If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;…snip…
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!
It’s hard not to think about this poem and the Mets this morning, specifically Terry Collins. The Matt Harvey distraction may or may not have contributed to losing two winnable games in Miami but the bottom line is that the Mets enter their biggest series of the season scuffling while the Nationals, thanks to the lowly Braves, come in riding as high as they have all season.
Earlier, there was talk from both fans and the mainstream media about Collins being a leader for Manager of the Year. As someone who has always seen 10 times as many flaws than virtues, this talk seemed utterly ridiculous to me. Proponents have thrown around terms like “they play hard for him” or “he provides a steady hand” or other appeals to those things that cannot be measured.
In the past, the critics of Collins were told, it wasn’t fair to judge him on his record because he didn’t have the horses. Well, few doubt that he has the horses now.
The Mets control their own destiny and all they have to do is not fall apart. Over the next three days, they need to win one game in Washington. Sure, winning two or three would be great. But all they really need to do is win one to stop the downward spiral, to keep from falling apart.
It doesn’t seem unreasonable to ask this particular team to win one game out of three. They could win one game with a dominating pitching start. They could win one game because the offense strings all of the hits together in one or two innings. They could win one game by not shooting themselves in the foot while the other team implodes.
And after they win some in Washington they need to go to Atlanta and continue the Braves’ misery.
It’s go to time for the Mets.
Harvey’s piece in Players’ Tribune was thin. Daily News questions if Scott Boras wrote it.
In any case, if he has a rough outing tomorrow, much will be made of it.
I remain concerned about the dehydration and love-of-partying. It has defeated some. I recall before the Gooden story broke one of the chaplains associated with the team expressed concern about some of Doc’s “new friends” he was hanging around with. The Mets did worry about how Lenny Dykstra might impact young players.
Some party athletes survive it and some don’t.
Harvey loves the spotlight. He loves the drink. He carries high body fat around his face and dehydration and nose bleeds. I hope these are not related, but his trade value could bring a bat. I hope his love of the spotlight keeps him away from Noah and other youngsters. DeGrom seems more grounded.
Zach Wheeler is coming back and this is exciting.
We hope for those who eat, drink and sleep the game.
Michael Conforto’s natural swing makes him the best hitter since David Wright came up.
It is going to be an interesting week for the Metsies.
Jon Niese today? uh oh. Maybe he bounces back.
My doubts about Collins continue, mostly regarding Game Mamagement.
Ey and soup as starters..granted, they won. Was Wright available for the ph yesterday… I feel that was His ab
SPs look a bit tired… they’re a good start away from a nice run… get 2 of 3 versus Nats!
Ok Brian, I’m on the verge of just dumping this team altogether. Can you tell me how the calming influence in the dugout has an opportunity to put his entire lineup out there with everyone “supposedly” available, but Duda isn’t in there and Kelly Johnson is at second? I hope there’s news like “he missed the flight” because I have no trust in this moron to make a rational decision and hard to believe that Alderson doesn’t want to strangle him yet.
You use Game 1 to make a statement and then move some players in, and that only for patsies because Torre or Bochy wouldn’t rest anyone all series; rest against the Braves. Or did Johnson or Herzog play their bench? Unbelievable!
Dear Gus,
As mayor of Panic City, I read your latest concern with the proper level of panic it deserves.
Things get particularly stressful as collapses begin. The real panic comes at about 1:07 pm after we make three easy outs then Jon Niese reaches deep for a 77 mph hanging curve.
The Mayor
LOL
Don’t worry Chris, he promises to not give up five runs in one inning. Of course he was trying to smile on the outside, but on the inside he’s going to be on fire! He’s going to be awesome today!
Damage control at its best: An hour after the lineup comes out, a notification comes out that Duda is available to pinch hit. Well, obviously. But, yesterday he played nine innings and the Mets made sure to say he’d be in the lineup today.
I just have No faith in Collins. I think it’s gotten personal.
I like Kelly Johnson but Duda belongs in the lineup. My guess is that Murphy is hurting and they don’t want to expose Murphy at 2B. So that would mean TC chose a hurting Murphy over Duda, a choice I can’t concur with.
I also believe that winning one game is what should be expected and should not lead to panic city just because the Nats inched one game closer. I think they will win the division in spite of my disagreements with many of TC’s decisions.
Metsense, its better than that. Supposedly, Duda is expected to arrive at noon. This after an early game yesterday at Binghamton, New York! Four hours by car from Washington DC, Wasn’t there a flight from Albany to DC or something? But even at noon, why not get him in there?
