The Masters and the Morrow

Yup, the Mets lost another tough one today and it was lost by Carrasco and the relievers, most of whom didn’t do much. The ones who did perform were in for just a batter. The right fielder Duda let one go right over his head. The Mets wasted 7 innings of terrific starting pitching from the resurgent Chris Young. The Nats Tyler Clifford made the Mets lineup look like monkeys.

But all that was nothing, just 1 more of 153 left to go. The real excitement is happening in Augusta at the Masters. It seems as if there’re ten guys who could win it and Tiger is one of the guys. The 21-year old phenom from Northern Ireland has faltered, finally. Woods may not win this thing but he sure made a lot of folks uncomfortable.

First, I have to say that Masters course looks great on an HD TV. Mine is just 42 inches but everything looks just beautiful. It can’t be much nicer in person. But the really amazing thing going on there is this phenomenal race to the finish line amongst 6 or 7 really different horses.

There’s the swaggering Woods, of course. Compare him to the sturdy and reliable K.J. Choi or either of them to the lumbering Angel Cabrera, all of these real pro’s pros. They’re pitted against the young lions of the game, Jason Day and Luke Donald and Charl Schwartzel , older fellas Geoff Ogilvy and Bo Van Pelt.

It’s each of them against the course, of course, but it sure doesn’t seem that way.

As this is written, Tiger’s round is nearly done. He gets a big hand from the crowd around the clubhouse. But he misses his 20-footer for birdie. So he’ll finish at 10-under, the most popular score, it seems, for the last nine holes. Now he’s done and the crowd gives him another hand. So I guess he’s forgiven, or everybody’s just overwhelmed by the moment, or maybe they’re just being nice Southern people.

It’s really a mind-bender to watch. The variety of shots that present themselves, the impossible lies and the rolls this way and that, the skinny fairways and gigantic traps, the water and the trees. Adam Scott is actually the leader right now. But somehow I can’t see him leading this thing at the end. I figure it’ll be Choi or Ogilvy, the more experienced players.

But, whatever happens, you know there is only one of these Masters crowns handed out each year. The tension is palpable. The only one not feeling anything is Choi. An explosion might not even do it. Now Ogilvy finishes his 10-under. Now we see Schwartzel on the fairway, he’s 10-under too but his seemingly nice approach shot rolls over the impossibly narrow and sloping green.

The baseball game, the Mets game of course, was interesting though, if just for the decisions that went awry for Mets manager Terry Collins. He took the starter who was rolling out after 7 innings and replaced him with a guy who just wouldn’t throw a strike. Pitch count anxiety claims still another victim. The theory is that he’ll live to pitch another day. Sure. What about today?

This golf tournament is all about today. The guy I haven’t been expecting much from, Adam Scott, is now 12-under. Go figure. He seems to be enjoying the attention. Here’s Jason Day again. I wonder what could’ve happened if he could have been in the final pairing again with the youngster Rory McIlroy. They played so well together. I knew pairing him with Cabrera would be a problem.

Now Schwartzel, the young South African, makes an incredible downhill putt from at least 10 feet to make his 12-under and share the lead. He extends the lead to 13-under later and stands just about 15 feet and two putts from keeping it that way. And he doesn’t look that worried, even for a downhill runner speeding toward a tiny pocket in the green. Maybe that’s why it goes in in one. The new Masters Champion is now this unflappable South African fellow.

There was no tomorrow in any one of these guys fighting for the green jacket. There’s nothing but tomorrows for our Mets. Collins just trots his pitchers out there. If they do the job, fine, but he doesn’t worry that much about it. Maybe he should start acting with a little urgency for a win. When a team gets the opportunity, it should close the door.

My worst fears about this Mets team look to be coming true. The starters who surprised us last year with some very good performances all year have thus far stunk it up in 2011, starting with Mr. Pelfrey but Niese hasn’t blown anyone away either this year. Dickey looked ridiculous on the mound Friday. The best pitchers have been the new guys, Chris Young and Chris Capuano, but one wonders how long that can last. And the relievers have been just awful.

The lineup has potential but doesn’t fulfill its potential very often. Wright’s been good but strikes out a lot. Beltran had a big day with 2 homers and Collins immediately gave him an off day. Reyes gets in position to steal a lot but never attempts a steal. I’m forced to say that Collins’s situational awareness kind of sucks.

As a manager so far, I’d give him a D+. He’s a nice guy though. Geez.

There’s not a lot of pop in the lineup. And if Jason Bay ever stops feeling “discomfort in his ribs”, we’ll find out how long it takes him to get hurt again. His willingness to play through discomfort is non-existent. The concussion in July was discomfiting enough for him to miss the entire rest of the 2010 season. This is a man who wants to be traded. This is a man who’s afraid to show himself at CitiField.

This team might show some feistiness and contend or it might just wait for tomorrow.