We are on the verge of entering the second week of Bay-watch with Jason Bay still holding out for a fifth year, while catcher Bengie Molina looking for a third guaranteed season.

Do they deserve it? With Bay, maybe, but Molina, no way – two years is too much for a 35 year-old catcher, let alone three.

Yet, the Mets wait and as Santa Claus is set to make his annual run tomorrow, Met fans are wondering what will be under their Christmas trees.

Well, it’s time for the Mets to make a decision. If they want to sweeten the pot with Bay for a fifth year option, so be it, but then tell both Bay’s agent Joe Upton and Molina’s rep Fernando Cuza, it’s time to make up their minds. Give them the Christmas holiday weekend to make up their minds, or tell them the team will look elsewhere.

This waiting game is a very dangerous proposition. Sure it worked two years ago with Johan Santana, but there were more wheels in motion there. First Minnesota had to trade him to the Mets and then they dealt with the player.

But that’s not the case here. By all accounts both Bay and Molina have no other leverage; the Mets seem to be the only player. Yet, the longer the team waits the more windows open up. Look at the Javy Vasquez trade yesterday. Now it’s possible for either Atlanta or even the Yankees to have interest in Bay and the Mets will be left out in the cold.

In the past, when the Mets went after their big ticket items, they brought them to New York. Jeff Wilpon entertained them and showed them places to live. Right now, we are seeing none of that, which makes one believe neither player is really interested in the New York Mets. If that’s the case, then it’s time to move on, be it with Matt Holliday or some other cheaper option.

Wellington Mara once said, “There’s no fooling our fans.” Yet, this is what the Mets are trying to do here. With season renewals going at a snail’s pace, the Mets are desperate to be relevant in this market. Yet, what they are doing is shooting themselves in the foot, because everyone sees right through that act.

There’s no shame in rebuilding and you can do it in New York. Just look at the Knicks, who are starting to come to life this season and have a bright future if they can sign their high ticket free agents. If the Mets just said to the fan base they are trying to compete next year, but also present a long term plan, then no one would ever complain.

Yet, they are trying to continue their patchwork plan, which they do every off-season. That has gotten Minaya all of one postseason, two epic collapses, and one really bad 2009.

It’s time now to end this and come up with a plan. It starts today by ending the waiting game with Bay and Molina and telling both it’s time for them to make up their minds.

“I couldn’t really ask for a better minor league job.” Backman told reporters at a press conference held at Keyspan Park on Tuesday, formally announcing his selection as the manager of the Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones, an affiliate of the New York Mets.  “This organization is where I started, and my heart never left New York. A piece of you never leaves the first place you play.”

Since being fired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004, a job he held for four days, the two-time Minor League Manager of the Year has been trying to repair his reputation and get a job in affiliated baseball.

I had interviewed Backman during the 2005 season, trying to ascertain why he hadn’t hooked up with another major league club.  I met up with him again during the 2005 Winter Meetings in Dallas, where Backman was looking to earn a spot with another team.  He received no offers.

He had hoped the Mets would call.  He’d had a few conversations with team insiders about the then-vacancy at Double-A Binghamton before Jeff Wilpon handed over the discussions to the baseball operations people.  According to Bob Klapisch in the Bergen Record (1/15/2006), Backman was told he “wasn’t a fit.”

At the time, while covering the Mets for Gotham Baseball Magazine, I was also told by a minor league official that Backman “wasn’t in Tony Bernazard’s little black book”, putting the blame on the now departed VP of Player Development.

“I gave that organization 13 years of my life,” Backman told me at the time. “I don’t understand it.”

Interesting, isn’t it, that the door has opened for Backman now that Bernazard is gone?  In any event, Backman went about trying to get back into baseball.  One of those efforts, an otherwise ill-fated stint (because of the buffoons that ran the league and the team, not because of Backman, who took his team to the championship) with the South Georgia Peanuts in the now-defunct South Coast League during the 2007 season, actually played a major factor in Backman’s return.

