Overview

This NY Mets team reminds me a little of the 2007 NY Giants. The Giants started that year poor, nobody really had expectations for them and when they made the playoffs it was more like Yeah nice story. Until they kept surprising everyone and winning on the road. And ironically their first playoff matchup against their arch rival Dallas came along the way. Ditto the Mets and the Phillies. So Yeah I say Why The Hell Not! Mets have as good a chance of any team left to win it all

I think they're playing the long game with Senga. They got a few innings out of him and that looked like the plan going in. If the Mets make a sustained run he could possibly help. On a personal note this game was awesome. Had an impromptu facetime with our two sons that started in the first inning and lasted through the last out. Good times.

@SinceThe70s @Gugny @Another Fan Kodai Senga is starting game one against the Phil-thies this afternoon. Let's hope this is a pleasant surprise and not a nightmare (only one start this year makes me nervous). LGM!

It's the Kroger on University City Boulevard, next to the University Mall Shopping Center. There is a VT bookstore in that shopping center which has a lot of Hokie gear & merchandise, if you need/want anything. The Kroger Fuel Center and Zeppoli's are across the road from the shopping center, Macado's and a Starbucks are across the road from Kroger. I think this is what you're struggling to say... Un...real. "YA GOTTA BELIEVE!"

I'm speechless.

Thanks, much appreciated. I'm always interested in tips/tricks/advice from folks i know rather than relying on the interwebs. And not necessariy what I'd think to ask but what folks tell (good or bad). Is Zeppoli's by the Krogers near campus or the huge Kroger's on South Main Street further from campus? I was shocked when I saw that one had an open bar. A grocery store with a bar was a first for me. All that aside it's about damn time we got a run!!!

Glad to hear that everything is trending in the right direction with your son. So what kinds of tips/tricks/advice were you looking to get? If you don't know already, most of the restaurants and stores are in nearby Christiansburg. Blacksburg is mostly the campus although there are a few things around there the locals/kids like, like Cabo Fish Taco & Benny Marzano's Pizza. There is an Italian place we really like which doesn't look like much from the street. It's in a tiny kind of strip mall across from the Kroger (next to the Kroger gas pumps) called Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant and Wine Shop. Worth the visit, IMO. Macado's, past the other side of the Kroger gas station, is a local Blacksburg hang that's been around forever. It's one of those places with a bunch pf pop culture memorabilia on the walls and ceiling. The hotel situation isn't great. Mostly overpriced 'Motel 6' and 'Comfort Inn' types a few miles from town. There are a couple of higher priced places like the Hyatt and Marriott. Radford is not too far away (20 minutes or so) and has some options, as well.

Thanks for the well wishes, it's been a helluva last two weeks with my son but everythjing is trending positively. And damn, nice VT coincidence, what a small world. I also have a nephew who graduated in 2023! I'd be interested in any tips/tricks/advice yo have for VT and the Blacksburg area, We're headed back down in two weeks for a scheduled visit. VT/BC on Thursday and then on to my older son and Maryland/USC on Saturday. They needed to put the Brewers away last night with Montas on the mound. When they went up 3-0 I was thinking they had to get to 5 runs. 100% agree on leaving Manaea in an extra inning. I was 50/50 on Diaz in the 8th but you just knew the top of teh order was too much for Maton. Shoudl have pulled him after the single. I may have given Stanek the chance to go two like he did with Butto. All may have been moot if he had gotten another inning out of Manaea. In fairness to Mendoza he doesn't have great options out of the pen. And in hindsight I wish we had Megill as a late inning option over the no name (Krasnick). Also 100% agree on Alonso. I remember seeing one of those strike zone charts for Pete in 2023 and it showed that the vast majority of his HR's were on pitches down the middle. He was hitting mistakes which is fine regular season, not so much against better post-season pitching. It'd be sad to see the lovable lug-nut go, but probably money spent better elsewhere. LGM!

Oh, wow! So sorry to hear about your son. I hope he is on the mend and doing better now. I watched that VT game and couldn't believe that wild ending. Heartbreaker for sure. My older son graduated from VA Tech in 2022, so we have that in common along with our Bills & Mets fandom. 😎 Speaking of heartbreakers, I can't help but feel that the Mets let a golden opportunity slip away last night with Manaea on the mound. I was confident going into last night, not so much today (decades & decades of Mets scar tissue). Last night was one of the few times I've disagreed with Mendoza's decisions. I was watching with my younger son and told him that I would've left Manaea in the game for at least the sixth inning. He came out after five innings having thrown "only" 86 pitches. Push it Mendy, Manaea wasn't pitching again until the weekend anyway. It's the postseason, you have to pull out all the stops. Pitch counts and rest go out the window. Murphy cost the Brewers Game 1 by pulling Peralta too soon, IMO. The other thing I said was that I would've used Diaz in the eighth inning since it was a high leverage situation with the best hitters for the Brewers due up. After that, I would've taken my chances in the ninth with Maton. We'll never know now if that would've been the better course of action. Lindor is hitless in this series but I don't worry about him. He's been MVP level up to now. The one who I worry about and who is irritating me is Alonso. They have gotten nothing from him offensively and he needs to get it going tonight. If the Mets get bounced here, I honestly think it will be the last we see of Alonso in a Mets uniform. Boras is going to have a helluva time getting Pete a "break the bank" contract. I have always liked Pete but, honestly, I would let him walk at this point. I'd rather take a run at Soto or Adames from the Brewers. LGM!

