Pitching coach Rick Peterson too and because they can, first-base coach Tom Nieto.

And just when I'd begun to tune out all the rumors.

Stay tuned for the press conference today to see whether Ken Oberkfell, promoted from Norfolk to the big league staff along with pitching coach Dan Warthen and infield coordinator Luis Aguayo, alights again in No. 0, and whether Jerry Manuel's first move as interim manager is to shed No. 53. 

Castro Converts (March 26): The trade of Jason Phillips vaulted Ramon Castro into a likely role as Met backup catcher and his uni number went flying too. Castro's status seems solidified by a switch from the non-rosterly 72 to the backup catcherly 11. With a week to go until the bell rings, notable recent cuts include Jae Seo 26, Scott Strickland 28, Jeff Keppinger 6, and Scott Stewart 32.

Willie and the Boz (Feb. 26): Willie Randolph, as quoted by Bill Madden in the Daily News: "I'm gonna wear No. 12. Why? You remember Ken Boswell? Second baseman on the '69 team? He was my favorite player growing up. No. 12. It's a nice number."

We remember Ken Boswell too, and even if his sideburns might not fly in Willie's clubhouse, it speaks well of the new Met manager that he has a sense of his place in history. This is probably a natural result of the era we grew up, but 12 has always seemed more Boswellian to us than Kent-like or Alomarish. And as glorified ticket salesman Darryl Strawberry makes a grand reappearance at Shea this weekend, may it serve as a reminder of this team's horribly miscast former manager, who wore No. 18 but was no George Theodore either.

We found Madden's piece, by the way, from a link at the extraordinary new blog co-authored by veteran MBTN reader Greg -- highly recommended for fans of good writing and historical Metdom.

The Met Who Wasn't There (Updated April 10): The Scott Erickson Experiment may have ended before it ever started. The Proven Veteran Starter, listed as No. 19, didn't make it out of warmups Thursday before hitting the disabled list -- David Cone last season at least waited until May. Back in his place is Jae Seo 38, whose evil cackle we could hear all the way from Norfolk. So for the time being, we've reduced our All-Time Met list to 726 players and are left waiting. Update: Seo appeared in Saturday's game wearing No. 26. That makes three numbers for Seo in as many seasons as a Met. He made his MLB debut in 2002 in 38; switched to 40 last year and back to 38 this spring after Braden Looper took 40. See here for a list of Mets who wore multiple uniform numbers.

Komiyama down, Roberts back: (June 30) With Grant Roberts 36 returning from the disabled list, the Mets sent struggling reliever Satoru Komiyama 17 to Norfolk. Kiomiyama is expected to start in AAA.

Corey burns out, Cerda arrives: (June 29) After suffering a bizzarre late-night freak-out later diagnosed as an acute attack of The Munchies, reliever Mark Corey 27 will sort out his problems on the disabled list. In his place the Mets called up Jaime Cerda, who made an impressive Major League debut last night against the Yankees. Cerda was issued jersey No. 43.

Roberts to DL, Corey back: (June 14) Grant Roberts 36, one of the few nice surprises of the 2002 season, went to the 15-day DL with a sore shoulder. Continuing to overlook the crying need for a right-handed pinch-hitter, the Mets instead recalled Mark Corey 27 to take his place.

Chambliss in as Hitting Coach: (June 14) Hitting coach Dave Engel 53 became the first casualty of the Mets' poor start, getting the axe early this week. The Mets then named former Yankee hero/coach Chris Chambliss to the role. Chambliss, treated poorly by his former wretched franchise, looks OK to us in No. 51.

Tarasco Up, Johnson designated for assignment: (June 3): The Mets in a seemingly curious move today called up outfielder Tony Tarasco 40 from Norfolk and designated Mark Johnson 20 for assignment (hopefully that assignment is a simple visit to Norfolk). The move comes a few days after bench power was restored when John Valentin 4 returned from the disabled list and Ty Wigginton 9 was sent back to the Tides.

Bobby is Back: (May 25) Lefthander Bobby Jones was called up to the Mets on Friday while Mark Corey 27 was sent back and news arrived that Kane Davis 48 would be on the disabled list longer than anticipated. Jones last pitched for the Mets early in the 2000 season. Then as now, he wears No. 21.

Hi, Ty: (May 16) The Mets placed John Valentin 4 on this disabled list today and called up youngster Ty Wigginton from Norfolk to take his place. Wigginton made his Major League debut wearing No. 9.

Corey Returns: (May 13): The Mets today sent Kane Davis 48 to the 15-day disabled list and recalled Mark Corey from Norfolk. Corey appeared briefly last season wearing No. 27 and is wearing the same jersey this year.

Holy Mo-ly (Dec. 30): The rebuilding continued as the Mets completed a trade sending Kevin Appier 17 to the Angels for hefty slugger Mo Vaughn. The trade brings an unexpected return of No. 42 to Met history. Retired by MLB a few years back (for Jackie Robinson, not Ron Hodges), most of us figured Butch Huskey would have been the last No. 42 in Met history. Appier might have known he was on the block when the Mets assigned his No. 17 to Satoru Komiyama a few days earlier. This probably also means the end of the line for No. 9, Todd Zeile, who if nothing else was a real mensch.

