Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya sat side by side at the press conference. The issue, though, is whether the Mets' GM and manager are really together. The Mets announced their new hitting coach yesterday, naming first-base coach Howard Johnson to the position to replace fired Rick Down. But Randolph and Minaya had to answer questions about their professional relationship and whether Down's firing has strained it. Down was fired Wednesday, and Minaya and Randolph disagreed on that call. The GM exerted his authority, with Randolph on Thursday calling the firing "an organizational decision." He also said Thursday he told Minaya: "I said that if you want to make the decision, you're the general manager. You can make that decision." Minaya and Randolph each insisted yesterday their relationship was strong, with the GM denying there was any strain.