward to. If we get that far, and if I were Roger, I'd be very careful covering first. But maybe that's just me...

Dave Paisley's plan to streak across the field wearing nothing but a Strikethree.com g-string during Game 5 will likely come to naught, but he's selling photos anyway at drdjp@strikethree.com.

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