Loves Billy Wagner.

Loves Billy Wagner, loves Jonathan Papelbon, loved Tony Womack, loved Mike Cameron so much that he said Cameron was a better fielding CFer than Prime Griffey Jr.

ARod? Eh, probably not so much.

If this wasn't enough B-Wags praise for one day ...

"People can bounce Billy Wagner all over town for some of the things he's said in the past and some of the things he said this week.

But there is a little bit of Yogi in Wagner, in this way:

No matter how it comes out, you always know exactly what he means.

And even though he backed up on Friday for some of the things he said on Thursday after the Mets lost to the Nationals, taking one for the team in the process, we knew exactly what he meant there.

The bottom line here is that the Mets need more guys like Wagner, not fewer."

... here's an entire article praising Wagner's four outs in Saturday's game.


Also, I am forced to conclude that Lupica just doesn't like Johan Santana, for unknown and unexplained reasons, and, therefore, Santana will not received "special media treatment":

"Johan Santana may turn out to be a total pitching star for the Mets the way he was for the Twins.

May turn out to be the great difference maker here, in terms of a World Series, that the Mets want him to be.

But before he is given any special media treatment, he needs to understand something a lot of other guys have had to understand before him:

With the kind of money he is making, with this kind of stage, comes responsibilities."

Okay, when you read this, does it seem like a secret, coded message for Johan Santana?

I have zero idea what Lupica is talking about.

I guess Lupica wants Santana to be more verbose during postgame interviews. (More like Wagner?)

That's the dilly, yo. You say outrageous stuff and I will praise you in my newspaper article. if you don't say outrageous stuff, I will not praise you in my newspaper article.

Got it?

Good.

Now, does it matter what happened on the field? I don't remember anymore.

This is about the most important thing of all: The postgame interview and the articles I write about the postgame interview.

I'm Mike Lupica, damn it. I can turn this whole city against you if I want to.

So, watch yourself, Johan Santana. You don't want Shootin' From the Lip's 50-year-old sporstwriter all up in your grill. I'll get all Metaphorical on your ass with some Gangsta double entendres and whatnot.

Can't you even fathom my skills? "Shootin' From the Lip" is a pun for "Shootin' From the Hip," beeyotch.