I was thinking the same thing.

"Couldn't help but thinking if Derek Jeter was half as passionate about Alex Rodriguez as a teammate as he is Joe Torre as a manager, it might have saved A-Rod some anguish last season. Rodriguez isn't Jeter's responsibility, but still …"

Just finishing out his contract, indeed.

"Wait... What? We can't believe there is even talk of Torre being fired."

We're shocked. Shocked!


"If the Yanks are going to make a move like that, they should have done it last October or November, not in April."

Yes.

They should have done it last October or November.

Now it just seems like the Yankees threw good money after bad.


"Is an interim Don Mattingly going to have any more of an impact on these players than Joe Torre? Or is Joe Girardi, whom many of these guys barely know, going to have their full attention? Will Larry Bowa's yelling really fire up Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui?"

Yes, yes, and yes.

Gosh. It sounds like you guys really don't think Mattingly or Girardi are potential future managers of Yankees.


"The Yankees should let Torre finish out this last season without swirling rumors, and bring in Girardi or Mattingly next year."

That's your solution?

Let Torre "finish out this last season"?

Also, I thought Don Mattingly would not have an impact and Joe Girardi would not grab the full attention of the players.

Didn't you just say that Don Mattingly would not have an impact and Joe Girardi would not grab the full attention of the players?

The role of a critic.

"This one's for you, buddy. You know who you are. For the past week or so, you've been e-mailing newspapers, calling sports talk radio stations, kicking it around with your pals. Although the words may vary, the conclusion is always the same.

Joe must go."

The last five years or so.


"So clearly, there's only one thing to do. Fire the manager."

I doubt if anybody thinks the firing of the manager would instantly solve all the Yankees' problems and propel the Yankees into the playoffs.

The Yankees need pitching and everybody knows this, even people who call sports talk radio stations. Most observers knew this before the season even started.


"Is it Torre's fault that three-fifths of his starting rotation has spent time on the disabled list, or that right now Bobby Abreu couldn't hit the ground if he fell out of a window, or that Chien-Ming Wang split a nail on his pitching hand yesterday, compromising his chances to tame the Red Sox, or that Alex Rodriguez hit into an eighth-inning double play when a two-run homer would have helped a lot more?"

I will give Matthews credit for one cogent baseball observation. A two-run homer would have helped a lot more than a double play.


"Is it Torre's fault that his front office left him pitching-poor this season, or that for the first time in recent memory, the Red Sox seem to have not only the better setup man - well, who would you prefer, Kyle Farnsworth or Hideki Okajima? - but the better closer?

Could Torre have kept David Ortiz, Alex Cora and Manny Ramirez in the ballpark yesterday?"

Very interesting question.

The Yankees are in last place. They are behind the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, the Orioles, and the Devil Rays.

Does Torre have worse set up men than the Devil Rays?


As for yesterday's game, I think Torre may bear some responsibility, if you think about it.

Alex Cora faked a bunt on his first pitch. Torre, Posada, and Wang all fell for it and grooved a fastball down the middle on the next pitch.

Scott Proctor allowed a homerun to Manny Ramirez. Due to Torre's peculiarities as a manager, Scott Proctor has pitched 4,500 innings in the past two seasons. His arm may be tired.


"Besides, who could do a better job with this team than Torre has done? Don Mattingly? Joe Girardi? Or you, buddy? If so, tell me how."

Don Mattingly? I'm not sure.

Joe Girardi? Absolutely.

Me? Am I supposed to manage the Yankees better than Joe Torre?

In truth, I think I casually pay attention to the opponent and the game situation with more insight that Joe Torre. I would have never sent the runners with ARod batting and Wakefield pitching. It's the strike-'em-out, throw-'em-'out Joe Torre Special.

Or send righties in against Okajima. I'll bet Torre has no idea what Okajima's splits are or that Okajima throws a lot of changeups. Not that there's too much to go on with a pitcher with such a small sample size, but Torre also has no idea what Roy Halladay's splits are. Torre said last week that he doesn't stay up at night thinking about the opponent's pitcher -- gee, you don't say.


