Pandering To My Reader(s)

el duque
Originally uploaded by dangunderman.

Hollywood Max, this one's for you...

The Mets picked up El Duque, a.k.a. Orlando Hernandez, Cuban defector. In the process they dumped Jorge Julio.

Big fan of this move. El Duque may be 36-on-paper-and-43-in-reality, but Jorge's been a complete bust, and El Duque can't possibly be worse.

Plus, the guy's a legend in Cuba. His shared Cuban defection status with youngster Alay "MC" Soler (a nickname I admittedly stole) can only bode well for the rookie pitcher (whose Major League debut I saw Wednesday evening). El Duque will mentor the young guy. Soler will, as a result, be named Rookie of the Year. You heard it here first!

El Duque's over-the-hill and might not be terribly effective this season as a pitcher. But he's flexible. He can start or relieve. And it seems like every year in the post-season, El Duque's there, making asses out of hitters.

Is it possible -- just possible -- that Omar Minaya knows what he's doing?

On another note, does anyone know when Anderson "Keith" Hernandez comes back? I miss his Batman-like fielding.