Santana pulls himself from start

There is no reason to be alarmed. Yet there is every reason to be alarmed.

To borrow a political truism, it's Johan Santana, stupid.

So even if it's just "a little stiffness" in his elbow, as Santana put it Thursday, that caused him to ask to be scratched from his first spring-training outing Friday, don't think for a second the entire Mets organization won't be holding its breath until further notice.

For one thing, "a little stiffness" often seems to turn into something more serious, just because it's the nature of pitching injuries.

For another, well, it's Johan Santana, stupid. Continue