The LoHud Mets Blog

Kevin Devaney here covering for John at Shea Stadium.

Jason Vargas got quite a welcome when he arrived before today’s game.

First, Ramon Castro and Ruben Gotay cornered him in the locker room and shaved his head. Vargas, by the way, had some nice flowing locks. It wasn’t David Newhan-esque, but it was close. Vargas’s family back at home, tuning in to see his Mets debut, might not recognize him. He didn’t seem thrilled about it, either.

Then, Willie Randolph released this lineup:

Chavez, CF
Gotay, SS
Green, RF
Delgado, 1B
Franco, 3B
Newhan, 2B
Castro, C
Gomez, LF
Vargas, P

Then, at least this is what I was told, various Mets teammates, coaches and media members took turns kicking him in the midsection. One TV guy actually took his wallet and Chan Ho Park then came in and put a curse on Vargas’ glove, uniform and personal belongings. Okay, none of the last few things happened. But with the head shaving and that hideous lineup, would it totally seem non-believable?

That’s not exactly the team you want behind you in your debut, especially when you’re trying to stick on the roster.

If Vargas has a terrible outing today and is sent back to the minors, somebody is going to have to ask him if he regrets shaving his head. It’s not going to be me. I was against it from the start.

In today’s Journal News, I had a story on “Jorge Sosa’s sensational start with the Mets.”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/SPORTS01/705170415/1034/SPORTS He’s unbeaten in three starts and has allowed just 9 hits and 5 earned runs in 20 innings.

Also, I don’t know about you guys, but “Omar Minaya rubbed me the wrong way with his stance on the Mets and the steroid saga.”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/SPORTS01/705170410/1040/SPORTS Essentially Minaya said the Mets are in the middle of the pack among teams with drug test failures. To me, that’s like getting a C+ in English class and saying “hey, that’s average.” Strive for A’s, don’t settle for C+’s.

In that notebook, the Mets expressed their disapproval of the vulgar rap lyrics in Lastings Milledge’s new rap record. Shocking.

Other news from this morning’s pregame:

— Jose Reyes again said he feels fine and wanted to be in the lineup. Don’t worry.

— Moises Alou, in case you missed it, went on the DL. He’s going to Port St. Lucie on Monday and doesn’t expect to be out longer than his return date, which is May 28.

— When you look at the lineup, Carlos Deglado’s numbers don’t necessarily stand out. Not good.

— Paul Lo Duca griped with a few reporters about the stories on Lastings Milledge and his controversial rap album. No need to even bother writing any more about that.