Way too early to panic, people

The pressure of playing in New York has always been ridiculous, but it's getting a little out of hand.

The Mets have only themselves to blame for much of it, thanks to a seventh-game loss in the NLCS, followed by a monumental collapse, followed by what should have been a division title if not for one of the worst bullpen performances in history.

Throw in a sagging economy, a new stadium that is a thousand times better than Shea but DOESN'T HAVE A BLUE WALL (God forbid), and you have a nasty mix among fans and media that is bordering on explosive thanks to the Mets' sluggish start in their first 14 games.

Coaches on the firing line? That's what the Daily News is reporting, along with the possibility of Maine, Perez or Pelfrey being sent to AAA for some work.

Firing coaches 15 games into the season is panic talk. What good would that do? Would it "send a message?" Last season and during spring training, the talk was all about how impressed everyone was with HoJo and Dan Warthen, and everyone just loves Razor Shines. Now they may get canned? Maybe the Alomars take the bullet for this one.

The Mets are far from sunk. The Marlins are out in front only because of an unholy 11-1 start (you'll notice they've lost three straight), and the Phillies and Braves are sub-.500 as well. Hell, the Phils almost got no-hit by Dave Bush yesterday.

Sending Pelfrey to the minors for a tune-up makes sense, based on what he has done (or been unable to do, which is get people out). I don't see Perez going down because he is what he is and probably wouldn't deal well with the demotion. Better to keep him up working with Warthen. Maine is out of minor league options and must stay up.

The Mets have hit the cover off the ball, just not with runners in scoring position; that's the kind of thing that could well balance itself out over the course of the season. A couple of dropped fly balls have cost them 2 or 3 wins - hopefully that's an anomaly. The bullpen has been very good.

It's the starting pitching behind Johan that is the biggest concern, but again, it is a long season. There's plenty of time for Maine, Pelfrey and Perez to get their acts together, or for the front office to locate another starter via trade -- and with the state of the game's economy this season, there will be plenty of arms available.

So get down of the ledge, stop talking about a "lack of heart" or "killer instinct," recognize that the Phillies and Braves haven't gone anywhere and that the Marlins, while they should be respected, are not running away with the division.

Jerry Manuel plans on starting Sheffield and Tatis in the corners tonight against the Nationals in the Mets' first game against a lefty starter. That's a bad move, unless Manuel is tyring to give Sheffield enough rope to hang himself. You want to start one righty and bench Murphy, go for it. Church is hitting .333 and is the second-best defensive outfielder you've got.

I said it when they signed Sheffield -- they don't need him, and his presence has screwed up the player rotation to the point where Tatis is getting no at-bats. He got number 500, now cut him loose.