'I'm a Gangster. You Go Gangster On Me, I'm Going to Have to Get You'

Nice to see the harmonious mood of the New York Mets locker room now that Willie Randolph is gone.

OK, this sounds very tongue-in-cheek, but who the hell talks like this about one of their players?

No, Jerry Manuel wasn't glad he had to make a point about his authority as manager one batter into his first game at the helm.

Manuel met resistance from a helmet-tossing Jose Reyes on Tuesday night, when the shortstop's left hamstring tightened and he didn't want to leave the game. Reyes eventually headed for the showers, and shortly afterward apologized to Manuel for the well-intentioned insubordination.

"I told him next time he does that I'm going to get my blade out and cut him. I'm a gangster. You go gangster on me, I'm going to have to get you. You do that again, I'm going to cut you right on the field," quipped Manuel, who reinserted Reyes at shortstop and the leadoff spot for last night's series finale against the Angels.

"Any time you step in this position, you have to be ready to react and do what you think is right. As long as I'm doing what's right, yeah it may take awhile to get through, but as long as you're doing the right thing, I think everything will be okay. I wasn't hoping something like that would happen and set a precedent. Not at all. As a matter of fact, I was like, 'Oh, Lord, here we go. Here we go. Okay. All right.' But it worked out well. Again, I like the attitude of Jose Reyes."

I'd hate to hear what's he'd say if he didn't like him.