Outside The Confines: “I was saying boo-urns.”

I won’t dwell on our lead story too much, if only because there will be a more in-depth look at it on the site later, but I think it’s safe to say Javier Baez isn’t making himself many friends in New York right now.

This weekend, the former Cub made it crystal clear that the recent spate of Mets players throwing up thumbs-down signs weren’t doing so for no reason, but they were actually sending a message: to Mets fans. And the message was simple, “you boo us, we boo you.” For a fanbase that has frequently had to deal with enough bad news to get the “LOLMets” running joke on social media, it’s just one more bitter taste in their mouth.

Here’s a rundown of some of the early reaction to Javy’s statement:

• Brittany Ghiroli points out the new thumb debacle is hardly the only thing on the Mets list of things to fix. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Joon Lee wrote about the new Mets meltdown for ESPN.
• Anthony DiComo looked at things from the player perspective over at MLB dot com.
• Joseph Salvador summed things up over at SI.

And of course, the Post was right on the ball. Lol, “thumb war.”

Now on to the rest of the weekend links!

• More bad news for the Mets, shares Pat Ragazzo, as Noah Syndergaard tests positive for COVID-19.
• The investigation materials for Trevor Bauer’s assault investigation have been passed over to the LA District Attorney, reports Madeline Coleman.
• Peter Dreier looks at Curt Flood’s fight for free agency.
• Once down, but never out, Ben Clemens looks at Adam Wainwright’s 2021 season.
• Wander Franco is having a spectacular rookie season, and Adam Berry helps put it into perspective among some of baseball’s greats.
• Clinton Yates dives into the history of Williamsport, PA, which is much more than the home of the LLWS, but was also a stop on the Underground Railroad.
• The reason the Yankees are now real postseason contenders might not be as obvious as it looks at first glance, writes Zach Kram.
• Sean Dootlittle has joined the Mariners, and his wife, Eireann, might have missed a memo in helping him pick a new jersey number.

• Justin Choi digs into the current state of the Padres and their fastball woes.
• Paul Casella is already ready for the postseason, and looks at 5 upcoming series that will impact the postseason race.
• Jay Jaffe gets really deep into Shohei Ohtani’s latest home run and has a bit too much fun with data.
• Joe Posnanki reviews the past week in baseball. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Odicci Alexander is making big waves well beyond the Women’s College World Series, writes Jerry Bembry.
• Which mid-season additions have had the best impact on their clubs? Will Leitch looks at the best in-season addition to every team.
• We all have one in our lives. The “one who got away.” Well for the Padres, that’s Max Scherzer, and this weekend he reminded them of what they’re missing. Story by Will Laws.
• Bradford Doolittle wants to know if the Orioles just played the worst stretch of baseball in the modern era.
• Who doesn’t love a good inside-the-park home run?

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.