Art Howe's real-time job description isn't written into his contract, but he's aware of the two-fold mandate:

A) Get the Mets out of last place.

B) Be everything that Bobby Valentine was not

That means being a diplomat, avoiding controversy -- and above all, getting along with GM Steve Phillips, whose personal feud with Valentine grew so intense last year, it literally spilled over into the clubhouse. Al Leiter described the 2002 Mets as "a totally dysfunctional family" thanks to the strife among the club's hierarchy.

	Art Howe brings a friendly demeanor to the Mets' dugout.

"It rubbed off on us, just watching it from afar," Leiter said. "You know how you can go to a friend's house, and just know there's been a fight between him and his wife -- how there's a weird feeling in the air, even without a word being said? That was us last year. We were weird."

The Mets have experienced some problems this spring, but the manager's demeanor isn't one of them. Howe is as even-tempered as Valentine was combustible, and in contrast to the Yankees, who've lurched from one controversy to the next in spring training, the Mets are remarkably easy-going, considering how vicious the in-fighting was last year.

So far, Howe's style has evoked strong support in the clubhouse, where the Mets have learned to respect his understated manner. But no one confuses Howe's diplomacy with weakness.

"People mistake Art for being a laid-back person. But he's not like that," said first baseman Mo Vaughn. "He might not let you know that (in the media), but he lets us know."

Of course, the real test of Howe's patience will start on Opening Day, and it remains to be seen whether being nice actually translates into more wins for the Mets. For now, the Mets have to hope Tom Glavine's ugly March numbers vanish in April, and they're equally anxious about Pedro Astacio, whose biceps tendinitis could keep him out until May, if not longer. The injury is potentially so disruptive to the Mets' plans that David Cone could do more than just make the team as the No. 5 starter. The 40-year-old right-hander, who sat out the entire 2002 season, could end up as the No. 4 man in the rotation.

Such mini-crises are what ultimately test a manager's character -- especially in New York, where the baseball culture is so much louder and more volatile than anything Howe knew in Oakland. In fact, Howe didn't even make it to Opening Day before his first brush with controversy, in the aftermath of Mike Piazza's brawl with Dodgers reliever Guillermo Mota last week.

Howe made a point of ridiculing Mota's response to Piazza's sprint to the mound. The reliever fled, navigated in panic way through the jungle of bodies and eventually sought refuge in the visitors dugout.

	The man in charge
	Art Howe's season-by-season record as a manager:
	Year	Team	W-L	Finish
	1989	Astros	86-76	3rd/NL West
	1990	Astros	75-87	4th/NL West
	1991	Astros	65-97	6th/NL West
	1992	Astros	81-81	4th/NL West
	1993	Astros	85-77	3rd/NL West
	1996	A's	78-84	3rd/AL West
	1997	A's	65-97	4th/AL West
	1998	A's	74-88	4th/AL West
	1999	A's	87-75	2nd/AL West
	2000	A's	91-70	1st/AL West
	2001	A's	102-60	2nd/AL West
	2002	A's	103-59	1st/AL West

Howe noted, "(Mota) ran like a scared rabbit when (Piazza) came out after him. If he wants to hit someone, stand there and fight. He can backpedal faster than I can run forward."

Friends of Howe say they were startled by his New York-like sarcasm, since it was so out of character. Obviously, Howe was just sticking up for Piazza, but the manager who'd never made an enemy now had his first -- Mota.

For one instant, Howe turned into Valentine, whose success was fueled by being smart and smart-alecky. Wise, and a wiseguy. Eventually, Valentine exhausted Phillips' patience, but for four years, from 1997-2000 while the Mets climbed the ladder of National League success, Valentine's formula worked.

Now it's up to Howe to reverse the downward spiral and it'll be curious to see what path he ultimately chooses. Can Howe remain this serene, with so many microphones in his air-space? So far, he's been cooperative with reporters, but has lacked Yankees manager Joe Torre's ease with the question-and-answer process. Howe admitted to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the other day, "my biggest challenge (in New York) is going to be dealing with the media."

Perhaps Howe recalls a blunder from the 2001 postseason, when, as his A's arrived in New York for the start of the AL Division Series, he predicted, "it's going to take a great series from the Yankees to have a shot to beat us."

Howe was actually right; the A's won 102 regular-season games that year, and were considered the league's most dangerous postseason entity. But his assessment turned into tabloid-octane -- inflammatory back pages everywhere -- and coincidence or not, the Yankees prevailed over Oakland in five games.

This time around, Howe is hoping to not be a factor. He has a chance to blend in, if Glavine can reclaim his changeup, and Cone effectively replaces Astacio. Just as significantly Robby Alomar has to hit closer to .300 than last year's .266 and Vaughn needs to clone last September's hot streak, when he batted .314.

If the fates are kind enough, the Mets could challenge the Braves and Phillies without an in-your-face presence from Howe. That's the best-case scenario. But if the Mets are cold in April, Howe could discover just how sweaty a New York summer can really be.

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) covers baseball for ESPN.com.