Normally, I’m pretty happy with events that serve to embarrass the Yankees and in the sense this latest fiasco with Alex Rodriguez is likely to pay off with season after season of awkward distractions, managerial firings and general dysfunction, I couldn’t be more pleased. It’s exactly what they deserve, after all.

But anyone with a sense of justice can’t be comfortable with how the entire steroid era in baseball has became nothing more than a bold-name witch hunt and fodder for some of the worst journalism ever committed, to say nothing of the shameful violations of privacy that ensnared Rodriguez.

Since I’ve long since given up on seeing any writer of influence to make the following point, please indulge me. As a baseball fan I could care less who did steroids four or five years ago. It’s obvious that many of them did, and they did it because the guys who were gunning for their jobs did it, and the pitchers trying to get them out did it, and their peers who made the most money did it (which incidentally is why so many high-profile users wound up with the Yankees).

Condemning those unlucky enough to get caught while holding up those who weren’t as victims seems a brilliant waste of energy. The message we ought to have by now is that everyone was a suspect then: That’s what an epidemic is. And now that a culture of awareness has developed and testing and penalties are in place, we can go after the bad guys with righteous fury. These calls to go back in time and erase stats or threats to withhold future Hall of Fame voting (Bill Madden’s favorite hammer) practically beg for some perspective. I like Joe Sheehan’s suggestion that writers making Hall of Fame proclamations for steroid tainted players who failed to even investigate the issue until it exploded in their faces ought to be banned from voting.

I’m certain the Questionable Training Methods Era should stand along the Segregation Era or the Dead Ball Era as points in baseball history we’ll need to mentally adjust for to truly understand. And move on.

In the meantime, I think my Daily News today, amid 12 pages of A-Roid coverage, mentioned something about Met pitchers and catchers arriving this week. I’m off for a short break for a few days but will be back to kick off MBTN’s 10th Anniversary Spectacular, probably around the time position players arrive.

Uh, sorry for the rant. Feel free to tee off.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Thanks to several contributors who pointed out the news that the Mets sometime on Friday updated the roster on the web site with new number assignments, some of them quite interesting.

There’s a lot of new numbers and names to align, so let’s just go numerically on up the line. I’llbold the changes and newbies and add commentary where necessary:

 

1 Luis Casillo, 2B

2 Sandy Alomar Sr. (coach)

3 Cory Sullivan, OF

— I’d have guessed this number would have gone to Alex Cora

4 Robinson Cancel, C

5 David Wright, 3B

6 Nick Evans, OF

7 Jose Reyes, SS

8 Vacant

— For yet another season.

9 Marlon Anderson

10 Andy Green, INF

— Lowest number for an NRI. Most recently belonged to Endy Chavez.

11 Ramon Castro, C

12 Alex Cora, INF

— Interesting that they gave away Willie Randolph’s jersey so quickly

13 Billy Wagner, P

14 Retired (Gil Hodes)

15 Carlos Beltran, OF

16 Angel Pagan, OF

17 Fernando Tatis

18 Jeremy Reed, OF

— A former No. 8 with Seattle, further evidence it remains unavailable to Mets yet still unretired

19 Ryan Church, OF

20 Howard Johnson, coach

— I’d have bet big that HoJo would change for Putz but no

21 Carlos Delgado, 1B

22 JJ Putz, RP

— He changed from the 40 he modeled at the press conference after all, just not to the number we suspected. Our last 22 was infielder Ramon Martinez, the would-be hero of 2008’s final week.

23 Brian Schneider, C

24 Vacant

— For now?

25 Pedro Feliciano, P

26 Rob Mackowiak, OF

— Would be first since Orlando Hernandez and his bunion

27 Nelson Figueroa, P

28 Daniel Murphy, OF

29 Connor Robertson, P

— Four players wore it last year (Sosa, Aguila, Phillips, Molina)

30 Rocky Cherry, P

— I hope this guy is good enough to make the squad

31 Vacant

— Awaiting retirement

32 Carlos Muniz, P

33 John Maine, P

34 Mike Pelfrey, P

35 Brandon Knight, P

— This would be Knight’s third different number in as many appearances with the Mets if he can crack the squad. Most recently belonged to Joe Smith

36 Darren O’Day

— Issued twice last year (Willie Collazo, Al Reyes) but never appeared

37 Retired

38 Tom Martin

–Wore 34 as a Met in 2001

39 Bobby Parnell

40 Eddie Kunz

— Most recently in 44

41 Retired

42 Retired

43 Brian Stokes

44 Tim Redding

45 Vacant

— For Pedro?

46 Vacant

— For Ollie?

47 Casey Fossum, P

— Would be first issue since Glavine

48 Sean Green, P

— Makes the Hielman trade a DUD (Del Unser Deal, or Uni-Swap)

49 Jonathon Niese, P

50 Duaner Sanchez, P

51 Vacant

— Probably, a coach

52 Vacant

— Probably, a coach

53 Jerry Manuel, Manager

— I thought dropping the interim tag might lead him to choosing his own

54 Dave Racianello, coach

55 Vacant

— Probably, a coach

56 Freddy Garcia

— As noted, a 34 everywhere else

57 Johan Santana, P

58 Sandy Alomar Jr., coach

59 Dan Warthen, coach

60 Vacant

61 Livan Hernandez, P

62 Bobby Keilty, OF

63 Michel Abreu, 1B

64 Vacant

65 Kyle Snyder, P

66 Matt DeSalvo, P

67 Fernando Martinez, OF

— Lowest of the real prospects

68 Heriberto Ruelas, P

— Never heard of him until just now

69 Vacant

70 Jon Switzer, P

71 Toby Stoner, P

72 Adam Bostick, P

73 Dillon Gee, P

74 Vacant

75 Francisco Rodriguez, P

76 Omir Santos, C

77 Rene Rivera, C

78 Josh Thole, C

79 Jose Coronado, INF

**

99 Jose Valentin, 2B

Unassigned numbers: Ps Michal Antonini, Tony Armas; Valerio De Los Santos; infielder Ramon Martinez (he’s back); coaches Razor Shines, Luis Alicea, and Randy Niemann.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•