Bases loaded. Two outs. Game 7. Carlos Beltran at the plate, with a trip to the World Series still within reach. Adam Wainwright throws a curveball, Beltran never swings, and an entire stadium goes silent.

Twenty years later, Mets fans are still looking at that pitch. And looking for someone to blame.

Frank “the Tank” Fleming joins me to relive the final out of the 2006 NLCS, and if you think you know what he’s going to say about Beltran, you might want to hear him out. We watch the at-bat, revisit Endy Chavez’s incredible catch, and get into the missed opportunity Frank thinks really cost the Mets the game. For a man with a list of his most hated Mets, he has a surprising amount of understanding for the guy who kept the bat on his shoulder.

Then we climb the Mets misery ladder. Tom Glavine and the 2007 collapse. Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run. Luis Castillo dropping the pop-up that sent Frank’s kitchen table flying. Matt Harvey going back out for the ninth. And yes, Frank has thoughts about letting Pete Alonso walk.

But we also talk about the kid who carried the burden of the Mets’ 1988 NLCS loss for years, the life Frank has built around being a fan, and whether he would trade any of it to make the frustration go away.

Welcome to Episode 021 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

00:00 Intro

01:34 Carlos Beltran caught looking

02:34 Frank the Tank joins REAL DEAL

03:16 Where Frank watched Game 7

04:40 The injuries that changed the 2006 Mets

06:09 Simply Irresistible: Wainwright’s curveball

08:32 The other side of the story: Wainwright and Molina

10:08 Endy Chavez’s catch and the opportunity the Mets wasted

12:01 Why wasn’t Billy Wagner pitching the ninth?

15:25 Bases loaded, two outs, Beltran at the plate

17:27 Rewatching Beltran’s final at-bat

18:39 Why Frank doesn’t blame Beltran

19:15 Beltran, Gary Carter and retiring Mets numbers

22:08 A great pitch or a hitter choking?

22:47 Piazza, Clemens and the 2000 World Series

25:32 Frank on Mets fandom: “I’m beyond anger”

26:50 Why letting Pete Alonso walk infuriates Frank

28:20 The Mets misery ladder

29:17 Tom Glavine and the 2007 collapse

30:39 Was sending Matt Harvey back out the right call?

31:20 Kenny Rogers walks in the winning run

32:24 Luis Castillo’s dropped pop-up and Frank’s flipped table

33:27 Trading Tom Seaver and the Generation K disappointment

35:46 Frank called the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade

36:30 Pete Alonso, “Pink Pony Club” and Edwin Diaz

37:09 The childhood Mets loss that still hurts

39:18 Would Frank trade away his Mets fandom?

40:16 Frank’s wish for Edwin Diaz and the Dodgers

41:08 How Frank’s life and relationship with sports have changed

42:31 Frank’s weight loss and feeling better at 50

43:30 Frank’s REAL DEAL gift

43:45 Tony’s final thought: Who gets the blame?

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