New York ? Carlos Beltran and Randy Johnson played in an offseason doubleheader Tuesday, a Cirque de Subway for two crosstown rivals hoping they might meet up again in October.

Beltran, the Mets’ $119 million man, stepped before more than 100 reporters and dozens of cameras at Shea Stadium in the morning. Strobes flashing off his shiny gold watch, he smiled as he spoke in English and Spanish.

Three hours later, in the subterranean Stadium Club at Yankee Stadium, the sometimes irritable Johnson faced an equally large media mob, politely answering questions about his sidewalk confrontation with a television cameraman a day earlier.

East Side, West Side, all around the town, baseball took center stage as freezing rain fell.

Both wore gray, chalkstriped suits, with Beltran sporting a snazzy five-button jacket. Johnson’s was slightly darker and a lot bigger — 46 extra, extra long, to be exact.

Traded from Arizona to the Yankees in a deal that dragged out for weeks, Johnson was greeted with banner front-page headlines about Monday’s flareup.

“BIG JERK” blared one. “PITCHING A FIT” said another.

Johnson opened by saying he was sorry.

“It was unprofessional and, obviously, I feel very foolish today, at such a great moment in my career, that I would have to sit before all of you, or stand before all you, and apologize for my actions. Hopefully, it’s water under the bridge. I hope to do bigger and better things on the field than off the field.”

Earlier in the day, Mayor Michael Bloomberg joked about the clash.

“Randy actually has to sit down with me for some tips on how to deal with the New York City press corps,” he said at a speech.

Beltran, who spurned the Houston Astros on Saturday night, said Pedro Martinez’s decision to sign with the Mets played a part in his decision. The very first question he addressed was about the Yankees, who turned down a chance to sign him for $100 million over six years.

Speaking in the Diamond Club, overlooking a ballfield covered largely by a tarp, Beltran said he was excited about the chance to play for the Mets, trying to overcome their image as New York’s No. 2 team.

“I call it the new Mets because this organization is going to a different direction, the right direction, the direction of winning,” he said.

His wife, Jessica, said they made the decision early Sunday morning at their home in Puerto Rico and were too tired to celebrate after spending hours on the telephone trying to choose. Mets owner Fred Wilpon telephoned her the following day.

Beltran will take No. 15, last worn by Richard Hidalgo. Johnson, his No. 51 already taken by Bernie Williams, inherits No. 41 from Miguel Cairo.

In New York, where even Derek Jeter was jeered during a slump last year, it takes only a miscue or two for fans to turn. Beltran and Johnson aren’t used to this level of scrutiny.

“A lot of people said it was going to be tough for me to play in a city like this,” Beltran said. “Of course, I’m prepared. I know that in this game, when you do well, people love you. When you do bad, people boo you. That’s in every park. I went though that even in Kansas City.”