Saturday reading: Subway Series Game 1

Off last night's opener, I wrote how the game's resolution reflected poorly upon Omar Minaya and his staff.

I've written here, previously, my belief that the Mets actually didn't have that bad a 2009-10 offseason. They didn't make any horrendous commitments, assuming optimistically that Jason Bay will continue climbing out of his early-season funk.

And yet...Minaya certainly didn't put himself in position to win any Executive of the Year awards. The decisions to go with Alex Cora, Jeff Francoeur and John Maine hurt the team's 2010 payroll flexibility and, more simply, entrusted important roles to players who simply aren't very good.

Will Jerry Manuel be fired if the Mets lose these next two games to the Yankees, replaced by Bob Melvin in anticipation of the home series starting Tuesday against the Phillies? As always with the Mets, I think it's a feel thing. There's a difference between those two hypothetical losses being blowouts, and them being tough battles.

Once again last night, the Mets seemed to fight hard. They just couldn't execute enough.

--Yes, it was the Mets' lineup, and it's possible that Sandy could hold Jose Reyes hitless at the moment. But Javier Vazquez looked very good, and his performance reiterated what we discussed earlier in the week: You can go from unclutch to clutch in a hurry. This was a big start for the Yankees last night, after they lost three straight to Boston (one) and Tampa Bay (two).

--Should be a fun with tonight with Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey, the team's respective, homegrown studs, going at it.

--Former Mets catcher Mackey Sasser, who is probably best remembered for his throwing yips, has reached out to Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (now in the minor leagues), who is experiencing similar difficulties, Jim Baumbach reports.

--Thanks to NaOH for referring us to this interesting Harvard Business Review interview with Joe Girardi.

--Self-promotion alert: I'll be on WFAN at 2:45 this afternoon with Kim Jones.

--And it's never too soon to start beating the drum: Live chat Monday at noon.