Mr. Teal

Hensley continues his dominance with two more strikeouts. Really liking that guy.

HANLEY! 2-1!

Isn't there a better spot in the line-up for Wes?

Ani's pitch count is way too high at this point. Wish that Nationals plate discipline would rub off on some of our guys.

How long before Livan comes back down to earth? Seems like everyone else is greatly exceeding expectations and we're underacheiving at an equal clip.

I have to listen to Vin Scully call this game. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Go Fish! My bad. Forgot he doesn't travel with the team.

Nolasco is going to prove to be an enormous value when he dominates this season. I hope he got that slow start out of his system.

At a time when Bobby Valentine has begun the process of talking with teams about a possible return as a manager in Major League Baseball, sources say he is in communication with the Florida Marlins about a possible position with that team -- less than eight months after Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez received a two-year extension. Gonzalez, 45, has managed the Marlins the last two seasons after replacing Joe Girardi, and Florida has contended in both years. Gonzalez was named The Sporting News Manager of the Year in 2008. Gonzalez agreed to a two-year extension with the Marlins in spring training, and he is signed through the 2011 season. However, there has been concern on the coaching staff this week after they were told that no decision has been made about whether to bring them back for 2010. Jeffrey Loria, the Marlins' owner, is meeting with club executives after the end of the regular season. Valentine, 59, has managed the Texas Rangers for eight seasons and the Mets from 1996-2002, and over the last six seasons he has managed the Chiba Lotte Marines. Valentine recently returned to ESPN as a baseball analyst. He is a possible candidate for openings with both the Cleveland Indians and Washington. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4529494 Thoughts on this guy?

What's the current status of the game? Gameday froze on me. Got it. Thanks.

The Nats need to be reminded of their position in the NL East before they start developing feelings of "hope" and "pride" in the clubhouse.

Sandoval resembles a portly sheikh on Gameday.

Always nice to see the opposing pitcher walk.

God, I hate listening to these Dodgers announcers. Do Tommy and Rich offer as much advice as these idiots do for a struggling opposing pitcher?

Perfect day to start a new streak, guys. Nolasco's going to step up and continue his dominance of the Rockies. Let's go Fish!

Is a grand slam pretty much guaranteed for the opposing team at this point?

:arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms :arms

If we can rely on Anibal to be our stopper today, I'll feel a whole lot better about this team. Let's hope his success against the Mets overpowers Maine's success against us.

I've never eaten at Five Guy's, but from the looks of their limited menu, they rely on the same no-frills strategy that has made In-N-Out so popular out here in Cali. Everyone I know swears about their burgers, but they're really nothing special. White Castle gets my vote, but I'm a sucker for great grilled onions.

Did you get the number?. She was in her mid-forties and heavy-set, so, no.

I flew home for Opening Day from Ontario, CA, and by some strange logic, was forced to fly through Boston before making it to Palm Beach. The seat next to mine was empty, so I took off my Marlins cap and placed it on the seat. The stewardess, noticing my hat, asked if I was a fan. Thinking that she was just busting my balls (she had a thick Boston accent), I gave her a somewhat timid yes. She said, "Hold on. I've got a picture I want to show you." She handed me a stack of photos and said, "See if you recognize this guy." Imagine my surprise when I saw a picture of Loria and his new wife (her sister) on their wedding day. The strangest thing about my encounter with her is that she mentioned Hanley's complaints of the hair policy. This was two or three weeks after it was even an issue, which either means Loria was still pissed off about it, or she simply decided to focus on the one semi-scandalous moment of Spring Training. Either way, I can say unequivocally that Loria's wife got every last good gene.

I'd rather listen to the radio team than Rich and Tommy (which basically comes down to more exposure), but an inning or two of a Mets home feed always convinces me that we're lucky to have them. However, their infatuation with sweater vests needs to end.

Mets fans are generally ignorant, but they're not so stupid that they can't recognize Hanley's value over their own shortstop.

Front office was right on with this decision. While I don't doubt that Pudge would be another capable platoon option, I thought that the attention he garnered from more than a few people on this site stemmed more from his value as a novelty than as a solid back-up. I wish the guy the best, but I'm thrilled to have so much confidence in our catchers.

Well, 08 started with the Mets as opposed to the Nats, which kinda cost us a high attendance game. People will show up to Opening Day regardless. Forgive me, I must be missing your point...attendance is up in 2009 over 2008 by around 35,000+ attendees. Yeah, maybe I wasn't clear enough. By having the Mets doing Opening Day in 2008, we lost a big attendance game. People will show up to Opening Day regardless, we don't need the Mets for that. Having a low attendance team (like the Nats) on Opening Day and a high attendance team (like the Mets) separated gave us an extra high attendance game gives us that extra 35,000. Well, extra 20,000ish. The early signs are encouraging. But they are not going to have artists as popular Pitbull/Flo Rida/DJ Laz every Super Saturday. I know at least a few people who went almost entirely for the act, while the baseball game was seemingly just a once-in-a-long-while novelty. Exactly. I sincerely doubt we'll draw +30,000 for the Village People, although I suspect they're due for a comeback any day now.

The team's performance thus far has suggested that every player will have a piece of this title every week, with our pitching and offense complimenting each other so well. That being said, Cody was a standout this time around. Nice to see him getting that swing back at a time when our other big bats are stifled.