Baseball's regular season is nearly over. When it ends, so too will Terry Collins' reign as New York Mets manager. A change can't happen too soon, either, so far as most are concerned.
Newsday's Marc Carig has an exhaustive report outlining the complaints lobbied against Collins, including his inability to manage a bullpen and seeming apathy toward young and non-star players. Carig also confirms rumors from the past that Sandy Alderson had repeatedly attempted to fire Collins throughout his time as manager only to be shut down by ownership:
Mets owner Fred Wilpon repeatedly protected manager Terry Collins, even as chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and general manager Sandy Alderson sought the manager's dismissal at various points during his tenure, an example of rifts that resurfaced as a season of promise slipped away, according to more than a dozen team insiders interviewed by Newsday.
Collins was dealt a tough hand this season, as the Mets suffered through injury after injury. But the case against him extends beyond one season. Besides, there's sufficient reason to think he's a below-average skipper in every way, from his tactical choices to his ability to negotiate a big-league clubhouse to maintaining a good rapport with his front office.
Because Collins forged an alliance with the team owner, he's been able to hang around since 2011. In fact, he's managed the most games in franchise history -- more than 100 additional games than either Davey Johnson or Bobby Valentine were afforded. Naturally, Collins is the only of the three with a losing record. The Mets have won just 48.6 percent of the games they've played with him as manager.
