Willie and the Boz (Feb. 26): Willie Randolph, as quoted by Bill Madden in the Daily News: "I'm gonna wear No. 12. Why? You remember Ken Boswell? Second baseman on the '69 team? He was my favorite player growing up. No. 12. It's a nice number."

We remember Ken Boswell too, and even if his sideburns might not fly in Willie's clubhouse, it speaks well of the new Met manager that he has a sense of his place in history. This is probably a natural result of the era we grew up, but 12 has always seemed more Boswellian to us than Kent-like or Alomarish. And as glorified ticket salesman Darryl Strawberry makes a grand reappearance at Shea this weekend, may it serve as a reminder of this team's horribly miscast former manager, who wore No. 18 but was no George Theodore either.

We found Madden's piece, by the way, from a link at the extraordinary new blog co-authored by veteran MBTN reader Greg -- highly recommended for fans of good writing and historical Metdom.

I Love St. Lucie (Feb. 19): Thanks to MBTN correspondents Lou, Jason, Steven, etc. for helping to gather more 2005 Spring Training numbers (stitched onto new blue BP jerseys as seen at right). Some highlights:

The 2005 Met coaching staff: Manager Willie Randolph (12); First base: Sandy Alomar (2); third base: Manny Acta (50); Pitching: Rick Peterson (51); Bullpen: Guy Conti (52 -- though this may go to Andres Gallaraga should he make the team); First base: Jerry Manuel (53); Hitting: Rick Down (54); Bullpen catcher: Tom Nieto (55).

Reading the Tea Leaves: If Spring Training uni numbers are any indication (and they often are), the Mets are inciting all all-out brawl among lefthanded relievers in camp. Candidates Dae Sung Koo (17); Mike Matthews (27); Scott Stewart (32); Felix Heredia (46) all appear dressed (and therefore positioned) for a reasonable shot to come north, while the prospects don't look quite as promising for organizational stud Blake McGinley (79) and longshots like Tim Hamulack (62). Matthews quoted in a recent MLB.com article: "Twenty-seven is nice, but I've been those other numbers before, too. This is a change of scenery for me, a new opportunity. There are guys here with guaranteed deals, so I'm just glad to be in a position to fight for a job."

The bullpen overall looks like the biggest battleground for jobs this spring, with few locks (Looper 40, DeJean 35), a boatload of candidates (as many as 25, including recent invite Todd Van Poppel 83) and just 6 or 7 jobs to go around. Tough field.

Expect also a showdown for reserve infielders, with Miguel Cairo 3; Chris Woodward 4; and Marlon Anderson 18 angling for returnees Joe McEwing 11 and Jeff Keppinger 6.

Getting high with the NRIs:
60 Ambiorix Concepcion
61 Luis Garcia
62 Tim Hamulack
63 Wayne Lydon
64 Angel Pagan
65 Aarom Baldiris
66 Bob Keppel
67 Matt Lindstrom
68 Manny Aybar
70 Joe Hietpas
71 Mike Jacobs
72 Ramon Castro
73 Andy Dominique
74 Alay Soler
75 Jesus Flores
76 Philip Humber
77 John Pachot
78 Anderson Hernandez
79 Blake McGinley
82 Yusmeiro Petit
83 Todd Van Poppel
84 Jose Rosado

Updates (Feb. 8): According to the updated roster at Mets.com:
3 Miguel Cairo
4 Chris Woodward*
10 Ron Calloway
16 Doug Mientkiewicz
17 Dae-Sung Koo
18 Marlon Anderson*
22 Kerry Robinson*
27 Juan Padilla and Mike Matthews*
32 Joe Nelson and Scott Stewart*
52 Andres Galarraga*
*-Non-roster invitees. Keep in mind no number is "official" by MBTN standards until a player appears in a regular-season game. Also keep in mind Mets.com roster is often inaccurate, as there appear to be several conflicts already.

Thanks to MBTN readers for help with the photo below. That is DeJean between Looper and Bell and bullpen catcher Tom Nieto at the far right, top row. Coach Sandy Alomar Sr. (far right, middle row) appeared in No. 2. He wore No. 5 as a Met player in 1967.