For now, Willie still Mets' main man

NEW YORK - If Willie Randolph was worried about losing his job, he never showed it.

He walked confidently into a packed news conference yesterday, still the New York Mets' manager after a much-anticipated meeting with team ownership that lasted about 2 hours.

The embattled skipper sat down with owner Fred Wilpon and his son Jeff, the club's chief operating officer, as well as general manager Omar Minaya to discuss the team's sluggish play and Randolph's comments last week about his portrayal on Mets broadcasts in which he raised the issue of race. He subsequently apologized for those statements.

"Willie has my support. He has the support of our ownership," Minaya said. "Willie's job was never in danger going into this meeting."

So, was he told he definitely will manage the Mets for the rest of the season?

"No, they didn't say that," Randolph answered.

"I completely understand the front office wanting to shake things up to jump-start us," third baseman David Wright said before the Mets lost to visiting Florida, 7-3, last night. "But we as players need to just step it up. It's not fair for Willie to be taking the brunt of this when we're not going out and getting the job done." *