ESPN Classic just replayed game 5 of the 1999 NLCS. Braves at Mets. I noticed it as I was flipping through channels and naturally I couldn't turn it off. Even though it took until midnight (and we have an early start in the morning!) I had to watch it until the rain-soaked end: Robin Ventura's bottom-of-extra-innings grand-slam single.

I remember going totally berserk in my living room as I watched it live. That was the most exciting season I ever followed, played by my favorite line-up of Mets players. Even the following year when they actually made it into the World Series was not the gritty and fun baseball that made 1999 stand out. And even though we didn't have cable TV at the time, there were still enough games on regular broadcast for us to follow the team pretty closely. What a ball-club.

Pro ball has seemed kind of boring since that season -- and the girly-men who now dominate the sport don't seem nearly as spirited as the Agbayanis, Cedenos, Alfonzos and Ordonezs (the Reys, not those other ones) of back then.

Hey Mets, bring back Bobby Valentine. And get some players with heart -- like that John Franco. Or even Todd Pratt! Then if your games were ever on TV I'd watch. In the meantime, I'm going to sleep.