Award-winning filmmaker John Fitzgerald (The Emerald Diamond) spent that spring and summer with Backman and the Peanuts filming the reality series “Playing For Peanuts”.

Joe Janish, the former Managing Editor of BaseballDigest.com and the publisher of MetsToday.com — who has spent many a day lobbying for Backman’s return to the Mets – interviewed Fitzgerald when “Peanuts” debuted in the spring on 2008 on SNY.

“Once I found out Wally Backman was managing a team, I chose to follow his team because he had the most interesting story in all aspects (playing, coaching, personal). Other than that, I had NO idea what to expect.”

He was right, because not long after the show debuted, Fitzgerald, despite facing horrendous budget costs (which still exist), pulled the show after the Mets’ flagship network refused to promote it.

“SNY refused to promote the show even though it is being promoted in other cities as part of the same agreement. I tried to compromise on the level of promotion and I never got anywhere with it,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.  “… I can’t give the show away for free in New York if SNY won’t promote it. It isn’t fair to the show, the show’s investors or the production crew – many of whom worked for deferred payment and are still waiting for the show to turn a profit.”

It still hasn’t, and in this writer’s opinion, SNY has yet to provide it’s viewership with an equally compelling alternative.

SNY’s lack of desire to promote the show was, according to several people we spoke with at the time, mainly due to pressure from ownership.  The feeling was that any direct attention given to Backman would be a distraction to the big club.  The daily broadcast presence of the enormously popular Backman, coupled by a growing dissatisfaction with then-manager Willie Randolph, would create too much “Backman Should Manage The Mets” hype from the media and fanbase.  It strengthened the belief of many that Backman would never be allowed to work for the Mets in any capacity.

Perhaps the most ironic twist is that Fitzgerald, whose work on the “Peanuts” series helped spark the friendship with Backman that remains strong to this day, was actually the person who provided Backman with Jeff Wilpon’s cell number.  The former second baseman then the call that got the process of his getting back into baseball started.

I don’t shock very easily, but when I was told several weeks ago about that Backman was flying into New York to meet with Jeff Wilpon about possibly joining the Mets in some capacity, I was floored.  I asked myself (and the person who gave me the information), “What’s changed from 2005 or 2008 or this past season?  I still haven’t been able to figure it out, but it would seem that Jeff Wilpon’s willingness to bring in former Mets with a baseball pedigree and a winning attitude is a major factor these days.

Some might argue that it’s a flawed way of doing things, but when comparing the likes of Backman, Teufel, Howard Johnson and Mookie Wilson to Bernazard hiring his buddies (Luis Aguayo and Mako Olivares), it’s pretty safe to say the Mets, and their fans, might be better off.  Time will tell.

In truth, Backman would probably have taken any job the Mets had offered him.  Single-A Port St. Lucie, the hub of the team’s minor league operations, was the destination most figured would make the most sense.  However, in the end, it was the Brooklyn job that was offered.  A cynic would say that this was the Mets’ way of pumping up the ‘Clones attendance, but that’s dopey, as the team in Brooklyn regularly draws better crows than any club in the entire farm system.

In many ways, the Brooklyn job is tougher than any in the organization, save the Mets gig.  Based on what other former Cyclones managers past and present have told me (and I’ve covered every one since the inaugural season of 2001), it’s the most demanding job in the system.  In addition to the mounds of paperwork, constant directives from the minor league department and major league front office on who to play, where to play, who’s in the bullpen, who should start, etc, there the media.

Yes, even in little ol’ Brooklyn, the media demands are very heavy.  From the weekly newspapers in Brooklyn, to the ever-growing internet media outlets, to the stringers from the tabloids, there are always media folks in the managers’ office following games.  One former Cyclones manager once told me in confidence that if he “ever imagined there would be even half of you (bleeps) in this (bleeping) office, I would have took the Kingsport job instead.”

