N.Y. POST SPORTS WEEK
While the Mets appear to be favorites for the NL wild card, the players know that sooner or later they must knock off the Braves for this season to be truly successful, New York PostSports Week reports in this week’s edition.
In the Sept. 14-20 issue, which hits newsstands today, several Mets acknowledge the Braves’ dominance over them the last few seasons and talk about what it will take to overcome their rivals.
The Mets probably will face San Francisco or Arizona in the first round of the playoffs, but the Braves hold the key to the Mets’ postseason hopes.
“Those other two teams are good, but Atlanta’s still the king of the road, and it’s going to have to go through Atlanta,” Met catcher Todd Pratt said.
“We’ve been the second son in the National League for the last two years. Like I said, the road’s going through Atlanta. And even if we win the division, it’s still going to come down to who beats Atlanta in the playoffs to get to the next round.”
The story, titled, “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Hate ‘Em,” previews the two upcoming Met-Brave series – the first starting Monday at Turner Field, then the following week at Shea Stadium. Writer Michael Morrissey draws comparisons between the Met-Brave rivalry and the Knick-Bull matchups of the mid-’90s.
“They’re still the team to beat,” Pratt said. “We might have played them tight, but we’re still not where we want to be playing them head to head.”
The current issue of NewYork Post Sports Week will be available through Wednesday.