More seismic events elsewhere in the world might have been worthier of the paper's attention but this is a city that takes the performances of its sports teams rather seriously. What better way to capture the story than showing how the Mets broke a little boy's heart?

Seven wins ahead of their nearest rivals in the National League East with just 17 games to go, they somehow contrived to miss out on the play-offs by losing 12 of those fixtures. Following an 8-1 trouncing by the Florida Marlins at Shea Stadium last Sunday that finally sealed their fate, they were lustily booed off the field by their own fans. Asked to describe how devastating it was to miss out on a shot at going to the World Series, starting pitcher Tom Glavine (right) offered a little too much perspective and not enough self-loathing.

"I'm not devastated, but I am disappointed, " said Glavine in a curious response to his own worst outing since 1989.

"Devastated is a word used for greater things in life than a game. I was disappointed in the way I pitched. I got some ground balls, but I can't control where they go. Time heals all wounds. I'm sure it will take a while to get over it. I've had 20 years and won one World Series. That means 19 seasons didn't end the way I wanted.'' That sort of stoicism was seriously out of kilter with the public mood. The most experienced player on the team, Glavine lasted just one third of an inning in a match where they needed him to pitch well for at least six. It was hardly surprising then that within hours of the final out, supporters and radio talk show hosts in search of a scapegoat were already demanding the 41-year-old never wear the uniform again. Of course, the list of those deemed surplus to requirements soon expanded to include the coach, the manager and just about every other member of the beleaguered squad.

The looser libel laws in these parts ensure the lingua franca of sports chatter tends towards the extreme. On WFAN, a local talk station which had mocked the Mets' decline just a couple of days before the final defeat by holding open try-outs for new pitchers on a New York street, one host called the players despicable and disgraceful. A rival on ESPN went even further, describing them as "jerks, " "asses" and "clowns". Against that background, it's not difficult to understand why the club engaged in a very obvious exercise in damage limitation by emailing season ticket holders with an official apology for what happened.

"All of us at the Mets are bitterly disappointed in failing to achieve our collective goal of building upon last year's success, " went the attempt to placate the irate fan base.

"We did not meet our organisation's expectations . . . or yours. Everyone at Shea feels the same range of emotions as you . . . our loyal fans . . . and we know we have let you down. We wanted to thank you for your recordbreaking support of our team this year.

You deserve better results."

The dimensions of the over-reaction from all concerned can be put down to the lofty expectations surrounding the team.

The Mets boasted one of the best squads in the National League, had come within a game of reaching the World Series last October, and talked for months about their desire to go one better this season.

Then they appeared to lose the run of themselves during the most crucial part of the campaign. Cruising towards the play-offs, some players explained away sloppy defeats to lesser teams by saying they often got bored and complacent in the middle of the marathon 162-game season. That type of comment has been hurled back in their faces all week.

If that attitude wasn't worrying enough, a couple of the younger superstars also committed the cardinal baseball sin of not hustling at all times.

Casually jogging rather than sprinting between the bases, they sometimes seemed more concerned with choreographing their celebratory dances and elaborate handshakes in the dug-outs following big hits rather than working on their skills. The type of showy behaviour that apparently motivated many offended opponents to want to beat the Mets all the more, the chief culprit was 24-year-old Jose Reyes, a wonderful talent who lost form and interest too at crucial intervals down the stretch.

"They wanted me to do well, and I wasn't able to come through, " said Reyes of the fans who loudly booed his last couple of plate appearances last Sunday.

"That happens sometimes in baseball.

You just try to work as hard as you can."

Just to add to the Mets' misery, the New York Yankees, their hated rivals from the Bronx, put their early season struggles behind them to reach the playoffs in the American League. They started their bid to make the Series in Cleveland last Thursday night. Not than any self-respecting Met fan would admit to have been watching.