61

Billy Wagner is back again with the Mets but hopefully only long enough to make a deal to get him out of my sight for good. I'm especially hoping that Omar manages to swap him to the Yankees or Phillies, both of which need a lefty in the pen and deserve the kind of rotten fate a jerk like Wagner seems to bring along with his fiery fastball.

Activating Wagner meant the Mets today released Livan Hernandez, who certainly seemed to have lost a grip on things lately but still seems a curious choice for unemployment with Tim Redding getting another astonishing stay of execution.

Has any Met free agent pitcher in their history performed as badly as Redding this year and gotten so little credit for it? It's taken season-ending injuries to three different starting pitchers to save him thus far, and he's still not been reinserted to the rotation. (Turns out, he has: He's going to take Livan's start on Saturday).

Anyway, so long No. 61. I thought you were OK. Hello, Billy. Don't unpack too much.

 

I never kept track of this stuff as well as some geeked out Met fans I know, but if I had to guess Livan Hernandez was probably the opposing starting pitcher I'd seen more often than any other over the last 10 or 12 years I've been going to games at Shea. And whether a Marlin, an Expo, a National or a Giant, I always found him an admirable opponent, the kind of guy with a million pitches and a determination to go down fighting, and so I was happy to see him acquit himself well in his first outing wearing our uniform tonight -- as always, No. 61.

Hernandez's recall this afternoon meant that chubby veteran pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson was designated for assigment. Now, I liked Anderson, especially the first time he came around in 2005, but felt a two-year contract based on 100-some turns at bat following his release by the Dodgers in mid-2007 was going to be too much sooner or later. Guys like Anderson have to be rotated on a yearly basis, it's the nature of the profession. I hope he winds up somewhere he can be more useful. He'll be remembered here a three-number wearer, and the fraternities of 23, 18 and 9 thank you.

So the Mets along with introducing Johan Santana to the press today updated their 40-man roster so as to provide uni numbers for several players for the first time. From the bottom, it's

9 Marlon Anderson (switching from 23 for Brian Schneider)

16 Angel Pagan

19 Ryan Church

38 Matt Wise (Carlos Muniz is now listed in 32)

39 Jason Vargas (Vargas was 43 last season, we may see a flip with Stokes, below)

43 Brian Stokes

49 Ruddy Lugo (Phillip Humber, we barely miss ye)

61 Steven Register(likely to be the lowest of the high-numbered invitees)

Also worth noting is pitcher Adam Bostick in 72, giving him the highest number among the 40 men invited to camp. Among non-roster invitees, the deck is clear for Jose Valentin to take 22 and Ricardo Rincon to assume his usual 73.

Our post below guessed a few of these correctly at least. Keep in mind as always these numbers don't "count" until the games do, so nothing is official yet.

Unless something really unexpected happens, it appears Moises Alou 18 will become the 800th Met when the season begins a week from today.

Other first-time Mets would appear to be Damion Easley (No. 2), David Newhan (17), Aaron Sele (32), Scott Schoeneweis (60), Chan Ho Park (61) and “Bazooka” Joe Smith, who is, for all we know, still going around in the No. 70 jersey they assign to longshot bullpen wannabees. I made up that “Bazooka” nickname by the way, sort of. Remember Joe Smith, the basketball player? When he was a student at Maryland the school paper held a nickname contest to give him more pizzazz where ‘Bazooka’ was among the choices. I don’t think it ever stuck with that Joe Smith. We can’t let it go this time.

So what number does Bazooka Joe Smith get?

I don’t even have to look it up to tell you this is the first season the Mets began a year with two guys wearing numbers in the 60s.

April 20: Kaz Matsui 25 made his return as the Anderson Hernandez Experiment ended due to injury, not an inability to hit.

April 17: Underutilized stick Victor Diaz 20 was told to play all he wants -- in Norfolk. Lefty Pedro Feliciano 39 takes his place on the roster.

Still finishing extensive site update. Thanks for your patience...

Opening Day! (April 3):MBTN.net officially welcomes the following 12 players to the All-Time Met roster:

Up the Bannister (March 29): So the Mets yesterday interestingly if somewhat cruelly relegated Aaron Heilman to the bullpen and hope to make a 5th starter out of rookie Brian Bannister. The debate this raises, of course, is whether Bannister ought to also be afforded a dignified uniform number signifying his ascension. Bannister is wearing No. 61 currently. There are historical precedents for any outcome: When Dwight Gooden earned a roster spot in 1984, he went from 64 to 16; but when Eric Valent unexpectedly made the 2004 Mets, he kept his St. Lucified 57.

Should Bannister wish to pay tribute to his dad Floyd, a cursory check through the baseball cards reveals he wore Nos. 19 and 38 in his career: Neither is available except in the case Heath Bell fails to make the roster or is traded -- both possibilities we've read in the last week. Perhaps too, numbers don't matter particularly to Bannister: It appears he wore 25 in Binghamton and 43 at Norfolk; 17 with Team USA and oddly, 3 at USC.

Anderson Arrives (Aug. 29): Jason Anderson, one of three pitchers the Mets received earlier this year in the Armando Benitez trade, was recalled from Norfolk Thursday, and when he makes his first appearance will become the 26th man to wear No. 17 for the Mets, pulling that number into a three-way tie with 11 and 34 as the second-most issued in team history (No. 6 leads with 27 issues). Prentice Redman 20 was sent back to Norfolk to make room.

A-Prentice No More (Aug. 25): The Mets recalled outfielder Prentice Redman from Norfolk over the weekend and he made his Major League debut in Sunday's win over Los Angeles. Redman, who was summoned to the bigs earlier this year but did not play, becomes the 20th man to wear No. 20 in Met history. Jaime Cerda 43 was demoted to make room.

61* (July 24): It appears its only a matter of time before Jeff Duncan ditches the ridiculous No. 61 jersey he's been wearing since his recall from Binghamton. But the rookie outfielder told The Post on Tuesday he'd let his bosses decide: "I'm not going to say anything about [the uniform number] until they change it for me ... [but] my first preference is 12. You guys gonna help me out?" Sure, why not. Just promise not play like the last guy who wore that number.

Leiter Back (July 21): Al Leiter 22 returned from the disabled list to pitch in Sunday's debacle-to-be in Atlanta. His call-up meant a return to Norfolk for Jorge Velandia 13, who didn't play in his brief stay with the Mets.

Almonte Back (July 19) Edwin Almonte 56 was recalled today and Prentice Redman 20 was sent down without having appeared in a game.