My lips are moving and the sound’s coming out.
The words are audible but I have my doubts
That you realize what has been said.
You look at me as if you’re in a daze.
It’s like the feeling at the end of the page
When you realize you don’t know what you just read.
What are words for, when no one listens anymore?
What are words for, when no one listens…
What are words for, when no one listens, it’s no use talking at all.
– Words by Missing Persons
A week after telling his clubhouse to lighten up and turn on the music, manager Terry Collins did an about face on Thursday, threatening his players that either they start getting serious or they’ll be replaced by someone in Las Vegas.
“I know one thing, starting Friday, we’re back fresh… We’re gonna get after it here. Those who don’t want to get after it, I’ll find somebody else that does. In Las Vegas, there’s a whole clubhouse full of guys who want to sit in this room and I’ll find them. That’s all I have to say… I’m done.”
Collins’ four minute rant came after his lifeless team turned in another “dead from the neck up” performance in an embarrassing 9-0 loss to the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks who completed a three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field.
The hometown fans at Citi booed the team off the field as they fell to .500 on the season for the first time since they were 7-7 back on April 20.
Noah Syndergaard started the game for the Mets and struggled with his commend, poise, and holding runners on, leading to an early shower after five innings and departing with the D’Backs up 3-0.
But the young Mets’ right-hander was far from the problem this afternoon. Every pitcher is entitled to a bad game. What was most concerning to me was the body language and lack of urgency from everyone else on the team.
The way Jay Bruce played that drive to the wall, the way a slow grounder went through Matt Reynolds‘ legs, the non-throw to second and the passed ball by Rene Rivera, not covering third base by Kelly Johnson, not stepping on first base by Josh Edgin, the implosion by Jon Niese… I can go on and on.
It was an appalling effort, cringe worthy at times, and it looked to me like the entire team has finally quit on Terry Collins. Every single one of them.
And you know what? I think Terry Collins knows it and what we saw in this postgame press conference was him making a last ditch effort to save his job – a job he should have lost several times over in the last six weeks for numerous and obvious indictments.
It’s too late for false outrage and crocodile tears. This team is what the record says it is and that’s a .500 team that is a shell of the team we saw last October… Those Mets were an exciting team that had lots of heart, lots of character, and an ability to come through again and again and again in the clutch.
I won’t drag you into another one of my fire Terry Collins tirades, I already did that last week. But if you still think this team does not need a new voice, a new direction, and some new leadership, nothing else I say will convince you otherwise. So keep on watching and keep on believing.
But as for me, I’ll continue watching and I’ll continue hoping that the front office will turn to Double-A Binghamton manager Pedro Lopez to take over this Mets team and try to salvage what is left of this once promising season. Nobody in the Mets system is more highly regarded, more capable, and more deserving to manage in the big leagues.
Nobody cares what Terry Collins has to say. Nobody is listening to him anymore. His team has tuned him out.
If you missed tonight’s presser by Collins, here it is:
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