I’ve been an angry Mets fan this week. Angry about Boras and Harvey throwing drama into our first penant chase in years. Angry about some awful dugout decisions by Collins costing us games. Angry about Wright, d’Arnaud and others failing to come through in clutch spots. Angry that Nats have come back to life to breathe down our necks. And angry that poor planning has us opening the biggest series of the season with the starting pitcher who’s been strugglin the most. I just assume we are going lose today’s game. But as Brian points out, we just cannot get swept. Lose 2 of 3 and we still have a 3 game lead.
Editor’s Note – Capitals Matt, really?
It’s fascinating how all of this appears to be building to a huge, defining start tomorrow for Matt Harvey.
This season has always been mostly about the starting pitching. It’s never been more true than now. The Mets will live and die by the performances of their starters. It’s a concern at the end of a long season with young, tired arms.
Let’s Go Mets!
Just a comment about the gist of the headline, which is already preparing the ground to blame Collins for the games that are about to happen.
I don’t love the guy, I don’t think he’s a great manager, but the players are going to win or lose these games.
James, ever since Pat Riley took a 26 win team and won 53 and then later Parcells came and resurrected two dead franchises – Jets and Cowboys – the very next year, I’m convinced managers are important. Some less than others, but all play a role.
Various examples from just this year:
– pitchers batting eighth to have a “second lead off man” but when #8 came up in the lineup, as it did and will, you give even the chance of more at bats to your pitcher? What happened to that brilliant theory?
– The bullpen use on Friday, on Wednesday, anytime the wrong player is in. I read an interview with a reliever that said, ‘a player just wants to know his role, so when he sees it coming up he’s mentally prepared.’ James, do you feel all these guys know their roles?
– Putting your hot, young bats lower in the lineup to kiss the fanny of your vets – make sure there won’t be an uprising this time around, wink-wink. Screw winning. TDA still hitting in the lower part, just saying…
– Watching your starting pitcher labor, but leaving him out there to complete six innings, or taking him out when he was rolling to “make him feel good about himself”. What an insult to an athlete on this level! Do they really need the stroking? Terry never could see what is going on in front of him, when everyone else did.
– Forcing a cold hitter in a good hitter’s position to “get him going”.
-Ccomplaining about injuries, crying to everyone about not having a LOOGY…
I could go on for two pages, at least. Don’t you think these continuous blunders cost games?
+1 Gus
Thanks bud!
Different sports, apples and oranges.
Comparing baseball managers to football coaches is like comparing piloting a jet to driving a bicycle.
The reason baseball fans pick apart managers is because there is so little strategy, and the game moves slow enough for them to find things to gripe about. It’s also why managing a clubhouse over 162 games has always been the most important thing they do. And fans see none of that. Which makes really knowing how the manager does his job pretty hard to do from our seats.
When it comes to Collins I do the best I can do, I follow the opinions of people I follow who do have access to the clubhouse; Rubin, Carig, Diamond, etc. In Rubins case I had the chance to once discuss it with him for a good amount of time. He was effusive in his praise.
Given how much more information they have on the topic than me I figure it would be pretty arrogant to dismiss their views.
Even I’m not that arrogant.
James, just like game #1 in Miami ?
I don’t care if I like him or not and he is just an average manager. I want to win.
He is managing for his next contrat and if he doesn’t pull a playoff spot he should be gone. Alderson gave him the horses and TC rode them to a 6 1/2 lead. Alderson did his job and now TC must do his. If he does then he should get his extension because he did what has now become expected of him.
It’s just that this site is becoming one of chronic complaint about the manager. The focus has shifted away from the players. At least that’s my perception.
There’s not a manager in the game who could withstand the scrutiny, like any ref at a HS basketball game filled with parents in the stands. Joe Maddon might be best manager in baseball and he bats pitcher 8th. There’s room for disagreement everywhere and always.
Far too much focus on Collins, IMO. But that’s only me and no one forces me to come here and read it all.
Let’s go Mets.
You are right James, we should focus more on the players. But since the article was about my favorite whipping boy, I couldn’t help myself; I let him have it. Tomorrow we should have an article on Tejada, LOL…
Focus has shifted away from the players? Here are some player pieces in the last week:
Sun – Travis d’Arnaud, Bartolo Colon
Sat – Sean Gilmartin
Fri – Matt Harvey
Thu – Yoenis Cespedes
Wed – Steven Matz, Harvey vs. JDG
Tue – Daniel Murphy
Mon – Logan Verrett, Desmond Lindsay
Mets360 offers readers a variety of articles, including talk about the team, the manager and baseball cards. But the focus remains squarely on the players and to suggest otherwise is false.
Brian,
The guys just need a place to vent. This site is great for that, especially after blowing two to the Marlins.
Great win today so no need to vent.