MET NOTES

The Mets spent about $225,000 to renovate their clubhouse and manager’s office, but didn’t even get a full day’s use out of them before disaster struck. A pump failed and parts of the clubhouse, particularly Bobby Valentine’s office, were flooded with water that general manager Steve Phillips described as sewage.

The water didn’t smell noticeably bad, but that could change when it seeps into the brand new wall-to-wall carpeting. Also, Valentine had boxes of his baseball memorabilia, including dozens of World Series programs, on the floor and after the game was concerned about what might have happened to it all.

“No comment from me,” he said shaking his head. “I’m afraid to look.”

The water was couple of inches deep in his office and also flooded the showers, but the players area in the clubhouse escaped the worst of it. So far.

“The clubhouse area is making a good stand,” Valentine said. “It’s the last frontier.”

*

Robin Ventura had two hits yesterday and now has hit in all eight Met games. He only needs hits in the next 50 games to tie his own NCAA record 58-game hitting streak which he reached at Oklahoma State in 1987. Ventura had two RBIs to jump ahead of Mike Piazza for the team RBI lead with nine. He is hitting .375 (12-for-32).

*

Rickey Henderson had a rough day in left field, letting two balls get over his head in the nasty wind that Valentine described as a Jet Stream to left. When he caught Mark Kotsay’s fly ball in the sixth inning the fans gave him a mock cheer.

*

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a devout Yankee fan, attended the game wearing a Mets cap and jacket. “He looked like he was in pain though,” GM Phillips said. “Nah, just kidding.”

*

The Mets called up left-handed hitting OF Terrence Long from Triple-A Norfolk to replace Piazza on the roster, but they are expected to send him back down in a few days and bring up C Vance Wilson as soon as his sore left forearm is ready … Greg McMichael has felt good throwing off the mound and will probably throw live batting practice to Piazza as soon as he becomes available … Turk Wendell charged up the crowd by slamming the rosin bag to the mound as he did at the end of last year … Yesterday’s attendance of 52,052 was a sellout and the biggest Opening Day crowd since 1983 when the attendance was 53,134.