Despite today’s encounter with the Phillies being a day game after a night game, Paul Lo Duca was in the starting lineup for the New York Mets, giving us another opportunity to decide if Captain Red Ass’ fuse is shorter than Milton Bradley’s. Tossed from Friday’s 3-2 loss, Boogie Shoes provided Newsday’s Jim Baumbach with an interesting, if not predictable, version of events.

The game continued on its downhill spiral for the Mets when Lo Duca fumed at a called third strike to end the ninth. After arguing for a few seconds, he started to walk away. But he continued to talk, and that earned him an ejection from plate umpire Paul Emmel.

“If you’re going to throw me out, throw me out with your face to me,” Lo Duca said. “Don’t throw me out when I’m walking away.”

The former Raspberry Scroatee isn’t saying which substance he was abusing, so we’ll just have to assume it was crimson dye.

If you were amongst those who figured Mike Hargrove wouldn’t be given another opportunity to manage, think again.