Conine Is Welcomed by Familiar Faces

Jeff Conine's first full day as a Met got off to a bumpy start. After the Cincinnati Reds traded him Monday, they mistakenly shipped his equipment to his home in Florida. So when Conine arrived yesterday at Shea Stadium, he had to borrow a glove, from Carlos Delgado, and a pair of cleats, from Marlon Anderson.

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The one bag that did arrive was no help; it was full of wristbands and other clothing items with the Reds' logo.

"Nothing that's useful," Conine said with a smile. "But the other bag will be here tomorrow. Luckily, I brought my bats with me."

The day was no easier once Conine unpacked. Somehow, he was given Pedro Martínez's locker, which is along a row of lockers occupied by pitchers. Conine laughed at the suggestion that he was trying to displace Martínez, who is working toward a return to the Mets next month. Conine added that he did not realize whose locker it was.

A few hours before the Mets played the San Diego Padres, the clubhouse attendants moved Conine's belongings to the locker vacated by Anderson Hernández, who was optioned to Class AAA New Orleans yesterday to make room for Conine on the 25-man roster.

The 41-year-old Conine, who can play first base, both corner outfield spots and third base, took it all in stride.

"It just feels like the first day of school," he said. "A lot of, obviously, familiar faces from playing against everybody. It's the time to get to know them as players and teammates. I'm looking forward to it."

Conine, in his 17th season, has already been teammates with a handful of Mets. During his seven-plus seasons with the Florida Marlins, he played with Delgado, Paul Lo Duca, Moises Alou and Luis Castillo. There were lots of hugs before the game.

The Mets traded for Conine after Damion Easley severely sprained his left ankle Saturday, an injury that will probably force him to miss the remainder of the season.

Manager Willie Randolph said Conine would take the place of Easley as a top right-handed-hitting reserve and could also see action at first base.

Delgado started last night for the first time since Aug. 15, and played first base. Conine began the game on the bench.

"Losing a guy like Easley is not easy," Randolph said. "Jeff comes in with a lot of experience. He's a winner."

Conine, who won two World Series rings with Florida, reiterated yesterday that he intended to retire after the season. He said he was not shocked to be traded this late in the season; it has happened to him three times in the past five years.

"He's a great teammate," Alou said. "We only played one year together in Florida but we've been friends ever since. He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met in the game."

VALENTÍN REMAINS HOPEFUL José Valentín, who has been on the disabled list since July 21 with a broken right leg, said yesterday that he still hoped to return this season.

Valentín, who spoke while clutching crutches in the Mets' clubhouse, said his doctor would examine him Aug. 30 to determine if he could begin rehabilitation. If that were to happen, he said, he would attempt to return by the third week of September, an ambitious timetable.

If the doctor says he is not ready, Valentín said he would have surgery on his knee to take care of an prior injury.

"Definitely it feels a lot better now," said Valentín, who will become a free agent after the season. "Now I still got my crutches, but I'm not using it too much like I used to before. I can walk without it. I'm just riding the bike every day and continuing to work out my upper body. That's the only thing I can do right now."

Valentín said he still felt sore but there was no swelling in the leg.

MARTíNEZ NOT QUITE READY The Mets' bullpen coach, Guy Conti, said Pedro Martínez would probably throw a bullpen session today or tomorrow and make his next rehabilitation start Sunday. General Manager Omar Minaya would not confirm the timetable but indicated that the Mets were close to making a decision regarding the next step for Martínez.

Martínez made his third start in the minors on Monday, allowing two hits and no earned runs in five innings in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"You're always going to kind of be a little guarded when a guy's coming back from surgery," Manager Willie Randolph said. "But you like what you're hearing and I can't wait to see him. He's getting close."

To make room on their 40-man roster for Jeff Conine, who was traded from the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, the Mets transferred Martínez to the 60-day disabled list from the 15-day disabled list. The move was just a formality and did not affect Martínez's rehabilitation schedule.

In other injury-related news, Randolph said Endy Chávez, who has been sidelined since June 7 with a strained left hamstring, could rejoin the Mets by the end of the week.