Interim Mets manager Jerry Manuel is already making us miss the Willie Randolph's reticence with the media. Since he took over the helm at Shea six days ago, he's tastelessly joked about knifing Jose Reyes ("I'm a gangster!" he boasted), and called Reyes "she" instead of "he." And yesterday, according to the Post, he set his sights on fans. When reporters asked him about the boos that reliever Aaron Heilman received from the stadium, Manuel used an, um, unflattering metaphor. "It's fertile ground for a team's growth and development," he said. "Sometimes, fertile ground has fertilizer." Wait … a … minute … Is he saying that we're just a bunch of cow poop!? Filled with minerals and organic nutrients? Well, not quite. According to the Daily News, who also had a reporter present, Manuel was careful to preface his fertilizer comment: "I hope y’all don’t take this wrong," he said, explaining that he just meant that the energy on the field and the challenges from fans would be good for Heilman. "Don’t y’all take that wrong because I know what you’re going to do with it," he laughed. Accordingly, most papers didn't run an inflammatory spin on it. Except the Post, of course, which ran a cover with the giant headline: "$#!T HITS THE FANS."

Which, you have to admit, is pretty funny.

NEW MANAGER RIPS DUNG-HO MET FANS [NYP]
Manuel not knocking fans with comment [NYDN]