Edgy MD

Hernandez clearly didn't see the World Series last year. Phillies = not good baserunners.

Familia may need glasses. He seemingly never picks up the comebacker.

And he swung at two balls four.

Cespedes hearing some booze.

No, Gary, and no Keith. Vertigo did not feature Mount Rushmore.

Goeddel looks like he's in over his hoead.

Thus begins a nu season of hating the shift.

Rupp gets the first hit for Philadelphia on a grounder that, well, it wasn't the sort of thing that will give you newfound confidence in Cabrera's range.

Velasquez escapes on a walk, a hit, three fly ball outs (two pretty hard struck) and 27 pitches. Colon has struck out the last two in the first, pursuing former Mets Pedro Martinez and Kenny Rogers, tied at 77th on the all-time win list at 219.

Nice opposite-field drive to the track yields nothing for Cabrera.

Phils go scoreless in the first. Granderson gets the leadoff walk. Granderson, RF Cabrera, A, SS Cespedes, CF Duda, 1B Walker, N, 2B Conforto, LF Flores, W, 3B d'Arnaud, C Colon, B, P

Trauma may be minimal, probably using more lasers than knives, but I have my doubts about it having zero impact. Nothing has zero impact.

Great to hear from lundy, and I took a keen interest in his assessment of the Ford character race. Maybe it won't last the year. It's funny how people can get behind a relatively half-baked idea if it's our own, but instantly sniff out the inanity in a borrowed idea. I imagine this wasn't so much the case decades back when there was less ballpark-to-ballpark tourism and national baseball media, and so we were less sophisticated about other organization's gimmicks.

I was a Futures Game player once. Not so long ago, either. Back in 2010. OK, that was kind of long ago. I faced two batters — Logan Morrison and Danny Espinosa — and I retired them both. Since then, those two have become big league fixtures, and I'm still trying to catch on, now with my fourth organization. Best as I can tell, it all went to shit the next year, promoted to Portland. It was Portland, Maine... the Eastern League. Double A. And I started the year 0-9 with a 9.12 ERA. Thirty strikeouts and 24 walks in 50 innings and that just wasn't going to get it done. I returned to high A ball and began the long, slow climb to putting my career trajectory back on course, but there would be no more Futures Games. No more scouting buzz. Baseball America's photographers and videographers would come around the park, but they'd be shooting other guys. I've had a couple of cups in coffee in the bigs, and you know, I've done OK. I don't know what you're expecting out of me in 2016, but if you could have seen me when I was 17, 18, when my arm was at full strength, and you had the scouts and everything... ahh, Christ, what's the use? What's the use? [fimg=328:3rpylerk]http://thumb.usatodaysportsimages.com/image/thumb/650-510nw/9124420.jpg[/fimg:3rpylerk] [fimg=372:3rpylerk]http://image.nj.com/home/njo-media/width620/img/mets_main/photo/19935381-mmmain.jpg[/fimg:3rpylerk] [fimg=330:3rpylerk]http://media.morristechnology.com/webmedia/upload/gainesville/article/2016/03/06/0307Braves.jpg[/fimg:3rpylerk] [fimg=370:3rpylerk]http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Stolmy+Pimentel+LwZOOoWT1azm.jpg[/fimg:3rpylerk]

Sounds like "Stripling" is an appropriate name, as he's being stripped of an opportunity to succeed.

Turtle doves, try to focus. We're not asking where he'll be living in 10 years. Neither do we need an analog for what his ultimate career will look like. When all that is said and done, few or none will remember what was written here today. The idea is to inquire as to what he will or will not contribute to the Mets in 2016 and 2016 alone.

Cued up nicely, Frayed Knot.

"They're both in there for sentimental reasons" — Pete Mackanin on including Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz in his Opening Day lineup

Please tell me you know about Brandon Nimmo. Somebody fill cooby in on Brandon.

I'm getting the idea that the gap between the haves and the have-nots is growing, but not so much because of market position or stuff like that, but because teams are making much bigger commitments between going all-in or riding out a period of strategic restructuring (a la the 76ers).

Fascinating reading.

Scoring on a scale 0 points for "HATE," and 4 points for "LOVE," this high-participation poll resulted in a solid and impressive 3.0 average rating.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: I mean, it's no BIG surprise, is it? There were, and are, a lot-- a lot-- of positives to the trade, even before you consider more carefully the specific on-field-abilities of the players involved. Need for need, dealing from a position of strength to fill a pressing need, buying apparently low, the expiring deal/how it fits our roster... plus, most anyone here who had feelings for Niese had feelings of the past-fondness variety, right? There's a lot to like, but it's two years for one. On the other hand, it's the tenuousness of pitching for the relatively reliability of an everyday player. And in 2016, a guy who can hit a little bit is suddenly a dearer commodity than a starting pitcher.

Was that marathon they just showed with a pair o' ginger-haired twins on his lap?

Erik Goeddel's brother comes out to play the outfield for the Phillies.