I'm Starting to Like Santana

It's going to kill me to see him facing my Braves for the next couple of years, but based on Tom Verducci's report about last week's Mets-Santana negotiations, I can't help but respect the man's testicular fortitude:

Pitcher Johan Santana gave the Mets a preview of his competitiveness last Friday, five minutes before the initial deadline to their contract negotiations. With the two sides just $5 million apart, Santana personally informed Mets owner Fred Wilpon that he was walking away from $135 million, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations . . .

. . . "I told you I wasn't backing off my number," Santana told Fred Wilpon. "I appreciate your offer, but I'm passing on it." Wilpon replied, "I've been in business a long time. That's a lot of money to walk away from." "No disrespect to you," Santana said. "But I deserve it. I'll just go back and pitch and I'll get it later.

Santana was about to leave when Wilpon asked for the negotiating window to be extended by two hours. The sides ended up splitting the difference on that last $5M.