Newsday: Davidoff - Mets need to keep winning for us to start believing

The more the Mets win, the more they move away from the cloud of crisis that hovers over them. Because right now, even after these past five games, the Mets must feel as if they’re in the midst of 162 one-game schedules. As if any loss can punch their collective guts and imperil this whole thing.

It’s a sensation that Saturday’s losing manager knows well.

“That only used to be like that with the Red Sox,” Joe Torre said before the game, recalling his Yankees days. “Then, all of a sudden, when your record’s not what it is (supposed to be), there’s a story about each game that takes on a life of its own. It’s very difficult. It was difficult for me.”
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“We look more relaxed,” said Carlos Beltran, who crushed the game-tying homer off Broxton. “The energy is there. There’s no distraction anymore,” now that Randolph is no longer in danger.

I’m not sure about that last part. The Mets have plenty more work to do before Willie can start booking his 2009 condo in Port St. Lucie.

“I think once you start winning on a regular basis, even when you lose here and there, that loss won’t take on as much of a story line,” Torre said. “But that’s going to take time. It still has to be a couple-of-week period.”