Backman seemed more than up to the task on Tuesday, as several of the Mets’ beat writers made the trek to Coney Island for the press conference.  He also made several video segments for the Cyclones, answered some questions for some of the broadcast crews.  He also stuck around long enough to do one-on-one interviews with MLB.com’s Marty Noble and myself.  He spent the rest of his day going on WFAN with Mike Francesa as well as appearing on SNY’s Daily News LIVE.  It was a long day, but Backman had a smile on this face that even Darryl Strawberry would warm up to.

So Backman is back in baseball and back with the Mets.  He’s going to be expected to win, keep his nose clean and be media-friendly.  Shouldn’t be too hard for a guy that’s been waiting five years to get back into the game – and a city — he loves.

The New York Mets are expected to announce next week that their former second baseman has been tapped to manage the Class-A Brooklyn Cyclones, a move that the 50 year-old hopes leads to bigger and better things.

After being one of the hottest managerial prospects in baseball in 2004, Backman was named manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yet he was dismissed after only four days due to alleged domestic disputes and a bankruptcy surfaced.

Out of affiliated baseball, the former “Wildboy” of 1986 bounced around the independent leagues, managing the South Georgia Peanuts in 2006 and then the Joilet Jackhammers from 2007-2009. Each year Backman was a great success with his teams and each year he was looking to get back with an affiliated team, but to no avail.

That was until Mets COO Jeff Wilpon decided to give the sparkplug a second chance by offering him an interview during the last week of the 2209 season. Although, it was thought Backman would get the Double-A Binghamton job, he was given Brooklyn, an affiliate the Mets always want to be successful.

The official announcement could come next week sometime with a possible press conference at KeySpan Park.

Two September collapses followed by a summer of long-term injuries to key components may be the big picture but the smaller one – perhaps an even more glaring one – is that neither Willie Randolph or Jerry Manuel were able to get the best out of their players. Heck, they weren’t even able to get a full day’s pay out of the majority of the locker room on a daily basis.

To say the Mets gave up before they were mathematically eliminated this past summer is like saying reality television has become a bore. Even the young replacement players for the banged-up veterans appeared as if they were just going through the motions. Mental and physical errors made the season reminiscent of the 1962 Mets, with the main difference that they were loveable losers while these imposters were down right deplorable.

Now we have the pleasure of seeing it all over again for the fourth consecutive season. Jeff Wilpon has already announced that both Manuel and general manager Omar Minaya will be back.

The core group of players that have all been either a part of the collapses, the injured or unable to take charge when needed may all return, as well. The one question mark is first baseman Carlos Delgado, who is a Type B free agent after his contract ran out while he was on the disabled list.

The 37-year-old underwent hip surgery back on May 19 and left a huge hole not only at his position but also as the Mets’ only real power threat, the team had a popgun offense. Delgado then strained an oblique muscle while rehabbing and that put him on the shelf for good. Not exactly much of an endorsement for his conditioning.

Now Delgado has stated that he will be playing winter baseball in his native Puerto Rico to salvage what may be a career nearing its end. If he shows that he can still consistently hit the ball out, the Mets may offer him a one-year deal with incentives. But has the front office taken into consideration that a veteran such as Delgado has been a part of both the 2007 and 2008 collapses and never has taken a step up to become a team leader?

While we’re on the subject of players who have no desire to be in the driver’s seat, let us bring David Wright into the mix. The young third sacker is certainly talented and a model citizen but had the perfect opportunity in 2009 to become Mr. Met. He certainly did not do that and actually took a few steps back. He also has shown that he is a singles and doubles hitter at a power position, more alarming especially since the Mets lacked a big stick everywhere else in their line-up. His home run total (10) was reminiscent of a utility player.

Carlos Beltran did his best to play through pain but still had to succumb to missing a good amount of time due to a bum right knee. But he also is a ‘stand behind someone else’ type of person. He is not a take-charge guy by any means, even though he gets paid like one. That was one intangible that Minaya did not seem to think or care about when he threw boatloads of money at the free agent centerfielder, who did his best to take less from the cross-town Yankees before settling on the Mets.

