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“The Mets have lost their biggest fan,” Gregg LePenna wrote on Facebook, citing his son's love for the Queens team. “He was the true definition of what Little League stands for: Fun and excitement for the game of baseball.” https://www.liherald.com/stories/little-leaguer-dies-playing-game-he-loved,140570https://www.liherald.com/stories/little-leaguer-dies-playing-game-he-loved,140570?

The kid was not only from my hometown but was attending the same neighborhood elementary school where I was sitting in class at this very moment 50 years ago, likely thinking about the Mets.

The doubleheader the lockout wrought commences at 3:10 PM. Starting pitchers for the opener (and nightcap) to be announced. Either prospective 27th man David Peterson or Carlos Carrasco for the Mets; either Charlie Morton or Kyle Wright for the visitors.

Lazar LaPenna, Little Leaguer, only 10. “The Mets were everything to him.” LONG BEACH, N.Y. -- There was a tragedy late last week on a Little League field on Long Island. A 10-year-old boy collapsed and died while running to first base. CBS2's Alice Gainer spoke with his heartbroken Long Beach family on Monday. Lazar LaPenna had just gone on a cruise with his family and celebrated his birthday on Wednesday. Friday was his first Little League game of the season. "He got a really nice hit, barrel of the bat. He knew it. The crowd was going crazy," Greg LaPenna said. Lazar's father was coaching. "He was so excited. He looked over to me. A smile from ear to ear," Gregg LaPenna said. He said he looked down for just a moment to mark down the hit in the scorebook. "I hear Gerry yell that Lazar's having a seizure, and he fell to the ground at first base," Gregg LaPenna said. Gerry is Lazar's 11-year-old brother, who was coaching first base at the time. His father says Lazar had epilepsy. His seizures had gotten worse over the years when he had one, but was nearly a year seizure-free and was on medication. "After a long period of CPR, he just didn't make it," Gregg LaPenna said. People have been placing flowers, baseballs and baseball caps at the ballpark. The family says support from the community is what's getting them through this tragedy. "From everybody, it's touching and everything is so surreal," Gregg LaPenna said. Other teams in the area are also paying tribute, putting baseball bats on porches and using the hashtag #BatsOutForLazar. His brothers are holding on to memories of playing together. "He always play games with me," one said. "Lazar was a really good kid. We'd always play Madden against each other," another said. The family said Lazar lived for sports. "The Mets were everything to him, the Jets everything, so excited about the draft," Greg LaPenna said. And after years of changing up his uniform number, this season he finally picked one he wanted to stick with. "'Can I be number 9? I always want to be number 9?'" his father said, breaking down. Greg LaPenna said the rest of the team's season is dedicated to Lazar. May they play with as much passion and joy as he did. https://apple.news/Aflqi9eNTRMqLNCaocDdQSQhttps://apple.news/Aflqi9eNTRMqLNCaocDdQSQ

Cluck this. https://news.sportslogos.net/2022/04/07/mlb-2022-a-complete-look-at-every-single-new-logo-and-uniform-this-season/baseball/https://news.sportslogos.net/2022/04/07/mlb-2022-a-complete-look-at-every-single-new-logo-and-uniform-this-season/baseball/

I read on the eve of the season they didn't plan to wear it, just use it for promotions. Seems like a missed opportunity.

Robinson Cano has been designated for assignment. Yoan Lopez has been optioned to Syracuse. The active roster is down to the regulation limit of 26.

Robinson Cano has been designated for assignment.

Sean Reid-Foley to the IL; Yoan Lopez returns for this last night of the 28-man roster.

Partially torn UCL for SR-F. Course of action, besides IL, TBD for Sean Reid-Foley.

Lost in all the excitement of detesting the Cardinals this week was the retirement announcement by former Cardinal (and Gary Cohen play on historical words object) Jon Jay, whose career technically started in 2010, but it feels like, what, five minutes ago? https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/04/jon-jay-announces-retirement.htmlhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/04/jon-jay-announces-retirement.html

Hero of the Battle of St. Louis Yoan Lopez is optioned to clear space for Taijuan Walker.

Cluck on the images.

Subject to change come TCD time, but I lean Post here for capturing the specific sense of occasion. The News's looks like a mockup produced for use in 1994's The Paper. Newsday, as it often does, tiptoes around the point.

See one of you fellas in at least the quarterfinals.

Trevor Bauer has been suspended without pay for the next two years by MLB, pending appeal. His administrative leave, which was with pay, does not count as time served.

A slightly less ignominious exit: Pete Harnisch was bounced for a minor leaguer the same season he started Opening Day after he and Bobby V didn't see eye to eye.

Mets will staple multiple wins together and leave the Phillies in need of a prescription for pain medication — take that to the bank.

Mets be home this weekend.

Man of God Darryl Strawberry… …suggests violence is the answer for the 2022 Mets. “Come on, man, if they want to put a stop to their guys getting hit, somebody's gotta charge the mound,” Strawberry said by phone. “I know the game is different now but at some point you have to let teams know that if they throw at you, they're going to pay a price. “That's how we were. Teams didn't like us because we were in New York and we were good and we took curtain calls, so they tried to test us by throwing at us and we put a stop to that real quick. We let them know we were going to fight them, all of us, and they were going to respect us. “This team has beaten up on some teams early and I think they're being tested. If you don't make a statement, other teams are going to keep doing what they're doing and think you're a bunch of softies. You can't have guys getting hit in the head and not do anything about it. So make your statement early: ‘You keep hitting us and we're going to charge the mound and snap your neck.'“ As he indicated, Strawberry knows almost nobody charges the mound the way they did decades ago, in part because suspensions are so much lengthier -- and costly -- than they were at that time. Still, he was emphatic in saying the need for action should supersede any concern about punishment. “Who cares about a suspension?” Strawberry said. “You throw all that out the window when teams are throwing at you. And it doesn't matter if it's not intentional. Pitchers obviously are trying to throw up and in on them. You have to let them know, ‘we're not going to allow you to keep hitting us.' “You go out there and pop them in the face and it does a couple of things. It did for us, anyway: it forces pitchers to back off from what they're doing, and it becomes a bonding thing for a team. Once we established that we had each other's backs and nobody was going to mess with us, we felt like we were never going to lose. It was part of who we were. “I'm not saying this team has to be the animals that we were. I'd just like to see the Mets win again. It's been a long time. The fans in New York deserve another championship. I'm glad to see this team is off to a good start. I played for Buck (Showalter) in '95 (with the Yankees), so I know they've got a good manager. “But it's up to the players to form that bond, and this is the kind of thing that can help do that. It's up to the players to say ‘the hell with this, we're getting hit too many times.'“ https://sny.tv/articles/darryl-strawberry-mets-hit-batters-somebodys-gotta-charge-moundhttps://sny.tv/articles/darryl-strawberry-mets-hit-batters-somebodys-gotta-charge-mound

The last thing Alonso needed was a case of the Clapp.

1,164. Yoan Lopez

Memories recalibration alert: Mets have signed Tommy Hunter to a minor league deal.