Mets Pitcher Jon Niese Got A Nose Job After Carlos Beltran Suggested It And Offered To Pay For It

Remember a few hours ago when we were reliving the embarrassment of the first Mets spring training, glancing over our shoulders, marveling at how far we had come, how professional things are now?

Yeah, and then lefty starter Jon Niese walked into camp with a new nose and said former Met Carlos Beltran suggested it last year and offered to pay for it.

Niese had always had his mighty beak—his nose was not the simply larger-than-usual nose that would be described as a "schnoz," but the long, hooked type that seemed of a pelican—and evidently Beltran (who has, for what it's worth, a large mole that he's never removed) touched a nerve.

Mets beat writers report that he's in better physical shape—Niese said the nose job made it easier for him to breathe, and do cardio in the offseason—although we don't know he's developed emotionally. Meanwhile, Beltran will soon report to Cardinals camp in Jupiter, Fla., to begin a two-year, $26 million deal with St. Louis. Niese told writers that he'd send Beltran the bill.

Pictured: before and after, after image via Adam Rubin.