Terry Collins has been killed by Mets fans over the past few years and rightfully so in some cases, but that was then and with an inadequate ball club. Now that Terry has all the right pieces in place, he has excelled and continues to lead this team to a sizeable division lead with only three weeks left in the regular season.
Collins has been rejuvenated by this team, and has even been surprised by his own players, especially after the Mets came all the way back to win the second game against the Nationals 8-7 on Tuesday night.
“The thought in my mind was, You’ve gotta be kidding me. We’re going to tie this game? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
They did more than tie it as we all know. Aside from seventh inning issues, Collins has pulled great moves when it comes to who to pinch hit and when, as Captain Kirk and Kelly Johnson both provided devastating blows against the Washington Nationals this week alone.
The Mets manager has scoffed at reports that these Mets are still trying to exercise the demons of season’s past. This is not that team he argued.
“We’re legitimate, this is not a fluke”, stated Collins.
TC has helped keep this team loose, energetic and ready to go every game throughout the dog days of Summer and he has avoided the general second half let downs of previous Mets seasons.
Collins has also proven he can manage in big situations and be successful doing so. He had earned the right to get a real team this season, and he certainly deserved to show he had what it takes to lead a good team to the promised land. And he’s doing just that.
Terry Collins has managed the Mets for five years now with a total record currently of 382-405. Believe it or not this puts TC third on the Mets list of all-time managers in wins behind Davey Johnson (595) and Bobby Valentine (536), both of whom took the Metropolitans to a World Series. Is Terry next?
And here’s another question for you… Is Terry the NL Manager of the Year? Well if the chatter on MLB Network was any indication, the answer is absolutely yes. It’s between him and Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs.
In fact, here’s a nugget from Bob Nightengale of USA Today. An MLB Executive told him about Collins: “They spent all year trying to run him out of town. They should give him a key to the city.”