Unbelievable! I didn't see any of it, but you can thank me anyway. I've been at my sons college since last week - he broke his collarbone and had surgery on Friday - we rented an airbnb for his recovery an on Friday night watched his school (Va Tech) lose in excruciating fashion, on Saturday we watched my other sons school lose which will make it very difficult to get a bowl bid and then last night, well enough said! That rental property was a house of horrors sports-watching wise. Had we stayed an extra day the Mets would surely have lost. Now let's knock the Braves out!!!!!

This just in: Chris Sale has been scratched for Game 2 due to back spasms. Wow. Atlanta has to be kicking themselves for letting that one get away.

And Diaz promptly comes in and gives up 4 runs to put them in a 7-6 deficit heading to the 9th. I was pissed that they brought him yesterday with a 5-0 lead and he needed 26 pitches to get 3 outs. And today he comes in with traffic on the bases (1st & 3rd) which I absolutely HATE. It's well documented how I feel about him coming in when it's not a "clean" inning. They had it and gave it away and the Braves had exhausted all of their big guns for Game 2. And then Lindor hits a 2-run HR in the top of the 9th, Diaz comes back for the bottom or the 9th and hangs on with a runner on 2nd! METS WIN, 8-7!!!!! POSTSEASON 2024! WOW!

@SinceThe70s Reverse jinx! Mets have score 6 in the 8th and now lead, 6-3! And they did it off of the Braves closer, Iglesias. They need to get this!

@SinceThe70s It won't matter, this season is finishing like most other Mets seasons. Apparently, this team thinks Scwellenbach is the next coming of Cy Young because they've score exactly one run off of him in 2 and 2/3 games and find themselves trailing 3-0 going to the bottom of the 7th. Megill came up small...again...and threw meat pitches for a 2-run HR and a solo HR. And the "offense" has a whopping 3 hits. This game is lost. Six more outs. All that remains now is for some nobody pitcher for Atlanta to shut them down in the nightcap to end their season.

- If the Mets & Braves split, both teams are in the playoffs and the D-bags are out. - If the Mets sweep, the Mets & D-bags are in and the Braves are out. - If the Braves sweep, the Braves & D-bags are in and the Mets are out. Win the first and the pressure is off. Lose, and the curse in the house of horrors continues. If the Mets lose Game 1, no way does Sale pitch Game 2. He will be Atlanta's first starter in the playoffs.

I'm pretty sure that whoever wins game 1 is in the playoffs. Game 2 probables are Severino and Sale. I'll be surprised if both start.

@Another Fan The Mets and D-bags won on Sunday, the Braves lost. Peterson was clutch and light out. It now comes down to the Mets needing to win one of the two games in Atlanta on Monday to get into the playoffs. Let's get that first one so we don't have to sweat the nightcap. Oddly, it might have been better for the Mets had Atlanta won. They probably wouldn't have gone all out against the Mets because they would have been in already. Let's get pay back on these scumbags for 2022. LGM!

Diamondbacks and Mets faltering when it matters most. I think for the Mets it comes down to winning 2 of 3. Anything less and they are cooked.

Tonight. Uggh

Mets win the tie-breaker against the D'backs - so if we get one more win than them today or tomorrow we're in. If we go even with the D'Backs today and tomorrow a split on Monday gets us in. If none of that happens we can still get in by sweeping the Braves

Who has the tie breaker? Maybe last night was just a bad night? I didn't catch the game but heard the umpire was terrible. On another note I saw last night the White Sox broke the 62 Mets loss record I'm kind of puzzled what exactly it takes to win in the MLB in 2024. Spending money helps but isn't the end all be all. In a way hate to say it but the 1998 Yankees are like what most teams strive to be before the game turned into an analytic freak show..... that team didn't have an all star on it but was very very solid with fundamentals. And ironically Buck laid the foundation for it

It's going to come down to the Mets needing to win two on Monday. Yikes.

@SinceThe70s @Gugny @Another Fan Well, Manaea sh!t the bed tonight in a game that meant absolutely nothing to the Brewers. The pitching names change but the results remain the same. When will this organization finally field a staff that can win when it matters? And, of course, Atlanta won and the Mets' two game lead has completely evaporated. We just can't have nice things. <sigh>

@Gugny @Another Fan Yeah, there is a lot of scar tissue still. It took one loss at Atlanta for me to start questioning the Mets' chances. I still think they'll get it done but just once I'd like to see them go into Atlanta with something on the line and punch those annoying a$$holes in the mouth. It's gotten really old to constantly be their whipping boy.

Even if the Mets lose out Mendoza has still greatly exceeded my expectations for him from the beginning of the year. That being said it would be nice for him to nudge the team here over the last 5 games. Especially given the history with the devil in Georgia. I was initially overjoyed at the season to get worked up but when you’re this close I say go for it! Heck Buck was manager of the year then fired the next season. So who knows what tomorrow or next year brings. Lets Go Mets!