Or, in fishing terms, the Mets, in a city like New York, have long been the small fish in a big pond when compared to their cross-town Bronx rivals.

That’s particularly true this offseason, with the Yankees coming off a whale of season, after winning their 27th world championship as the Mets struggled through some rough waters on the way to an awful 70-win, fourth place finish in the National League East.

Since then, the Yankees haven’t rested on their laurels. Instead, they’ve continued fishing for more help to improve the direction of where they want their ship to head next year. Curtis Granderson, Nick Johnson, and Javier Vazquez have all come aboard the good ship Yankee 2010.

And, the Mets’ biggest division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, upgraded from Cliff Lee to Roy Halladay.

Meanwhile, the Mets were reeling in guppies and veering further off course. Netting backup catchers and pitchers R.A Dickey and Kelvim Escobar weren’t exactly the types of moves that were going to prevent a mutiny among Met fans after last season.

And, other big names were being snatched up elsewhere while the Mets kept missing the boat on each one.

Finally, on Tuesday however, the Mets landed their own big fish, by grabbing “Flushing Bay” –- as in Jason Bay, to play in Flushing — where the leftfielder will patrol the part of Citi Field which overlooks the real Flushing Bay.
Unfortunately for the Mets, Bay can’t pitch, and starting pitching among other areas remain part of the considerable work still left to do for Mets’ general manager Omar Minaya.

But, given both of last year’s World Series participants, with New York’s other team taking home another title while the Mets crumbled under the weight of a rash of injuries and underachieving players, the Mets had to show something of significance to their fan base this offseason.

Until Tuesday, Minaya’s empty promises of improving the Mets roster since the end of last season seemed like nothing more than proverbial exaggerated fish tales to anxious Met fans.

That’s why the Mets simply couldn’t let yet another big fish get away, even if $66 million for four years, with a vesting option worth an additional $14 million in a possible fifth year might be somewhat overpaying for a slugger with very good home run potential tempered by a high strikeout propensity.

For the Mets, it’s a potentially high risk, high reward move, looking at what the free agent Bay did last year with Boston. He had a career-high 162 strikeouts last season, but he also had career highs of 36 home runs and 119 runs batted in.

Those last two numbers are sorely needed in a Mets lineup that was severely offensively challenged last year, due in large part to injuries to key players who should return with good bills of health next season. If players such as Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes stay healthy and return to previous form, Bay should only help that much more.

Landing Bay alone won’t lead to a sudden tidal wave of success for the Mets. And, this by far, can’t be the last of Minaya’s big upgrades before the start of next season. But, after what had been a very uneventful and disappointing offseason for the Mets, the signing of “Flushing Bay” is a big catch that should at least keep disgruntled Met fans “at bay” for now.

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.

Meanwhile, major league baseball’s holiday shopping season has already begun with this year’s general mangers meetings, held earlier this week in Chicago.

Among the general managers who participated in discussions with other clubs and player agents was New York Mets’ GM, Omar Minaya.

And, it’s a good thing he was there. This off-season of all off-seasons is a perfect one for Minaya to get an early start on seeing what he can deliver for suffering Mets fans after what they’ve witnessed under the Minaya regime over the past four seasons.

The Mets are coming off their worst season in six years, an awful 70-92 campaign, replete with a rash of injuries and off-the-field embarrassments within the organization.

Not only did many Mets spend significant time on the disabled list, but the starters who remained underachieved as much as the backups who were called upon to increase their roles. And, both groups were fundamentally unsound and unfocused throughout much of the season.

While that was going on, the Mets’ front office and medical staff seemed clueless, repeatedly promising the return of starters Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Delgado. Only Beltran made it back, but after it was it was much too late to save the Mets’ season. And, Reyes and Delgado were flown back and forth so many times across the country before being seriously checked out, it seemed that the Mets prime interest was in racking up frequent flyer miles over getting those two players back on the field.

There was also the July firing of former vice president of player development, Tony Bernazard, with his mortifying shirtless tirade in the Mets’ Binghamton minor league clubhouse being the final straw in a series of missteps on Bernazard’s part over the years. That was followed by Minaya’s subsequent shameful mishandling of the situation. He not only blamed New York Daily News reporter Adam Rubin for reporting the incident, asserting that Rubin was after Bernazard’s job, but on several occasions, awkwardly stumbled over his own words, as if public speaking was new to him.

