Farmer Ted

Verducci = Donnie Fucking Downer. Nice to see David Wright step up again to play in the World Baseball Classic. But keep this in mind, Mets fans, now that Wright is wrapped up for the next eight seasons: At age 29, Wright is about the same player Scott Rolen was at the same age. But here is Rolen's average season for the next eight years: .273, 11 home runs, 57 RBIs, 105 games. That's not $138 million of value.

Schaefer? For real in a press release?

It's time to move on to Jessica...Dykstra. http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/jessica-dykstra

Dan Haren to the Nats.

I saw Burns in the Citi Field team store a coupla years back, after a drubbing to the Giants IIRC. Toting his kid and had an agent-type hanging around. He was looking at chickwear, prolly for his utimate wifey watch babe, Christy. She's a fan. http://twitter.com/CTurlington/status/208974839397101569/photo/1

Turner's lady friend, apparently. A treasure chest of photos.

Mind numbing, really. I once encountered a man who insisted on living in the wilderness and only came into town to work as a restaurant dishwasher, pretty much washing himself in the restaurant bathroom and eating unwanted food left on plates. A brilliant man who graduated with honors form the University of Colorado in civil engineering, he said he was destined to live under the stars. Yeah, a bit detached but I'd be lying if I didn't feel envious at times.

Happy negotiations, Sandy. David and his agents will surely refer to this in the very near future. The Rays have announced a contract extension for third baseman Evan Longoria worth $100 million over six seasons with a club option in 2023. In effect, the Rays picked up their three options and added another six guaranteed years. The additional years are tacked on to the end of Longoria�s current contract � considered one of MLB�s most team friendly deals � that had his salary increasing from $6 million in 2013 to $11.5 million in 2016. Longoria will be 37 years old if he plays out the extension through the 2022 season. Longoria batted 289/.369/.527/.896 with 17 home runs and 55 RBI in a 2012 season in which injuries limited him to 273 at-bats in 74 games.

The Jays and Marlins should have merged.

He'll win the triple crown and a gold glove for the Nationals this year.

Go ahead, do it, Toronto I dare you. For anyone looking at hiring a manager, Art Howe would prefer you not consider him to be anything like Philip Seymour Hoffman in Moneyball. "In the movie I never smiled once," a smiling Howe [said]. ... Art Howe wants to be the next manager of your Toronto Blue Jays. "I want to manage again, the best thing I have going for me is my experience -- seven years in the NL, seven in the AL," said Howe, 65. "Toronto has always been an interesting team, they have some nice talent and were very competitive until they fell off with those injuries to their position players. The New York Yankees are a little long in the tooth, with 13 free agents. Toronto plays in the toughest division in baseball, but they are only a few pieces away from doing something." Toronto Sun

His face never met an outfield wall it didn't like. This should help address the financial flexibility question. Perhaps he got a Bobby Bonilla deal?

Uni Watch presented some good mock ups for the Astros. What Houston unveiled are pretty much the Nationals unis with different colors and an H-star on the cap. Boo! http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/4059/uni-watch-readers-redesign-the-astros

You had me at Sean Landeta.

I follow the 7 Line on twitter. Very entertaining.

The best part of mornings like this comes at about the :30 mark with Cashman among a throng of celebrating Tigers fans looking like he just ate a pile of shit. Again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj3MvWzrARw

Steven Henderson gets the batting coach call-up in Philly.

The guy is missing a ligament for crissakes!

Tom Verducci's picks: NL Cy Young Award The ballot: 1. R.A. Dickey, Mets 2. Johnny Cueto, Reds 3. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers 4. Gio Gonzalez, Nationals 5. Kris Medlen, Braves The reason: Dickey leads the league in complete games, shutouts, innings, strikeouts and batters faced and barely trails Kershaw in ERA and Kershaw and Cain in WHIP. No one else has performed that kind of volume of work at that level. I am stupefied that some people have held against him the fluky nature of the knuckleball (irrelevant to this award) or the lack of meaningful games by the Mets (to pitch so well for such a poor team actually enhances his season.) The stat: Dickey has won 77 percent of his decisions (20-6) while everybody else for the same club has won just 38 percent (53-81). The prediction: Too close to call between Dickey and Kershaw. Cueto is severely underrated by most voters, who don't look hard enough at pitching his home games in a home run haven. (Cueto leads the league in adjusted ERA). Braves closer Craig Kimbrel will finish much higher on the overall ballot than mine, which is like valuing placekickers above quarterbacks. Medlen faced more than twice as many hitters as did Kimbrel.

Tuck your effin back pocket in dammit.

Did Mr. Dickey sign off on this? http://lookatmeshirts.com/lookatme/ra-dickey-shirt-knuckle-deep.html

Called up and headed to Atlanta for this weekend. The pride of Three Springs, PA. You did it, son.

Give my boy Edgin a number!!!

Epic. http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/backyard/2012_mlb_wag_starting_lineups/11002586?refmod=backyard&refsrc=rantsports

Hawk Taylor. First pinch hit granny in Mets history. Now hitting them for Casey again.