Mets fan makes nice barehanded catch, then friend swipes ball (VIDEO)

A New York Mets fan made an impressive barehanded catch of a screaming line drive off the bat of Travis d'Araud and didn't even get to keep the ball.  After snagging the Citi Field souvenir — and saving a few people seated behind him — the dude's buddy yanked the ball from his blistered hands and put it in his pocket.

Bet that high-five hurt just a little too.

Citi Field muscleman unable to open water bottle sets record straight

The Citi Field muscleman —who was hilariously unable to open a water bottle — is now flexing more than his biceps and wants to set the record straight on the full story of the stubborn bottle cap.

After becoming the target of ridicule by Mets announcers — and a YouTube video with over two million hits — for his inability to open a water bottle during last weekend’s game against the Kansas City Royals, the muscleman whose battle was captured for posterity has come forward to give his side to the embarrassing incident.

“First of all, it was not my water bottle,” Christopher, a 38-year-old lawyer in White Plains, N.Y., told The New York Daily News.

“It was handed to me by a security guard in the dugout area who was having trouble with it. The guy was much bigger than me, by the way.”

Chris, who did not want to share his last name out of privacy concerns expressed by his fiancée, told the Daily News that neither he, nor the security guard, managed to make the cap so much as budge.

Chris said cameras only captured a portion of the tag-team effort to open the bottle, making him the butt of jokes by announcers Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen.

“All that working out and you can’t open a water bottle?” Cohen said of his rather bulging physique.

But Chris says that the camera may have made him look larger than his 5’8” and 190-pound frame.

“I tried as hard as I could,” Chris said.

After his turn with the water bottle, Chris tossed it back to the security guard, and only later realized that the episode had been captured forever.

“It wasn’t played on the Jumbotron,” Chris said. “I had no idea it was being filmed.”

Still, despite becoming the butt of more than a few jokes, Chris has maintained his sense of humor about the incident.

“I don’t blame anybody. It is pretty funny,” Chris said. “But a lot of things were presented incorrectly.”

So glad he cleared that up. Still wondering though, who opens his Muscle Milk?

Phillies fan grabs flying bat at Citi Field without spilling beer

It seems reasonable for a player to lose his grip on his bat considering the sweltering heat that has been cooking New York City and slicking up hands with sweat for the past two weeks. But to lose your handle on a cold beer while that bat flies right at you — no way!

This Phillies fan was able to concentrate on the free-flying bat off the hands of Anthony Recker after it bounces off the top of the dugout and almost clips a Mets fan in the face. Even though that sequence, the fan in red manages to snag the bat without spilling his cold, refreshing cup of beer.

No stickum necessary.

Players and fans pay tribute to Mariano Rivera at All-Star Game

Mariano Rivera made his last All-Star Game appearance more than just a memorable one.  It was a downright love-fest.

Even though the New York Yankees brilliant closer wasn't entering the game in a save situation at Yankee Stadium, the opening chords of "Enter Sandman" still filled Citi Field as players from both sides emptied the diamond to pay a touching tribute to the future Hall of Famer in the bottom of the eighth.

With all of the All-Star players in their respective dugouts, there wasn't one person in the stadium not on their feet when No. 42 made his slow jog to the mound and emotionally tipped his cap to the cheering crowd. The ovation lasted through his warm-up tosses.



Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 inning and kept the ball from his final out — another souvenir from his 18 seasons in the majors.

The American League went on to a 3-0 victory and, when Rivera was awarded the Chevrolet MVP Award at the end of the game, the always humble Mo admitted he almost cried at the outpouring of adulation.

"I took everything in because it was priceless," he said. "I will never see this again."

Exit Sandman.