And the last of the fearsome foursome? None other than Jose Reyes, who has made a career out of committing rookie mistakes year after year. Bad habits such as not running out ground balls or pop ups and horrendous base running mistakes has definitely rubbed off on some of the younger players on the team.

What needed to be done was not and Manuel seemed more like a substitute high school teacher than a major league manager. Basic fundamentals that are a part of spring training were botched up through Game 162. Inexcusable to say the least, but management seems to be content with him as the field boss because he is the furthest thing from controversial. The image-conscious Mets love to remain squeaky clean, even to a fault.

While the outcome of 2010 may be predictable wit the Mets, their excuse of what went wrong will not be as easy.

If they can nab the 31 year-old, it would be a real step in the right direction for the Mets. Yet, there’s still a lot of work to do before Figgins hoists his No. 9 jersey at Citi Field.

First they have to figure out where he would play. A third baseman last season, that position is secured by David Wright, so the Mets would have to move Figgins to either second base or left field. Although a huge hole is open in left, the team would prefer to have the free agent play second base, where he would be continue his one-two punch with Jose Reyes out in the field.

Of course, Luis Castillo is still on the team with two years and about $12 million coming to him, so general manager Omar Minaya is shopping his incumbent to open the door for a new, more multi-dimensional player. Already there have been rumors about Chris Snyder and Lyle Overbay, so the feeling is something will happen with the Mets much maligned second baseman.

Yet, more is needed than just Figgins. The Mets also will kick the tires for Matt Holliday and inquire about ace Roy Halladay, but something tells me that the organization will come up short there.

Although COO Jeff Wilpon told fans in a letter and the press a day after the season, the Mets will have a similar payroll as last season, it also means the club will need to make some tough decisions when it comes to filling positions. Make no mistake, the club won’t have a Yankee-like payroll of $200 million, rather, it will come in between $145 – $150 million, so there will be some limitations here.

All of that means the Mets will have between $25 – $30 million to play with coming into this offseason with the expiring contracts coming off the books, and factoring in pay raises for next season. Figgins will cost between $8 – $10 million so right off the bat, you are down to $22 million for a couple of bats and a starter.

If they can dump Castillo, they will probably have to take a similar contract back, which means that will be somewhat of a wash. Yet if it fills a hole, like catcher with Snyder or first base with Overbay, it will mean more money to spend elsewhere.

It also means the high priced free agents will be too rich for the Mets if they get Figgins. Scott Boras wants $18 million a season for Holliday and if they Mets could pull off the trade for Halladay, he will command a Johan Santana kind of contract of $22 million a season.

If Holliday’s price comes down to say between $12-$15 million per season, then the Mets would be able to afford the former Rockies outfielder. It will also allow the club to start the season with Omir Santos behind the plate if Castillo can’t fetch a catcher like Snyder.  It will also allow the team to use Daniel Murphy at first with Ike Davis waiting in the wings down in Buffalo.

The bottom line is this though…the Mets will only have about $15 million to spend on a big bopper in the lineup if they add Figgins.

Then the Mets will have about $7 – $10 million to get another starter, like Jason Marquis or Randy Wolf, and fill in the bullpen.

All of this sounds nice in November and will mean nothing if Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana, and David Wright are not healthy next season. But it is a plan and a start, which is all a Met fan can hope for right now.

So when the players cleaned out their lockers and said goodbye Sunday afternoon, many not knowing their status for next season, we are led to believe by Wilpon that changes were already in the works the past few months.  Now the process of trades or free agency awaits all Mets fans in what could be a slow process to rebuild.

Upgrading at the plate, a power hitter at first base, a  good number two starter behind Johan Santana. Just the many tasks ahead for Minaya who knows, as well as Manuel, that one more year will be had at Citi Field if the mess of 2009 becomes a continuance in 2010.

