Return of the Rivalry

Ask any young Mets fan who the team’s biggest rival is, and they will say the Phillies.  But those of us who remember the old days, as in the 1990s and early 2000s, know that deep down the Atlanta Braves are our true enemy.

Let’s face it: the Braves have gotten the better of the Mets through the years.  From Chipper naming his son Shea in tribute to his success there, to the dominance of the Braves big three pitchers, to Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run, to John Rocker’s crazy talk, most of the rivalry’s memories are bad ones for Mets fans.  

Well this weekend marks another installment in this storied clash  It’s a huge series for the Mets, who are three games behind the first place Braves and need to enter the All Star break on a high note.  It’s also a chance for the Mets to begin establishing themselves as the dominant team of the rivalry in this new decade.

A series sweep would go a long way towards that goal.  With Dickey, Pelfrey and Santana taking the mound, the Mets should take at least two out of three.  In the battle of rookie phenoms, ours (Ike Davis) is steadily raking while theirs (Jason Heyward) is sitting on the DL.   

If a matchup up 2010 All-Star infielders is your thing I’ll take Wright and Reyes Omar Infante, unless you have a thing for 1 HR and 22 RBI.  And to top it off the Mets won’t have to deal with that annoying Tomahawk Chop at Citi Field, the most annoying stadium sound in the world before the vuvuzela came along.   

And if all that doesn't make this a winning series for the New York Mets, the entire Mets Kool-Aid team will be there tonight.  Mike, Dave, and I will be upstairs in Section 519 if you want to stop by and say hello.  By the way, our combined record at Citi Field this year is a scorching  6-1.

So the stars are aligned for the Mets to start making some new and improved memories against the Braves in the 2010s.  More along the lines of Ventura’s grand slam single, the 10 run comeback, and Piazza’s incredible post-9/11 blast.  Starting this weekend, let’s make sure Chipper doesn’t want to name his next kid “Citi”.        

This post was written by Mike Simon.