Legit As Fuck

It is early into the season. Only four games have played so you really hate to make outlandish claims like someone is struggling, someone looks great based on sixteen at-bats, etc. However, some things are plain to see. You know a person's past and expect a certain something out of them.

Legit as fuck refers to the Mets offense. One through seven, this team has all good hitters. As much as I have been critical of Paul LoDuca and his placement in the lineup, he has done a good job at the plate and on the field. Though I still think Wright should be batting third however it needs to happen and Beltran batting second, LoDuca has done good things and you can tell he is a good baseball player. One important trait of a number two hitter is selflessness. Todd Zeile in his final tour with the Mets could care less about stats and put himself out there and made productive outs to help the team. I see LoDuca in that mold and have warmed up to him.

As for the rest of the offense, Beltran is stinging the ball and exhibiting a tremendous batting eye. Laying off on borderline pitches and swinging at good ones. He only has two hits, but is tied for the team lead team in runs scored and stolen bases, he is first in walks, and second in RBIs. We heard this about Carlos before he came to the Mets, but he can create without getting hits. He is making stuff happening and with the way he is swinging the bat, he will start piling up hits. He looks comfortable in the batter's box and his .143 average is not indicative of the way he truly looks.

David Wright is in MVP form looking absolutely nasty. Jose Reyes looks tremendous. So far he is working deeper into the count and showed some pop last night and he certainly looks like a better hitting laying off pitches out of the zone and attacking ones in the zone. Keith mentioned it last night, and when you take pitches early, like Piazza does, you will get a pitcher trying to push a meaty fastball down the middle for strike one to get ahead. If you are taking the first pitch a lot, you will see one of those pretty frequently and can hop on them and punish them every so often.

Though the Marlins lineup is weak, seeing Traschel do what he does best was a great thing to see. "The Human Rain Delay" has been a very, very consistent pitcher for the Mets over the years and has been a constant. He will give you innings and he will keep you in the game. It was encouraging to see him come out and serve up what he has been known for when he is healthy with the Mets. Seeing him anchor it down was huge. Again, weak team and one game, but it was vintage Traschel.

Legit as fuck does not refer to Jorge Julio and Anderson Hernandez. Julio has not had success since 2002. I'm not expecting much from him and Hernandez still looks lost. Yeah he got a hit and yeah he lined out the game before, but I'm sure I'd catch one every blue moon too. Kaz come of the DL and if he is healthy enough, should be starting his rehab assignment too and will get a last chance at things. That cannot be denied with how Hernandez's offense looks. The Mets big guns are not going to drive in 162 runs each and the Mets offense is good, but not good enough to carry Hernandez who does not just look like he is struggling, but looks lost. The scary part is, he struck out six times in sixteen at-bats and still has only seen 2.5 pitches per at-bat. When you are striking out a lot, you are typically going deeper in the count and seeing more pitches by the nature of the beast, but he is still not seeing many at all.

Overall, I like what I see. I am anxious to see Victor Zambrano for the first time and Brian Bannister again, because success hinges on them. If they cannot produce, the Mets have no shot with their current rotation configuration. A lot of things have to break right for the Mets rotation, but at some point things have to go smoothly, right?

* * *

Minor Update:

• Norfolk is 0-2 after dropping their second game to the Durham Bulls, who incidentally might have a better meat of the order than their Major League squad. Jeremi Gonzalez did his best impersonation of Lima Time!™ and got roughed up in 5.1 innings giving up seven hits, five earned runs, and striking out one. Tim Lavinge, Pedro Feliciano, and Bartolome Fortunato combine for 3.2 innings of no walk, no hit ball to finish up the game. Lastings Milledge went 1 for 5 with a run scored and a strikeout, Keppinger was 0-1 with three walks, and Ray Navarrete was 1 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs.
  
• Akron beat Binghamton 2-1. Vincent Cordova took the loss in relief of Miguel Perez, who pitched a very good game, as he gave up four hits and two earned runs in 2.1 innings of relief. Carlos Gomez went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, Andy Wilson went 2 for 4, Brett Harper went 1 for 3 with a walk, and Jay Caligiuri went 2 for 2 with a solo homer and the B-Mets only run.
  