This is a bizarre stance for a sportswriter to take.

Just because I would not be able to manager the Yankees, I am not allowed to criticize the manager of the Yankees.

But, what do you do every single day in your newspaper column?

Hey, Wallace. When Alex Rodriguez hit into a double play in the eighth inning yesterday, would you have been able to do any better?

Oh, was that a rhetorical question?

Joe Buck just asked a national audience, "What do you think was going through Joe Torre's mind when he saw that bat headed towards Alex Rodriguez?"

The bat had slipped out of the batter's hand and sailed towards the Yankee third baseman.

What do I think was going through Joe Torre's mind?

I can only speculate:

1) "When time does the buffet start at the Country Kitchen?"

2) "What day is it?"

3) "Where am I?"

4) "Who are we playing?"

5) "Is it four strikes is an out? Or four balls is a walk?"

6) "What's a good nickname for Chien-Ming Wang?"

7) "Green tea makes me want to pee."

8) "Do things. Do things. Do things. Do things."

9) "How does one associate Marx's theories of dialectical materialism with Gould's theories of transitional biology vis a vis a holistic view of the collective unconscious?"

10) Nothing.

Jeopardy!

A: Ninth.

Q: Where should the .152 hitter always bat?


A: Second.

Q: Where did Joe Torre bat the .152 hitter?


A: It's a trick question. There is no difference.

Q: What is the difference between a legitimate Joe Torre lineup and the lineup Joe Torre puts together when he's trying to get fired?

But he emanates calm.

"But the one person who escapes the criticism, especially from the media, is the person I blame the most for this mess: manager Joe Torre."

Preach to me, preacher.


"This is not easy to say. What Torre has done in New York is special. Part of me thinks that if a manager wins four World Series, he should never be criticized."

Squash that part of you.


"However, Torre has never been a master at using the bullpen, but this season his cluelessness has hit another level. In the past, he's burned out Steve Karsay, Tanyon Sturtze, Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill. It looks like Scott Proctor and Luis Vizcainio will be next."

Imagine if Torre didn't have Mariano Rivera.


"But here's what Torre's biggest sin has been: He showed that he's scared of the Red Sox. It was blatantly evident last weekend. A lot was made in New York about how Torre managed the series opener like it was Game 7 of the World Series. Well, he also managed like he had a one-run lead when he had a four-run lead. He showed all of Boston that he was petrified of losing that game. And there's no doubt in my mind that the Red Sox (and their fans) could see it and smelled blood -- and got it."

I don't disagree.

It's way down on the list of grievances, but I don't disagree.

You're learning, Jimmy. You're learning.

You want me to pitch, too?

"Rodriguez, who is hitting .400 (30-for-75) with 14 homers and 34 RBIs, become the first player in major league history to hit 14 homers in the first 18 games of the season and tied Albert Pujols' 2006 mark for most home runs in April.

'This obviously is a tough time for us, but it's a long season. We've got to keep working ourselves out of it,' Rodriguez said.

'We need a win in the worst way. Again, I think hard work and grinding through it and supporting your teammates are the most important things.' "

When I say "tough time for 'us,' " I mean, "tough time for people who are not me."

Yesterday, I made a Nettles play at third and almost another one.

My baserunning was inspired.

Not to mention the four hits, four runs scored, and two homeruns.

I'm thinking about "supporting my teammates" by calling that guy from Sports Illustrated and setting the record straight.

Who's the best third baseman in New York?

ARod should take a couple of months off just to give The Anointed One a chance to catch up.

Dan Graziano pays attention:

"But as the endorsements and the appearances and the accolades kept flowing in, the home runs and RBI have started to trickle. Wright's power stroke vanished after last season's All-Star break. His lousy showing in the NLCS ranked at or near the top of the list of reasons the Mets missed out on the World Series. And in the first 18 games of this season, he has four RBI and no home runs.