All of that came on the heals of the two prior seasons, in which the Mets made the type of history that will haunt them forever — blowing the two largest, consecutive September leads in major league baseball history. The second of those to seasons included the shameful firing of former manager Willie Randolph, who was flown across country from New York to Anaheim, just to be fired after 3 a.m. EST, before the Mets started a road trip there.

Go back to the year before the back-to-back September collapses, and there’s more. The Mets were probably the better team against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 National League Championship Series, but they came up short in a Game 7 on their home field, falling a big ninth-inning hit away from making the World Series.

But, who did make it to, and win the World Series in all of that time?

The Mets’ two biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees.

The Phillies won it all in 2008 after the Mets’ second collapse helped Philadelphia reach the playoffs. And, then just earlier this month, Met fans had to watch their two most hated rivals play each other in the fall classic, and watch the cross-town team win its fifth championship in fourteen years while they continue await another title for their own team since 1986.

Really, how much could a Met fan take over the past four years?

Given all of the above, if there were ever a time for a professional organization to save face with its fan base, that time is now, with the Mets, especially after opening their brand new Citi Field with a dud of a season last year.

The Mets have several needs this off-season, and at the top of Minaya’s wish list should be a top line starting pitcher and finally landing a left fielder with some great pop.

So, it’s quite fitting that the two players who would best fill out Minaya’s holiday shopping list would have last names like Halladay and Holliday.

Toronto Blue Jays’ pitcher Roy Halladay and St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger Matt Holliday are both there for the taking and they’re who Minaya for now, needs to target above all else.

Even Beltran, who said the Mets were the team to beat in the NL East before he and his teammates were ravaged by injuries said, “I think a little help wouldn’t be bad. I do believe [management] is going to bring people that are going to help us. The Wilpons [Mets’ owners Fred and Jeff], they want to win. If they bring a left fielder, it’d be great, another bat. If they bring a guy like Johan Santana, it’d be great also.”

Beltran could be talking about players like John Lackey and Jason Bay, who would both be good acquisitions for the Mets, or even many others who are available. But, more likely, he’s talking about Halladay and Holliday, the two biggest names out there, and the two who would best fill the Mets’ two principal holes looking toward 2010.

Earlier this week on SNY’s “Mets Hot Stove” show, SNY Insider Jon Heyman, from SI.com, said the Mets would have enough minor-league talent to get Halladay from the Blue Jays, “but they’ll have to be very aggressive and gut their system,” he said.

That strategy worked out pretty well in trading for Johan Santana, and it’s time to do it again.

Heyman believes the Mets will look into acquiring Halladay, widely regarding as one of the game’s best starting pitchers, if not the best. However, he said, “To do that twice, and have two pitchers making $46 million, I just don’t see them doing it.”

But, after the past four years, they have to.

This year is definitely not a year for the Mets to rely solely on healthy reinforcements returning, or as Minaya and the Wilpons have tried to do in the past, bargaining their way to contention with another patchwork and “piecing together while you cross your fingers and hope for the best” effort.

In some regard, Met fans can understand the Mets’ apprehension, especially given the money they lost in the Bernie Madoff scandal, when Madoff “made off” with millions of the Mets’ money.

But, the Mets had the NL’s highest payroll last year, and they still have plenty left to afford both Halladay and Holliday if they want them.

Although it would cost a lot, the Mets would certainly later realize a positive return on their investment, as a Santana-Halladay one-two punch would instantly make them relevant again after last year’s horrid season.

Adding Holliday, along with getting last year’s injured players healed up and returned to the lineup, should then make the Mets contenders, as well.

Heyman said if the Mets want Holliday, “They have a good shot,” though they would be competing against the Cubs, Giants, Braves and Cardinals -– even more reason to get him, to not only strengthen their own team, but to keep him away from perhaps next year’s National League competition.

If you’re worried if Holliday is worth the money in a pitchers’ park like Citi Field, don’t be. He’s legit, and he can hit anywhere.

