Thanks to the contributors who were quick to point out new reliever Fernando Nieve showed up this week in the same uni number, 50, left vacant when Duaner Sanchez was asked to beat it. Junior Spivey in the meantime appears to have been assigned directly to minor league camp and so needn’t officially occupy a big-league number

Nieve is a longshot to make the team and would be subject to waiver claims if and when the Mets send him down, but their timing could be OK if they manage to pull it off while other teams are passing their own guys though. That, or maybe a mysterious arm injury, would appear to be the Mets’ best strategy if they are to hang onto him.

Bullpen jobs are going fast. With each passing day it looks like Bobby Parnell, Brian Stokes and Darren O’Day will join sure-shots Frankie Rodriguez, JJ Putz, Pedro Feliciano and Sean Green. Like Nieve, O’Day ( a Rule 5 guy) and Stokes (out of options) would be easy prey to enemy claims if they are sent down, so the question is whether Parnell can fight off guys like Ron Villone. Still two long weeks to go.

Don’t forget our meeting this Wednesday, 7:30 pm at the Bryant Library in Roslyn.