Is there any accountability where the Mets are concerned? That seems to be the overwhelming sentiment after it was confirmed that Terry Collins would be returning for his fifth year as Mets manager.
With his 301-342 record as skipper of the Mets in tow, Collins will once again be charged with the pursuit of a 90 win season. Last Spring “it wasn’t a goal,” says Sandy Alderson, but in 2015 “it absolutely is” he added last week.
For those of you that believed Collins deserved to manage the team when it became a playoff contender, your wish is granted. But I’ll tell you one thing, he’ll have the shortest leash of any manager heading into the 2015 season.
If the Mets don’t hit the ground running in April, Collins will be gone as early as May or June. If his team starts emitting that 75 win feel early on, heads are gonna roll. There won’t be any “It’s only May” pity parties this time.
Sandy Alderson’s first order of business after he was endowed with three more years to continue on as Mets GM, was to ensure the fans that Terry would be back. He was hot and heavy with all the platitudes and stopped just short of canonizing Collins for sainthood.
“He’s energetic,” Alderson said of Collins on Tuesday. “He’s passionate. His work ethic is second to none. And I think this translates extraordinarily well into his leadership of the team…It has been a pleasure to watch how the team has responded to Terry. I’m very pleased he’s going to be back with us. We’re fortunate to continue to have Terry into 2015.”
Collins and Alderson are now joined at the hip.
Everything is riding on this decision. No more wait until next years. It’s year one of that glorious run of sustainable success we’ve all been patiently waiting for. Anything less than a wild card in 2015 will be deemed a massive failure. A big fail for Terry, and an even bigger one for Sandy.
