Davidoff's Insider: No Met role for Straw

The Mets have not renewed their relationship with Darryl Strawberry for the 2011 season, the popular former slugger told Newsday. The Mets confirm this development in their annual media guide, listing Tom Seaver, John Franco and Rusty Staub -- but not Strawberry -- as club ambassadors.

"We couldn't come to an agreement,'' Strawberry said in a telephone interview.

According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Mets paid Strawberry $30,000 last year to serve as a spring training instructor and perform assorted other duties. Strawberry, whom the Mets inducted into their Hall of Fame last year, renewed his affiliation with his original team in 2005, ending the estrangement that began when he left the Mets for the Dodgers after the 1990 season.

We were prepared to shred the Mets for pinching a few pennies to keep away a franchise icon, but Strawberry insisted, "There are no hard feelings. I have all the respect in the world for Fred and Jeff Wilpon. I wish them the best.''

He added that he wouldn't be a stranger at Citi Field. Now a resident of the greater St. Louis area, Strawberry said he plans to be in New York often during the season and surely will be at some Mets games. His Queens restaurant, Strawberry's, will occupy a good amount of his time.

Working with Manny

Manny Ramirez's cartoonish reputation -- "Manny Being Manny" -- exists because of his eccentric behavior and sporadic meltdowns. It obscures Ramirez's work ethic and discipline when it comes to his hitting.

Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton, a former minor-league manager in the Yankees' organization, now gets to witness Manny up close. Sure, Ramirez might be high-maintenance for a manager, but not for a hitting coach.

"There's a misconception of the way he is, because when it comes to hitting, he really studies it," Shelton said. "He works on it. He's ultra-prepared. I can't say enough good things about him."

Shelton studied tape of Ramirez's 2010 season, when Manny played in only 90 games and saw his slugging percentage plummet to .460. Ramirez's career slugging percentage is .586. When Shelton first met with Ramirez, however, Manny told the coach to ignore the 2010 video and look at 2008 and 2009.

"He's ready," Shelton said. "The swings he's taking, the approach he's taking. When he doesn't square a ball up, there's a reason why. He sees the ball extremely well, which is why he's one of the best righthanded hitters of all time."

Ivan's peak?

Young Yankees pitchers Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances have generated a good amount of excitement in spring training. Both are regarded as potential frontline starting pitchers.

Ivan Nova does not carry such expectations. But unlike Banuelos and Betances, he will be expected to help the major-league club in 2011.

A scout who saw most of Nova's 10 major-league appearances last year said, on the condition of anonymity: "At the least, he can be a four [number four starter]. He might even work his way into being a three. I really like the way he looks out there."

Given the current state of the Yankees' starting rotation, even after an encouraging spring training by Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, such development by Nova would constitute very good news.

Big company

Leonel Vinas, the former "Hank's Yank" from Freeport who now is pitching in the Yankees' system, made his first official appearance Thursday in a minor-league game.

The coolest part? Vinas relieved Rafael Soriano, the Yankees' high-priced setup man, who was there because he didn't want to face the rival Rays in the big-league game.

Of course, when Hank Steinbrenner called Yankees adviser Ray Negron, he didn't ask about Soriano. Instead, Steinbrenner asked, "How did Leo do?"

(He threw a scoreless inning, striking out one.)