No baseball today in New York as it is pouring as the awful winter like weather of April continues. Yesterday was the first day in about a month in NYC where you didn’t need a winter hat, scarf or down coat. It was so good to see the kids on my LL team practice without four layers of clothes on.I didn’t see any of yesterdays Mets-Nats game as right after LL practice we headed to Manhattan to see a show at the New Victory Theater. My wife is in charge of education and cultural events in our house and I run the sports and mindless entertainment end of things as well as being the family ATM. By the way, there were loads of Mets fans back from Shea walking around the Theater District and downtown as some I spoke to said the took the subway to the game as instructed by Mets management and decide to hit the city on their way back to the burbs and outer boros. What could be better than a day at Shea and an evening in Manhattan?

I wish I knew what was in home plate ump Brian Winters mind yesterday when he tossed El Duque out of the game for plunking Nats pitcher Shawn Hill. No one, not even Hill, thought El Duque was trying to hit him even as El Duque gave up back to back homers. What an overreaction by Winters. So far this early in the season the umpiring has been just like the weather, GOD AWFUL! Friday night, Mike Pelfrey was getting squeezed like an orange at the Tropicana factory by plate umpire Brian Runge and through it all Willie Randolph remains calm and cool. Doesn’t anything get him pissed off enough to scream? It’s not healthy to bottle it up inside like that Willie, please give these ump some hell once in a while.

Good to see David Wright is human after all, with his brain fart in the field yesterday. By the way, at the Mets Clubhouse store on 42 ST, they sell t-shirts for girls that have the Mets script on the front and “Mrs. Wright” and his # 5″ on the back.

Today is the 60^th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s ML debut. It’s a shame that the game at Shea was washed out but it should be very moving ceremonies tonight in LA before the Dodgers-Padres game.

Most of the stories today are of the lack of African-Americans in the big leagues. John Delcos does a great job with his story today on the reason’s why and Mets bench coach Jerry Manuel touches on the big reason, the NFL and NBA offer the quickest way to fame and fortune than baseball does. You have to serve an apprenticeship in baseball though the minor league system. But even before that college football and basketball also offers a much bigger stage than college baseball ever sees.

After reading this story about the Highlanders getting upset over the reaction to scoring the winning run the other night by Travis Buck of the A’s, I sat here thinking “Brain Bruney? Who gives a shit what Brian Bruney thinks? Oh and Benedict Damon, you do have a rag arm.

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