G-Fafif

Per the observation of a friend, the Post-Dispatch had plenty of asterisks left over that it didn't use during its spate of Mark McGwire headlines.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis LF Andres Torres CF David Wright 3B Lucas Duda RF Daniel Murphy 2B Ike Davis 1B Omar Quintanilla SS Josh Thole C Jon Niese LHP

Just grasped what an innocent thread title this was in that Gwreck somehow lacked the prescience to declare "No-Hitter" in advance.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: R.A.'s all, "Waitress, I'll have another Schaefer." Nicely turned as always, sir. He's ordering those for Justin and Mike. 'Cause that's just how he rolls. Beautiful work, BG.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: We have a Polish neighbor who reminds you now and again why they make Polish jokes. This morning I saw him on the block and he was all abuzz with the Mets news but asked if it was a perfect game or a no-hitter and I explained the difference. "So they've never had a no-hitter ... or a perfect game?" How many Mets does it take to throw a no-hitter? Two: One to hold the light bulb, the other to crash into the wall to make sure it doesn't fall out.

Mets and Marlins remain tied for both WC spots, one up on throwback-dressing Giants; one behind Nats for first in East. One-third mark is reached after Sunday night's game. And we're still sort of seriously talking about this, kinda, huh?

METS ALL-TIME HIT LEADERS Through Games of 6/2/2012 1. Ed Kranepool 1,418 2. DAVID WRIGHT 1,313 COUNTDOWN: Krane Minus One Hundred Five

The last pitcher to finish a game for the Mets under the onus of "they've never had a no-hitter." I was saying to a friend with whom I watched his final Met appearance from the Promenade Wednesday night after Johan did what he did Friday, "Chris Schwinden died for our sins." Or something like that.

Dickey 5.5 Wright 2.0 Murphy 1.0 Thole 1.0 Quintanilla 0.5

Biggest damn white flag I ever saw.

It is Duquette's daughter who is having kidney replacement surgery. Her dad made the donation.

Us and Marlins tied for the two WC spots, one game behind rained-out Nats. And we have a no-hitter.

I root for a team that's thrown a no-hitter in its history. Just confirming.

On this night at the opera. Not that I wasn�t already succumbing to my more lachrymose tendencies, but what opened the floodgates good and wide up in my eyeballs where I couldn�t believe what I was seeing was the SNY camera shot of a mother holding a son of maybe five years old. They were smiling and they were cheering and I realized something about that kid: If this happens, he won�t have to grow up with this. To clarify the pronouns, the first �this� was the no-hitter Johan Alexander Santana was closing in on with (I think) one out in the ninth. The second �this� I seriously doubt I have to specify. Because it existed like hell for 50 years and two months and it has ceased to exist as of June 1, 2012, the night of the real and true First No-Hitter in New York Mets History. Of course it�s an upper-case affair. It�s an up-in-lights affair. It�s an above-the-marquee event that will forever front this 51st season of New York Metropolitan baseball. Like Bill Haley & The Comets; like Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods; like Huey Lewis & The News. Like the First No-Hitter in New York Mets History & The Rest of 2012. Whatever comes along, the Mets have a pass. 29-133? Oh, that�s not gonna happen, but you know what I mean. Every season in which the playoffs don�t seem particularly possible, I make a little bargain with Whoever might be in a position to do something about it: Give me a no-hitter and I�ll accept anything else that befalls the Mets. As if I had a choice. As if, for 8,019 games � the vast majority I have witnessed in one form or another � I had something to say about this most holiest of grails eluding our grasp. As if I could have revoked all those miserable clean singles. As if I could have turned Tarzan Joe Wallis around at the players entrance of Wrigley Field. As if I could have told Leron Lee to take off the Fourth of July forty years ago and have himself a leisurely Independence Day. As if I could have convinced Mr. and Mrs. Qualls to do no more than hold hands. You�re a Mets fan. You don�t really need me to be specific about who and what I�m talking about here, either. Those names � Wallis from 1975, Lee from 1972, Qualls from 1969 � used to mean something to us. Paul Hoover, Kit Pellow, Cole Hamels, Ernie Banks, Wade Boggs, Keith Moreland, Chris Burke�the whole miserable club. Those names mean nothing now. The only name that matters now is Johan Santana.

I continue to not believe this actually happened.

Anybody else open a little bubbly tonight?

METS ALL-TIME HIT LEADERS Through Games of 6/1/2012 1. Ed Kranepool 1,418 2. DAVID WRIGHT 1,311 COUNTDOWN: Krane Minus One Hundred Seven (Superfluous tonight, admittedly.)

Santana 6.0 Baxter 3.0 Duda 0.5 Thole 0.5

As the commercials say, prohibition is over.

Despite what scientists are calling the Schwinden Effect, your New York Metropolitans will enter June holding the second Wild Card spot, one game behind the Miami Marlins, one half-game ahead of the Atlanta Braves, with the Cardinals, Giants and Phillies bunched up directly behind. Mets trail Washington by 1.5 for first in the N.L. East.

Lastings Milledge in Japan: http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/in-japan-milledge-continues-to-underwhelm/]Tough to Swallows. Through Tuesday, he was batting .240 with 6 home runs and 17 runs batted in, hardly the power surge the Swallows had hoped for. On Sunday night, he went 0-3 in a 4-1 loss. His highlights included an inning-ending double play, a fly ball to the warning track and getting hit by a pitch.

METS ALL-TIME HIT LEADERS Through Games of 5/30/2012 1. Ed Kranepool 1,418 2. DAVID WRIGHT 1,310 COUNTDOWN: Krane Minus One Hundred Eight