And for the rest of Baseball, that can remain simply an infuriating nugget of trivia, followed by a back-at-ya reminder that in the eight years when the Yankees started building teams with a fiscal foundation, rather than one steeped in character, they have yet to add another championship flag.

But there is one team that is not permitted to act that way, or to talk that way, and it is the team that shares New York with the Yankees (at least in name), the other team in town opening the kind of cash-cow ballpark that so easily allows the Yankees to explain away their newfound burst of buying.

The Mets have some explaining to do now, and some work left in front of them.

If they aren't required by law to officially enter the Manny Sweepstakes, just because he's the fattest cat remaining in play, they should at least start acting like they belong in the varsity league by addressing their lingering need - starting pitching - with most tried-and-true method possible.

By spending their money. By acting like they belong in the same sentence - or the same city - as the Yankees. By not conceding and meekly accepting their place as after-thought, also-ran, and permanent bridesmaid.

Unless, of course, the Mets and the Wilpon family don't have as much money as they say they do, and unless they want to ensure that questions about just how much they lost at the hands of Bernie Madoff will never, ever go away.

Right now, immediately, the Mets need to revisit their interest in Derek Lowe. Right now, immediately, they need to re-investigate their negotiations with Oliver Perez. Unless the team is drowning and dying in red ink - which it insists it is not - the Mets need to prove with their checkbooks that they really are in the same category as the Yankees.

The Mets were delighted by their work at the Winter Meetings, and it is true that acquiring Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz made them instantly better in one area of need.

But it also is true that part of what made the K-Rod deal so satisfying was the dearth of dollars it cost. They got him on the cheap, at least compared to what his initial market seemed to be.

No one is suggesting the Mets need to throw money into a bonfire just to keep up with the Yankees. But they do need to improve their team, which right now looks, at best, to be second-best in the N.L. East behind the Phillies, with the Marlins and Braves very much in the same neighborhood. And decidedly second-rate in their own city.

Carlos Delgado's scorching second half spared the Mets getting into a bidding war for Mark Teixeira, even if they would still have been smart to investigate. Their own reluctance to compete dollar for dollar with the Yankees kept them out of the CC Sabathia sweepstakes. But there are still gems, expensive ones, necessary ones, out there for the taking.

All you have to do is pay them. Ramirez. Lowe. Perez. The Mets need starting pitching, and could sure use lineup help. You can make an argument for any of them.

But the Mets need to make a play for at least one of them, partly to get better, partly to prove they aren't frightened of sharing the city with the Yankees.

Mostly to prove they can still afford to stay in the game.

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What fans are saying

* "Teixeira's a surprise, and I think he's going to be an awesome surprise for them. As a Yankee fan, you expect the Yankees to win. . . . They'll be better than the Red Sox this year." - Steve Colucci, Riverside, Calif.

* "Unbelievable. It truly is a move to win now. I'm psyched. In the backdrop of the present economy it kind of sickens you, but you have to put aside the money and just think about the game. I'm psyched when it comes to Baseball. Absolutely fantastic when it comes to the Yankees and their dedication to winning." -Michael Schmitz, Oceanport, N.J.

* "I was completely surprised because I thought the Red Sox were going to get him. And the Yankees, now their payroll is even higher and it's almost ridiculous at this point. [As a Red Sox fan], it's disappointing." -Max Krall, West Hartford, Conn.

* "What do you expect? It's the Yankees." -Anil Ramlakhan, Jersey City

* "I'm pretty surprised. Everyone thought he was going to go to Boston. I'm definitely for it. I'm really happy. With all that money coming off the books, I wasn't surprised that they would go ahead and spend it." -Paul Kerns, New Hope, Pa.

* "It's been a good offseason. He's a great ballplayer. . . . To me, the pitching changes, that was the biggest thing. I'm looking forward to the rotation especially, but Teixeira - that's great." -Robert Bozic, New York