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          New York Mets

          Morning Briefing: .500 or bust?

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterSep 24, 2014, 08:25 AM ET
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              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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          WASHINGTON

          FIRST PITCH: With five games remaining, the Mets still share second place with the freefalling Atlanta Braves. Both teams are 76-81.

          So how long has it been since the second-place team in the NL East finished with a sub-.500 record?

          Nineteen years ago.

          In 1995, the Braves won the division at 90-64, then went on to win the World Series. The Mets and Philadelphia Phillies tied for second in the division in the strike-shortened season at 69-75.

          Of course, the Mets are not resigned to their sixth straight losing season just yet. They can avoid such a fate by winning their final five games.

          That pursuit begins Wednesday at Nationals Park, when Dillon Gee makes his final 2014 start. Gee (7-8, 3.88 ERA) opposes left-hander Gio Gonzalez (9-10, 3.74) at 7:05 p.m.

          Wednesday’s news reports:

          • Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon on Tuesday formally announced an extension for general manager Sandy Alderson that guarantees his contract through 2017. Alderson then announced Terry Collins would return as manager for next season. The Mets hold an option on Collins for 2016, but are not picking it up at this point.

          Alderson indicated the coaching staff would be addressed shortly after the season, but confirmed Tim Teufel will remain the third-base coach. Minimal turnover is expected. The exception is hitting coach, which could preclude Wally Backman from getting onto the staff. If the Mets stayed internal for a hitting coach, perhaps a list of candidates would include Las Vegas hitting coach George Greer, Savannah hitting coach Valentino Pascucci, current player Bobby Abreu and roving instructor Jack Voigt.

          Read a transcript of Wilpon and Alderson’s remarks here.

          Read more on the retention of Alderson and Collins in the Post, Daily News, Times, Journal, Newsday, Star-Ledger, Record, Newsday and at MLB.com.

          • Jacob deGrom's Rookie of the Year-caliber season is in the books. Finding no upside in deGrom making a final start Saturday against the Houston Astros, the Mets opted to shut down the right-hander. DeGrom logged 178 2/3 innings between the majors and minors, an increase of 31 innings over his 2013 workload. Ex-Met Collin McHugh, who was lined up to face deGrom on Saturday, also has been shut down. Rafael Montero instead starts against Houston.

          ESPN’s Mark Simon statistically breaks down just how good deGrom’s season was here.

          Read more in the Daily News, Star-Ledger, Record, Newsday and at MLB.com.

          • Bartolo Colon failed to cover first base at a critical point, then surrendered a tiebreaking three-run homer to Adam LaRoche and the Nationals beat the Mets, 4-2, Tuesday. Washington is 14-3 against the Mets this season. LaRoche is batting .327 (16-for-49) with six homers and 18 RBIs against the Mets in 2014. He also has been walked 15 times.

          Read game recaps in the Post, Star-Ledger and at MLB.com.

          • Columnist Joel Sherman in the Post examines the size of the gap between the Mets and Nats.

          • Jenrry Mejia will undergo surgery on Oct. 2 in Philadelphia to repair a sports hernia. Dr. Bill Meyers, who operated on Scott Rice last September, will perform the procedure. Meanwhile, Juan Lagares (elbow) will not require surgery. Lagares, Dilson Herrera (quadriceps) and Vic Black (shoulder) are all done for the season.

          • Sophia Rosenbaum and Jonathan Lehman in the Post have fun checking out responses to the Mets asking fans on Twitter to say why they’re a fan of the team, while using the hashtag #ImAMetsFanBecause …

          From @MitchNYM: #ImAMetsFanBecause they were all out of Yankees gear

          From @FrankDonato1: #imametsfanbecause it’s marginally less painful than smashing your hand with a hammer

          From @BorrisQ: #ImAMetsFanBecause my parents didn’t love me as a child

          From @AndrewGould4: #ImAMetsFanBecause I don’t feel like I deserve true happiness.

          • David Wright is bullish on the Mets in 2015. “We’ve gotten ourselves to the point where I think we’re going to be a very good team next year," Wright told reporters pregame, as reported in the Star-Ledger. "We finally have gone through some of these rough years where the expectations we have on ourselves should be pretty high."

          • Columnist John Harper in the Daily News constructs one team by combining the Mets and Yankees.

          • Lloyd Carroll at NY Sports Day reviews retiring commissioner Bud Selig’s visit to Citi Field.

          • From the bloggers … Faith and Fear offers a historical guide to the Mets and their second-place finishes.

          BIRTHDAYS: Hubie Brooks turns 58. … Bernard Gilkey is 48.

          TWEET OF THE DAY:

          YOU’RE UP: Does second place matter?