All of which makes you wonder -- has it become a little too cool to be David Wright? All of the endorsements, the magazine covers, the public appearances and praise ... is it all too much too soon?"

I don't think it's the magazine covers or the contract. David Wright is an excellent baseball player. He's just not as good as lots of people thought. He's nowhere near as good as Alex Rodriguez, and he never was.

Let's review what Alex Rodriguez had accomplished by age 25.

When ARod was 25, he had his first 50-homerun season, which was preceded by three straight 40-homerun seasons.

When ARod was 20, he hit .358 with 36 homeruns.

David Wright will never accomplish these things.

Pretty sneaky, sis.

When ARod hit a homerun in four consecutive games, I thought of a good headline. But nobody used it.

When the Red Sox hit four straight homeruns, I still didn't see it.

Must I think of everything?

Overheard and overread.

Overread? That isn't even a word.


1. I paraphrase Keith Hernandez during today's Mets-Braves game. Two on, two out, tie game, top of the 8th, 2-0 pitch to Kelly Johnson with Edgar Renteria on deck:

"Renteria is a clutch, veteran hitter. The strategy here is to make the rookie beat you, but don't let the veteran beat you."

On cue, Johnson drills a game-winning three-run homerun on the next pitch.

Congratulations to the Mets for making the rookie beat you.

For future reference, I suggest an ever better strategy: Get the batter out.


2. Sportsline's "glog" of the Yankees-Sox game:

"Dice-K came up and in to A-Rod and knicked him. Perhaps this was a better result for Red Sox fans than a strikeout in some ways."

This is a constant source of befuddlement.

Why do fans cheer when a pitcher on their team beans an opposing player?

Why do fans boo when a player on their team is hit by a pitch?

It's a baserunner, people. The baserunner may become a run if he eventually touches home plate. Runs are how baseball games are won.

If the fans of a team cheer when their pitcher puts an opposing player on base, then they deserve what they get.

Sure enough, Giambi doubles in two runs.

Is that a better result for Red Sox fans?

Go ahead, Dice-K, be my guest.

Hit Yankee batters all night long.

Hit four in a row and it's a cheap run.

Somebody ask him about pinch-running for Giambi.

Kevin Thompson batting with two outs in the ninth.

I think Torre got in the habit of putting in late-inning defensive replacements for Giambi when Giambi was playing first base.

Now, Torre is putting in late-inning defensive replacements for his designated hitter.

Odd, that.

Funny Quote.

Andy Pettitte on ARod:

''Since I've been here, it's all been good,'' said Pettitte, who departed the Yankees before Rodriguez's arrival in 2004. ''I'm scratching my head trying to figure out what everybody's been complaining about.''

Bold Predictions.

Randy Hill answers a question nobody was asking:

"Pujols will hit, trust me."

I trust you.


"Through his first six seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals' slugger averaged 41 home runs and 126 RBI. But his two-homer, five-RBI effort on Sunday left Flat Albert with three and seven, respectively, for the season.

Despite his relentless consistency, Pujols — now hitting .170 — may be setting a new personal standard for early season struggle. He hit .372 with 14 homers and 32 RBI in April of 2006 after checking in with a solid .286 in 2005."

In his first six seasons, the lowest Albert Pujols has ever finished in MVP voting is fourth.

His 162-game average is .300/.416/.625, 43 hrs, 131 rbis.

According to baseball-reference.com's Hall Of Fame monitor, Albert Pujols is already 81st highest of all time. After just six seasons.

Trust me, Randy Hill: Nothing you could write in your column, no contrary prediction you could make, could stop Albert Pujols from hitting.

This prediction is like rolling a die and predicting a number between one and six.

Fishy.

When Jon Heyman picked the Angels as the "clear-cut favorite in its division," I thought it was an unwise choice. I personally like the Tigers.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. No big deal.

You know who else likes the Tigers? Jon Heyman, ten days earlier.

Conspicuous in its absence.

Sometimes, it's not what you say, it's what you don't say.

