If there has ever been a silly controversy, it’s the recent uproar over Carlos Delgado not making a curtain call after a standing ovation for his performance against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

They wanted him to return to the field and tip his hat to the fans. On one hand, it might have been a nice gesture given the fact that he’s been booed more times any recent Mets player. And two home runs aren’t anything to laugh at. He deserved the applause.

But he felt that it wasn’t one of those moments that deserved the curtain call. He said that if it had been a clinching game of a pennant race or the World Series, then yes, it would have certainly been a moment deserving of a grand gesture.

Maybe it was the right moment. Maybe it wasn’t. I guess it’s all a matter of what the fans think and expect, and clearly he didn’t judge their expectations correctly.

But there’s a part of me that’s got to side with Delgado. Everyone expects big moments all of the time. Have you noticed how pretty much every concert you go there’s going to be an encore? And if the performers are school aged children, you better believe there’s going to be a standing ovation.

Perhaps Delgado has a better bead on what’s appropriate than the general public does. Which is why I say this is a silly controversy. I hope that the ticket buying fans of the Mets will hand him another olive branch the next time he has a big moment. And hopefully he’ll be able to read their expectations better. But until then, it’s a silly issue.

Jorge Posada could not start in the Yankees’ game against the Cleveland Indians. Chien-Ming Wang would have to face the team as starter. This was the team that proved that his sinker was not invincible back in the playoffs last year.

Wang, not be undone again, switched up his speed. The result—a 1-0 win for Wang the Yankees, ending a three game losing streak, putting the Yankees at an even .500 mark for the season.

Chamberlain also contributed by striking out two of the three batters. He attributed his strong play with a lot of rest in between games, preventing problems from his left hamstring which irritated him last week.

Rivera ended the game with a powerful two strikeouts, solidifying the win.

Sabathia played well against the Yankees as well, limiting the Yankees to only one run, making it a tough win for New York.

Girardi is quoted in the Daily News as saying:

“It was unbelievable. You need to win games like this, because your offense isn’t always going to score runs.”

Thankfully, the Yankee pitchers were up the challenge, keeping the Indians scoreless in a tough competition. This much needed win will reassure Yankee ticket buyers that this is a season for cheering.

If you’re in a Disney park anytime soon, you’ll want to check out the latest addition to Annie Leibovitz’s acclaimed series, placing famous stars into famous Disney worlds. The new picture features Juianne Moore as Ariel, the heroine of the animated film and now Broadway show, “The Little Mermaid.

Leibovitz is one of my favorite photographers. Known for her Vanity Fair cover shoots, she has a knack for bringing the cinematic into the world of photography. She also has a a wonderful sense of lighting, giving a smooth, almost glossy look to her images. It’s as if she’s taking pictures in a fantasy world where everything is gorgeous.

And so she was a perfect choice for this series of pics. This new pic places Moore in the center of magical water world, with mermaids and men swimming around her. In the foreground is the famous gold medal Olympian, Michael Phelps, this time with a tale.

Other images in the series show Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella, Beyonce as Alice in Wonderland, Rachel Weisz as Snow White, Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from “Pinocchio,” Jennifer Lopez as Jasmine and Marc Anthony as Aladdin, with Whoopie Goldberg playing the Genie.

It makes me think that maybe Disney will attempt live action versions of their famous animated films. I’d love to see “The Little Mermaid” on the big screen again, but live action, with all new songs.

This week’s list of hot tickets contains a few surprises as South Pacific comes out of nowhere to take the top spot.

What a way to make it’s debut in the top 5 by rocketing to the number one position, huh? Pretty impressive, let’s see if it can keep it up for another week and check back next monday to see where it is at!

South Pacific Tickets

Mary Poppins Tickets

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Detroit Tigers vs NY Yankees Tickets

Bon Jovi Tickets at MSG

One thing that’s great about having an ace pitcher is that you can count on losing streaks to come to a screeching halt every five games or so. Such was the case for the Mets with their superstar pitcher, Johan Santana, destroying the offense of the Washington Nationals. The New York Times reports:

“Santana allowed two runs and seven hits. He struck out four, retiring 9 of his final 10 hitters. As a bonus, he hit two doubles. See Santana hit. See Santana pitch. See Mets win.”

It truly was an outstanding performance by the Mets. There were no errors. They had four stolen bases. The pitching of course was outstanding by Santana, not to mention his two doubles. Talk about earning your paycheck.

The Mets also decided to mix up the batting order a little. Randolph dropped Delgado down to the sixth spot. This paid off with Beltran doubling in the second inning and scoring on an RBI groundout by Delgado.

