You probably haven’t heard much from good ole’ Elijah Dukes lately; playing in Washington has that kind of effect on players.  But just games before the conclusion of the regular season (and for Washington, the 2008 season), Dukes did what we’ve been waiting for him to do over the last few months.  Implode.

After crushing a second inning home run last night off Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey, Dukes took offense to the first pitch he saw in the fourth.  Pelfrey threw it inside, about chest level, as a message to Dukes.  Instead of acting like a baseball player about it, Dukes immediately started walking towards the mound weilding his bat like a club.  After being restrained by the umpire, Dukes took it to the next level.  While the Mets faithful rained down a chorus of boo’s, Dukes stuck his tongue out, began to waive to the crowd, and blew kisses at them.  Classic.  Nothing quite like a bat shit crazy baseball player getting center stage in New York to do mature things such as sticking his tongue out.  What is this, third grade?

This incident coincdentally segways into an opinion I have about the lost art of the inside corner.  Batters getting bent about pitchers throwing inside is some of the dumbest crap I’ve ever heard.  Where are guys like Pedro Martinez vintage 1999 who weren’t afraid to kill it on the inside corner and, if a batter took offense, hand out a beat down too.  Even Roger Clemens used to grind it inside without much opposition.  Now, with all the prima dona’s in baseball, having a ball come anywhere close to the batter is worthy of a stare down and bench warnings.  If you ask me, that’s kinda gay.