• St. Lucie beat Vero Beach 9-8 to take their record to 2-0. St. Lucie has yet to have a starting pitcher give up a run as Alay Soler went five innings, gave up four hits, three walks, and struck out five. Ambiorix Concepcion went 2 for 5 with two runs scored and struck out three times, Mike Carp went 1 for 4 with a homer, two RBIs, and a walk, Ajay Turay went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, a double, and one RBI, and Corey Coles went 3 for 4 with a run scored, a double, and an RBI.
  
• Greensboro downed Hagerstown 9-6. Fernando Martinez went 2 for 5, Hector Pellot went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, and Nick Evans went 2 for 4 with his second homer of the year and two RBIs. Brandon Nall lost the game in relief and gave up five runs in .1 innings.

Eric Gange is out for six to eight weeks and that Danys Baez deal is looking smarter and smarter by the day.

Jose Guillen fires some shots back at Pedro Martinez after getting hit by him for the sixth time in two years.

"You know what? If I get hit again, it's going to get real ugly if he's pitching. He thinks I was going out there with the bat? Why would I need a bat for a 150-pound guy when I'm 230?"

It's not Pedro you need to worry about. A 6'3", 240 pound guy name Carlos Delgado is why you need to carry a bat..

"Things happen," Martinez said after Thursday's game. "If it's going to have to happen again, then it's going to have to happen again. But I'm not trying to do it."

I love you Pedro, but I'm not buying it.

Wow, it seems like yesterday Yankee fans were trivializing the Mets opening day win because their Yankees won in more spectacular fashion and pounded the A's on their opening day. Three games later, the Yankees are still searching for another win.

God (..and Julio Franco) wanted Beltran to go out for his curtain call the other night.

Lima Time!™ Gets Lit Up.....Surprise

Mike was out late
If you want to read a post, you'll have to wait
I cannot placate

Feel free to discuss Mike Pelfrey's nastiness, the Mets win, Lima Time!™ getting lit up, or man's inhumanity to man here.

You ugly..you ugly...yo mamma says you ugly.

Ok, some thoughts on the game. First, it was an ugly game. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm not going to talk about Wagner, we know he will be good. He says he is bad in spring and missed two weaks. He will be in season form in two works or so. There is nothing to worry about and I doubt anyone actually is. However, there were two points of contention for me.

Brian Bannister:
Brian Bannister no hit the Nationals for five innings, but looked eminently hittable. I never thought I would say this, but he pitched inside too much. He hit two guys, one in the head and one almost in the head. He hit two guys, but almost hit like five other guys. I was cringing at points. If he keeps that up, he will not be a popular player in this league and many Mets will suffer some sort of retaliation. There is coming inside, and there is endangering players and not having control while you are doing it. It was cold, but he is not the only guy who had to pitch in the cold.

The Nationals team was a great team to face for such a young player. The only hard stretch he really had was Vidro, Soriano, Guillen, and Nick Johnson. The other four are two rookies, one a good one in Ryan Zimmerman, the ice cold Brian Schnieder, and the pitcher/pinch hitters. The first time facing the meat, he got through Vidro and Guillen, but walked Johnson and plunked Soriano. However, the at-bat to Vidro had a lot of borderline calls and Vidro went fishing to strikeout because of it. The next time, he got all four of them. The last time, three runs were plated. When faced with legit hitters, he did not look good with the exception of one at-bat that he struck out Guillen.

You have to give him credit though. He still navigated through six innings, including two jams while throwing a no-hitter through five and a third. That is no small accomplishment for your first start. The second inning jam and the jam in the sixth were tough. However, putting six people on without hits is not going work out well for him. Next time he starts, Bannister gets to face the same lineup and that will be interesting to see. The Nats will have seen him once during the regular season and another time close before that during the spring. The hitters will have a good feel for him and it will great to see if/how he adjusts.

All in all, it was his first game. You would be crazy to say it was not a success even though it may not have been smooth, but it was cold out temperature wise and I'm sure the nerves were fighting him the entire way. However, if he wants to keep Heilman in the pen and Lima at AAA, he needs to pitch better. Much better. Keith remarked that he was uncharacteristically wild, but if he is in the zone more with the stuff he was showing last night, he will get tattooed. This performance reminds me of Tyler Yates' first start back in 2004 when he strangely enough, faced the Washington Nationals. He went six innings, gave up five hits, gave up no runs, and struck out four. Yates made six more starts after than and though many of you probably think the comparison is unfair since they are very different pitchers, Bannister's stuff looks average. I am concerned for sure and I will say it again. Heilman can be a much better starter this year for the Mets, but as we are seeing, the Mets bullpen is kind of thin without him. Quite a pickle that has been created, wouldn't you say?

