I can't say a four-year contract for Omar Minaya and a Jeff Wilpon promise of "addition by subtraction" were the first things I was hoping to hear from the Mets this offseason.

As detailed in prior posts I'm not exactly sure what Omar has done to deserve the reward, beyond overwhelming certain free agents and their would-be suitors. His trade record, particularly since the shrewd acquisition of John Maine, hasn't been particularly shining, and his restraint in consecutive deadlines, while admirable in some respects, also preceded matching second-place finishes.

To his credit, Omar appears to have made pursuit of interim manager Jerry Manuel among his top priorities. Manuel did a magnificent job turning around a sonambulent team this year and seemed to have charmed the press and the brass. Interestingly, chatter has begun over whether to bring back Bobby Valentine, who'd certainly be an acceptable alternative from where I sit.

(Edit -- I see now where Jerry has agreed to a 2-year deal. Hoorah. In the Mets world, 2 years = 1 year, setting them up to return to Bobby Vee if things don't work out next year. All good).

Wondering just what the 2009 team will look like might be tricky considering rumors of uniform changes have arisen again. Dave from Michigan passed along chatter from Chris Creamer's Sports Logo website saying the Mets as expected are phasing out black (hooray!) in favor of blue but have the biggest changes in mind for their road uniform, said to be completely re-imagined in a charcoal gray (uh, OK?) with Mets in script (boo!). The message continues:

Interestingly there is absolutely no black on this uniform whatsoever - and I was told that the blue/orange/white color combination jumps off this uniform with incredible success. Blue/Orange/White piping will also be on the ends of the sleeves, down the front of the jersey, and down the pant legs as well.

OK, something else to look forward to, maybe.

It's a shame that such a heroic effort from Johan Santana and altogether excellent seasons from Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado have gone to waste, and I won't happily endure my team becoming a national joke again, but the Mets, you gotta believe, pretty much got what they deserved again this year.

Yeah the bullpen was awful but we knew that. What was hardest for me to take was the poor execution from the offense -- never more obvious than in the 9th inning of what today was confirmed to be my final trip to Shea Stadium (those NLDS tickets I printed up yesterday join my 1988 World Series tickets in the ultility drawer) on Wednesday. It was a leadoff triple for god sakes.

Considerably more subtle but just as telling a moment occurred in the bottom of the 6th inning on Friday night. This was long before Mets were out of it: They'd just scored to cut the deficit to 3-1 and the tying runs were on third and first. The situation called for a pinch hitter to extend the rally with two outs and who emerges from the dugout?

Marlon Anderson.

As Randy Myers once asked of Gregg Jefferies: Are we even trying? Omar sure wasn't when he re-signed this guy -- for two years -- based on a decent 60-some times at bat following a well-earned unconditional release by the Dodgers last summer. Anderson produced one hit -- an infield dribbler that didn't reach the pitcher's mound -- since his return from the disabled list and was making outs at 75% clip all year long. This was our Danny Heep? Our Matt Franco or Shawon Dunston? The first guy we called on when the correct play was to go slam one off the wall? 

Anderson, we needen't be reminded, struck out swinging, ending the rally and beginning a parade of ineffective relievers who, just like Anderson, were retained foolishly, performed ineffectively, and nevertheless remained in heavy rotation while the trade deadline came and went. Of course they lost it. Of course the weight of so many poor players was eventually too much to bear.

Omar did get rid of an ineffective manager, but whether he waited too long to do that is a fair question too. Why is not surprising that the first move of the offseason will reportedly be to retain him for too long?

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Now onto important matters: Ever alert reader Gordon over the weekend pointed out some guy wearing uniform No. 64, and on Sunday "as they were leaving the bench to make tee times" he got the above capture (see a larger photo here). Who is that guy? Any ideas? Thanks!

So maybe it was premature to declare total confidence in the Mets way back ... uh, when we had a three game lead and um, 17 to go. It wasn't that carelessly losing games to Washington and Atlanta wasn't expected -- we're good at that, actually -- it was that I wasn't counting on Milwaukee concurrently failing to record even a single loss over a four-game series in Philadelphia.

That series, which cost the Brewers a lame-duck manager, might have done even more damage to the Mets by changing the whole complexion of the race. A split or even a single win there would have given the Mets ample room to flail away while burying the Phillies just deep enough to bring the pressure on them.

As it is, we're now left needing to match or exceed the Brewers over the final six games to avoid a one-game playoff in which we'd pitch... Pedro on short rest? Brandon Knight? Jon Niese?

Help us, Fonzie, you're our only hope.

It's the offense, stupid! Terrible bullpen notwithstanding. Always has been.

It should come as no surprise to regular readers that I'm rather indifferent to the news that Billy Wagner will miss the remainder of this season, and all of next, with elbow surgery. You needn't twist my arm to convince me that having a healthy Wagner is better than not, especially as we reach the homestretch with a 1.5 game lead, but I certainly have enjoyed seeing the team rally around this supposed weakness and the results (22-11 since his assignment to the disabled list Aug. 2) say we'll be just fine. To be perfectly honest I dreaded the alternative of Wagner's return this week every bit as much as I bemoan the fact that he's not coming back. It's forced everyone to sack up a little and revealed potential heroes like Luis Ayala and Brian Stokes. Even Pedro Feliciano has performed in ways that don't make me want to strangle him lately.

I'm less convinced this event teaches the Mets anything, even if it would be cool if it did. They blamed the strategy, not the injury, when Braden Looper didn't work out: Wagner wouldn't have been here otherwise. As for Wagner, while I respect his ability and will to win, I always felt he was here for Wagner more than he was for me. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But by the point in his career he arrived in New York, he was as much about burnishing his stats and Q rating for what looked to be shaping up as an interesting Hall of Fame debate, than he was about being a Met. A big contract with an ironclad no-trade clause took that worry off his mind and allowed him to speak maybe too freely of his teammates and management.

