Just Call The Mets "Tea Totallers"

If you were watching the first inning of tonight's Mets-Phillies tilt, you were reminded of many things.  Fans from my generation will recall the game between the Mets and Phillies on June 11, 1985, otherwise known as The Von Hayes Game.

In that debacle, the Mets set the franchise record for runs allowed in a game, losing to the Phillies 26-7.  Aided by two first-inning home runs by Von Hayes including a grand slam, the Phillies took a 16-0 lead after two innings en route to their lopsided win.  Three Mets pitchers (Tom Gorman, Calvin Schiraldi and Joe Sambito) combined to give up all 26 runs.  Amazingly, almost incomprehensibly, Doug Sisk pitched 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief, despite entering the game with a 7.68 ERA.

That's what I was reminded of.  But more mature fans (and by more mature, I mean fans who remember seeing Dave Schneck and Al Schmelz stinking it up in Mets uniforms) might think of tonight's first inning and be reminded of this:



The Mets weren't nearly as bad against the Phillies as the Tea Totallers were against the Gas-House Gorillas in that classic Bugs Bunny sketch.  But they were pretty close, allowing eight first inning runs to their division rivals.

Instead of batters doing a conga line to home plate, it was Mets fans making a beeline toward the exits.  That's just what happens when the team you root is playing like a cartoon.