The temptation is to say there they go again. The Florida Marlins are dismantling their team yet again, and this time they didn’t even win the World Series.

They did it the first time in 1997, starting just hours after they won the World Series. For their next act they demolished the team that won the 2003 World Series, though they waited longer before committing the dastardly deed.

The Marlins, however, say this is not Demolition III. The appearance, they say, is deceiving. But they have created the appearance by shedding players with lightning-like speed.

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The Mets are in denial, or they are engaged in revisionist history or they are deluding themselves. They need to fix their bullpen, and the sooner they deal in reality, the more likely they will be able to make the necessary corrections.

Maybe it’s all a misunderstanding. Maybe Jerry Manuel, the Mets manager, is working from an outdated script. Maybe general manager Omar Minaya hasn’t told Manuel he can be candid in talking to reporters about the team’s bullpen problems.

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There was much ado the other day about a newspaper report regarding Mark Cuban’s chances of buying the Chicago Cubs. The report in the Chicago Sun-Times quoted a Major League Baseball source as saying there was “zero chance.”

But the source, who was quoted anonymously, of course, was talking without having any actual knowledge of the situation involving Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and bidder for the Cubs. How do I know that? Because I read the rest of the source’s comment: “There’s no way Bud and the owners are going to let that happen.”

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