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As suggested above, Martino is on the case! In an article posted on Thursday nigh story, he leads with this: [note: this version is not on the website as of early Friday AM] A pink shirt with a white collar, with the collar being the most important thing. That is what rested on a hanger in Jordany Valdespin's locker before Thursday's 9-1 win over San Francisco, while Valdespin wore his vandalized white t-shirt, and a smile. and later, there are two anonymous veterans: The incident also dragged into the open clubhouse mutterings about Valdespin's brashness, not typical for a rookie � even one with a habit of knocking pinch-hit homers. Whether or not this is a problem depends on who you ask; as with any issue in a group of 25 people, opinions vary. So while one veteran says, "He doesn't have a single friend on this team," another says, "He's not a bad guy at all, he just doesn't get certain things yet." He sums things up and decides that all is well, for now: Only postseason hindsight will tell us whether it is reasonable that the Mets are descending into the dysfunction that can haunt out-of-it teams. Josh Thole and Tim Byrdak have long since squashed any resentment that lingered from Byrdak's on-field anger last month about pitch selection, and Pedro Beato, who publicly criticized Thole, is in the minor leagues. The group remains mostly cohesive. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/jordany-valdespin-experiences-rookie-hazing-ny-mets-roll-9-1-win-san-francisco-giants-article-1.1127869#ixzz22RCTfBlx

Nice job by Young. And he was very polite with Guys!

I know that the SFG are missing Sandoval, and they have a good rotation, but how the hell is that team in 1st place?

Give Bay the ball.

Ceetar wrote: G-Fafif wrote: I seem to recall a couple of months ago when all was Met sweetness and light that somebody (Wright, I think) was proudly explaining that we don't haze rookies here, we're all a family, helping new guys get acclimated (and instead of forcing newbies to don the sundresses, they wore Western wear and hockey sweaters). But, I guess, Valdespin must be testing somebody's patience. I remember that article but not who was quoted in it. hazing via enforcing a dress code (and thereby unity right?) seems a little different. I don't think we've seen the pink backpack this season have we? When I go to Nationals Park, I sit on the 3B side and the Mets bullpen is in LF. I always look for the bearer of the pink backpack as the relievers make their walk from the dugout to the bullpen. The last two times I was there, no one had the pink backpack.

I guess this means that Martino will have an article soon on riffs in the Mets clubhouse, perhaps something about conflicts between white players and Latino players, and how Terry Collins is losing control of his team, as he is alleged to have done in the past.

METS: 1. Ruben Tejada ® SS 2. Jordany Valdespin (L) CF 3. David Wright ® 3B 4. Ike Davis (L) 1B 5. Daniel Murphy (L) 2B 6. Jason Bay ® LF 7. Mike Baxter (L) RF 8. Josh Thole (L) C 9. Jon Niese (L) P Giants: 1. Gregor Blanco (L) CF 2. Ryan Theriot ® 2B 3. Melky Cabrera (S) LF 4. Buster Posey ® C 5. Hunter Pence ® RF 6. Marco Scutaro ® 3B 7. Brett Pill ® 1B 8. Joaquin Arias ® SS 9. Matt Cain ® P

Martino with another anonymous quote. From the game story: This, in a game that was in some ways a truer test than Harvey�s major league debut in Arizona last Thursday. That night, Harvey was finally living what he had waited most of his 23 years for, revved up and throwing 98 miles per hour, which he does not usually do. As one teammate put it, �He looked great, had great poise, but he also got lucky� in striking out 11 Arizona Diamondbacks, a franchise record for a Met debut. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/matt-harvey-solid-start-ny-mets-offense-t-touch-tim-lincecum-4-1-loss-san-francisco-giants-article-1.1126368#ixzz22J5v6MkB

"If I had a three game winning streak. Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum."

Edgy DC wrote: Jeff F. Kent. Rumored to be a contestant on the next edition of "Survivor." Great KTE.

HOORAY! Great job by ALL the pitchers.

Do they always play "Take It Easy" in the 7th inning ("Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona")?

Good start... and how about Bay getting on base!

That AB isn't going to help Hairston's trade value.

Baxter should return on Monday so tomorrow could be Nieuwenhuis' last day in the majors until September 1. Ed Leyro ?@Studi_Metsimus In his last 72 at-bats, Kirk Nieuwenhuis has struck out 36 times. In 156 career at-bats, R.A. Dickey has struck out only 23 times. #Mets

Will Terry tell us again that it's too soon to judge Bay?

Good point FK. It seems like he always pitches just poorly enough to lose.

Too bad that group isn't sitting behind home plate tonight. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/sports/baseball/his-power-restored-ike-davis-returns-home-to-arizona.html?ref=sports

Edgy DC wrote: Because we'd likely be worse without him. How so? I'm not arguing, just asking.

Other than "because someone has to start" and "they have nobody else", why is Young still on the team?

If Ike can get up 4 more times, maybe he can hit 4 more solo homeruns. Of course, by then Young will have given up a few more bombs. Young is the new Batista.

Good deal for the Nationals--they were supposed to face Greinke tomorrow.

I propose that instead of showing us Bay, we see more of the blonde in the 3d row behind home.

Fman99--well done!

Mark that one down as one of the shittiest innings of the season. A few solid hits and a blast or two is one thing, but dribblers, walks, a hit by a pitcher, then a bases clearing infield single combined with a boneheaded E-1 makes that an inning to forget.