FanHouse Adam Rubin

NEW YORK -- Omar Minaya erred in his handling of Monday's Mets news conference, team COO Jeff Wilpon said Tuesday, and Minaya owes an apology to Daily News writer Adam Rubin. But, Wilpon said, Minaya is safe as the team's general manager.

In announcing the firing of Tony Bernazard, the Mets' controversial vice president of player development, Minaya said that Rubin had "lobbied" the Mets for a front-office job -- intimating that Rubin's stories, which helped bring down Bernazard, were part of an agenda.

"Omar's our general manager," Wilpon said. "Omar's going to be our general manager.

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NEW YORK -- The Mets are certifiably nuts. Just when you think they've done most everything they can to invite mockery and derision, they readjust the clown nose and refill the water hose.

The team called a press conference Monday to announce the firing of Tony Bernazard, an executive whose personnel file had grown thick with reports of odd and inappropriate behavior. Most anywhere else -- even, dare we say, over at the Knicks' main office, which once housed people doing pratfalls into giant mounds of dung -- this would have been a fairly easy one-and-done. Take a few questions, tie it up in a bow, and vow to focus energy on the trading deadline, getting players healthy and making a run for a wild-card spot.

It hasn't been an easy season for the New York Mets. They've been decimated by injuries, and, despite a gaudy payroll and the winter additions of Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz, entered play 10 1/2 games behind the rival Phillies in the National League East on Monday night.

Things might have bottomed out this afternoon, though, as GM Omar Minaya addressed the New York media about the firing of team official Tony Bernazard. Minaya challenged the validity of reports by the New York Daily News' Adam Rubin, who initially broke the story of Bernazard challenging Mets minor leaguers in Binghamton to a fight.

It got weird when Minaya intimated that Rubin may have broken the story in hopes of getting a job in player development with the team.