"I don't want him to get strictly into a platoon situation," Manuel says of Murphy. "I think he's a little better player than that."

Murphy, whom some in the organization view as the Mets' answer to Paul O'Neill, is now platooning with Fernando Tatis at first base.

Castro already has two hits in the game, but Manuel says afterward that he preferred Santos' shorter swing against Marlins closer Matt Lindstrom, disregarding that Castro also hits fastballs well.

Santos pops up for the final out. A month later, the Mets trade Castro to the White Sox.

"A guy missed third base," Manuel says. "That's unbelievable. I can't explain, why, how or anything."

David Wright got a day off due to "anxiety." (Al Bello / Getty Images)

The next day, Manuel denies a rift with Church.

"I think anxiety has something to do with it, wanting to do so well in front of the home crowd, those type of things," Manuel says, citing Wright's better road statistics. "I believe he'll eventually turn that around, get comfortable here in these surroundings."

Wright disagrees, saying, "I just think it's two months of a game that is already tough to be consistent at. I don't feel any different playing here than I do on the road."

"I was a little discouraged at Mike being where he was today after getting a day off, and kind of knowing what we needed and just not having it," Manuel says. "That was kind of disheartening, because we really needed this game today."

And there's more.

Manuel has upset some veterans by declining to give them advance notice of days off. He even sounded as if he was sending a subtle message to Mets general manager Omar Minaya when, referring to his injury-depleted roster, he said, "I have to deal with what I have."

Some of Manuel's comments probably are more harmless than they appear in print. Some Mets players are not even aware of them; the team no longer makes the New York tabloids available in the clubhouse, the better to block out negative media coverage.

Still, you wonder where this is all going.

Manuel largely escaped blame for the Mets' breakdown last September; the team simply ran out of relievers, and Willie Randolph was the manager until June 17. Minaya actually might merit more blame if the team flops again; he's the one who chose Oliver Perez over free-agent starters Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf and left the club with little minor-league depth for reinforcements and potential trades.

The question, in the end, is accountability. Manuel is right to hold his players accountable, but he need not do it so publicly. Accountability also works both ways. It can't always be someone else's fault.

If Manuel wants his players to support him, he needs to support them. Everybody on the bus, no one under it.