Ever imagine what it'd be like to catch Johan Santana's fastball/slider/change arsenal yourself? John Harper, longtime baseball writer for the New York Daily News, gave it a try Wednesday and details the experience here.

It's a fun read (hat tip to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier) that captures Johan's playful banter with his catcher as they pretend to pitch to the teeth of the Phillies' order -- Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard:

"You go over the scouting report?" he deadpans, and for a moment, knowing how hyper-competitive Santana is, I'm not completely convinced that he's kidding. Finally he cracks a smile, but adds, "This is for real. I'm bouncing my slider with (Ryan) Howard up there. Got your cup on?"

Santana went 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA for the Mets last year before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left elbow.

In two seasons since leaving the Twins, he is 29-16 with a 2.78 ERA. Harper continues below:

After all, when Santana agreed to let me do this, I expected to be wowed by his vaunted changeup, and indeed, you can't appreciate how much it looks at first like his fastball, or how late it dives or darts away at 78 mph, until you see it from this up-close vantage point.

Yet I was struck most by how sneaky-fast he is, because of a compact delivery that makes it seem as if the ball appears suddenly from behind his left ear. It's a delivery he had to alter last year, because the bone chips in his elbow wouldn't allow him to cock his arm at such a dramatic angle, and the fact that he can do it effortlessly again, post-surgery, delights him to no end.

(Photo above by the Star Tribune's Brian Peterson)