Already gone from the clubhouse Sunday after the last pitch was Gary Sheffield. No presence of Carlos Delgado who packed his bags weeks ago and was home in Puerto Rico. Jose Reyes was preparing for surgery to that bad hamstring that put him on the disabled list on May 26^th.  And you heard from Minaya, and from Wilpon on Monday that if the right move had to be made a Reyes, even Carlos Beltran could be traded.

Mets fans want to hear that the injuries were not the sole reason for the dismal events of a season that saw a finish of 70-92. Even a season ending sweep of the Houston Astros will not leave any form of optimism for the fans who continued to come to Citi Field, over 3 million, and for every reason the novelty of a new ballpark is over so Minaya has to produce.

The ownership made that known, realizing his fans have to see a better product on the field.  So when Nelson Figueroa pitched that complete game four-hit shutout Sunday to close the season, the second for a Mets pitcher this season, there was a mood in that clubhouse that 2010 can be better.

If only their star players had stayed healthy. “Tough year for us,” said Carlos Beltran as he exchanged phone numbers with catcher Omir Santos, “We didn’t expect this coming out of spring training,” he said referring to the influx of injuries that also put him on the disabled list on June 22^nd with a bruised right knee.

Beltran would return in September, It had no impact because the season was lost which sparred, Mets fans from seeing a third straight September collapse. Figueroa who may or may have not pitched his way on the pitching staff next season said, “A lot of us were playing for jobs next year. I feel like I’ve earned a spot to be a major leaguer somewhere next year.”

But that may not be the direction that Minaya will take, even if the 33-year old Figueroa pitched the game of his career and wanted to make a statement. Wilpon says spending money again will not be an issue, and his Mets may once again have the highest payroll in the National League.

The free agent pool will not be the best. So trades may become a vehicle for Minaya. And don’t be surprised if one of the so-called “Core Players” that being Beltran or Reyes changes uniform if the proper deal is put on the table. The uncertainty of where they will be when spring training commences in February was definitely evident after that last pitch was thrown on Sunday.

Guys like Wilson Valdez knew it was last day in New York. And so goes for Anderson Hernandez, two of the infielders who tried to fill the void for Reyes in the infield. “It was good coming back here and I hope so,” said Anderson when asked about plans for next season.

Reyes is the catalyst as Minaya and Manuel know   With a healthy Reyes, the Mets can build around the core with Beltran, David Wright and their new addition in Jeff Francoeur. Angel Pagan showed some consistency at the plate but surly is a better option coming off the bench.

“I think I proved that I can play here and can come back and help this team, commented Pagan who finished fourth in the National League with 13 triples, and proving that Citi Field is a perfect place for hitting the triple. He was one of those Mets that persevered after a stint on the disabled list. “Turning the page and forgetting about it,” added Pagan about the season.

The Mets would finish a fraction of a point second to the Dodgers as the top hitting team in the National League. Their pitching staff issued the second most walks in baseball.  Blame the injuries, or the failure to run the bases properly, even the failure to drive in runs.

It was an entire season collapse instead of another disappointing end in September. And as they left their clubhouse the final time Sunday there was that attitude of failure, knowing that changes would be made. The coaching staff moves made Monday was not what Mets fans wanted to hear.

A long process it will be and Mets fans will have to be patient. They don’t want to hear that Mets players spent more than 1,480 days on the disabled list, eight former all-stars. They don’t want to hear Manuel say as he did Sunday, “For the most part it was a failure,”

Now it up to the manager and more importantly the general manager, to make sure the next season is not a failure. If not Minaya and Manuel are gone and probably a lot of fans will follow them out the door.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

Speaking to the press before yesterday’s game, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon apologized for Minaya’s slight of Daily News reporter Adam Rubin and said that Minaya felt remorse about the situation.

