MMO Roundtable: Has This Team Quit On Terry Collins?

Has this team quit on Terry Collins? Should he keep his job after the season? That was the question I posed to our mighty staff this morning as we consider Terry Collins’ performance this season, the recent collapse, and his future moving forward.

Clare Lafferty – I think that the team is just like the fans – frustrated at the level of play since the All Star break. Terry Collins has done a fine job with this team and he should be back next year. Yes, we are stumbling right now, but TC kept this team playing over their heads the first half of the season. As much as we love our team, we certainly don’t have the talent that other front running teams have. Collins is trying to get the best from what he has.

Rob Silverman – I dont think the team has quit on Terry Collins as much as they’ve quit on themselves. And the fans, too. That being said, I personally feel Collins has done a very good job considering the hand he’s been dealt the last 2 seasons. 2011 was spent with Jose Reyes staring at the calendar waiting for a contract offer that never really came. Now, we are facing the same situation this year with Wright and Dickey. It’s impossible to manage a team when players are waiting eagerly to get out of town and get to a winner. Since the Mets are “rebuilding” then we owe it to Collins to stay on board until we are ready to put a competitive team on the field.

Mike Barrett – Yes it has to some degree and no it hasn’t. I think it has quit on the basic fundamentals of baseball, which is something Terry has always promised his team would do. I believe Terry will be back because he deserves a chance to manage a team that has actual major league talent on the roster. One thing that could sway that decision is what happens to Mike Scioscia after this year. If he is let go by the Angels, he could be an interesting and very good choice for manager if the Mets are looking for a change.

Dan Valis – Yes he should keep his job. The team has not quit, they simply aren’t that good. They played over their heads in the first half. This is what they were all along. It was just masked by the ridiculous performances of Wright, Dickey and the hot starts by Santana and Nieuwenhuis. Not to mention all the two outs hits we had. There was no way that could continue either.

Joe Spector – It sure looks like that. Of course everyone wants to blame somebody and there’s plenty of blame to go around but the bottom line, the players who played well early in the seaon simply fell apart after the All-Star break. The players need to look at themselves in the mirror before they want to lay blame at coaches or management.

Jessep – Here’s one thing that irks me to no end. The idea that the team quit “because” the front office quit on them. Here’s why that irks me. If you say that or believe it – then you’re telling me that the Mets themselves didn’t believe they were good enough to compete in 2012. If that’s the case then it’s more of an indictment on the roster than anybody else. If you’re telling me they did so poorly because the Mets didn’t get 1 new player, then all you’re telling me is the roster had less belief in themselves than any of us. The problem with whether they quit on him is they are showing us what everybody thought they were. You got a AAA catcher, and a AAA outfield. Now you have a guy in Murphy who is “tired,” which to me says “I’m still not ready to be an everyday player.” You have so many holes that in the course of a 162 game season – the cream rises to the top. They didn’t quit – they just were never good enough for the long haul. This idea that if the Mets went out and got let’s say Jon Broxton that everything would be okay is laughable. They needed more than 1 new player. Remember before the all-star break I said we will find out if the 2012 Mets are the 2011 Pirates or the 2011 Diamondbacks. Both unexpected over-achieving 1st half teams. We now have our answer. 2011 Pirates who won 72 games.

Satish Ram – The team has quit, but not necessarily on Collins. I think they just feel betrayed – their hearts have been ripped out. Collins is not the manager of the future, but he is the manager of the supposed transition period. I think he deserves to stay another year considering, as I’ve beaten to death, I don’t think we’re going to contend next year.

Rob Patterson – I’m not sure the team has quit so much as they’ve run out of gas. Collins had the roster playing at a high level for so long, and that had to take something out of the tank for later in the year. How they finish will determine Collins’ fate. If they show fight, he’s safe, but if they fade by way of terrible fundamentals and a lack of hustle, Terry may not make his third season as Mets manager.

Nick Campione – The team has not quit on Terry but I believe some players have become very lazy especially Andres Torres and Jordany Valdespin. It seems with some players when they get into trouble and are struggling, they seem to give up. Those are the players I would make sure arent on my team in 2013. I do believe though with the young players we have here, Terry is the best manager for them. Dan Warthen and maybe even Dave Hudgens should be fired though.

Joe D. – Apparently, a source told the NY Post that Terry Collins’ job is safe for 2013. In the history of New York sports that has always translated into a preamble to an imminent firing at the end of the season and not really the vote of confidence it would appear to be. Especially when it is tied to the message of “Don’t finish in last place, or else.” If you took the play of the Mets, Phillies and Marlins in August as a Litmus test for how the final standings will shake out, the Mets will indeed finish in last place and the front office knows that. They basically challenged Collins to a duel but when they handed out the pistols the forgot to put any bullets in Terry’s revolver. Some may say he’ll be a scapegoat, but I view Terry more as the sacrificial lamb. He will pay the price for the sins of the front office. Who know’s, Collins could ultimately become the replacement for Davey Johnson who wants to settle into a front office job with the Nationals. Now won’t that be fun?