CAN THE METS AND NATIONALS SIMPLY EXCHANGE MANAGERS IN A DEAL FOR NICK JOHNSON?
“In my opinion, that was not the case. A manager with his relationship with players knows when a player is, ‘I want in’/’I want out.’ At that point that was not an indication of ‘let me get this guy.’ As I have discussed with him, he said he got caught up in the emotion. Basically what he was saying was, ‘I’m a man.’ What that meant, I have no clue.” Mets manager Jerry Manuel, on taking the ball from Johan Santana contentiously during his start against the Phillies this week. “That’s a lot of him… It’s different when that lineup is stretched. Our lineup is really not stretched at this point. All those were his decisions. That’s his game, and that’s how he plays.” Jerry Manuel, on shortstop Alex Cora’s tendency to bunt. “I did not see Tatis animated to where he felt he was safe. I talked to my third-base coach, Razor Shines, to ask him, ‘What did you see?’ He said, ‘Well, he was clearly safe.’ I said, ‘Well, I need to know.'” Manuel, on why he didn’t come out to argue a close call at
