G-Fafif

I realized after the fact that I shortchanged Robles from Opening Day. Then, after he imploded in the season's second game, I stopped feeling badly about it. These things really do even out.

Cold night at the old (nine-year-old, at any rate) ballpark. Weirdly long lines to get in, yet not that huge a crowd. Weirdly long lines at concessions. Joint not operating on all cylinders yet...or is in midseason form. They replaced the awful, awful, awful car race with a more fun version, three go-carts being pedaled around the track. Made me think of the little Jets plane that used to grace the sidelines at Shea offseason. Two cool new artifacts in the museum: Yogi's jacket from the 1973 postseason, with the rarely seen 75th anniversary patch celebrating the 1898 smashing together of the boroughs; the pillbox cap Tom Seaver wore in 1976. But the joy from seeing them was diminished by a) a lineup card from a game vs the Nats at Citi Field in July 2016 that, according to the accompanying text, was the lineup card from the game when the Mets hit 8 HRs at Citizens Bank Park in August 2015; and a Mets 41 jersey allegedly worn by Tom when he pitched during one of his twelve seasons as a Met. Except it has a drop shadow and, at best, was worn by Seaver when he threw out a first pitch. It's the kind of thing that if you saw at a Champions in a Marriott, you'd say, fine, whatever. But it's the frigging Mets museum. Montero sucks. The intentional walk bit was confusing at first, weird altogether. Throw the bleeping balls.

Ceetar wrote: I've always been intrigued by those but between kids and that it actually costs money to hear people that generally share their writing on the internet already, I've never pulled the trigger. How was Hannah Keyser? She started by writing the most basic clickbait drivel for deadspin (their MO after all) but her Twitter always seemed mildly intelligent. Keyser was professional with a touch of mischief. She talked about the series she wrote on the smuggling of Cuban ballplayers but also answered a deadly serious audience question about pressure from the business side to write things a certain way rather playfully before admitting, no, nobody's bothered her. Dealing with Met fans has got to be one of the tougher parts of that job. The dealing is something the previous generation of beat writers didn't have to dirty their hands with. These guys interact social-mediatically, if you will, probably because they have to, probably because on some level they enjoy it until they don't. DiComo has been a Met writer all his working life, it seems (been with MLB.com for a decade, having started as an intern, covering the Mets all along) and seems to accept Mets fans as the breed we/they are. There's a still a touch of the outsider perspective in Carig, which is probably helpful. They both hung out and mingled later, as did everybody else, save for Azaria, though he appeared approachable during one of the intermissions.

Attended the PitchTalks event in Brooklyn last night. The featured attraction was Hank Azaria, promoting his new IFC show Brockmire, whose pilot was screened. It's about a minor league baseball announcer who is climbing back from his fall from grace, to put it mildly. It was probably funnier because it was on an enormous screen shown in the company of a couple of hundred people with the star and creator on stage. But it was funny on its own merit. Premieres tonight at 10. DVR it if the Mets game is still on. Also on the bill were Anthony DiComo and Marc Carig, both personable and loose. Biggest takeaway: Bartolo speaks great English, he just doesn't want to be bothered to talk to reporters most of the time. Also: Syndergaard looked amazing from behind home plate during a game against minor leaguers in PSL; Carig curses quite freely; they respect how good even the worst players are; they give the impression that they think Mets fans are a bit over the top in their emotional investment but seem to respect it; and the sense that another injury shoe is going to drop is almost a given with these guys. Azaria sat in on that panel. He is truly one of us. "I can't believe Eric O'Flaherty is still in the major leagues!" was his response to Opening Day. None of this celebrity vagueness about rooting for New York. Also on hand and charming as emcee: Jonah Keri, joined by Jay Jaffe of SI and Hannah Keyser of Deadspin for a general MLB panel. Fun night all around.

Wilmer Flores became the eighth DFDH -- de facto designated hitter -- in Mets history by batting for the pitcher twice in the same inning. Previous DFDHs: Jim Fregosi, Dave Marshall, Mike Cubbage, Howard Johnson, Gregg Jefferies, Vance Wilson and Daniel Murphy. Marshall's moment came in the largest of all Met comebacks, from down 8-0 to beat Houston, 11-8, on September 2, 1972.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL Jose Reyes – 3B Asdrúbal Cabrera – SS Yoenis Céspedes – LF Curtis Granderson – CF Neil Walker – 2B Jay Bruce – RF Lucas Duda – 1B René Rivera – C Noah Syndergaard - RHP

8 Akeel Morris

20 Donne Wall, I'm guessing

14 D.J. Carrasco

9 Dan Murray

7 Jesse Hudson

5 Manny Hernandez

4 Kenny Greer

13 Toby Borland

16 Eric Gunderson

18 Mike Marshall

17 Kevin Lomon

12 Mac Scarce

10 Garrett Olson

1 Jon Adkins

2. Jack Egbert

11. Don Rose

19. Josh Stinson

Alphabetical order was a big help down the stretch.

47 Tom Sturdivant