Dave Racaniello, or I love Marginalia

There are days when I think Dave Racaniello has the best job in baseball. This guy catches pitches in the bullpen during the year, and is reportedly responsible for the start of the Great Shave of '07. During spring training, he literally plays. He's good friends with David Wright and has a reputation as a good guy. He's a part of every game, in the bullpen the whole game. And when the Mets lose a game, he is in *no way* responsible.

At spring training last year, every time we saw Racaniello, SJ and I would scream at the top of our lungs, "Love you, Dave!! Go Rac!!" Perhaps it hadn't occurred to hm that the average fan not only knew who he is but wanted to cheer for him. The big smile on his face when he heard us tells me that he appreciated being noticed by the average fan, and that's something that likely doesn't happen to him much. But I love the guy, for all kinds of reasons, and I'm glad to have been able to let him know for a second or two that he's appreciated by Mets fans.