The cautious Met fan might say that Holliday posted his 128 home runs, 483 runs batted in, and .319 batting average in five seasons with the Rockies because of the thin Colorado air, but playing in another pitchers’ park in St. Louis, after coming over from Oakland last year, he still produced.

Despite a bad 2009 NL Division Series (in which he was just 2-for-12 with just one home run and one RBI), in a much larger sampling, Holliday hit .353, with 13 home runs and 55 RBI, in 63 regular season games with the Cardinals.

Taking the usual few games off, basing on 155 games, would equate to about 32 home runs and 135 RBI. Those are the types of numbers, to go along with the defensive ability in left field which the Mets, one of the weakest power hitting and one most mistake prone teams in left field last year, could sorely use to back up potentially Halladay and others in a Met uniform.

It would be enough to almost make Met fans forget how jealous they’ve been of Phillie or Yankee fans over the past three years.

That’s why if Minaya and the rest of the Mets’ front office truly want to make up for the past few years, they should be doing all they can this holiday season to deliver both Halladay and Holliday to the Citi Field doorstep next season.

Met fans have been good to continue to follow their team and to show up at Citi Field in large numbers despite what they’ve endured in recent years, and now it’s time to give them the holiday presents they richly deserve.

So Omar, if you’re looking for the best way to wish Met fans happy holidays this year, just tell them:

“Happy Halladay” and “Happy Holliday.”

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.

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

And general manager Omar Minaya – or whomever is in his role – will have to answer them one by one.

John Maine, though, may have made the team’s job just a little easier after his 7-inning, 5-hit, 1-run, and over 100-pitch performance against the Houston Astros. The outing proves he is fully healthy from and back from his shoulder woes which kept him out for almost three months this season.

“I think you need to remain optimistic,” said manager Jerry Manuel. “He has shown improvement since his time back. He has been getting a lot of ground balls which means he is getting life on his pitches, which has been his trademark. When you see that against the one of the better hitting lineups in the National League, it gives us a lot of hope.”

Hope is what the Mets need as they head into this crossroads off-season. If you look at the Mets staff, it is pretty much Johan Santana and lots of prayer. Yet, a healthy Maine may have saved Minaya a novena or two.

There’s no doubt the Mets will need another pitcher, no matter how good Maine plays. After Santana, the drop-off is just that large. But a healthy righthander will take pressure off Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey on the back-end. And if the team goes out and gets, say a Roy Holladay or some other 1A to compliment their ace, they still will need a guy like Maine as a No. 3.

“I want to go out and be consistent,” Maine said. “I am not going to win 20 games, but I want to be a guy who goes out there and gives the team a chance to win everyday.”

If Maine performs like he did tonight, then he will. The pitcher came in with a strong slider which complimented his fastball. When he does that, the righty becomes very hard to hit.

Yet, all of this will happen next year. The season is over, but Maine now has peace of mind, because he can go into this off-season knowing he’s fully healthy.

“I think I am feeling fine the last few starts,” he said. “I am feeling fine. I had some questions from this year and now pitching answers them.”

And with that, one off-season Mets question is now answered.

There are not many fans in the ballpark as some Mets players took their pre game swings around the batting cage. Some would take their cuts, leave the field and take the walk to their new spacious clubhouse. Other players are in the back room players lounge, a sanctuary in new modern ballparks such as Citi Field.

Otherwise, inside it is quiet. Mets players are going about their business realizing that a lost season of misery is almost over. The bags are already packed for their last road trip to Florida and Washington and equipment manager Charlie Samuels does his last minute check. This time of year, with expanded rosters, Samuels has to make sure nothing is left behind.

Alex Cora, the veteran, who played a vital role in the infield for the injured Jose Reyes, was on a couch at the end of the clubhouse situated near an entrance to the player’s lounge. He interestingly watched the Yankees afternoon encounter with the Angels on a high definition television above the locker of Angel Pagan.

His left thumb in a cast from recent ligament surgery, Cora was doing exercises to his right hand where ligament surgery was successfully done on the right thumb five weeks ago. It has been that type of season for Cora and the Mets, injuries that may have set a Major League record for a team.

