But when the Braves arrive at Shea Stadium tonight for New York's first sporting event (not including Wednesday's NHL exhibition game) since last week's tragedy, it will be a night at a ballpark like no other.

``It's going to be pretty emotional and maybe a little uneasy because we don't know what to expect,'' pitcher Tom Glavine said. ``Everything we felt and experienced Monday in our first game back is going to be more so because we're right there in the heart of what happened.''

From pitcher Jason Marquis' home on Staten Island, he can look across to the gaping hole in the city skyline. One of the firefighters missing in the attack on the World Trade Center, Michael Cammarata, was a teammate of Marquis' on the South Shore Little League team that played in the 1991 Little League World Series.

``I think it's going to be pretty emotional,'' said Marquis, who will start tonight's game against the Mets. ``All the pregame ceremonies are going to be very touching. Pregame and postgame is going to hit you a little harder.''

``Going back and not seeing the two buildings standing there is going to be gut wrenching,'' said pitcher Steve Karsay, who grew up in Flushing, N.Y. ``For me, the first game back was hard, but the first game back in New York City is going to be tougher than I can ever imagine.''

Rooting for the home side will take on a whole new meaning at Shea, which is expected to be a sea of red, white, and blue. It will be impossible to keep the tears away when fifty thousand voices sing ``America the Beautiful'' during the seventh-inning stretch. And when players place their caps over their hearts and lift their eyes toward the fluttering flag, they will see on the enormous right field scoreboard, up where a big red apple signifies the city's nickname, a cutout of the city skyline, complete with the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

``I can't even put myself in (New Yorkers') shoes,'' pitcher John Smoltz said. ``On one hand you've got to believe they're ready for a baseball game. I think they're ready to show their emotion and passion. I think it will be a very emotional experience.''

Many players are uncertain whether to visit ground zero, which is several miles from their downtown Manhattan hotel. Karsay said he planned to attend a prayer service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, while Marquis indicated he would probably wait until he returned home during the off season to view the devastation.

``It keeps recurring in my mind,'' Karsay said. ``It's hard to not keep thinking about it. I've thought about (seeing ground zero). Do I want to see it or do I not want to see it? And what will my feelings be if I saw it?''

``Hopefully we can give the city of New York and its people an outlet, something else to think about for a couple of hours,'' third baseman Chipper Jones said.

Ah, yes, baseball. The Mets, eight games out when the season resumed, completed a three-game sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh Wednesday night, and have won 20 of their last 25 to close to within five games of the Braves.

With 17 games left entering Thursday night's play, the stumbling Braves are in real danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 1990. In the first three games against the Phillies, they did nothing to improve their standing as the league's fourth-worst offense, batting a collective .223 (21 for 94) and scoring seven runs.

The good news is New York's offense is even worse than the Braves' collection of hitters. The Mets are tied for last in the league with a .249 batting average and have scored a major league-worst 577 runs, 64 fewer than the Braves.

The pitching matchups favor the Braves. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will pitch the last two games, and both are coming off solid outings in their first starts back from the break. The Mets have former Brave Bruce Chen scheduled to go tonight, followed by Steve Trachsel (9-12) and Al Leiter (11-10) Saturday and Sunday.

``We've got our hands full with everybody we play right now,'' Smoltz said. ``But we can't keep playing this game with our heads turned around, looking at who's behind us.''

Reach Bill Zack at bzack30143@aol.com.