Domingo Not So Gigante

Doesn't seem to be anything to report on Thursday, as the Nationals smoked the Mets 5-1 in Viera. Domingo Tapia started for the Mets, presumably because there's nobody else in the rotation who is healthy, and was smoked for four runs in two innings (all of them in the second), including back to back dingers by Adam LaRoche and Danny Espinosa. This will give Tapia some fun stories to tell the boys in the minors this season, and if he's not careful he might learn something too. Hey hey hey.

One random observation I want to make from Thursday: While I don't mind Bryce Harper … up to this point he has never told Met fans to go home and put their Yankee gear on … he's going to kill the Mets for the next 20 years. But more than that, it's apparent that we're going to have to hear endlessly about not only things he does well, but things that he will get credit for doing well when he was merely in the area. For example: Harper stole a base in the first inning when Anthony Recker threw the ball into right center field. Announcers made it seem like Harper forced Recker to make such a terrible throw. Willed him to do it, if you will.  In reality, anybody with halfway decent speed could have "willed" Recker to make that throw. And lets face it, nobody can "force" a major leaguer to make such a horrible throw that is born from a routine situation.

But … "he's Bryce Harper!" So in addition to doing great things on a baseball field, he can move objects with his mind. And this is what we're going to have to hear for the next 20 years. Imagine having Derek Jeter in your division. That'll be our future. Instead of six times a year, we'll get Harper and all the unnecessary fawning that will come along with him 19 times a season. And this will be our lives now. I dig the guy, but something tells me that I should have a puke bucket ready.

(Editor's note: It must be noted that the Bryce Harper fawning wasn't the most egregious annoyance during Thursday's ESPN broadcast, between Rick Sutcliffe saying that Johan Santana hasn't had a win since his no-hitter … he has three … and Dave O'Brien speculating that nobody would pick the Mets for anything other than last place this year … which would mean that the Miami Marlins have somehow been relegated to AAA, the NBA's Developmental League, or League One. Please bring that puke bucket stat.)