Is A 13 1/2 Game Lead Enough Of A Reason To Start Talking “1986” Again?

The first-place Mets seem to be getting a little cocky:

If you’re wondering who to thank for the inexpensive meals that will be offered at Queens restaurants next month, place a call to Bill Buckner.

Two decades after a ground ball trickled under the Red Sox first baseman’s glove, helping the Mets win the 1986 World Series, restaurants throughout the borough announced yesterday that they will be offering a special prix fixe menu of $19.86 to commemorate the team’s last championship.

The discounts — being offered as part of Discover Queens Restaurant Week on Sept. 18-21 and again on Sept. 25-28 — are designed to keep Queens residents in the borough at mealtime, said Michelle Stoddart, director of marketing and tourism for the Queens Economic Development Corp.

“People are accustomed to going into Manhattan to eat and sometimes leaving their own neighborhoods that have great restaurants there,” Stoddart said. “So we want to highlight that all this can be found in Queens.”

About 20 restaurants have already agreed to participate in the event, and organizers hope to get at least 80 more on board in the next few weeks, Stoddart said.

The Mets will promote the eight-day event through in-game announcements on the Diamond Vision screen at Shea Stadium, and organizers plan to place ads in local newspapers to get the word out.