The Johan Santana euphoria took a back seat last night in New York sports as the Giants led by Eli Manning became Super Bowl Champions. Congratulations to the Giants. Their inspiring drive through the playoffs and their unswerving belief in themselves should be a lesson for a certain baseball team in Flushing who start back to work on the new season next week.

What a contrast in study when you compare the end of the Mets season last September to the end of the Giants season that concluded last evening. I hope every Mets player was watching the Super Bowl played last night. There stood a team, the Giants, which desired to win more than New England. They wanted that ring more than Tampa Bay, more than Dallas, and more than Green Bay. The Giants exemplified a team of talented players who on paper do not necessarily compare to the best in the game. But in execution, every player to a man wanted to win and would not accept defeat.

One thing is clear as a new baseball season is soon upon us. The Mets, on paper, have the talent to win it all this year. Like the Giants, they too could be riding up the Canyon of Heroes some nine months from now. However, to do so will require something more than the stats listed on the roster sheet. The Mets will need to focus on winning. They must desire to do anything and everything necessary to win every day. They can’t lose interest or focus just because a second division team is coming to town. The Mets must show the same spirit we saw the New York Giants display over the last couple of months.

The Mets learned a heart braking lesson last season. Now they soon begin a new one where they have made changes including the acquisition of baseball’s best starting pitcher. There can be no excuses. It’s difficult to assume they’ll win, but the effort they show in 2008 should be nothing less than that of a champion.

No one understands this more than Mets third baseman David Wright. It’s hard to imagine any Met player wanting to win more than David who is a huge Giants fan. I can imagine last night, as the Giants celebrated on the field, Wright was ecstatic. Also I would bet the house that thoughts ran through his mind that this should have been the scene last October, a scene where he and his Mets teammates celebrated. Another thought told him he won’t let his team fail this year. Like Eli Manning who clearly became the Giants leader this year, Wright is poised to be the same for the Mets.

There is great work to be done. In eleven days, pitchers and catchers report. From that point forward to late October, baseball will be played. If the Mets take care of business and do the things they are capable of, they too can stand as giants when it’s all over.