ATLANTA – The scene was weird. The comment was unneeded and it was one Bobby Valentine later attempted to take back. And it all happened before the Mets tried to avoid being defeated for the 21st time in 23 meetings last –

night at Turner Field.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, I will gladly take Fred [Wilpon] off the hook, if we have to get into that nonsense again,” Valentine said in his pre-game talk in his road manager’s office.

After a few more questions, which tried to understand what Valentine meant, Bobby V. was asked what hook Fred is on?

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Valentine said. “Please, I’ve got to retract that silly thing. I was trying to cut to the chase, jump to a conclusion to what someone was going to ask.”

The reporter who asked the initial question was wondering if Valentine – whose contract runs out at the end of the season – should be judged on the final few weeks.

Wilpon, though, would be going back on his word if Valentine and the team didn’t open negotiations at the end of the season. Wilpon – the more influential of the co-owners – told The Post Aug. 31 of his intentions regarding bringing back Bobby.

The question that day was: Do you want Valentine back?

“Both Nelson [Doubleday] and I do,” Wilpon told The Post. “It’s Steve [Phillips’] decision and he does as well.”

Phillips, who hasn’t been with the team because his wife just had a baby, was unavailable for comment last night. Valentine, who hasn’t spoken to Wilpon since last month, said Wilpon did pass on a message through Phillips, however.

“He called Steve and had Steve call me and give me his full support today,” Valentine said. “He is dying with us, but he is living with us. And he’ll definitely live again.”

In Philadelphia at the end of last season, Valentine said that if the Mets didn’t make the playoffs, then he thought he should be fired.

Wilpon gave Valentine his support then as well and the Mets advanced to the postseason as the NL wild-card winner after beating Cincinnati in a one-game playoff for the spot.

Valentine was instructed in spring training by Wilpon to keep his mouth shut. Management has been hesitant to give Valentine an extension because it was unhappy with some of the things which have come out of his mouth.

But Valentine – aside from the alleged comments of Whartongate – has steered cleared of controversy.

He was asked if he thought he would be chastised for this statement and he thought he would.

“If there is a headline about a hook or if Fred’s name is in a headline, then I’ll get killed,” Valentine said.

Valentine, despite the Mets’ latest September swoon, has deserved a contract extension for taking the Mets from despair to the playoffs. This latest ending is just another chapter in his tenure.

“I think I can take a punch,” Valentine said. “Sometimes you have to take extra punches for whatever reason. I’ve been knocked down plenty of times and I’ve gotten up plenty of times and I think my team has, too.”

Valentine also thinks that winning a series next month with the Braves is the most important.

“I think the last laugh is going to be the best laugh and we have one coming,” Valentine said.

The September disarray must be finished up in Philadelphia. That is where the Mets are tonight. It is a place, which would appear to be a good spot to get fat.

But appearances can be deceiving with these September Mets. After the 1-5 road trip from ‘L’ to begin the month, the Mets had 10 games against the Phillies, the Brewers and the Expos.

The only series, they won of those three was against the Brewers, when they took two of three.

Before coming here, the Mets split four games with the Expos. To start all of this, they lost two of three to the Phillies.

“I think the guys are a little embarrassed about what has happened over this last few weeks; especially the last couple of days,” Pat Mahomes said. “Then we got to take care of business when they come to our place.”

So they were 5-5 against these horrid teams. The Diamondbacks have been just as bad so the Mets haven’t lost any ground and entered last night’s action with a magic number of eight to clinch their second straight wild-card berth.