Anderson Hernandez:
It is early and the sample size is small, but I do not think he can hit. Hernandez looking up at the Mendoza line may be all we can get and I did say looking up at it and not battling it. Last year's eighteen at-bats were a small sample size and attributable to nerves, but the at-bats this year were much of the same thing. An overmatched kid that does not resemble a big league hitter and when he faced two good pitchers in John Patterson and Chad Cordero, they made him look silly.

That being said, he has some serious leather. That superman catch to end the eighth was fucking swell. Really fucking swell. However, the Mets are very good offensively, but not good enough to have a two pitchers sitting at the bottom on the lineup. While he is in his grace period he will get his chances. However, he is not a long term solution in 2006 in my opinion. Will he pull a 180 and turn it around? I just do not see how he can turn the bat on that much because he has looked lost whenever I have seen him with my own eyes. I want nothing more than for him to work out there and just pick up some singles and hold his own, but he might not be able to.

Bannister and Hernandez are two things that I think will not last this year. Ultimately, the Mets are going to need to do something about both of them. They are not the Yankees, they need production out of all five rotation spots because they are not going to score ten runs a game and need some capable bats one through eight. They simply cannot have a black hole in eigth spot and Bannister just does not look like he can give what the Mets need as of yet. Sure, it was one game, but I know what I saw. If he is in the strike zone more against a good offensive team, he will get slammed. He will get a few more shots, but he needs to do a lot better. He only gave up three runs, but it could have easily been more.

* * *

Here is a perfect example of why I like Keith Hernandez. After Duaner Sanchez pitched the top of the seventh, he remarked that Willie could leave in him to bat in the bottom half and just give up the first out to leave him in. He did not throw many pitches and looked great, so why not? You save Heilman's arm for tomorrow and set things up nicely with someone who was throwing well. Of course it did not happen and you cannot blame Randolph because 30 of 30 managers probably would have done the same thing, but Mex proves why he is cream of the crop. The dude could manage tomorrow and be better than Willie will ever be. He would probably be top five in the entire league. Alls well that ended well because Heilman looked stellar and Wagner was not Wagner, but he will be. That Sanchez, Heilman, and Wagner combo will produce many wins for the Mets and their starters throughout the year. It will truly be a treat.

For now, Jon Pappelbon is the Boston Red Sox closer.

"(Sox manager Terry Francona) said that I could be throwing the ball better and that Papelbon’s throwing the ball great and do what you’re told," Foulke said. "The team comes first. You have to do what’s important for the team, not for yourself."

Of course, Keith is to assume the closer's role once he starts throwing better, but judging by his injuries and last season, that may never happen.

Kris Benson = useful starting pitcher
Jorge Julio = train wreck

"I wanted to be better," said Julio, who owns an unsightly 27.00 ERA. "My first time here, pitching in this stadium, I don't know the mound, I don't know about nothing here. It's my first time and that's what happened (in) the game."

Wow, at least he is not big on excuses. Last I checked, the mound was the same height, the balls still had the same number of stiches, and the fences were roundabouts where you would think they would be.

Gooden could have done six months in a drug rehab with 24 months of probation, but he chose one year of prison. The prison sentence could be as little as six or seven months though.

Pedro wants to be a DH in his next life.

"Throwing a fastball at 90 mph, it's like having needles stuck in your fingers (when releasing the ball)," he said. "Your joints get tight. Who do you think lasts longer? A DH or a starting pitcher?

"In my next life, I'm not going to be a pitcher. I'm going to be a DH. ... I'll swing like David (Ortiz). I'll be big and strong and go yard. Being a pitcher is not fun."

Pedro has only pitched six innings so far this spring so if he gets into through six, it will be a blessing. Sanchez, Heilman, and Wagner are all available to pitch tonight as well as Chad Bradford, the last major piece of the Mets bullpen that has not seen any action as of yet.

Newsday had a pole online about how far the Mets would go. With 1701 responses at the time I saw it, 39.4% prozac taking shills said World Series Champs, 11.2% were optimistic enough to think a World Series trip is in the future, but do not think the higher powers belive they deserve to see a WS win, 25.5% said the Mets would lose in the NLCS, 8.9% said the Mets would lose in the NLDS, 9.1% believe that after all the Mets have done, they will be eerily similar to last year's product and just miss the Wild Card, and 6% were just pessimistic bastards or Yankee fans and said not even close.

