Blow It Up! Marlins Beat Mets to Close 2008 Season Down

Goodbye, Shea Stadium. You won’t be missed.

Well, at least by me. Never been there – went to Yankee Stadium instead. There is nothing that seemed to stand out about Shea except that stupid apple that would light up when the Mets hit home runs.

Too bad it didn’t light up for the last two home runs hit there – one by Wes Helms and one by Dan Uggla. Both home runs pushed the Marlins past the Mets and also propelled the Brewers, officially, into the postseason.

And as Cameron Maybin squeezed his glove around the final out – a pop fly to center field from Ryan Church – the Marlins claimed the win. The boos showered down from the Mets faithful who looked more like a photo op from an enema convention. The signs went up asking for miracles and paging for Dr. Heimlich. The smiles for the Marlins were a bit wider than normal because this victory had some sweetness to it – for the second straight year they eliminated the Mets from the playoffs on their field.

Seems like the Fish own the place. Might as well blow it up and tear it down. The Mets, in their 44 year history there, mustered as many titles as the Marlins have in their brief history.

So, for neither team the season ended as they would have wished. Still, the Marlins climbed to 84 wins (and possibly could have had 85 wins if not for a game that was called against the Nationals) which isn’t bad considering they only have a $22M payroll. With 17 arbitration eligible players on their roster heading into the offseason, it is expected that there will be changes. The payroll is expected to go up, so that is good news.

And so is how the Marlins season ended – they look to be in contention next season. Destroying the Mets season for the second straight season isn’t half bad either.

Don't Swim Alone! Share!

•