“[Minaya's] not in a great state right now, this has taken a great toll on him, and I think if you guys can give him a day or so, he’ll be back to Omar.,” Wilpon said in front of the Mets dugout before his team’s beat the Colorado Rockies, 4-0. “And if we can all give him a chance, I think he’ll come back and make this organization proud.”

Wilpon hopes that will be that for this embarrassing episode, yet something tells me that it won’t be. For the rest of the season, and even next year if Minaya survives there will always be questions about his motives. Will his temper get the best of him again? Will he hold another reporter responsible?

It’s obvious from the columns that came out over the past few days, the New York press won’t let up on the Mets. Minaya made the situation worse. Until now, he got the benefit of the doubt. His friendly demeanor allowed the press to do it’s job, so even if the Mets floundered, there was very little rumbling about Minaya’s future.

Yet now, Minaya will get the Glen Sather treatment. The reclusive president of the Rangers gets lambasted by the press because of his unwillingness to deal with reporters. He never is available during the season, unless you there’s a trade or some sort of move when he has to deal with the press. Before he fired Tom Renney, he let the coach be the face of the organization, something he seems to be passing on to the media unfriendly John Tortorella.

Unfortunately for the Mets, they don’t have a field manager, who wants to take that mantle. Although Jerry Manuel is very media friendly, he also seems to be happy playing the role of paid employee rather than front man.

That’s fine but if Minaya won’t be the face of the organization, and Manuel doesn’t want the job, then who?

The answer is obvious: Jeffrey Wilpon.

Wilpon has been more accessible than most owners. He conducted a number of media tours and has a good relationship with the press. Unlike the Yankees who let Brian Cashman has proven to be a very articulate general manager speak for them. The Mets don’t have someone on that level. Minaya is a very poor public speaker and as Monday proved can’t run a press conference. He’s great one-on-one but in front of a room, there are obvious problems.

So Wilpon needs to step up and take command during these situations. He also should utilize marketing director David Newman to speak for the organization when the situation merits it. That will allow Minaya to do what he does best, which is deal directly with players, agents, and other general managers to make the Mets better. He has proven to be an excellent free agent signer, even if some didn’t turn out like planned.

But something needs to be done. Monday’s press conference was a fiasco for the organization, which is now reeling the embarrassment. If Minaya is the man to build the future for the Mets – and the jury is still out on that – then Wilpon needs to make changes in order to prevent another fiasco from happening.

Apparently none of the turmoil, surrounding the dismissal of Tony Bernazzard, the Director of Player Personnel and Minaya accusing a beat reporter, Adam Rubin of lobbying for Berazzard’s job, has affected the team.  Wilpon addressed the issue before the game with media on the field and then the Mets did their job.

They won another ballgame, and for now, winning for the Mets has become the remedy to put some rest to all of the controversy and soap opera drama that has been a major part of this Mets baseball season.

“We’re just playing better baseball,” said starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey about the Mets current winning streak, their longest since May 25-29.  Pelfrey (8-6) won his third straight start against the Rockies, going 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and three walks, striking out five. He also got out of two bases loaded jams twice retiring Clint Barms in the fourth and sixth innings.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel commented that the players don’t pay attention to what has been going off the field   His focus has been to hopefully see things turn around, with the team that he has. The injured players, in particular Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado continue their rehab programs with hopes they will be back in the lineup soon. At the same time, Manuel hoped for some better baseball and the Mets have responded.

“As his season goes along he eventually gets stronger,” said Manuel about Pelfrey. The meets pitching staff during this streak has a 2.25 ERA.  And before winning games resumed an important part of the lineup, Luis Castillo, continued to stay hot. He went 1-3 and drove in one of the Mets runs, and over the last 18 games has a .543 on base percentage which is the best in baseball.

“The thing about Louie is we have found a way to work around his game,” said Manuel about his second baseman.”He has a lot of energy and confidence.” And that comment stems from how Manuel saw Castillo prepare during spring training, and how Castillo has managed to adjust whether he is placed second or eighth in the batting order.