I heard Mike Lupica on the Sports Reporters this morning discussing the Imus firing. Lupica misread the situation. To paraphrase, Lupica said, "I usually have a pretty good idea about what's a big sports story."

As I elegantly spit my morning coffee out of my mouth, I decided to test his theory by examining his weekly Sunday column.

The Yankees currently have a third baseman who has seven homeruns in ten games. That's not only more homeruns that the Mets' third baseman, it's more homeruns than the Mets.

Mike Lupica is writing for a New York newspaper during baseball season. Only two mentions of the Yankees.

This: "Well, you could have picked me up off the floor when I found out Pavano was getting pushed back a couple of days with a sore arm."

(Tee hee.)

And this: "Sometimes my hamstrings get tight just watching the Yankees play."

(Har dee har har.)

The Yankees have injured players!

So, get worried, Yankee fans!


But we get another lengthy love letter to Jonathan Papelbon:

"If you watched Jonathan Papelbon of the Red Sox come out of the bullpen against the Texas Rangers last Sunday night on ESPN, you saw one of the most dominating efforts by a closer you're going to see all season.

And while we're on the subject: Terry Francona of the Red Sox basically did the same thing with Papelbon Friday night.

Brought him into a 4-1 game against the Angels when the Angels had first and third in the eighth and Bad Vlad Guerrero at the plate.

Papelbon struck out Guerrero with a 97-mph fastball, got Garret Anderson to fly out to end the inning.

When the Red Sox tacked on a bunch of runs in the bottom of the eighth, Papelbon was done for the night.

I don't know why managers don't do this more often, and I'm not talking about two-inning saves, necessarily.

But if you're absolutely convinced the game is on the line in the eighth, why wait until the ninth to bring in your closer?"

(But what is Plan B for the Red Sox if Papelbon gets hurt?)


There's this thing going on right under your nose. You have the privilege of watching one of the top ten baseball players ever during a hot streak. It's like watching Michelangelo drafting the Sistine Chapel. Right now, every ARod at-bat is Must See TV. The Yankees are 1-9 without ARod.

But Lupica won't mention ARod again until ARod hits into a ninth-inning double play.

Key word being "choice."

"Over the weekend, Major League Baseball will laud Jackie Robinson for his role in integrating the game and, ultimately, the country. At the same time, it will conveniently ignore another manner in which Robinson was far ahead of his time.

Given the choice, he probably would have chosen to play another sport professionally instead of baseball."

How presumptuous: "Jackie Robinson would have chosen to play another sport."


I don't think it's disrespectful to Jackie Robinson or the civil rights movement if young, black athletes choose to not play baseball. Or if young, black men choose, instead, to be software engineers or CEOs or Presidents of the U.S.

The general perception seems to be that Jackie Robinson would bemoan the relative lack of black ballplayers in major league baseball.

I'm not so sure.

I don't think Robinson's vision was so myopic.

New York fans are known for their toughness.

I am trying to imagine the outcry if Alex Rodriguez had started the season with 0 hrs and 3 rbis after ten games.

Vote For The Worst.

You have one hour to dial in.

1-866-Worthless or 1-866-BallThief.


It's actually not a difficult choice.

I do enjoy, on a daily basis, the fact that Torre insists on batting Ball Thief eighth instead of ninth. It's delicious. It's the Bad Managing version of a philly cheesesteak and you can enjoy it every day without getting fat.

Can I prove that the Yankees would have won last night if Ball Thief had batted ninth instead of eighth? No, I can not prove it. But the Yankees would have won last night if Ball Thief had batted ninth instead of eighth.

My favorite moment was probably when he lined into a double play. Naturally, Posada was running on the pitch. It was a prime example of how the Yankees can do things offensively. Hitting into double plays is a thing.

I also remember a play a few games ago when the pitcher (Igawa?) threw the ball wildly to first base. Ball Thief came off the base and saved a run with his glove.

Doesn't necessarily make up for 11,000 runners left on base, but it was a thing. That he did. Because he can definitely do some things.

So did Dave LaPoint.

