MINI-SIZE IT! – BEST WAY TO HELP MET HITTERS? BRING IN THE FENCES AT SHEA

If you can’t beat em, bring in the fences. Only the Florida Marlins play in a ballpark that has deeper power alleys and center-field dimensions than Shea. We’re living in an era that dictates ballparks must shrink while hitters’ industrial strength expands.

Mo Vaughn, Jeromy Burnitz and Robbie Alomar all have been slowed by Shea, land of The Big Flyout. Mike Piazza played in a pitchers’ park in Los Angeles, too. He’s never called a hitters’ park home. Moving the fences in would be the equivalent of reversing Piazza’s inevitable production decline.

Prepare for the Mets, under the direction of the Wilpons, Fred and Jeff, and without Cold War opponent Nelson Doubleday on the scene any longer, to modernize, modernize, modernize. Nothing is more modern than a park favorable to hitters and that means bringing in the fences.

This might bother traditionalists. Unfortunately, this team’s core would benefit more from a ballpark with friendlier dimensions than the current 338 down the lines, 378 in the power alleys and 410 to dead center.

Wonder how Tom Seaver would feel about managing in such a pitchers’ park? Seaver and fellow broadcaster Keith Hernandez are the cerebral pillars of Mets history, Seaver representing the pitchers, Hernandez the position players. Seaver-ites believe he would consider taking on the challenge of managing the Mets if the opportunity presented itself. Hernandez backers aren’t so sure Keith would want to spend half the year away from New York, a prerequisite of managing.

Bobby Valentine is safe for now and the start of next year.

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MATSUI! MATSUI! MATSUI!

Japanese outfielder Hideki Matsui became a name in New York more than four months ago when The Insiders predicted he would be playing in the Bronx in 2003. The Yankees are scouting him and will sign him over the winter. The Yomiuri Giants, the Yankees of Japan, aren’t going to lose the impending free agent outright to the Yankees. Something along the lines of a two-year loan of the player nicknamed Godzilla. He has a shot at the Triple Crown this season.

The marketing departments of both clubs are stoked about the cross-continental, cross-promotional possibilities between the Giants and Yankees. George Steinbrenner is drooling over the prospect of turning that country into a Yankee fan base. Many scouts believe Matsui is a potential major league All-Star.

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FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY

Here’s another Insider glimpse into the twisted world of Ted Williams’ offspring from Teddy Ballgame’s old pal photographer Dick Collins, who recounts the conversation he had with Ted after he saw cartons of Louisville Sluggers piled from floor to ceiling in Williams’ garage.

Collins: “What are you going into the bat business now?”

Ted: “No, I’ve got 2,000 bats out there. I’m signing them and I’m going to give [daughter] Claudia a thousand and John Henry a thousand so when I die they’ll have a little money to play around with.”

A few weeks later, Collins was talking to a receptionist in John Henry’s office and this was the conversation he heard between the siblings:

Claudia: “I don’t want to be bothered with selling those bats. Give me $600 apiece for them and they’re all yours.”

John Henry: “I’ll give you $400.”

Claudia: “You’ll give me $600 because they’re worth $1,200 or $1,500 now and when daddy dies they’ll be worth double that.”

John Henry: “I’ll give you $400, take it or leave it.”

Collins said Claudia then stormed out of the office. John Henry sued Claudia a few months ago when she tried to sell all 2000 autographed bats to a dealer in Arizona.

The two continue to squabble in court over the ownership of the bats, which, sadly, like Teddy Ballgame, have become frozen assets.

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POSTSCRIPTS

Linebacker Randy Earle out of Farmingdale High is trying to make the Maryland Terrapins football team as a freshman, he’s already overcome huge odds. Earl was born a crack baby. His father, mother and two younger siblings died after contracting AIDS and he has lived in 18 different homes with the one constant in his life being football. His story will be told on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Tuesday on HBO . . . And you thought the Ted Williams story was bizarre. Ed Headrick, the designer of the modern Frisbee, passed away last week. He was cremated. He had requested, according to published reports, that his ashes be molded into a limited number of those little flying saucers and that those discs be distributed to family members.

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SEEING STARS

With six Cy Young Awards in his trophy case, Roger Clemens has become such a celebrity that celebrities routinely seek him out. Still, Clemens hasn’t met everyone on his wish list. “In history, I guess I’d probably have to say John F. Kennedy because I studied so much about him in school and I met members of the Kennedy family, including John Jr,” Clemens says. “Living, I guess it would have to be Al Pacino. I met Robert DeNiro and he was really cool, so now I’d really like to meet Pacino.”