“Here they come,” said Cora to yours truly and another reporter about the Angels as they rallied against the New York Yankees. “They are good, “he said.  After the Angels failed to score Cora retreated to his spacious quarters to the left. “It has been a bad year,” he said. “I am coming along and hope to be here next year. These are a great bunch of guys.”

But the Mets hope Reyes returns to form and recovers from a torn hamstring tendon behind the right knee that has kept him on the disabled list since May 26^th.  Cora may or may not be in their plans, though before going on the DL on August 18^th he became a valuable player in the infield and at the plate.

One hour before game time now and the clubhouse is getting busier, though still quiet. Pagan changes into his game jersey, Gary Sheffield walks to his dressing area by the clubhouse entrance, checks his blackberry e-mail. Anderson Hernandez, not far from Sheffield quietly gets dressed and Wilson Valdez goes from one end of the clubhouse to the other.

Anderson and Valdez are two of those other Mets infielders who have tried to fill the void with the absence of Reyes. A lost season for the Mets and both wonder where they will be in February when the Mets convene for spring training in Port St. Lucie Florida.

“I hope to be here but it is not up to me,” says Valdez who was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in late May. He has seen more playing time the past month hoping the Mets will give him an opportunity. Valdez has been used also off the bench, but the problem for the Mets, besides the injuries, has been the lack of production from guys like Valdez and Sheffield;

Off the bench, they are a combined 1-for-24 as pinch hitters. The only hit was the 500^th career home run hit by Sheffield at Citi Field back on April 17^th against the Milwaukee Brewers. Anderson is going about his business also starting at short with Valdez/. They are looking ahead to the off-season and preparing to play with the Mets or another team.

“Winter ball in Dominican,” said Anderson about plans when the season concludes in a week or so. A product of the Mets organization, Anderson was reacquired from the Washington Nationals on August 6^th, another of the infielders GM Omar Minaya sought when Cora went down.

Carlos Beltran, he too hindered by the amazing amount of injures this season quickly enters the clubhouse and to the lounge. He is in the lineup again for manager Jerry Manuel and playing out the season as he continues to gain more strength on the injured right knee.

“Cotto of course,’ he says when asked his view as to who will win the upcoming Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao welterweight championship fight.  Of course Beltran will go with Cotto, They are good friends and speak often, while Sheffield, an avid boxing fan plans to train this off season with former champion Winky Wright down in Tampa Florida and favors Pacquiao.

Sheffield knows this is a business. He doesn’t say much, though it can be seen that he offers veteran leadership, has made it known he would like to pay for this team next season and wants to continue his career.

He discusses his future as Pagan, Omir Santos, Anderson and Luis Castillo sit on a couch in the middle of the clubhouse and have a friendly card game. More chatter in the clubhouse, a very loose one, though much of the talk is in Spanish as a majority of the Mets roster is of Latino descent.

Game time is getting close and soon the clubhouse will be closed to the media. Usually there are throngs of media personnel in the clubhouse looking for stories of interest. We clutter in the middle of the clubhouse seeking out a player or two. However, the Mets really have no story lines as the late September stretch comes to a close.

Getting an item of interest is slim or none so the media presence is sparse and the players seem to be more relaxed as to talking about their off season conditioning plans and maybe what went wrong n 2009.  Of course, as Valdez said, “This is baseball. No, I can’t remember so many guys being injured.”

Yeah, 14 or more players at one time on the disabled list, including pitcher Oliver Perez who saw his season shut down August 26^th with tendonitis in his right knee. He quickly makes a cameo in the clubhouse in street clothes. No site of Jose Reyes, or Carlos Delgado, and talk is Delgado is suffering now from back spasms and has probably seen his last days as a New York Met.

The only questions that can be asked, is where do you hope to be with this team next season? Said Sheffield, “Don’t know what they’re thinking,” commenting about Mets management plans for him. “I know what I can do,’ he said.

So it is a Mets clubhouse with uncertainty as to where they will be next season. And a clubhouse of players ready to play the final games of a lost season, and obviously trying to enjoy their final days together  They will say their goodbyes and clean their lockers out a week from Sunday when the season concludes at Citi Field with a weekend series against the Houston Astros.

But inside that modern Mets clubhouse there is the feeling. Had they been injury free it could have still been a race with the Phillies. Every one expected it to be that way with a season of optimism. But this is baseball and a long season of misery is almost over..

