Collins starting to make Mets believe
New York Mets manager Terry Collins watches from the dugout during the ninth inning of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco. (July 9, 2011) Credit: AP
SAN FRANCISCO -- General manager Sandy Alderson described the "different kind of persona" exuded by these Mets as he spoke before Sunday night's game against the Giants.
With the All-Star break only a few hours away, the Mets already had guaranteed a winning record for the season's first half. But Alderson believed that something more far-reaching had been established in the last 31/2 months, given the Mets' significant injuries and 5-13 start.
"Being over .500 to this point is not something we're happy with," he said. "But having achieved that as a floor, if you will, that's a positive. So it's not where we want to settle, but at the same time, I think it's a positive."
Given the losses of Johan Santana, David Wright, Ike Davis and Jose Reyes, Alderson should be allowed to grade on a curve. Then consider that the Mets had a 41-31 record since April 21.
The pre-Alderson Mets, at least since the 2006 march to Game 7 of the NLCS, were known for September collapses and midseason swoons. When the Omar Minaya-Jerry Manuel regime was replaced last year, Alderson was expected to bring a culture change as well, and the he suggested that some of that "negativity" has been squashed.
"I think the perception is different," Alderson said. "I hope the reality is different, too. But an important thing is the perception is different, and often you don't move perception without changing reality. So I think both things have changed somewhat."
Alderson and the players agree that Terry Collins has been one of the most significant factors in that shift.
Collins seemed to be on the verge of another meltdown June 1 when he lashed out toward his team during a televised postgame news conference. In hindsight, that explosion was more than just a chance for him to express his boiling frustration in a public forum. A few moments earlier, before reaching the podium, he had berated his players, and the message was received loud and clear.
"These guys are baseball players, but they're also human beings," he said. "They have emotions, and those emotions can be tested at times. The minute you buy into stuff negativity-wise, you're going to get defeated. You're going to defeat yourself.''
Collins said if he didn't truly believe what he preached, the players would look at him and think, "This guy is an idiot." But it hasn't been an act -- from occasional locker visits with players to showing his emotions.
His greatest challenge was to infuse confidence in his struggling club, regardless of its rash of injuries, and he succeeded. "That was my whole thing," he said. "When these guys finally understood that, we finally said, 'We are good enough.' If I make a double play, it turns the game. I make a pitch on the outside corner in a big situation, it helps us win a game. If I move along a runner into scoring position, it's going to help us win a game. That's what they've done."
Collins went on to say how two players spoke with him after that June 1 meeting to tell the manager that his kick in the pants was exactly what the team needed. One was Carlos Beltran, who has endorsed Collins' message on the field by putting together an unexpected All-Star season. Said Beltran, "He's done a great job with everyone -- younger guys, rookie guys -- trying to make them believe and understand the reason they're here is because they belong here."