Pelfrey throws his professional pitch today and Fernando Martinez gets his first professional at-bat today. I am excited.

What's That In My Mouth?

Ok, that title seems like it could go in a number of directions. Some disgusting. Some not, but mostly disgusting. However, for those of you who guessed right, it is puke. Baseball Prospectus has their pre-season predictions out and one thing especially stuck out for me.

AL Cy Young

1. Johan Santana
2. Rich Harden
3. Roy Halladay
4. Scott Kazmir
5. Felix Hernandez
6. Josh Beckett
7. Dan Haren
8. Randy Johnson
9. Francisco Rodriguez
0. Jeremy Bonderman
11. Cliff Lee

That's right. Scott Kazmir is ranked fourth for Cy Young. I do realize this means nothing other than some of peole think he is good, but it still is just crazy to read. As for the Mets, Pedro is in the top five and a Zambrano makes the list, just not ours.

Even more crazy is the fact that out of the twelve author's ballots, six of them had a New York team going to the World Series and one of them actually picked a New York team to win. One thing though, not one person picked the Yankees. Simply unreal for the Mets to be getting that much love. It is a strange thing to see, but I like it. Six of the twelve author's picked the A's to win and eleven out of twelve picked an AL team to win it all. Ladies and gentleman, parity has left the building.

Oh, then there is a little matter of the MVP award. People laughed when I said David Wright for MVP, but screw you guys, I'm taking my ball and going home. Apparently a lot of people are riding the David Wright for MVP bandwagon and three Mets make an appearance in the top seven. Again, it means nothing except for the fact that people like these guys, but still great to see.

1) Albert Pujols
2) David Wright
3) Carlos Delgado
4) Andruw Jones
5) Barry Bonds
6) Chase Utley
7) Carlos Beltran

Is anyone else giddy like a school girl baseball is back? I was a bit sad to see the winter and the snow go away because the snowboard had to get shelved, but it is finally setting in. The nice weather is almost here and opening day was amazing. Holy shit, some Met baseball is here and the best Mets team since 1988 will be taking the field. It should be a good year for the real New York team.

* * *

Here at The Metropolitans, we try not only to make painfully obvious observations, but we are also about solutions. Figuring out how to solve some of the greater problems in life like social security, foreign policy, the degradation of social values, and what to do about this "Enter Sandman" problem. Scott checked in on the comments with some advice on the last issue.

I know a way to work out the whole Sandman Bullshit. Rivera and Wagner will stand 20ft apart and throw fastballs at ach other until one calls uncle. OK, I'll draw the names out of the hat...Wagner wins so he throws first.

Sounds fair to me.

Sounds fair to me too.

Mike and the Mad Dog = brain power of a cucumber
Mariano Rivera = good guy

"If the guy feels comfortable using the song, then let him be. I know Billy. He's a great guy. He has all my respect....To all the people that are fighting over this, I appreciate the loyalty."

I cannot believe this is still being written about. I even told myself I was going to ignore it, but I liked Mo's quote.

While on the topic of Scott and his desire to help people peacefully come to a resolution in regards to their problems, he offers Kris Benson some advice.

I hope Benson dumps the bitch in Camden, naked with a sign around her neck that says something bad about Camden Mutha's!

For those of you not familiar with New Jersey, we have tomatoes, the Statue of Liberty, and the most dangerous city in America. Camden, New Jersey beats out hot vacation spots like Detroit and Compton. That is certainly something to hang your hat on at the end of the day.

Jim Breuer will be throwing out the first pitch of today's game.

Are you wondering what the deal is for the Mets minor league teams starting their season tomorrow? Wonder no more. Big Mike has you covered.

Get ready for a million of these articles this year, especially every time the A's play the Yankees. Look, Zito would say he loved Tampa Bay because he is going to be a free agent and does not want to burn any bridges. Not only that, but most of the guys in the league are professionals and would not say negative things about a city anyway. The Yankees are continually tied to the top tier free agents year after year, and rightfully so. They have a $200 million dollar payroll and didn't get there by signing role players, but the Mets have the trump card here if they want to exercise it. This is one dog fight that could get interesting. For once, the Yankees might have to overpay to get someone from the Mets grasp.

