Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan takes some shots at the latest boast — this time from newcomer Francisco Rodriguez — that the Mets are the “team to beat” in the NL East. “The Phillies’ World Series championship kind of makes boasts like Rodriguez’s sound even more hollow than usual,” Sheridan wrote.

“Both years, when the pressure was on, it was the Phillies who stepped up and the Mets who fell down. Last fall, the Phillies raised the temperature on the rivalry by using the Mets’ prone carcass as a stepping-stone to a championship. …

“Charlie [Manuel] has the better job and, until proven otherwise, the better team.”