A see-saw battle began with Trachsel getting into--and out of trouble several times in the early innings. Anyone who has been to a Trachsel game knows that he takes forever between pitches, especially with runners on base. He makes Sid Fernandez look fast by comparison. But he gave up a run in the first, and the Mets tied it on Beltran's HR, a beauty off the base of the scoreboard in Right Center.

Trachsel promptly gave up a run in the top of the 2nd, on a Brian McCann RBI double. From my perch in the Upper Deck, I was surrounded by 3 separate and distinct circles of fans.

1) The official Angry Old Man section, where they yell at each other, do bizarre strikeout chants, and say things like "That Trachsel is like Randy Johnson! They tie the game and he gives it right back!"

2) A group of female Braves fans, who screeched and fawned over Larry and said things like "Andruw Jones, you need to hit a Home Run NOW!"

3) Another group of Braves fans, hailing from Sweden. I know this because I spent most of the game talking with one of them. How do you get to be a Braves fan from Sweden? TBS, apparently.

Back to the game, and the Braves continue to lead into the 3rd, with the game moving at a snail's pace, and the Braves starter, Hiram Kyle Davies, loses the plate completely, and walks home a run. He threw 8 straight balls, and 12 out of 13 out of the strike zone. So, with 1 out and the bases still loaded, Floyd comes up and swings at the first pitch. Double play. Inning over.

The game picks up pace until the 6th, when Atlanta broke through for 2 runs after 2 were out. Everyone's favorite kind of Rally. The Braves tacked on 2 more in the 7th off of Bradford, and I was convinced that this game was officially a debacle.

I was wrong.

The Mets roared back with a vengeance in the bottom of the 7th, with a key error by Renteria, allowing a sure DP ball from Beltran through his legs, and RBI singles from Delgado, Floyd and Matsui to drive home the tying runs.

And the marathon was only beginning.

Reyes led off the last of the 8th with a triple, his 5th hit of the game, and was stranded.

The Mets had 2 on in the 9th and stranded them.

In the 11th, Wilson Betemit led off with a PH HR off of Wagner, a bomb over the center field fence. Again, I thought I was watching a dead ballgame.

Again, I was wrong. Talking to the Swedish Braves fan, he told me, "This game isn't over. Not with Reitsma coming in."

The old men were busy throwing Wagner under the Bus in so many words.

The Swede was right. Floyd led off against Reitsma and smacked a long HR into the loge section in right, re-tying the game, and sending it further on into the night.

As the game moved into the 12th, my scorecard had officially run out of innings. I had to write in a new set of columns for pitchers, and extend the game score into the margins on the side. Note to the Mets--the old style scorecards--both teams on the same page--was much more effective.

The Mets would load the bases in the 12th and strand them.

Jorge Julio came on for the 14th. I turned to the Swede and told him, "Now this is the guy WE'RE afraid of."

Julio shut me up, setting down Andro Jones, LaRoche and Francoeur after allowing a leadoff single to Larry.

Following the 14th inning stretch, the Mets finally would break through. With 2 out and Beltran on 1st, Jorge Sosa's pitch ticked off McCann's glove. It seemed like nothing at the time, but an alert Beltran immediately took off and was safe at second. It proved to be a huge play when Wright nailed one deep to center, bouncing off the warning track and over the wall for a Ground Rule double, which would have only got Beltran to 3rd had the passed ball not happened. An alert play that was overlooked, but it won the game, gave me some vindication, and, at 11:59, after 4 hours and 47 minutes, finally sent me home. I shook hands with the Swede, who was gracious in defeat, and went on my merry way.