I hate the media. People are accusing LaRussa of helping Jimmy Rollins along with his hitting streak by throwing a meatball 3-0 in their opener.

"So the guy has a hitting streak going, you're supposed to pitch him like the game's on the line? No," La Russa said. "You play the game straight. If that game is 2-1 there, we'd still challenge him, because if you walk him, he steals second. Seven times out of 10 he's going to hit the ball at somebody and make an out. So you take your chances.

"The thought did occur to me, I didn't want to break this (Rollins) thing up without appearing to compete. And a walk would have been the worst thing to do in that situation. But that was secondary to the game, which dictated that we challenge him.

"We sent the right message."

Umm, up by like ten and a 3-0 count? You throw a fucking strike. The guy has a hit streak so you operate differently? You make them hit the ball to get the game over. I give players and managers a lot of credit for dealing with some of these dense people day after day.

No pressure Brian, sole possession of first is on the line.

Doc could be sentenced today.

At least he didn't guarantee two like Kramer did for Paul O'Neil.

"I guarantee you. I'm gonna go right field," Floyd said, specifying the direction of his blast.

The minor league umpires have gone on strike. The replacement umps will be working the games.

Evangeline Lilly would be sad to know, her reign as officialy woman of The Metropolitans is running on fumes.



Unless Lost finishes up the season strong, she's out.

It's The Coolflo Helments

The Mets are now undefeated with the new Coolflo™ helmets during regular season games as they defeated the Nationals 3-2. Sure, they had a little help from the umpiring crew and the Nationals appearing listless at times, but they started the season on a high note. David Wright went deep, Tom Glavine worked himself out of some tight spots, Xavier Nady might be Teddy Ballgame incarnate (will anyone ever get him out? will people ever stop making fun of me for drafting him way to high?), and Mr. Billy Wagner makes me happy...just like puppy dogs and the color blue make me happy.

I really liked the fact that Willie had enough faith in Aaron to send him out for his second inning of work. He obviously was not sharp, but he went out and got the job done. On top of that, he was the first guy he called from the bullpen and sends a nice message to a guy who probably feels like he has been cheated somehow of his shot to start. He should be a big part in the bullpen after all that has happened and should be one of, if not the primary set up guy. Obviously Sanchez is going to be there in big spots, but it will benefit everyone to have fresh arms at the end of the season and spread the work around.

Onto the last item of the day, poor, poor Beltran. I in no way thought Beltran would be booed on a day that there was a lot of good will at the stadium, but I was wrong. Wrong like my friend who thought getting the mozzereppa would be a tasty turn of events in his day at the stadium. Beltran did get booed. In fact, he was the only guy to get booed and they were winning the game. I hope he earned himself a few boo free games with that strike from centerfield to end the game, but something tells me no.

"I went through it last year," Beltran said. "I want the fans to relax. It's going to be a long season."

The center fielder paused a moment before quietly adding, "You expect that [booing] for the opposing players, not when you're at home."

Umm, not going to happen. They are rabid animals that want production and wins. If they do not get that, they get restless and boo happy and the guy with the largest salary on the team catches the lion's share of the blame. Enjoy. As Darryl Strawberry said during the pre-game show, you will be booed in New York. The sun rises. The sun sets. Girls that miss a few hugs from daddy become strippers. New York fans boo. Those are all certainties in life that will never change. I hope he does not take it personally and understands the environment he is in. If he catches fire, the fans will treat him like the second coming of little baby Jesus. They want to cheer, just give them a reason too.

"I want people to know that when they boo Carlos, they're booing David Wright, they're booing me," said Cliff Floyd. "We're in this together. No one is thinking, 'Damn, I'm glad it's him and not me.' We all wear the same uniform in here."

I highly doubt it. Sure it sounds good coming out of your mouth to support your teammate, but when you are the one getting booed, it is decidedly different. Good try though.

* * *

According to Alan from 15sports.com, the Mets are looking into making a deal for Julio Lugo. Alan did mention that Aaron Heilman and Heath Bell have been tossed about, but the details are completely sketchy and it could go nowhere. Interesting to think about anyway. Reyes, Lugo, Beltran, and Wright part of the top five with the ability to steal TONS of bases is scary. Every catcher in the NL East just crapped their pants thinking about it.