Grandpa Joe explains Jackie Robinson's remarkable qualities:

"He was remarkable," Torre recalled recently. "He was a great athlete -- he played first, played third, played second ... "

Sounds good so far.

"... and wore No. 42."

Ho hum.

"The Yankees have played 16,116 games in their 105-year history, but they have ended only eight games with a grand slam. Yesterday’s game-ending grand slam, the third of Rodriguez’s career, may have been the most dramatic."

That's all you need to say.

"In an instant, a week of bad starting pitching and three years of a New York roller-coaster ride can disappear with one perfect swing.

This is a different A-Rod. I've been writing that since spring training and yesterday Rodriguez showed the world just how different, blasting a Reggie Jackson-like ninth-inning, two-outs, two-strikes, game-winning grand slam, the kind of shot you remember for the rest of your life.

And it was done with an effortless, unburdened swing."

Forget the off-field subplots for a moment. Just think about the pure aesthetic beauty of that homerun.

This was the kind of shot you remember for the rest of your life.

It felt like Little League, indeed.

Funny how Kevin Kernan and everybody else can see it. Only Mike Lupica is too far gone to enjoy baseball anymore.

Poor Lupica.

Poor guy had another article all ready to go about how the Mets are better than the Yankees and more intriguing and more exciting and the Wave of the Future.

Then, Alex Rodriguez hits a walkoff grand slam with two outs in the ninth.

What shall Lupica do? Shall he write a new article? Or shall he change the tone of his article a little bit? Or shall he just somehow incorporate this contrary data, but keep the same anti-Yankee, pro-Met tone? Deadline is approaching and he has to make a decision.

Lupica is forced to insouciantly dismiss one of the most exciting and dramatic and fun and intriguing plays he has ever seen on a baseball diamond.

Lupica would rather talk about how uber-awesome the Mets are:

"These past couple of years, the Mets feel as if they are starting all over again, two years before they move out there beyond right field, through the rotunda that will face Roosevelt Avenue. Even with the age we always hear about on their pitching staff, even with 40-year-old Moises Alou playing left and old Valentin at second, there is still something fresh and new to the Mets, six months after they should have made the World Series."

Odd he should say "fresh and new," because he has written this same same stale and old article for many years now.

Freakin' Mike Cameron in centerfield was fresh and new. The second coming of Ken Griffey Jr.

I think Roger Cedeno was gonna be Rickey Henderson.


"It is only the first week. The Mets make us pay attention to them already, as they try to come out of the blocks this season the way they did last season. That was an amazing series against the Cardinals in St. Louis, even if it didn't make up for Yadier Molina. The Braves' series started with that beatdown Friday night."

The Mets' first four games were exciting for Mets fans, I'm sure. Fans always pay attention to their teams because that is what fans do.

But they were exceedingly boring games for the casual fan. This imaginary non-committal entertainment-seeker to whom Lupica is alluding. The baseball fan whose loyalty is up for grabs.

Bo-Ring.

The Mets are nothing but greedy big spenders beating up on small markets, complete with Jose Reyes tacking on some useless RBIs when the Mets already had an eight-run lead.

Certainly nothing that matches a two-out ninth inning walkoff grand slam.


"The Yankees will always make headline and news on and off the field. The fans booed Alex Rodriguez in the first inning of the first game and loved him like he was the second coming of Mickey Mantle yesterday when he hit that walk-off slam into the black in center. But after four years of this, even that soap opera has gotten old.

...

How do I get some kind of reprieve from the daily A-Rod clutch-hitting watch?"

The soap opera has gotten old. I agree. Please stop writing about it.

If Mike Lupica is bored with the Yankees, then he can do us all a favor and stop watching them play baseball and stop writing about them.

If Mike Lupica doesn't understand the emotional payoff of yesterday's game after 3 1/2 dreadful hours on a chilly Sunday afternoon, then maybe he doesn't understand sports at all.

I know it's only Baltimore and I know it's only April. But that is precisely the kind of game that keeps the fans coming back for more.

