I have not commented about the Mets season so far. But I have come to the sad conclusion that it's over. Contrary to the old slogan, it ain't over till it's over. IT IS OVER!
The Mets are 9.5 games out of their division and 6.5 games out of the wildcard. Of course in the wildcard race, there are 7 teams ahead of the Mets so it is probably easier to make up the 9.5 games in their division because they play teams in their division more than to win the wildcard race. The season started out okay but it's been downhill for the last three months.
In case you have not been to the new Shea stadium yet, you should go. It is a world of difference from old Shea. New Shea has good food, much better seats and the stadium style seating makes you feel closer to the field. It does lack some charm, but most new things lack something in the first couple of years. After a few years, it'll feel like home.
But back to the actual baseball season, like I wrote earlier, it is over. The injuries to key players have devastated this team. The Mets lost their all star lead off player, their all star center fielder and their clean up man. Not to mention losing other less important, but nevertheless important, players during the course of the season. Right now, watching the team, it feels like I am watching a split squad spring training team. A lot of regulars, but also a lot of players that have no business in the starting lineup for a team spending well north of a hundred million dollars in payroll.
The blame does not fall on Omar in my opinion. It is what it is. This year was just not meant to be because of something beyond the Mets control. I understand some people are upset at the lack of quality replacements for the injured starters, but most replacements are good for only a short period of time. It is the reason why they are part time players. Rookies from the minor leagues can become stars, but usually they struggle making the adjustment in the majors and in a major market like NYC, fans and media are less forgiving of their rookie mistakes.
Still, even though I have given up on the Mets season, I follow the games in the rather foolish hope that the Mets can pull off another miracle. I know I was tempted to dream of this possibility recently after their five game winning streak. I might have a better chance of winning the Powerball or MegaMillions lottery than the Mets making the playoffs this year.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
World Open
It has been almost a month since I went off to Philadelphia to compete in the World Open which is probably the largest annual open chess tournament in the world. At least that is what the organizers seem to claim every year. They might have a valid point considering there were over one thousand chess playing fanatics there. If I could only play in one tournament a year, this would be it because of the large number of people competing.
I have played in this tournament every so often whenever the mood strikes me. As noted in my previous entry, I have taken some time off from chess tournaments in recent years for no reason whatsoever. And so I did not really expect to do really well in the tournament. Much to my surprise and dismay, I did better than expected, but just well enough to finish out of the money.
I started off poorly when I could not defeat my opponent in the first round and was actually lucky to escape with a draw. The next two rounds saw me winning both games. One of those was against an up and coming young woman in her late teens. The next day saw me draw the morning game and win the night game. So after five rounds, I had four points, which is a pretty good score. The downside was that early morning draw. It was against a rather young kid, he might have still been in elementary school. And looking back at the game, I should have been more aggressive early in the game because he had made some minor mistakes out of the opening. But I think this was where the layoff from chess did the most damage to my chess playing form. While I was not in an inferior position when we agreed to a draw, I lacked the necessary "feel" for the game that I used to have in the past. Because I did not have the "feel" I lacked the courage to continue playing that game. Still, four out of five was a good position to be in with four games to go.
The second half of the tournament, was not as good as the first half. It started out okay as I managed to draw in game six and a win in game seven. Again the draw was more a case of a lack of courage to play on in an even position. Though in the aftermath of the game, I might have been in a slightly worse position, but I should have played on since there was a lot of life left in the game. The night game was a lot of fun. I decided to play a very off beat line and in the complications of the middle game managed to win some material and held onto to win. My real mistakes did not happen until the last day. The morning game ended in a short draw. I am not sure why I agreed to a draw after only five moves. I had white in this round which meant I would get black in the last round. But I took the draw and decided to rest up for the last round. So after eight rounds, I had a score of six out of eight, which still put me somewhere in the mix for a money prize, but probably out of the running for the top prize. It was a moot point since I lost the last round in a somewhat horrible fashion. Suffice it to say, I did not play well and lost rather miserably.
But even though I finished out of the money, I had a lot of fun. It is always a fun tournament, at least when you have a shot at the prize. I will definately try to get back that "feel" I used to have for the game before I try again next year. And make no mistake about it, I will be back to try to win first place in my section.
I have played in this tournament every so often whenever the mood strikes me. As noted in my previous entry, I have taken some time off from chess tournaments in recent years for no reason whatsoever. And so I did not really expect to do really well in the tournament. Much to my surprise and dismay, I did better than expected, but just well enough to finish out of the money.
I started off poorly when I could not defeat my opponent in the first round and was actually lucky to escape with a draw. The next two rounds saw me winning both games. One of those was against an up and coming young woman in her late teens. The next day saw me draw the morning game and win the night game. So after five rounds, I had four points, which is a pretty good score. The downside was that early morning draw. It was against a rather young kid, he might have still been in elementary school. And looking back at the game, I should have been more aggressive early in the game because he had made some minor mistakes out of the opening. But I think this was where the layoff from chess did the most damage to my chess playing form. While I was not in an inferior position when we agreed to a draw, I lacked the necessary "feel" for the game that I used to have in the past. Because I did not have the "feel" I lacked the courage to continue playing that game. Still, four out of five was a good position to be in with four games to go.
The second half of the tournament, was not as good as the first half. It started out okay as I managed to draw in game six and a win in game seven. Again the draw was more a case of a lack of courage to play on in an even position. Though in the aftermath of the game, I might have been in a slightly worse position, but I should have played on since there was a lot of life left in the game. The night game was a lot of fun. I decided to play a very off beat line and in the complications of the middle game managed to win some material and held onto to win. My real mistakes did not happen until the last day. The morning game ended in a short draw. I am not sure why I agreed to a draw after only five moves. I had white in this round which meant I would get black in the last round. But I took the draw and decided to rest up for the last round. So after eight rounds, I had a score of six out of eight, which still put me somewhere in the mix for a money prize, but probably out of the running for the top prize. It was a moot point since I lost the last round in a somewhat horrible fashion. Suffice it to say, I did not play well and lost rather miserably.
But even though I finished out of the money, I had a lot of fun. It is always a fun tournament, at least when you have a shot at the prize. I will definately try to get back that "feel" I used to have for the game before I try again next year. And make no mistake about it, I will be back to try to win first place in my section.
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