In other news, the Mets signed local product John Frascatore to a minor league deal and purchased Gary Matthews Jr. from Pittsburgh. Frascatore wore No. 52 most recently with the Blue Jays. Matthews most recently wore Al Leiter's No. 22. Those figures happen also to belong to heavily rumored Juan Gonzalez. Stay tuned.

In other news, the Mets non-tendered Rick White 51, leaving the burly baldy free to pursue employment elsewhere.

Meet the Mets! (Dec. 18): Four of the six newly acquired Mets showed up at Shea Stadium today to try on their jerseys. As expected Robbie Alomar took No. 12. The 19 controversy (see below) was settled when Mark Guthrie took No. 35 and Roger Cedeno dropped to No. 18. Curiously, Satoru Komiyama tried on No. 17, which indicates perhaps a change is afoot for Kevin Appier. Either Ape is changing shirts or another trade is coming. David Weathers and Shawn Estes were unable to attend.

On a side note, we at MBTN don't consider these press corps grip-and-grins an indication of record -- we'll wait for the regular season to make anything "official." We in fact recall Roger Cedeno trying on No. 11 at one of these things two years ago, only to appear come the regular season wearing No. 19.

Sayonara! (Dec. 17): The Mets pulled yet another trade Sunday (and promised more), sending Tsuyoshi Shinjo 5 and Desi Relaford 8 to San Francisco in exchange for lefty starter Shawn Estes. This trade hurts, since we'll miss Shinjo-san's flair, style and gigantic orange sweatbands. Estes by the way wore No. 55 with the Giants -- should he remain with the Mets through the end of the week (no sure bet anymore) the number would be available, having not been worn since Orel Hershiser in 1999.

Product 19 (Dec. 14): The Mets Thursday signed X-Met Roger Cedeno to a four-year contract, creating not only a logjam in the outfield but a potential controversy over No. 19. That jersey currently belongs to Lenny Harris, himself as two time Met. Harris occupied No. 19 before Cedeno (1998) and after him (2000-present). On Friday, the Mets traded David Justice to Oakland for Mark Guthrie -- who wore No. 19 with the A's! We'll keep you updated on this breaking controversy.

Also on Thursday, the Mets created another possible conflict by signing David Weathers to a contract. The ex-Cub, ex-Yankee and ex-Brewer is most often seen wearing No. 49, digits currently belonging to Armando Benitez.

Trader Steve Strikes Again (Dec. 12, 2001): The Mets today pulled a shocking trade for Tribe second baseman Roberto Alomar, giving up outfielders Matt Lawton 23, Alex Escobar 25 and pitcher Jerrod Riggan 38. Alomar's familiar No. 12 is available. The Mets also received a minor league outfielder and lefty pitcher Mike Bascik, who wore 51 briefly with the Indians last year. Those digits currently belong to Rick White.

Goodbye Robin. Hello Batman? (Dec. 7, 2001): In a move showing mucho cojones, the Mets swapped Robin Ventura to the Yankees today for Dave Justice. We'll miss No. 4 who was a tough guy fallen on hard times. Should Justice actually suit up for the Mets, the No. 28 he wore with the cross-town bums is available. Most likely, this is only the first domino falling for the Mets -- stay tuned!

Komiyama Over (Dec. 2, 2001): The Mets signed Japanese League veteran righthander Satoru Komiyama, late of the Yokohama BayStars and Bobby Valentine's former Chiba Lotte team. After some dogged Internet research, we've determined that Komiyama favors No. 27, most recently worn by Mark Corey. In other news, the Mets have re-upped No. 47, Super Joe McEwing, and picked up the option on No. 5, Tsuyoshi Shinjo.

We're Back (July 8): MBTN is back from a two-week break, during which we missed some moves, but not much fun. Here's a quick chronological rundown.

June 24: Optioned Dicky Gonzalez 39 to Norfolk; recalled Jerrod Riggan 38.

June 25: Optioned Riggan; recalled Grant Roberts 36.

June 26: Optioned Alex Escobar 25 to Norfolk; activated Jay Payton 44 from the DL.

June 30: Designated Darryl Hamilton 18 for assignment (See ya!); recalled Vance Wilson 3 from Norfolk.

July 3: Activated Edgardo Alfonzo 13 from the DL; placed Jorge Velandia 11 on the DL.

July 4: Activated Donne Wall 33 from the DL; optioned Roberts to Norfolk.

Shinjo-oh: (June 20, 2001): Mets action figure Tsuyoshi Shinjo 5 hustled his way onto the disabled list today, becoming the 5th Mets outfielder to do so this year. Back from Norfolk to take his place is uberphenom Alex Escobar 25.

Uncool (June 15, 2001): It's not looking good in Metville, where Edgardo Alfonzo 13 and his achin' back are off to the Disabled List. The Mets called up infield backup Jorge Velandia 11 to take his place. Velandia wore No. 11 in a brief appearance last season.