Yankee fans all over the country are excitedly phoning one another. This is a moment that is completely unforgettable. You sit around with wiffle bats when you're seven years old and you intone Phil Rizzuto: "Two outs, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded ... the 1-2 pitch ... Holy Cow!"

Does Lupica really think the Yankees' future is bleak? Five million tri-state middle schoolers are going to be ARod during Monday's stickball game. If they weren't hooked before, they're hooked now.

All these fans pick up the newspaper the next day and are told how boring their team is.

They are told by a man who constantly calls ARod a "choker" that the "clutch watch" should be stopped.

Now, Lupica wants to stop talking about "clutch," does he? After the two-out ninth inning walkoff grand slam? Oh, that's interesting. Because I think a strikeout in that situation would have prompted another "choker" blurb in your article.

ARod comes to the plate after already hitting a homerun and a double, scoring three runs, and driving in two. He swings and misses a 1-1 pitch and the fans are already booing. Already, I'm angry about the unfair treatment he is about to receive.

Then, he swings at a 1-2 pitch -- a letter-high fastball, typical of a pitch that he missed a lot last year -- maybe the 12 pounds will really make a difference -- and he connects.

Not with a big, wild, homerun swing. With a quick stab.

The pitcher points to the sky, thinking it's a fly ball.

On the radio, John Sterling thinks it's a fly ball.

I think it's a game-ending fly ball. He didn't even swing hard. He didn't even get it on the sweet spot. I have seen a lot of fly balls to centerfield and that's a fly ball to centerfield.

The fly ball ends up in the black centerfield bleachers.

The man is so talented, his homeruns are optical illusions.

The "second coming of Mickey Mantle" is an insult to this man. Mickey Mantle was merely the 15th or 20th best player of all time.


There was quite an amazing story in New York baseball yesterday. Quite possibly, a once-in-a-lifetime story. That story wasn't about the Mets.

Lupica really doesn't get it. Lupica is simply too concerned with his own agenda. Lupica has pre-determined that the Yankees are joyless and a Jose Reyes ground out is more exciting than an Alex Rodriguez homerun.

Lupica, it's time for you to go away.

That's Our Joe!

I thought the funniest move by Joe Torre today was going to be his starting lineup. Inexplicably batting Mintkayvitch eighth and Cabrera ninth.

(I know, I know. Torre has an "explanation," and I know what it is. Circular lineup, the number nine hitter can be a "second leadoff hitter," we can do some things with speed, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, why am I wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day?)

But this starting lineup was not the funniest thing Torre did today.

The funniest thing occurred in the eighth inning.

With one out in the eighth, Giambi hits a three-run homerun to make the score Baltimore 7, New York 6.

The next batter is supposed to be Matsui, but Matsui has left the game due to an injury and Miguel Cairo has replaced Matsui in left field.

Damon is avaialable, but not 100% healthwise.

So, Cairo goes to the plate and takes a strike.

Then, after the count is 0-1, Torre calls on Damon to be the pinch hitter.

I've heard of chess grandmasters and their ability to anticipate as many as ten moves into the future.

Joe Torre, on the other hand, is probably still working on the strategies of tic-tac-toe.

Has ARod stopped beating his wife?

Michael Jordan was once asked if his performance on the court sometimes surprised himself. He answered, "Yes." Which immediately sounds obnoxious. However, if you think about it, it probably sounds more obnoxious if he answers, "No."

An April 6th game vs. Tampa Bay is not a great opportunity for ARod to turn Yankees fans in his favor. It just isn't. It's not a key at-bat for ARod because a grand slam would have done nothing more than elicit more shouts or "Mr. April."

It's going to take a Reggie game in the World Series. Which means it obviously isn't likely to ever happen. One hundred years of World Series games and only Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson have 3-homerun games in the World Series.

Now, when a baseball player is questioned about a particular at-bat, I think it's pretty obnoxious to insult the opposing player who just beat you:

"It was frustrating. He gave me a good pitch to hit and I didn't do much with it," Rodriguez said. "A fat pitch. It was right there."

