Hey, at least the Mets weren’t beaten by Brian Bannister. And if that sounds like a desperate way of looking at a Tuesday that saw Scott Schoeneweis, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Heilman recall their shoddy performances from last September, wait ’til you read what Newsday’s super-sneery Wally Matthews had to say about the Mets losing their home opener, 5-2 to the Phillies.

Granted, the Phillies won, but as long as you don’t measure success by the final score, there were plenty of positives to take home.

Rick Astley got some airplay. Jimmy Rollins got hurt. It was sunny. And even though Tuesday felt a lot less like the start of something new than a continuation of something old, you just know it can get only better.

So seize on the bright moments, like Oliver Perez’s first five innings or Carlos Delgado’s first two at-bats. Marvel at how much better dingy old Shea looks with the brick façade of Citi Field rising behind it. Think of how much more comfortable you will be there next year.

There’s really no point in quibbling over minor matters, such as whether, instead of spending $800 million on a new ballpark, the Mets might have been better off just building a new wall and buying themselves some relief pitchers.

Why waste time wondering, as Willie Randolph did, if the new structure might be working against his team, “knocking down” well-hit balls, such as the two scalded by David Wright, which in previous years might have been home runs?

How many more times will Pedro Feliciano, detained by a family emergency, arrive at the park in the seventh inning? Probably never, which means you won’t have to see much more of Scott Schoeneweis.

On a completely unrelated note, do you think Francisco Cordero noticed Eric Gagne has an ERA of 12.00 through his first 3 appearances?