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One thing I forgot to mention while recounting the new arrivals and their uni numbers was this weird factoid: Gustavo Molina's return represents a fifth issue of the No. 29 jersey this year. It started on the back of Jorge Sosa who was released in May. In June, it went to Chris Aguila, then to Andy Phillips as he flipped in and flopped out. Aguila took it back again in July for a second visit, and here it is back with Molina.

Wanna see a Mets game before they tear down Big Shea? Matt Silverman says he still has a few leftover tixx for the Sept.24 game in the Picnic Area. Contact Matt and join a distinguished group of diehards. Who knows? We could clinch that day. Maybe.

Thanks for having us. See you in a few weeks?

Adam Rubin of the Daily News today writes that 23-year-old infielder Dan Murphy is en route to Houston in time for tonight's game. Although Rubin hasn't said who Murphy will replace, we can hope, I mean, speculate, that it's gimpy struggling Marlon Anderson, who's just having a terrible season and like Murphy (reportedly), bats left and plays poorly in several positions.

Murphy is one of the "Big 5" youngsters mentioned by Omar Minaya in press comments this week explaining why the Mets chose not to particpate in what was probably the most spectacular trade deadline season in recent memory, despite contending for a division title with obvious holes in the outfield and the bench, and serious questions surrounding the rotation and bullpen.

Just speculating here but with Murphy a potential solution to left-handed bench strength, the other four may fill holes in the outfield (Fernando Martinez), bullpen (Bingo closer Eddie Kunz) and rotation (Jon Niese, who's also being condsidered for Aug. 11 start, Rubin says; and Bobby Parnell, who might also help in the bullpen). That solution may call for a lot of speculation and wishful thinking, but it's more help than we got at the deadline so let's see. In a matter of taste, sure beats hoping that Jeff Conine will help.

We'll update you on Murphy's number when we get it and in the meantime direct your attention to the new poll on the left column, reviving the discussion we had earlier this season on what number Fernando Martinez (I prefer "Fartinez" to "F-Mart," don't you?) alights in if/when he gets the call.

Adam Dunn prefers to wear No. 44.

Just sayin'.

I don't normally bang my fist on my desk and demand the Mets make trades but if the Marlins series suggested anything it's that the Mets' offense needs to improve, the bullpen could be better, the starting rotation could use some depth and the bench is shaky. Other than that though, looking great.

(bang)

Here's to the Mets for not allowing that shameful showing in the opener to prevent them from claiming first place to themselves by series' end. Seems we were fortunate to catch Philly while Chase Utley suffered a severe case of the sucks, but if 2007 taught us anything it's that the winners can't choose how ugly the losers turn out to be.

With the uniform number roulette temporaily slowed down -- at least until they call up a guy to take Pedro Martinez's again-delayed start on Saturday (word coming in as as I write this is Brandon Knight, currently wearing No. 15 for your New Orleans Zephyrs), or Ryan Church arrives, or the trade deadline occurs... or whatever -- we have a few uni oddities to ponder.

Reader Michael sent along these here images of Jose Reyes wearing unfamilar numbers. While Reyes has occupied No. 7 for his entire Met career (except for Jackie Robinson Day this season), these are extrametular: No. 9 for his stint with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic; and No. 28, I presume, from Binghamton prior to his callup but I'll let you experts out there tell me for sure.

The below team shot of hideously-dressed 1979 ballplayers on a tour of Japan, first published on Uni Watch this week, subsequently generated a fair amount of discussion at the Crane Pool Forum. The multistriped hats aren't 1976 pillbox throwbacks but renderings in the then-contemporary style in Japan (the 1976 lids had three stripes, not five). But what knocks me out are the contrasting styles of the numerals on the Mets jerseys worn by John Stearns and Joel Youngblood, respectively (see a larger image here). Can anyone offer an explanation of Youngblood's incorrect No. 1?

Sure to be buried in discussion of their second straight shutout, destined to get less attention than two ridiculousy unnecessary and counterproductive sacrifice bunts, and with the Yankees all the way to third place, tough to crack the papers at all, so thought it'd be worth pointing out the fact that tonight's starting Mets lineup was 8/9ths odd:

7 Jose Reyes, SS
10 Endy Chavez, RF
5 David Wright, 3B
15 Carlos Beltran, CF
3 Damian Easley, 2B
21 Carlos Delgado, 1B
17 Fernando Tatis, LF
11 Ramon Castro, C
57 Johan Santana, P

That's the oddest lineup I'd come across since we last raised the subject and found an 8-men odd lineup from May 20, 2004:

57 Eric Valent, LF
25 Kaz Matsui, SS
31 Mike Piazza, 1B
43 Shane Spencer, CF
20 Karim Garcia, RF
23 Jason Phillips, C
27 Todd Zeile, 3B
9 Ty Wigginton, 2B
29 Steve Trachsel, P

Oddly enough (get it?!) the right fielder in both lineups provides the only even number.  It's entirely possible I overlooked an odder starting nine at some point this year -- the current personnel leave almost no chance for an even starting squad, but as always if you happen find occurrances such as this -- also, all-ascending or all-descending lineups, so rare I've found none in 46 years -- you know where to send it. Gary Cohen may be aware of the two-sixes controversy, but it's not like Big Media is on this story yet.

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Roster move: Tony Armas to the disabled list, Carlos Muniz back up again.