Stop the presses! The Mets have hired Dave Jauss as their bench coach for 2010!

I can envision people dancing in the streets upon hearing this extraordinary news.

Seriously, though, it’s an interesting choice. Clearly, Jauss is

In a stunning move that is certain to change the fortunes of the Mets and culture in the clubhouse, first-base coach Luis Alicea and bench coach Sandy Alomar, Sr. were relieved of their duties.

What percentage of Mets fans, do you think, actually knew the name of the team’s first-base coach?

Of the entire coaching staff, those were the last two people I thought would get the ax. But perhaps on further review of the video, we may see that the Mets hitters did a terrible job of rounding the first base bag and getting good leads. And it IS the little things that win and lose ballgames.

In related news, Razor Shines, Dan Warthen, Howard Johnson, and Randy Niemann will all be back in 2010 — though Shines will not return in the same role of third-base coach.

Shame about Alicea — he had finally earned himself a Wikipedia entry.