"Just five days earlier, Johan Santana pitched for the first time since having shoulder surgery in September, and even though the game was played in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and the Daytona Cubs were facing him, the results were encouraging.

But that was last week, and optimism for the Mets tends to evaporate, kind of like their late leads. On Tuesday, two hours before the Mets staggered in the ninth inning and lost to the Florida Marlins, 4-3, General Manager Sandy Alderson took a spot in front of a team logo near the Mets' dugout.

He had anon Santana, and it was not positive. Not that the Mets were counting on Santana to pitch meaningful games this year anyway, but Alderson said Santana would come to New York this week for an examination instead of continuing his rehabilitation assignment."