Even now, Jerry Manuel loves to joke about his job status. He jokes about getting 10-year extensions. He jokes about being back next season. He jokes about never taking off his uniform, a cheeky reference to Omar Minaya's promise that he would never fire a man in uniform. As of Wednesday, a year has passed since Minaya waited until Willie Randolph changed out of his Mets uniform to dismiss him while most of New York was sleeping. A year has passed, and Manuel is still the Mets' manager. Only now does he feel safe taking off his uniform. 'I feel like I've been here for 10 years,' Manuel said before Tuesday night's 6-4 win against the Orioles. 'I told somebody today, every month I age five.' Managing the Mets does that to people. Like his predecessor, Manuel presided over a September implosion. Unlike Randolph, Manuel did not emerge as a focal point afterward. He was undercut by a ragged bullpen last year, and this season he has been left short-handed by a glut of injuries that has sapped the team's top speed (Jose Reyes) and power (Carlos Delgado) players, as well as two starting pitchers (Oliver Perez and John Maine). Under Manuel's stewardship, though, the Mets have gone 88-67 since last June 17, and their .568 winning percentage is seventh best in the majors, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. And they are now, as they were when last season ended, stuck in second place in the National League East behind Philadelphia. Manuel has made hundreds of decisions and nearly as many pitching changes. As he noted last weekend at Yankee Stadium, he has seen about everything over the last year. But he has not reflected on his portfolio, adding quickly that he should. Asked to assign a grade, he said, 'I give myself an E all the time for effort.' Injecting humor into his interaction with players and the news media has distinguished Manuel from Randolph, who was often defensive and guarded with reporters, but it is hardly the only example. As Randolph's bench coach, Manuel developed solid relationships with many players, and the support he engendered within the clubhouse eased the transition. Players appreciate that Manuel has fewer rules, takes a more hands-on instructional approach and argues calls more often (he has been thrown out three times this season). They have grown accustomed to his calculated comments in the news media. 'Jerry's a very smart man,' Brian Schneider said. 'He'll never just blurt anything out for the sake of blurting it out. He'll always let you know what he's thinking, and as a player that's a good thing. You always like to know where you stand.' But Manuel has also been criticized -- fairly, he acknowledged Tuesday -- for his inconsistency. He has fulfilled his promise of being more fluid with the lineup, sometimes at the detriment of continuity. For instance, a few weeks ago, he did not start the struggling Daniel Murphy the night after he had five runs batted in. Murphy, Ryan Church and Fernando Tatis have all suffered this season as Manuel has tried to distribute playing time. 'I would say to a degree, yes, that's a fair criticism,' Manuel said, adding: 'I can see where people say, 'Hey, you don't have the same lineup, he's been inconsistent, he's been whatever, whatever, guys don't know where they bat,' and that's OK I can understand that, I can understand that. But again, it doesn't go without a thought process or preparation.' When Minaya removed the interim tag last October, Manuel said he would focus on improving the Mets' situational hitting and fundamentals. An 80-pitch curveball drill in spring training instilled the importance of making contact, and they entered Tuesday batting .279 with runners in scoring position, tops in the N.L. But they have committed a seemingly endless stream of costly errors, physical and mental, that are his responsibility. Injuries have forced Manuel to mix and match more often than he would prefer and have also tested his in-game decision-making. Without Delgado, the Mets have shown a greater aggressiveness on the base paths. Without Reyes, Manuel has asked players like David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Alex Cora and Church to run more often. 'It's been tough because the things that you implement in spring are designed to get the core to another level,' Manuel said. 'And, obviously, you know if you can get them to another level, everybody is going to come up.' With Reyes and Delgado expected back, Manuel said the Mets had time to reach that level. But if the Mets miss the playoffs again, Manuel may have to revert to old habits and sleep in his uniform. He is signed through next season, but, he said, 'One thing about New York, you've got to win, you've got to win.' 'I think I need five more years,' Manuel said. 'If I get another five years I think I can figure this thing out. It's going to take me awhile.' 