A week after the New York Mets officially introduced Terry Collins as the 20th manager in franchise history, David Wright visited him at Citi Field and came away impressed.Collins already had scripted Wright's spring training at-bat schedule and outlined goals for the third baseman to accomplish during the Grapefruit League."I knew that it was going to probably be pretty good the first time I talked to him -- just hearing his excitement and how he had spring training already mapped out," Wright says. "It was kind of a tell-tale sign of the passion and how much thought he has actually put into this job even when he just got it."
Right-hander Mike Pelfrey had a similar winter experience with Collins during a visit to Citi Field with teammates, during a week of charitable activities in New York by select Mets players."He brought us into the clubhouse in January and started going over relays and stuff like that," Pelfrey says. "I was like, 'Man.' I started getting adrenaline. He was ready. He was already thinking about it. He loves the game of baseball, and it's pretty cool."For the first time since 1999 with the Angels, the 61-year-old Collins will manage a major league game Friday, as the Mets open the season against the Florida Marlins in Miami.
As for his preparedness, the manager says: "I've done it a long time. Let's face it. When I got this job, obviously, I gave it a lot of thought. I wanted to make sure the guys understood that I was prepared."While managing the Houston Astros from 1994-96 and then the Angels the following three seasons, Collins' teams finished in second place in their division five of six years. His final two Astros teams each had five players steal 20 or more bases, so Collins figures to utilize the speed atop his Mets lineup, even if the front office is more into on-base percentage and is not a believer in steals as a productive way to win games."I'm all for on-base percentage, because it's very, very important," Collins says. "But you've got to go with players' strengths. When you've got the likes of [Jose] Reyes, [Angel] Pagan, David can run, sometimes you've got to get yourself in scoring position. I still think you've got to use those strengths, because that's what got those guys here."While Collins displayed intensity all spring, he has vowed not to be over the top and grate on players, as was the case in his previous two managerial gigs.
Collins instituted a Sunday night bowling league for Mets players during spring training to build camaraderie. And he regularly roamed the clubhouse engaging players in conversations.He also afforded veterans the utmost respect, even those who may not have merited it. For instance, Collins allowed now-departed Oliver Perez to audition as a starting pitcher because the left-hander requested it, rather than just automatically assigning him to the bullpen competition from the outset of camp. And rather than simply reassign Carlos Beltran to right field, Collins let Beltran come to that conclusion on his own, averting a potentially thorny situation.Of course, it is a lot calmer before the season starts. It will be interesting to see if Collins' demeanor changes should losses mount. But, Collins says, he is ready for any media onslaught. His time managing the Orix Buffaloes in Japan in 2007 and '08 helped in that regard."I couldn't walk down the street in Japan without being stopped for a photo," Collins says. "Or you walk into a restaurant and everyone's heads are turning. Just in Osaka alone, you had seven sports newspapers, let alone Kobe and Tokyo and everybody else that's sending people onto the scene. So I kind of got used to that over there."This spring training, Mets players got a kick out of Collins' speech the morning of the first full-squad workout. His enthusiasm overflowing, Collins' face got redder and redder as he pumped up the players and primed them for spring training."His voice carries," Pelfrey says. "I'm not talking about him yelling, because I haven't heard him yell yet. When he talks, his voice carries and there's that true sense of, 'Hey, I'm in charge here, and we're going to play it the right way.'"He brings, obviously, a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, a lot of knowledge. He places a big emphasis on fundamentals of the game. That's one area that we haven't been very good at the last couple of years. I think there's going to be a huge improvement in that area. And I think the players are going to feed off his energy. It seems like this camp has been really positive. Guys come in, bust their tail and get out of here. I think that's great." (By Adam Rubin)
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