But I also don't think there's a good way to answer the question.

If ARod says the guy made a great pitch, round bat, round ball, 0.01 seconds to react, nobody ever batted .500, then he just sounds like a blameshifter.

Color me discouraged.

Mike Fitzpatrick's analysis seems to be the consensus:

" ... and the Yankees even got a few encouraging innings from Carl Pavano ..."


Even Steinbrenner the Terrible gives high marks to his $10 million bust:

"Pavano allowed five runs -- four earned -- and six hits in 4 1-3 innings. After 73 pitches, he left to a mix of cheers and boos.

'He did well,' Steinbrenner said."


What the heck is going on here?

Mike Puma sums it up nicely:

"The biggest benefit of low expectations is the praise that often accompanies even the most minimal achievement."

Plan A.

Top 9th: Tampa Bay

- M. Rivera relieved M. Rivera [sic]

- D. Navarro struck out swinging
- E. Dukes struck out swinging
- B.J. Upton struck out looking

Close and Late!

Alex Rodriguez starts out the 2007 season with a 1.000 batting average in close and late situations.

What can account for this dramatic turaround in clutch play?

It's probably the 12 pounds he lost.

Or the motivation of the opt out.

Or the embarrassment of batting eighth in the playoffs last year.

It is going to be a fun season.

One inning in the books and Alex Rodriguez has been booed twice by the Yankee Stadium crowd.

John Sterling says he "deserved it." He overran a foul pop and struck out with two runners on base.

Whether or not he "deserved it," get used to it.

Speaking of the strikeout, it occurred on a 3-2 pitch with two runners on and one out. One of the game's premier strikeout pitchers vs. one of the game's premier strikeout batters.

So, naturally, the call is to send the runners. Both of whom were safe on the basepaths. But does Joe Torre even think about these advanced analyses? Such as the pitcher and the batter? Is he sending the runners if Sandy Koufax is pitching to Reggie Jackson? The answer is "yes." Torre is sending the runners because Torre likes to "do things."

Maybe Torre can explain in the following defense of a first baseman who will hit .212 with 5 homeruns:

"But the things he can do, aside from the defensive aspect of it, is that he can put the ball in play. When you put the ball in play, we can do some things with our offense. That's encouraging for us, because swinging and missing really curtails some of the things you can do."

I hope that clears it up. Doing things is a very important aspect to baseball strategy. Maybe us neophytes would understand the imporance of doing things if we had a few decades of major league experience.

I wasn't listening on the radio, but I'm guessing Jeter got a standing ovation following his throwing error.

It is going to be a fun season.

And those kids ought to stop skateboarding on the sidewalk.

"The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, who were in a fierce battle for the National League pennant in October, opened the 2007 season Sunday night.

Ho, hum.

You'd think this grudge match — the Cardinals went on to win the World Series — would demand national headlines. Instead, except for the two cities involved, this opener had about as much hoopla as any other April game.

This is a perfect example of how Major League Baseball has sold out to ESPN and tarnished one of its most sacred rituals: opening day.

The traditional opener was always in Cincinnati. There was a parade, kids hooked school and the first pitch helped melt away the winter. Baseball was back."

The mayor took the locomotive to the game so he could threw out the first ball. A fat mayor. Wearing suspenders and a monacle.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

"You know the best part about the Mets having a game tonight?

It means Jose Reyes is back in season.

This is a wonderful time to be a New York baseball fan.

There are so many players to watch, and so many of them are great players, and some of those great players have a lot of World Series rings.

I would rather watch Reyes play baseball than any of them."

I'd rather watch Jason Grimsley play baseball than Billy Wagner. I think it's funny when Grimsley takes his cap off every time he walks off the mound.

Go root for Jose Reyes all you want.

But a sportswriter ought to attempt to tell the truth and ought to attempt to be consistent.

When Jose Reyes leaves six runners on base in a playoff game, I want to Lupica to write that Reyes is a choker.

I was also wondering what the Mets' "Plan B" is if Jose Reyes pulls a hamstring.