Most professional athletes would have far too much pride to don a ridiculous costume like the one shown above, especially after allowing 8 runs in fewer than 5 innings. But not Mets P Jonathan Niese, who somehow managed to shrug off his rapidly escalating ERA (and any obligation to ask his relievers to stand up for Jordanny Valdespin) and entertain the several dozen paying customers who sat thru a 9th inning rain delay at Citi Field (with the home team trailing by 10 runs). Niese wasn’t alone in checking his ego at the door ; the aforementioned Valdespin more than did his part to generate a storyline that might in some small fashion, distract from the manner in which Sandy Alderson didn’t even wait until the All-Star break this year before his club started charging major league prices for minor league talent.