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

In the film, the owner wanted to move to Miami not as much as she felt they had a better chance to win there, but because she was a former nightclub dancer and thought Miami was a nicer place to live than Cleveland (she inherited the team after her husband died).  She is the story’s villain, but, as owner of her team, she had the right to desire to move it.  Losing every game possible was her wish and, even though it was opposite of what the Cleveland players and fans wanted, her right as owner of the team.  Whether her reasons were exactly dignified don’t matter.  An owner of a team has a right to do what he/she wants.

In real life, team movement is a rarity in MLB, even though we just saw the Montreal Expos move to Washington DC not too long ago.  But if you follow the money, as any team owner wants to do, you’ll see wins and losses correlate.

Which brings us to a quandary for a team like the New York Mets.  Should they win or should they lose?  They are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.  The purpose of the team winning more games this year would be to keep fans coming to a brand new stadium, Citifield, giving them hope for next year, thus leading to, at the least, flat ticket sales with 2009.  Plus, if you’re into psychology, a 10-game September winning streak could help this year’s players who will be on the team in 2010 believe more in their personal and team abilities to win it all next season.

There’s a reason why losing could help the team.  A big reason.  If the Mets continue to lose games at the rate they’ve been losing in the second half, they’ll have a strong chance at “earning” a Top 5 amateur draft pick next June.  Put aside the (strong) possibility that they’d make a bad choice with that pick.  The fact is, a Top 5 pick in Round 1 (and subsequent rounds) could help infuse an ailing farm system with (again, if they pick well) top talent, either creating inexpensive talent for the big club in a few years or quality talent to trade for established stars (i.e. the 2011/2012 Roy Halladay equivalent).  Losing games now gives the organization more flexibility down the road.

So should they win or should they lose?  Let’s follow the money and see if it makes the decision for us.

Losing every game now has a payoff, but its years down the line.  While the team could, in theory, reap the benefits of top minor league talent from the draft, they’d have to pay for it next year.  Is hope worth $3 million to $5 million for an 18 or 21-year old Top 5 ”prospect”?  Suppose the prospect doesn’t live up to expectations talent-wise or gets hurt before making it to the big leagues or getting traded.  That’s money down the tubes.  That’s the end of your hope.

Losing now doesn’t help the now or the next season.  Losing now will bring further media criticism on the entire organization.  With ownership not known to be a group of men with thick skins, can GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel survive a 5 and 14 slide in the final 19 games?  Unless the team can completely turn around in 2010, neither man will be around when next year’s Top 5 draft pick bears fruit.  There’s no incentive for these two to want to lose.  They’re going to make every effort to go 19-0 before their season ends.

Ownership is in the quandary.  They have suffered through an embarrassing year, both on and off (Madoff, Bernazard) the field.  There were championship dreams when Citifield was unveiled at the end of March.  Those dreams still exist, just not for this year.  If you owned the Mets, what would you want?  It’s not an easy decision.

Built into the decision-making process is not just the psyche of the fans and players now and the need to sell as many tickets as possible next year, which would bring in more concession revenue, more SNY network (through commercials) revenue, more merchandise sale revenue.  But those future revenues are based upon next season’s team.  The budget for next season has to be made and enacted before a dime of revenue for 2010 is earned.  Based upon this season, do you cut next year’s budget (rumor has it they will)?  Do you keep your budget flat?  Do you increase the budget for minor league operations, allowing for the increased expected expenditures for higher draft picks?  If you do this, is it at the expense of the parent club, the one fans pay to see?  Are you hurt even more if your team loses so much in September that you’re forced to fire your GM and manager to save face, continuing to pay their contracts in 2010 while bringing on new individuals to run the field operations?  And are you realizing that, with the firing of manager and GM, you’re also firing a coaching staff and many of your GM’s “guys”?  Does that mean your new hires will be hired based more on their paychecks than talent?

It’s not a simple decision.  For ownership, there’s always a balancing act between now and the future, between making money and winning games.  For a team like the 2009 New York Mets, losing now may bring in incrementally more revenues in a few years.  But since there’s no Major League option of moving the team to Miami, they’re going to have to get through 2010 and 2011 first.

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