The Rockies have now lost 20 of their last 22 games against the Mets that go back to Shea Stadium and now Citi Field. And suddenly the Mets with their second straight win over Colorado, are creeping slowly back into the NL wild card race. They picked up two games on the Rockies and trail them by 5/1-2 games in the standings.

And for a change things have been going the Mets way. The hitting has been timely, the pitching respectable, and on the field plays are going their way. An eighth inning play that went to the Mets advantage would not have gone in their favor the past month. Castillo was clearly out at the plate trying to score from second on a hit by Daniel Murphy.

In the four game streak the Mets have not committed an error, another indication as to how, at least for the moment, the tide has turned. Every run scored Tuesday came when the leadoff man got on base.  Daniel Murphy doubled and came around in the second inning. Alex Cora singled in the second and scored, Murphy would walk and score again in the fourth and Castillo walked and scored the Mets final run in the eighth.

Pedro Feliciano got five straight outs in relief, and Sean Green finished it up.  David Wright extended his hitting streak to seven games and Daniel Murphy now has hit in five straight. And the Mets infield handled three double plays, something they could not do right against the lowly Washington Nationals last week.

So everything is going right for the Mets right now, despite the fact one of their big scoreboards in right field out of commission the entire night.  “It feels good to win and that starts with our starting pitching,” said Wright who had two hits.

“Omar made a mistake and he admitted it,” said Wilpon speaking about his embattled GM. “We have to get the guys back on track,” he said about his team.”  It is apparent the Mets are on the right track, at least for the moment. In this season that has provided a little bit of everything but winning, maybe we have seen the last of the unexpected.

Game three of the four games series continues Wednesday evening, 7:10pm at Citi Field  Right hander Jason Hammel (5-5) gets the start for Colorado and Johan Santana (11-8) will get the ball for New York.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

The stadium will now be known as Moscone Bail Bonds Ballpark, and the Mets seem very pleased with the results.

“We are very happy with the transaction,” said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. “After months of bad press and financial losses, it’s nice to be affiliated with a company which we know does not accept bailouts.”

In business for over 30 years, the Moscone Corporation gained notoriety from the movie Midnight Run, which chronicled the wrong doings of former employee Jack Walsh by accepting a $300,000 bribe after releasing bail jumper Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas.

Moscone almost went out of business but sued Walsh for the money.  After successfully winning and then investing the $300,000, he built what was a local Los Angeles based firm into a multinational corporation.

“Moscone Corp. has done very well,” said Moscone, who serves as the CEO. “And now with the economy tanking, we know there will be a plenty of bail jumpers, especially in New York, so we wanted to make a splash. What better place than in baseball.

“With guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens up on charges and A-Rod visiting prostitutes, it’s just a matter of time until one of these guys jumps [bail]. And who are you going to call? Moscone Bail Bonds.”

Even with both sides pleased with the name change, some Mets didn’t like the move.

“I don’t know about this,” said first baseman Carlos Delgado. “There are innocent people out there, who get arrested and not going to get a fair deal. Bail bonds companies thrive on that.”

“It kind of stinks,” added catcher Brian Schneider. “Midnight Run is one of my favorite movies, because of Jack Walsh. Moscone was just a secondary character. And now this stadium will be a secondary place.”

Although some grumbled, one Met seemed satisified.

“My dad was in law enforcement,” said third baseman David Wright. “So to be involved with a company that brings criminals to justice is a good thing.”

Already the Mets are answering the phone “Moscone Bail Bonds” but won’t be able to get all the former Citi Field signs down in time for Friday. They do hope the “Moscone Bail Bonds Ballpark” sign will adorn the Jackie Robinson Rotunda by opening day on April 13^th.

Happy April Fools Day from the staff of NYSD.

The Mets and the city will soon pave over the old stadium to make it a parking lot, but Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said in the past they will keep an outline of the field, which will be used for the wheelchair games that happen every summer when the Mets are on the road.