The term "hit batsman" doesn’t sit well with me. Who decided that a batter becomes a batsman when he gets hit by a pitch? Is a batsman supposed to be the baseball equivalent of a casualty of war? Or is it the plural of batman gone terribly wrong? And if a batter gets beaned while attempting to bunt, does he suddenly become a "hit buntsman"? …

Is a grown-up bat boy a bat man? And is Batman nothing more than a grown-up bat boy? …

Rarely does an injury boil down to Mike Tyson’s reading level, but Mets rookie right-hander Brian Bannister is on the 15-day disabled list with a
grade 1 hamstring strain. …

Is it any coincidence that Mets color man Keith Hernandez is a Just For Men pitchman? …

And for those of you who think Hernandez might lose his endorsement deal with the hair coloring giant for saying the dugout is just for men, consider this: Just For Men is just for men. …

In Oakland, A’s third baseman Eric Chavez has quietly dispelled the notion that he’s a slow starter by hitting .314 with 10 homers and 26 RBIs in his first 29 games. In a related story, first-string Blue Jays catcher Benjie Molina has been chugging around the bases in Toronto like a diesel-powered bus, cementing his reputation as ?- you guessed it ?- a slow starter. …

Mariners manager Mike Hargrove applauded right-hander Joel Pineiro for escaping a no-out, bases-loaded jam unscathed in a recent victory over the Red Sox. "I wouldn’t want to be on the mound (in that situation),"� said the veteran skipper. "I’d want to be somewhere in Tibet, probably." Which makes sense ?- at least philosophically. After all, Hargrove has managed to find baseball’s "Middle Way," sporting a decidedly mediocre .501 winning percentage in 15 seasons at the big-league helm.

At least on the surface, Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez and Fox baseball analyst Tim McCarver don?t appear to have a lot in common. But a new statistical analysis suggests otherwise. In 2005, Manny posted a .400 on-base percentage. So it wouldn?t be incorrect to say that the eccentric slugger ?- much like his babbling counterpart ?- was off base 60 percent of the time. ?

Whenever I hear the attendance at a baseball game, it sounds pretty precise to me. Like 35,167 at Fenway Park, 49,619 at Yankee Stadium, or 38,916 at Wrigley Field. This is exactitude at its finest, the ballpark figure ?- anything but a ballpark figure. ?

Relievers don’t deserve earned run averages. Never have. Assigning a nine-inning projection to an inning or so of work is pure statistical folly. If I run the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, does that mean I can run 400 yards in 43 seconds? Not a chance. So why should we give a guy credit for a full day of work when he can’t even make it to lunch? ?

With a nominal Minor League background and sporadic big-league experience, 24-year-old Red Sox outfielder Wily Mo Pena is like a raw piece of meat. He could use a bit of seasoning. ?

As of Opening Day, the average Major League salary was $2.87 million, up nearly nine percent from 2005. Amazingly, MLB boasts 409 millionaires, or about 100 less than MC Hammer?s entourage had in 1991. ?

Funny how ?Shoeless? Joe Jackson and Doc Martin were teammates on the 1908 Philadelphia Athletics. ?

New Mets closer Billy Wagner isn?t about to apologize for using the same entrance music ?- Metallica?s ?Enter Sandman? ?- as Yankees counterpart Mariano Rivera. ?Lord forbid, the Earth should crumble if two people have it,? said Wagner, reading directly from Rivera?s favorite Bible verse. …

So, how many times do you see a guy make a great play in the field and lead off the next half-inning with a hit? Who cares? I’m still trying to figure out how many times you see a guy get a hit and lead off the next half-inning with a great defensive play. And while I’ve yet to figure it out, I’ll guarantee this: The answer to both questions is the same.