The fact of the matter is that the Mets are a tough team to beat with Santana on the mound. Let’s hope that for those who buy Mets tickets on the other four nights, that there won’t be any more losing streaks for Santana to break.

Tuesday night was a time for Yankee hitters, Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon. Wednesday night was an evening for Mike Mussina. Between the two games, the Yankees managed two wins against the Chicago White Sox, a team with a lot of hopes this year, hopes that seem to be pipe dreams thanks to a strong performance from the New York team.

On Tuesday, Abreu hit a grand slam in the seventh inning. Johnny Damon also had a great night with a three run play in the eighth to solidify the win.

The Daily News quotes Damon about the two non-superstar’s performances:

“When you have superstars like Jeter, A-Rod, Posada, those guys are going to get most of the attention. That’s all right with Bobby and me, because we can just lay in the weeds and do our thing.”

Then there’s Mike Mussina on Wednesday, playing his best game of the season. This marvelous performance came in response to some harsh criticism from Hank Steinbrenner. He held the Sox to two runs and four hits in over seven innings.

Between the two, the Yankees are showing themselves capable of winning games against good teams. It gets one excited about buying more tickets to more Yankees games this season.

If you like Broadway theater, you may enjoy the new film, “Hamlet 2.” It’s not exactly Broadway quality, but that seems to be part of the fun. The trailer is available online here.

The film tells the story of a failed actor, Dana Marschz, played by famous British comedy actor Steve Coogan. After accepting that his life’s dreams will never come to be, he accepts a new career as a drama teacher.

But then the school administrators threaten to cut his department, inspiring him to do something really bold to save his job and his department. His response is to write a sequel to the most famous of Shakespeare’s masterpieces. Thus spawns a new, not quite masterpiece, “Hamlet 2.”

Of course, it must be remembered that everyone dies at the end of “Hamlet.” Marschz solves this issue with a time machine. He then employs a gay chorus and he’s off and running, with what’s looks to be big laughs.

Amy Poeler also joins the cast as a civil rights attorney who comes into save the play from being shut down. Elizabeth Shue also joins the cast in an unusual bit of casting, playing herself, a former successful actor who is now a nurse.

All in all, I think “Hamlet 2” could be a bit of fun in the Cineplex, and maybe slightly offensive.

The Cubs are a very strong team this year. They’re eying the World Series like an alcoholic who hasn’t had a drink in about 100 years. With their win over the NY Mets last night, another strong team in the Major Leagues, they seem poised and ready to defeat their own curse this year.

The Mets have a super talented team, and have had some solid wins over the last few weeks. But going up against a major contender like the Cubs is sure to humble them and bring them to the reality that they’ve really got to step up their game if they want to compete in the playoffs.

Fortunately, they’ve got several months before that inevitability hits. And in September they’ll be able to play the Cubs again, gauging their improvement and growth throughout the season.

Main was the one bright spot in the Mets performance. The Daily News reports:

“Maine has allowed two runs or fewer while completing at least six innings in each of his last three starts. Monday night, he deferred to Duaner Sanchez after six innings, having held the Cubs to two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking two.”

For online tickets for the Mets feel free to follow the link.

Our popular weekly series continues with this week’s HOT TICKETS list!

The Broadway fans turned out in droves this past week as Wicked the Musical tops our list of popular events. Not far behind was the biggest rivalry in baseball — the NY Yankees vs the Boston Red Sox as they faced each other at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Here’s the complete list of popular events from Select A Ticket for the past week –

Wicked tickets

New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox

Bon Jovi tickets at MSG

New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

2008 will be known as the last season for buying Yankee tickets at the old Yankee Stadium. It’s hard to know what final baseball moments will transpire in the coming season to bring remembrance and awe to New York residents. But for many, 2008 will be remembered as the year that Pope Benedict XVI came to the stadium to perform mass.

The visit is being hailed as a hit. Or perhaps a more appropriate term would be: a public relations success.

This visit marked a huge effort by the Vatican to rebuild the church after six years of scandal over alleged sexual abuses. Benedict’s approach was pointed: He took the issue head on, bringing up the subject from the very beginning of the visit. He met with victims of the abuse and attempted to reconcile those that have been hurt and offended, bringing them back into the fold. He also met with victims of the September 11th attack.

The German born theologian is known for taking a hard line on many conservative Christian issues. He doesn’t have the same charm that Paul VI and John Paul II had. But he won over the crowd with an intimate, one on one, eye to eye view of the his flock. He seemed to communicate a feeling of real love to his followers, making this a helpful trip for the church and his ministry.