Davidoff: Collins can solve clubhouse issues

The clubhouse. Tell us about the clubhouse.

Everyone always wants to know about the Mets' clubhouse.

And now that the Mets have hired the ultra-intense Terry Collins as manager, the clubhouse comes into focus once more.

"I was not in the clubhouse [in 2010]," Collins said Tuesday at Citi Field. "Never was."

"Well . . . I haven't actually been in this clubhouse," Sandy Alderson said. "So whether they have to change or not for me is somewhat irrelevant."

OK, but it's incumbent upon Collins to get the lay of the land so he knows what challenges lie ahead. To answer the questions: How much of a problem has the Mets' clubhouse been in recent seasons? What can be done to address this?

If he speaks to the right people, Collins will probably arrive at the two most important answers:

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1. It's not as bad as advertised.

2. Two of the greatest solutions - the imposition of a real organizational structure and the dismissal of longtime clubhouse manager Charlie Samuels - already have been executed.

The Mets have a nucleus of players who are considered extremely coachable and adaptable. Think Jason Bay, Angel Pagan, Mike Pelfrey, David Wright and the young players from 2010 (Ike Davis, Jonathon Niese and Josh Thole).

Jose Reyes represents a challenge because of the belief, by some teammates and superiors, that he still doesn't fully grasp what it means to be a winning player. But he works hard and wants to stay in New York, and Collins has a chance to make him a better player.

The greater obstacle is Carlos Beltran, who probably doesn't want to be a Met anymore. Not that we blame him, after the way the Mets pushed him to play through serious injury in 2009 and threw a public stink when he opted for surgery earlier this year.

Neither Collins nor Alderson had anything to do with that, so they'll have to find a way to ensure that he not only plays well, but also works on his poutiness that became more prevalent upon his July return. Teammates took notice when Beltran blew off pregame stretching. That's the sort of item that Collins can address.

And he can address it more easily because he'll have support. Remember what happened when Willie Randolph benched Reyes for not running out a grounder? Reyes sulked, and Mets vice president Tony Bernazard worked to curry favor with Reyes at Randolph's expense.

Which brings us to our second point. Even if Jerry Manuel hadn't been so easygoing, he would've had no juice in trying to bring about more order. Both he and Omar Minaya were operating against the clock. Collins - with a two-year contract, we grant you - can at least function knowing that players can't ignore him or go above or around him.

Which brings us to Samuels. As David Lennon pointed out to me, Samuels provided these Mets players with an extra layer of insulation from the real world. He coddled them in a way you don't see on other teams. That's one less toxin about which Collins must worry.

Collins spoke of appointing players as team leaders, and being accessible, and stopping Reyes' dancing if it causes a pitcher to drill him. All good things.

As Alderson said: "The question is whether Terry can establish the proper atmosphere and develop the kind of chemistry that's necessary to get more out of a team. And we certainly feel he can do that."

Collins couldn't do that with the 1999 Angels, and this represents his first chance since then. The good news for him is, before he makes his first spring-training speech, he'll have a better situation than Manuel ever did.