NEW YORK -- There was at least some cruel coincidence to the fact that the Alumni Classic at Citi Field, a fun diversion pitting Mets from the 2000s against their counterparts from the 2010s, took place Saturday of all days. Later that afternoon, the current Mets, losers of seven straight, were scheduled to continue bailing water from their rapidly sinking season.

In the owner’s box, members of the 2007 Mets -- authors of one of the most historic collapses in Major League history -- would be on hand to watch.

“Going back to that time and thinking about what I can say to a team that is going through the same,” former outfielder Carlos Beltrán ruminated, “I would say, ‘Just go for it. Don’t limit yourself. Don’t be timid. Just be aggressive. Be who you are.’

“At the end of the day, you ar

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