Update (June 6, 2001): In a curious move, the Mets have recalled Triple A terror Mark Johnson 20 to the big club and designated Darren Bragg 56 for assignment. This news comes just moments after our friends at the Ultimate Mets Database passed along this nugget: Bragg, a Connecticut native and big-time NY Giants fan, wore 56 in honor of Lawrence Taylor. LT hit for more power. Bragg wound up on the Yankees. Loser.

Update (May 28, 2001): The Mets have sent ineffective relief pitcher Donne Wall 33 to the DL and recalled Jerrod Riggan 38.

Update (May 22, 2001): Disgusted with another revolting effort from Steve Traschel 29, the Mets demoted him to Norfolk and welcomed back ace Al Leiter 22. They also made a minor trade with Cleveland resulting in a brief uniformed pass-through for Justin Spier, who wore 46 for a few hours en route to Norfork. Raw but talented rookie reliever Jerrod Riggan 38 is also back in Norfolk these days.

Bragging Rights: (May 16): The Mets today called up outfielder Darren Bragg from Norfolk, and returned phenom Alex Escobar 25. Bragg, a former Red Sox, Mariner, Rockie and Cardinal, was tearing it up down there and hopefully will provide relief for an injury-battered outfield. We only hope he plays better than the last No. 56, Brian "Baseball Tonight" McRae.

Over the weekend, the Mets disabled ineffective lefty reliever Tom Martin 34, and briefly, called up AA catcher Jason Phillips. Phillips, like Jerry Moses in 1975, was issued a number -- 3 -- but did not appear in a game. Darry Hamilton has also returned from the disabled list and will wear No. 18.

Bad News, Good News? (May 8): Jay Payton's freakish bad luck continued yesterday when a pulled hammy sent him to the disabled list. While No. 44 recovers, the Mets have called up Alex Escobar to take his place. Escobar, who will wear No. 25, is perhaps the most highly touted Met outfield prospect since Darryl Strawberry donned No. 18 for the first time -- 18 years ago this week!

Dicky-thon: (May1): The Mets have called up young Dicky Gonzalez to take Al Leiter's turn in the rotation while No. 22 rests his sore elbow. Gonzalez wears No. 39 and easily has the best name in a Mets 39 jersey since Nino Espinosa. Jerrod Riggan 38 was sent to Norfolk, but came right back May 2 when the Mets disabled Rick White 51 for the second time this year.

Update (April 27): The Mets have swapped Timo Perez 6 and Darryl Hamilton 18 with disabled list assignments. Brent Hinchliffe was sent back to Norfolk to lick his wounds.

Miller Time (April 26): The Mets' disastrous visit to Milwaukee this week featured forgettable debuts by new Met hurlers Brent Hinchliffe 32 and Tom Martin 34. All very despressing even considering the return a few days earlier of Benny Agbayani and Rick White to the roster at Nos. 50 and 51, respectively. In the inbetween, say goodbye to Brian Rose 23, lost on waivers to Tampa Bay; and at least temporarily, to Mark Johnson 20, who had few good words to say on his way back to Virginia Beach. Like he's got room to talk.

Opening Day! (April 3): A largely uneventful, but quite successful, Spring Training yields a mere six new players to the Mets this year: MBTN officially welcomes Tsuyoshi Shinjo 5, Desi Relaford 8, Kevin Appier 17, Brian Rose 23, Steve Trachsel 29 and Donne Wall 33 to the All-Time Numerical Roster.

Note: The below is all the news updates that survive from prior to 2001. MBTN launched in 1999 but very little of the initial updates were saved and the original page format was less news-driven.

Matt's All: (August 9): The return of Darryl Hamilton from the disabled list tonight means a bittersweet reassignment for Matt Franco, expertly desribed by The Village Voice earlier this year as "even beginning to look like Rusty Staub." No. 15 hits the road as the Mets' third all-time leader in pinch hits behind Rusty and Ed Kranepool. We'll miss him. In case you forgot, Hamilton is still wearing No. 18.

Trade Winds: (July 28): Wow. The Mets today fleeced Baltimore in a trade for shortstop Mike Bordick. Bordick, whose familiar No. 14 is retired for Gil Hodges, will instead wear No. 17. The Mets parted with good guy Melvin Mora -- opening No. 6 for a potential record 26th issue? -- as well as No. 33, Mike Kinkade, and two minor leaguers.

The Mets then sent No. 11, Jason Tyner, and Paul Wilson, to Tampa Bay for Rick White and Bubba Trammell. White already has an excellent chance to become the team's greatest No. 51 of all time -- his chief competition being Mel Rojas. Trammell took jersey No. 33. Best of all, this move allowed the Mets to designate Rich Rodriguez and his cursed No. 46, for assignment.

Grant's Tomb: (July 27): Grant Roberts today had a Major League debut to forget, coughing up 6 runs in just 1 1/3 innings before a well-deserved return to Norfolk. Roberts became the 18th No. 36 in team histrory, and the first since Greg McMichael last year. The good news: A no-decision to go along with a 40+ ERA.