NEW YORK -- With the New York Mets eliminated from the World Series thanks to a heartbreaking 4-2 loss in Game 5 to the Yankees on Thursday night, the futures of both general manager Steve Phillips and manager Bobby Valentine remain uncertain.
Neither man was offered a contract extension by co-owners Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday before this season, and both men are in the final days of their deals.
Phillips is a lock to be back, and Valentine is expected back as well. Still, these are the Mets, which means anything could happen.
"It's their prerogative," Phillips said of the owners. "There isn't anything in our contracts that says this will be resolved with a month left, with three days left, with two days left.
"We'll do our jobs and let the rest take care of itself."
Phillips, though, said he expects a quick resolution to the situation as soon as the season is finished.
"I expect it to be done promptly," Phillips said. "Ownership will get a deal done with me, and then I'll move to get a deal done with Bobby."
The Mets have a window of exclusivity through Oct. 31 to negotiate with Valentine. After that, his contract is up and anybody can talk with him -- which could complicate things for the Mets, because so many managerial jobs are open.
"I don't know, hopefully we'll be able to get a deal done with him within the window of exclusivity," Phillips said. "If not, we'll deal with whatever that world looks like."
It's difficult to predict the landscape of that world with any certainty right now. Arizona, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Toronto all have managerial jobs open right now (Pittsburgh already has filled its opening with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon). Seattle could have an opening if Lou Piniella decides not to return to the Mariners.
Arizona is expected to hire broadcaster Bob Brenly, Toronto is expected to hire broadcaster Buck Martinez and the Dodgers are expected to hire hitting coach Rick Down.
At the very least, with San Francisco signing Dusty Baker for two years at approximately $5 million, Valentine's price will increase. He's making $1 million this year.
As he was being peppered with contract questions before Game 5 while hoping to extend the World Series into the weekend, Phillips joked: "Where's Roger Clemens when I need him?"
Mets bench Perez, Bordick
In the end, the Timo Perez fairy tale ran its course. The rookie leadoff man and veteran shortstop Mike Bordick landed on the bench for Game 5 of the World Series as Valentine searched for a combination that would give his team more punch.
Left fielder Benny Agbayani, who batted .289 this season with 15 homers and 60 RBI, was installed as the Mets' leadoff hitter. Bubba Trammell, who replaced Perez in the lineup, was sixth and shortstop Kurt Abbott, who replaced Bordick, was eighth.
"I'd like to give Andy Pettitte a little different look than he saw the last time," Valentine said before the game. "It's still fresh in his memory, and he did pretty well against us. I'd like to change it around a little."
But it was more than that. The Mets think that scouting reports finally have caught up to Perez, who burst onto the scene in September, played well in the first couple rounds of the playoffs but batted just .125 through the first four games of the World Series. Bordick, too, is hitting just .125.
"I think they have good pitchers, that's the No. 1 factor," Phillips said in explaining the quick demise of Perez. "There's probably an element of scouting, too. The other thing is, nobody stays hot forever."
Although it's lousy timing for a skid, Perez's demise didn't come as a surprise to Phillips.
"It always happens to rookies," Phillips said. "They come up, and then the league makes adjustments. Then, it's up to them to make adjustments.
"He'll make an adjustment. This just happens to be a four-game window, and he hasn't made it."
Valentine's moves worked reasonably well in Game 5. Trammell collected a walk and scored the Mets' first run, and he led off the fourth inning with a single.
Abbott, meanwhile, walked in the fourth -- although he was subsequently picked off of first base -- and singled in the sixth.
Flood waters
The Yankees nearly faced a catastrophe when their clubhouse flooded late Wednesday night because of a broken water pipe: Dissatisfied with the rickety furniture in the Shea Stadium visiting clubhouse, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had ordered a truckload of furniture to be moved from his team's Yankee Stadium clubhouse.
As such, as more than a foot of water flooded into the clubhouse during Wednesday's game, personnel moved quickly to save a blue leather couch, two training tables and several chairs the Yankees had imported from the Bronx.
A Yankee official said Thursday that there was no major damage.
The water pipe apparently burst because of a change in water pressure when the fire department was called to battle a blaze that had started in another part of the stadium (nobody was hurt).
The Yankees were able to move back into their Shea Stadium clubhouse Thursday, although it was still soggy.
A-Rod talk
Although Seattle shortstop Alex Rodriguez, expected to be the jewel of this winter's free agent crop, visited and toured Shea Stadium Wednesday, Phillips, very conscious to avoid tampering charges, said he didn't speak with Rodriguez.
"No smile, no wave, no hello," Phillips said. "Not a thing."
Did Phillips even look away when Rodriguez was shown on television?
"Yeah, I did," he said, smiling.
K-Kount
The Yankees and Mets combined for 88 strikeouts -- the most ever in a five-game series.
