A little housecleaning first: Tonight is my final appearance on the My-9 Yankee post-game show this season (it is at the top of the newscast, in case you have never seen it before). And tomorrow, I return to the WCBS (880) radio booth to serve as the analyst alongside John Sterling on the Yankee broadcast.

Now on with Five-Thought Friday:

1. I have no problem with Willie Randolph’s public temperament as a manager. The part of the universe that still wants its managers to act like Billy Martin or Earl Weaver – let’s call it talk-show America – is hungering for a quality that will make it feel better, but really isn’t effective. Unless you think Larry Bowa was a good manager with the Phillies or that Tom Coughlin is doing a bang-up job with the Giants. This is 2007. If players ever responded to such theatrics, they no longer do. Managers/coaches who behave this way are generally out of control and/or putting on a show to absolve themselves and blame their players; essentially it is, “look at me, look how much I care, if only my players cared as much as I do.” The temperament problem with Randolph, as I have been led to believe by team insiders, is that he has not been confrontational enough with his players BEHIND closed doors. He has let too much slide. These Mets simply have not played with the diligence and passion of even last year’s club, and certainly are a few degrees less fervent than the Phillies, who interestingly play harder for Charlie Manuel than they ever did for Bowa.

2. Joe Torre should not simply hand a starting assignment to Mike Mussina in the playoffs based on a couple of starts and the back of his baseball card. Torre should firmly believe in his heart that Mussina is a better choice than Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy. This is not a career achievement award. This is about winning games in October.

3. I hate to keep repeating myself but by the beginning of August the Mets knew their biggest problem was set-up relief and they knew they could no longer solve the problem in the July trade market. So I am still confused why they didn’t put Mike Pelfrey and Phil Humber into the bullpen at Triple-A and see if they could use their big arms in the pen late this year.

4. I have a search party all ready to go. Our first stop is that island that Lost is shot on. This is important. We really do have to find Jose Reyes before this season ends.

5. The NFL announced that all the tapes, notes and other documents associated with the Patriots’ illegal taping operation were turned over to the league and destroyed. Color me suspicious, but I smell cover up. Why destroy all the evidence? I think this is another one that the NFL wants to just go away without telling you the full extent of Bill Belichick’s illegal actions.