The Final 9

DENVER -- With his boss in town for some crisis management and a statement of support, Mets manager Willie Randolph may be having trouble distinguishing the fire from frying pan.
It was not immediately evident to Randolph on Saturday whether he should see general manager Omar Minaya's presence as the show of support Minaya claimed it to be or the prelude to an ominous overture.

"I thought I saw him in the back, sharpening his machete, so I don't know if that makes me feel too good," Randolph joked before the middle game of a three-game set with the Rockies. "He saw me coming, and he kind of slipped it in his back pocket. I don't know if that makes me feel any better."

And although Minaya's statements to the media during Friday night's extra-innings loss to Colorado presented an image of a unified front among the Mets brass, Randolph said that Minaya had not expressed those sentiments to him in person, with their conversations limited to "just chit chat like we usually do."

STORY....