Don't Mess with Terry Collins

Last week, a friend called me from the Mets-Marlins game to tell me he had witnessed something that he had never seen in four years of going to Mets Spring Training games. Between innings, Manager Terry Collins had trotted onto the field to talk to one of the umpires. But instead of the jovial chat that you would expect between a manager and umpire this time of the year, Collins appeared to be engaged in a heated argument, at least by early March standards.

That story got me thinking that Collins is exactly what the Mets need.

I’ll be honest. When Collins was first hired as Manager, I was extremely skeptical. First of all, I had never heard of him. Secondly, I was hoping Wally Backman would get the job, and I’m usually against the hiring of older, mostly unsuccessful retreads anyway. Then I heard about how Angels players had petitioned their front office to fire Collins in 1999, which made me hate the hire even more.

But after hearing that story and seeing the words “fiery” and “intense” in just about every article I’ve read about Collins, the man has grown on me. Even in Spring Training workouts he appears to be demanding maximum effort from his players. They may just be saying it, but several players have noted how excited Collins has made them for the upcoming season with his high energy and little-league style pep talks. He seems like the type of manager that will bench a player for not running hard, and order his pitcher to brush back a hitter who is leaning over the plate.

At the very least, Collins brings a personality and attitude to the Mets dugout that they have not had in years. The last three Mets managers were about as exciting as Twitter was before Charlie Sheen signed up. Art Howe was practically asleep in the dugout at all times, Willie Randolph tried to instill the Yankees’ corporate way, and Jerry Manuel laughed and philosophized more than he ever yelled any anybody.

Of course, whether or not Collins’ fiery personality actually leads to the Mets winning remains to be seen. After all, that same intensity supposedly led to his downfall in his previous positions. But I think Collins’ managerial style is needed by this Mets team, one that is mostly devoid of outspoken, type-A personalities. Wright is the ultimate choir boy, Reyes always seems care-free, Beltran rarely talks, Bay is just a good ole’ Canadian, and Santana (golf course allegations aside) does and says all the right things. Each of these players is dedicated to winning and being great, but aside from K-Rod, none of the Mets big name players would ever be described as “fiery”.

With Collins at the helm, I think the Mets will finally show that they have life again. There will be no more tolerance for the sloppy play, or awkwardly laughing off a loss at the post-game press conference. If the Mets fail this season, it will be because of a lack of talent instead of poor fundamentals or lackadaisical attitudes.

Maybe we'll even see a Mets throw up and in at Howard or Utley for once. You just never know with the fiery, intense Terry Collins leading the way.