I always assume Marty Noble is 'in the know' at least a little bit since he is the official beat writer of the Mets, so this made me happy.

Mets probable lineup
Pos. Name
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. CF Carlos Beltran
3. 1B Carlos Delgado
4. 3B David Wright
5. LF Cliff Floyd
6. RF Xavier Nady
7. C Paul Lo Duca
8. 2B Anderson Hernandez
9. P Tom Glavine

Then LoDuca was batting second. I know, I know LoDuca had a good game. I had to eat my words countless times on Monday, but whatever. Beltran does not feel comfy in the three hole. That should be the end of the discussion. I agree good hitters should be able to bat anywhere, but the metal aspect cannot be discredited.

Bannister is going to get the start for Mets on Wednesday. Wacky stuff.

"I still think it'll be fine," Bannister said.

Great insight Brian. Good luck.

Direct TV and SNY have reached an agreement. Speaking of SNY, you cannot make this stuff up.

"A fuse blew at Shea Stadium, causing us to lose power," SNY's Andrew Fegyveresi said. "It was for less than a full inning. We addressed the situation immediately and we apologize to our viewers for the inconvenience."

During about 15 minutes without a Shea Stadium picture, fans missed the Mets first hit of the season, by Xavier Nady, instead seeing channel promos, public-service ads and a 1986 Mets game.

Of course this couldn't happen during game two, or game three, but the first regular season baseball game for their big time network? Only with the Mets.

Mr. Billy Wagner's favorite team growing up was the Atlanta Braves. His favorite baseball moment was no hitting the Yankees. His favorite flower is the gerber daisy.

The Mets stop in at number five on the Prospectus Hit List.

"...as interesting as Brian Bannister may be, Aaron Heilman merits another look for innings one through seven. PECOTA may say the Mets will knock off the Braves, but we'll believe it only when we see it."

I have to agree there, but overall, it is great to see the Mets as the favorite and have some sort of math to actually back it up.

"Everybody's calling and saying, 'Why are you hitting sixth?' " Floyd said Sunday. "I'm like, 'Bro, what do you want me to do? Beat Willie up?'"

Maybe.

The Yankees won 15-2 and Yankee fans everywhere are trying to knock Mets fans down a few notches because the Mets only won by one. Fuck you all.

The Angels won 5-4 and Vlad Guerrero hit a home run on his first swing of the year for the second consecutive season. Nice.

I never cease to be amazed that people actually listen to Mike and the Mad Dog. I realize they are basically the only show on at that time since the Michael Kay show is actually worse if you can believe it, but I would prefer to listen to dead air.

Well, not according to WFAN’s Mike Francessa and Chris Russo, who proceeded to rip the Mets and Wagner for daring to use the song and infringe on Yankee turf.

The problem with Mike and the Mad Dog’s argument is that Wagner has been using the song his whole career, when Jeff Bagwell picked the song for him. And since he started closing for the Houston Astros in 1996 – a year before Rivera did with the Yankees – why should the new Mets closer have to change music because he’s now in New York?

Just kill yourselves. Mike, you are fat, ugly, and sound half dead. Russo, you are just completely annoying.

"I know, Mariano's got it. Lord forbid, the Earth should crumble if two people have it," Wagner playfully said about the Metallica tune he has since used. "I play for the Mets. He plays for the Yankees. I never have to face him and he never has to face me. So there's really no big competition there."

Nomar to the DL.

The Braves top four are going to be tight and I know I'm stating the obvious, but the x-factor is their kiddies.

This is another reason to like the Mets and not the Yankees. At least the Mets admit when they've cheated and gotten away with something.

"It was weird because I guess the guys in the dugout were the only ones who could see it," Lo Duca said. "It was close to me and I was huddled, sort of covering it."

Plate umpire Rick Reed, who went to third base as part of the normal rotation with third-base umpire Laz Diaz out in leftfield, admitted the men in blue blew it. That and $2 will get the Nationals a ride on the subway, but at least he was honest about it.

"We weren't even aware that even happened until we got into the room and looked [at replays," Reed said. "[Tschida] did say that definitely would've changed his call. There was really nothing he could do about it. The ball seemed to pop out. It rolled right to Lo Duca's hands."

A-Rod just said he would do it against when the slap heard around the world went down with no remorse or no sense of wrong doing.

Opening Day Bitches.

The best game in the world is about to commence. Let’s play some fucking baseball.