[jg2977]

Mad Dog Russo (loud, rapid fire, almost shouting):
“MIKEY! THE YANKEES TAKE GAME ONE! THEY WIN IT EIGHT TO FOUR AT CITI FIELD — SUNG-HYO KIM, REMEMBER THE NAME, THREE HITS, TWO HOMERS, SIX RBIS! HE KILLED THE METS! ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED ‘EM! THE METS HAD A LEAD, FOUR TO THREE IN THE EIGHTH, AND KIM JUST BLEW THE DOORS OFF WITH THAT TWO-RUN SHOT! AND THEN HE COMES BACK IN THE NINTH, THREE-RUN JOB, SEE YA LATER! THAT’S THE BALLGAME!”

Mike Francesa (calm, steady, matter-of-fact):
“Dog, listen, this is what the Yankees do. They’re seasoned, they’ve been here before, and they have the best players in the league. Kim showed you today why he’s the most dangerous hitter in this Series. He single-handedly turned this game around. The Mets got production early — Porche with the homer, Richards with the blast — but you’ve got to close it out. You can’t give this Yankee lineup extra chances. You do that, they bury you.”

Mad Dog (cutting in, high pitch, fast):
“AND DON’T FORGET, MIKEY, THE METS HAD IT! THEY WERE UP FOUR-THREE, THE CROWD’S GOIN’ CRAZY IN QUEENS, IT FELT LIKE THEIR MOMENT! AND THEN, BANG! RODRIGO GONZALEZ OUTTA THE BULLPEN, CAN’T GET ANYONE OUT, HE GIVES UP FIVE RUNS, AND THE WHOLE PLACE GOES SILENT! SILENT, MIKEY! FROM A ROAR TO A FUNERAL!”

Mike Francesa (measured, slow):
“Dog, this is the difference between the Mets and the Yankees. Yankees expect to win. They’ve got the pedigree, they’ve got the stars. The Mets, they’re still learning how to finish these games. This is a seven-game series, you can’t afford to give one away. Now the Mets are already playing uphill.”

Mad Dog (laughing, shouting):
“GAME TWO TOMORROW, MIKEY! SAME BALLPARK, SAME ENERGY! THE METS GOTTA FIND A WAY TO BOUNCE BACK OR THIS SERIES COULD BE OVER BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS! THE YANKEES ARE A MACHINE!”

Mike Francesa (deadpan closer):
“Dog, Yankees lead one-nothing. Mets need Game Two, badly. Otherwise, this thing could get very short, very quickly.”