Davidoff: How should we view what we just saw?

'They played us extremely tough in these two series," Joe Girardi said of the Mets after his Yankees won Subway Series II with a 4-0 victory Sunday. "There are no bragging rights until next year, unless we're fortunate enough to see each other a little bit later."

You could've offered Girardi $5,000, and the Yankees' ever-cautious manager wouldn't have used the words "World Series," not in June. But now that our two locals have completed their regular-season matchups, let's assess their primary concerns - using our annual ("annual" meaning "I used this at least once before") meter of "Shrug it off" and "Don't shrug it off."

Johan Santana. The Mets' ace saw his record drop to 5-4 after he gave up a third-inning grand slam to Mark Teixeira that accounted for all of the game's scoring. Santana has allowed three grand slams this season, and though his ERA is a respectable 3.31, his strikeouts- per-nine-innings count (6.1) continues to underwhelm.

"I felt good," Santana told reporters afterward. "I was able to throw my fastball, keep my angle and mix in everything."

"He historically has been a second-half pitcher," Jerry Manuel said, adding, "I'll take what he's been giving us."

Verdict: Shrug it off. Santana does indeed warm up with the weather, and a pitcher with his track record has earned the benefit of the doubt.

Teixeira. A two-run shot from the left side off Mike Pelfrey on Saturday, then Sunday's grand slam from the right side against Santana. His overall numbers still seem awful for him, but he has plenty of season left. "Hopefully, that will get something going for me," he said.

Verdict: Shrug it off. This could be the perfect time for Teixeira to play three games at hitter-friendly Chase Field in Arizona.

The Yankees' Slumpy Old Men.

Derek Jeter (right heel), Jorge Posada (right foot) and Alex Rodriguez (right hip flexor) still are banged up as the team prepares for six games - three in Arizona, three in Los Angeles - without a designated hitter. You'd bet on none of the trio starting all six games.

A-Rod looked the worst at the plate Sunday, although he made a nice play in the field, diving to stop Jose Reyes' hard shot and firing to first to nail the speedy leadoff man in the sixth inning. We know that Posada still isn't ready to catch every day, and Jeter looked a little slow.

We're talking about, by the end of this season, a 36-year-old shortstop, a 39-year-old catcher and a 35-year-old third baseman. None likely will fall off a cliff, but their playing time and expectations must be managed.

Verdict: Don't shrug it off. The young whippersnappers such as Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher must continue to produce, to compensate for age elsewhere.Jenrry Mejia. Finally - took 'em long enough - the Mets will transform their young pitching prospect to the starting rotation. "We felt his development and progress had kind of leveled off here," Manuel said, which would be like saying, "BP kind of could be doing a better job with that oil spill."

Will Mejia be able to straighten out his act to help the Mets this season? Will he give Omar Minaya leverage in trade talks for a starting pitcher? Will Mejia himself become a trade chip for Cliff Lee?

Verdict: Don't shrug it off. Mejia has been thrown out of whack by the team. If he turns into a viable major-league starter this season, it's no thanks to the Mets.

Jerry Manuel. On one hand, the players really seem to like playing for him. On the other hand, it's a rare good day when he doesn't make some befuddling move.

Verdict: Don't shrug it off.

CC Sabathia. Nope, the Mets weren't the Orioles, and the lefty still produced a great start. Like Santana, you give him leeway.

Verdict: Shrug it off.

See you at the Subway World Series in October? I wouldn't bet on it. Yet I wouldn't shrug off the possibility, either.