MLB

The Mets got off to a very poor start this season. They were 2-6 and it looked like they were on their way to 100 losses.

Then all of a sudden they caught fire en route to a 9-1 home stand, eight straight wins and a 14-9 record. For a couple of days, they were actually in first place in the NL East.

Ever since that winning streak, they have gone 4-10 to drop to 18-19 and five games out of first place.

Throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game is a tradition that extends to the old days.

Presidents, movie stars, athletes from other sports, politicians, Broadway actors/actresses, singers, etc have all had the honor to be a part of the opening ceremony at a baseball game.

There have been excellent throws that have led people to wonder whether this person could have had a baseball career and there are those that should quit whatever career they hold after embarrassing themselves in front of thousands of people.

IP: 201 2/3  H: 180   ER: 81   HR: 12  BB: 88   K: 210  ERA: 3.61   WHIP: 1.33   BAA: .239

SV/OPP: 93/109  SV %: 85.3

Prior to Saturday's Giants/Astros matchup, those were Giants closer Brian Wilson's career numbers.

And while some say the 2008 All Star is an underrated closer, the reality is that the 28-year-old reliever receives more credit than he deserves.

Brett Gardner is having a great season at the plate.

He currently ranks 8th in the American league in batting average at .333, and 2nd in stolen bases with 16, while being caught stealing only once.  His On Base percentage is good enough for 4th in the AL, at .411, and he ranks 2nd in runs, with 28.  He has also drawn 14 walks.

Gardner has done all this from the number 9 spot.

Baseball is America's pastime, and the Yankees are considered by many to be "America's Team."

With their history of success and a seemingly insurmountable mountain of hardware lining the organization's trophy cases, it is easy to see why this is the case.

But although they are, historically and statistically speaking, the "best" team, does that mean they are "America's" team? I propose that the Yankees personify many characteristics of America, the only problem is, they're all the wrong ones.

Maybe someone with Ph.D. after their name can shed some light, but it sure seems like the pro sports specialist has an affinity for—and pardon my laymen’s term here—playing his game of life with something less than a full deck.

According to Webster's Dictionary, the word leader is someone who leads, guides, or is the first and/or principal performer of a group. In other words, it is someone who takes charge. When scanning through the pages of history, we see countless examples of people who have qualified under this definition and have achieved great success.

Mickey Mantle had a terrible season in 1959. He batted .285, with 31 home runs, 75 RBI, and a.517 slugging average.

Most players would not consider that too bad, but Mantle was not most players.

Yankees general manager George Weiss wanted to slash Mantle's $75,000 salary by $15,000.

From his home in Dallas, Mantle agreed that his 1959 season "wasn't so good," but he felt the New York Yankees "cut my salary too much."

The Cleveland Indians aren't hitting very well.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the Indians are batting .245 as a team. While that's not the worst—the worst would be the Houston Astros .228 average—it's not something Indians hitting coach Jon Nunnally should be putting on his resume should he be let go.

While watching the game last night, and listening to the play-by-play from Tom Hamilton on the radio, Hamilton noted Grady Sizemore's swing had gotten longer in an effort to generate more power.

David Ortiz had a big night.  Max Scherzer and Mark Buerhle continue to struggle.  Is Nate McLouth showing signs of life?  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games: