The Numbers
	2002 record: 75-86, .466 (19th overall) Runs scored: 690, 13th in NL Runs allowed: 703, 7th in NL Run differential: -13 (15th overall) Starters' ERA: 4.24, 9th in NL Bullpen ERA: 3.20, 4th in NL Payroll (Opening Day): $94.6 million (6th overall) Attendance: 2.80 million (7th overall) 3-year record: 251-234, .518 (13th overall)

2002 in review
What went right?
The Mets spent much of the 2002 offseason believing they'd closed the talent gap on the Braves. Needless to say, their vision of another World Series went straight to the ash heap. Still, there were a few nice touches.

After a forgettable first half, Mo Vaughn compiled a .520 slugging percentage after the All-Star break, hitting 16 home runs in his final 229 at-bats. Jeromy Burnitz went out with a mild flourish, as well, banging seven HRs in 90 at-bats in September, and rookie Ty Wigginton, who just might inherit the everyday job at third base, hit a surprising .302 in the 46 games he played.

On the pitching staff, Steve Trachsel posted the starting rotation's lowest ERA, 3.37, which happened to be the best mark of his career. Armando Benitez totaled a respectable 33 saves, ranking him in the NL's top 10, and walked a career-low 25 batters. And even though Al Leiter's season ended in a draw at 11-11, ownership had the presence of mind to sign him for two more years.

For all their failed expectations, the Mets still had enough marquee players to draw enormous attention to themselves. Granted, the news flow was rarely encouraging, but it was impossible to keep the Mets off the back pages.

What went wrong?
Where to begin? The Mets finished last in the NL East with a $100 million payroll, which sums up the dreary summer. Roberto Alomar, Mike Piazza and Vaughn all underachieved, dooming the Mets to finish 13th in the NL in runs and slugging percentage.

Alomar's .266 average represented a 38-point dropoff from his career mark. Piazza, who has caught more than 10,000 career innings, was 41 points under his average, at .280. And even with his strong second half, Vaughn's .259 average was still his lowest since 1992; his 26 home runs were his fewest since 1994.

The Mets received negligible contributions from Shawn Estes and Jeff D'Amico, whom they'd counted on to fill out the rotation. Instead, the two combined to lose 19 of 29 decisions. Of greater concern, perhaps, is Pedro Astacio, who pitched so poorly down the stretch, he raised questions about the condition of his right shoulder.

Astacio was 8-3 with a 3.17 ERA in the first half of 2002. But he lost eight of 12 decisions after that with a 7.00 ERA. The NL batted almost .300 against Astacio after the All-Star break, and the 32 home runs he allowed were the most of any NL pitcher.

Astacio's troubles were part of a larger malaise at Shea, where the Mets set a major league record by losing all their home games in the month of August. By then, the club's chemistry started to suffer, too. Rey Ordonez called Met fans "stupid," and both he and Benitez refused to sigh autographs during a fan appreciation day in September. Soon after, two Met players, Tony Tarasco and Mark Corey, admitted smoking marijuana after a game and owner Fred Wilpon finally admitted, "we have an image problem."

Wilpon addressed the issue by firing manager Bobby Valentine on Oct. 1, even though Valentine's Mets won the NL pennant for the first time since 1986 and went head-to-head with the Yankees in a dramatic Subway Series. Wilpon made no move against Steve Phillips other than choosing not to extend his GM contract beyond its current expiration in 2003.

Wilpon's housecleaning didn't end with Valentine. In the final week of the 2002 season, the owner confronted Vaughn, demanding that he lose at least 25 pounds before spring training. Wilpon went as far as to threaten to void Vaughn's contract if the first baseman didn't comply.

In retrospect, the critical decisions were:
1. Cutting ties with Edgardo Alfonzo: Only time will tell if the Mets were right about their former third baseman, who as a free agent signed a four-year deal with the Giants this winter. Alfonzo led the Mets with a .308 average, but that was eclipsed by his diminished power numbers and chronic problems with his lower back. The Mets all but pushed Alfonzo out the door, offering him a two-year deal that was practically half of what the Giants ultimately paid him.

	Jeromy Burnitz Right fielder New York Mets Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM AB R HR RBI AVG 154 479 65 19 54 .215

2. Counting on Jeromy Burnitz to deliver. This was probably Phillips' greatest error in judgment, thinking Burnitz would keep on hitting home runs as he did with the Brewers in the previous four seasons. Burnitz had averaged 34 HRs from 1998 through 2001, but he dropped to just 19 last year -- seven of them in September, when the Mets were beyond oblivion. Strangely, Phillips gambled on Burnitz but refused to take a chance on trading for Gary Sheffield when the Dodgers made him available before 2002.

3. Running out of patience with Valentine: The personal war between Valentine and Phillips grew so intense, the two barely spoke to each other in the final weeks of the season. Wilpon realized he had to make a move, even though he still owed Valentine $2.7 million for 2003. But several players, including Vaughn, told Wilpon that Valentine no longer had a strong presence in the clubhouse, prompting the dismissal two days after the season ended.

Ever since, Mets officials have made Valentine the organizational scapegoat, convinced new manager Art Howe's low-key approach will heal the internal wounds his predecessor supposedly created.

Looking ahead to 2003
Three key questions
1. Can Tom Glavine act as the rotation's savior? He brings maturity and professionalism to a clubhouse that could sure use those qualities. And everyone in the league respects Glavine for his winning pedigree and Hall of Fame-caliber career. Still, he's 37, and suffered a marked dropoff in the second half of the 2002 season, posting a 7-7 record with a 3.93 ERA. Glavine also pitched poorly in the NL Division Series against the Giants, against whom he'd had a career 3.56 ERA. Glavine was hammered for 13 runs and 17 hits in 7.2 innings (15.26 ERA), including seven walks.

2. Can Alomar, Vaughn and Piazza bounce back? This is the single greatest issue facing the Mets, even more critical than the fast start Glavine needs to have. Without Alfonzo in the lineup, the Mets are lacking a key right-handed hitting weapon, which means there's more pressure than ever on Piazza to hit .300 again.

Vaughn needs to hit more home runs, and Alomar has to decide if he's comfortable in New York and whether he'll remain with the Mets after his contract expires this season. If these three veterans all continue sliding, the Mets will be history again in the East.

3. Is Cliff Floyd the answer? He's part of the answer, and definitely eases the sting from losing Alfonzo. But, as Alomar learned in 2002, Shea isn't kind to gap-hitters. The dimensions in left- and right-center will make it difficult for Floyd to reach 30 HRs, which the Mets are hoping for. His defense is also a potential vulnerability; he's presently slated to start in left field, which could place Roger Cedeno in center. Ouch.

Stats Corner
Mike Piazza (above) failed to drive in at least 100 runs (98) for the second straight season in 2002. Al Leiter pitched in 200 or more innings (204.1) for the third time in the past four seasons. Roger Cedeno batted .308 with a .388 OBP and 10 stolen bases in September. Pedro Astacio was 8-3 with a 3.17 ERA in the first half, but just 4-8 with a 7.00 ERA in the second.

Can expect to play better
Take your pick of Vaughn, Piazza and/or Alomar, because one of the three has to improve. We're voting for Alomar, who is simply too talented to hit .260 again. Piazza's struggle could be traced to those 10,000 innings his knees have absorbed, and Vaughn's weight issues might have contributed to a slow bat in 2002. But there was no outward reason for Alomar to slump so badly, other than first-year anxiety in New York. He should be calmer this time around.

Can expect to play worse
Pedro Astacio could run into turbulence if his right shoulder really is as weak as it appeared in September. Remember, he pitched the entire 2002 season with a torn rotator cuff, having chosen to rehabilitate it conservatively instead of opting for surgery. His gamble appeared to pay off in the early stages, but fatigue was a factor down the stretch. The Mets will watch Astacio's radar-gun readings closely in April and May.

Projected lineup
CF Roger Cedeno
2B Roberto Alomar
C Mike Piazza
1B Mo Vaughn
LF Cliff Floyd
RF Jeromy Burnitz
3B Ty Wigginton
SS Rey Sanchez

Rotation
Tom Glavine
Al Leiter
Pedro Astacio
Steve Trachsel
Mike Bacsik/Jason Middlebrook/Aaron Heilman

Closer
Armando Benitez

A closer look
Art Howe is considered one of baseball's most well-liked managers -- honest and straight-forward and as apolitical they come. He was a perfect fit for the small-market A's, who went to the postseason three straight years on his watch.

But Howe is about to enter the embrace of an entirely different beast, managing in New York, where energy -- and impatience -- are in limitless supply. Mets officials are betting heavily on Howe's demeanor to lift them out of this dark age, but to succeed he'll have to come face-to-face with three key questions:

Can Howe deal with the tabloids, the talk-radio, the fans?

If Howe is smart, he paid attention to the way Joe Torre has navigated through his daily media-calisthenics. The Yankees manager patiently answers questions for 20 minutes before every game, and does likewise afterward. Torre's responses are polite and thoughtful, but he's careful never to say anything inflammatory -- one reason he has survived this long under owner George Steinbrenner.

Torre also realizes being asked the same questions over and over, night after night, is one of the surcharges of managing in New York. Howe, who has never faced such a demanding, curious, annoying media in Oakland, will have to accept this reality in a hurry.

Can Howe deal with his own clubhouse?

He got plenty of start-up help from ownership this winter. The Mets were wise to trade Rey Ordonez, whose defensive skills had become eclipsed by his bad attitude. It'll be to Howe's benefit, as well, to have Tom Glavine and Mike Stanton on his side, since both are positive influences. And if Howe needed another vote of confidence, he got one the other day from Mo Vaughn, who blasted former manager Bobby Valentine and said he's ready to start over with a new manager.

Can Howe choreograph fast enough to keep up with National League baseball?

He had practice, of course, managing the Astros from 1989 through 1993. But it has been a while since Howe has had to worry about double-switches and the NL's heavier reliance on the bullpen. That's one reason he hired Don Baylor as a bench coach.

But the Mets will learn soon enough what kind of in-game personality Howe exhibits -- whether he's loud and chirpy, like Valentine was, or stoic and inert like Torre. And how will Howe react the first time an umpire squeezes Glavine out of an outside-corner strike? Is he an in-your-face arguer, or as calm as Gandhi? We wonder.

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