For Yanks' Daley, series against Mets special

NEW YORK -- Matt Daley remembers pulling on a replica Mets jersey to suit up for trips to Shea Stadium, where he'd cheer for his favorites -- Al Leiter, Mike Piazza, and especially John Franco. He'd grab seats wherever he could; sometimes in the upper deck, sometimes closer to the dugouts.

The Queens product also remembers the pain of watching from his dorm room as a Bucknell University freshman as Piazza lifted a fly ball to center field on a crisp October night in 2000. The drive fell into Bernie Williams' glove, giving the Yankees their 26th World Series championship.

"I was pretty bummed at the time, that's for sure," Daley said, with a laugh. "But now, looking back, I'm happy for the Yankees."

Daley, who grew up in Garden City, N.Y., said that it was only after he left Yankee Stadium on Tuesday that it started to sink in: he'd just participated in his first Subway Series. Daley fired three scoreless innings of relief in the Yankees' 12-7 loss to the Mets at Yankee Stadium.

"To be able to pitch in it definitely means a lot to me," Daley said. "During, I was just trying to focus on the outing and trying to get outs. But afterwards, yeah, I got home and was kind of talking to my wife [Claire] and appreciating what just happened."