“He asked me to do him a favor and you can’t back down for that. You’ve got to stand up, you’ve got to take your beating, no matter how many people liked it or not. And, when the other players see that, they know you’re behind the player, and you’ll get a lot better effort and lot more support out of your players.”
Snip
”They know they’re going to struggle. Am I going to run away and hide and say, ‘Listen, they’re the problem here, not me, they’re the reason we’re not winning.’ Or, am I going to back them up. If they know I’m behind them, if they know I will support them, if I put them back out there when they have a couple of bad games, they know I’ve got their back. You’d be surprised how they rally around that, and so when I ask them to do something they do it.”
Terry Collins on removing Jose Reyes after one at-bat in the final game of the year to give him the best shot at winning a batting title.
Source: MetsBlog
Meanwhile, a Facebook friend posted a quote from San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich today, which said:
”I’ve always been a big believer in the fact that players react better to the truth. It requires that they have the character to handle the truth, but they’ll react better to the truth.”
For what it’s worth, Popovich is one of only five coaches in NBA history to win five NBA titles. He’s also finished with 17 consecutive over .500 finishes.
Character is the critical ingredient in any winning player. Of course talent doesn’t hurt, but character and the ability to handle criticism is what separates men from boys.
Are people still talking about Reyes removing himself from the game against Cincinnati? I don’t mean to be rude here, but get over it! Reyes was trying to advertise himself as one of the three top FA at the time (Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder the others). Baseball is a business, and while many have realized this fact from a front office standpoint they must also realize that players want money and a World Series ring. I’m sure that the average person holding his talent would do the exact same thing.
This is old news, and if anything we should be happy as Mets fans. He is the first and only Met to ever win a batting title.
You missed the point Julian. The story is not about Reyes. It’s about TC and his natural ability to throw his own players under the bus. So much for character in the ball players when the lead should come from the manager. The true opposite of Leyland.
Pete,
Collins is just another embarrassment of what this franchise has become. He is the perfect manager for the Mets. A Loser manager hired and supported by Loser owners. Perfect!
Gus what did we as Met fans do to deserve the wrath of the baseball gods? I just want the Mets to get into the playoffs and become relevant again in New York. But things in life have a way of evening out (just ask the Wilpons). The moral of the story? Is it better to invest in a baseball team or a Ponzi Scheme? Can’t wait to see what new idiotic moves TC makes in 2015. Did you think Jeffy and Freddy had a monopoly on bonehead philosophies? Oh. well. Let’s go Mets and forget the rest!
Any coach can learn from Popovich. The way he handles the media, the way he handles struggles, and the way he handles his players. Truly one of the best coaches in any sport for the past couple of years. I understand where Collins is coming from by showing support for Reyes, but I think it shows that Collins accepts players putting themselves first instead of the team.