The Collins Shuffle

[soupcan]

Vic Sage wrote: BUNT**** (TM)* *all rights reserved, BigVicRadDock, Inc.

Damn!

[G-Fafif]

Collins the Communictor > Manuel the Mute, according to Martino in the Snooze:

Beyond that, those wounded last year by Jerry Manuel's lapses in communication have appreciated Collins' clarity. Manuel had a habit of surprising players by first criticizing them to reporters. One incident came last April in Denver, after John Maine surrendered eight runs in a game against the Rockies. Before speaking with Maine, Manuel told reporters that the righty's rotation spot was in jeopardy. Maine has long since left in a huff, but others remain from last year's mess. "It got so weird in here by August," said one player. "It's so much better now."

It's a fair point, and an encouraging one, but if Maine was giving up eight runs in one game, he had bigger worries than what Jerry Manuel was or was not saying.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, I got the idea that Manuel had grown aloof from the team also. Bunting aside, it was definitely a tenure begging to end.

[metirish]

It's funny though because I remember Manuel being lauded for being the great communicator after "Willie the mute ".

[Ceetar]

metirish wrote: It's funny though because I remember Manuel being lauded for being the great communicator after "Willie the mute ".

I remember that as well.

Everythings rosy early on, lets see how Collins is in August.

[G-Fafif]

"_________ is a breath of fresh air, a real departure from _________."

Make several copies and keep handy. It's a phrase that never loses its viability.

[batmagadanleadoff]

"It got so weird in here by August," said one player. "It's so much better now."

I'm not necessarily defending Jerry but by August, if not earlier, Manuel was a lame duck manager and everybody knew it. I'd bet even Jerry knew it.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: "It got so weird in here by August," said one player. "It's so much better now." I'm not necessarily defending Jerry but by August, if not earlier, Manuel was a lame duck manager and everybody knew it. I'd bet even Jerry knew it.

"I didn't help. Trust me."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I would have fired Jerry last May. And in hindsight I'd have never, ever, ever hired him.

I find myself considering whether having lost that 20-inning debacle would have been enough to get it done. It prolly would have made the remainder of 2010 more interesting that it turned out to be.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The Mets had those two eight-game winning streaks last year. If not for those, Jerry probably wouldn't have survived the season. As I recall, he was really on the ropes before the first of the two.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, the 1st one came right after that debacle in fact.

[Guest Edgy DC]

In retrospect, though, with a lame-o duck-o GM and a team in (mostly private at this point) financial straits and probably already negotiating with the league to take on a recommended steward, they would have had to hire an interim for the rest of the year --- Hale or Oberkfell probably. An and interim 25% of the way into the season... makes for a long season and a hard sell. They may have even would have had to have gone with Ricco or Krivsky as an interim GM. I imagine they decided early to cut ties at the end of the season, riding out the long remainder, and giving the appearance of commiment to and engagement with their management team.

Which all probably got to Jerry as the season wore on and further contributed to his aloofness.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Remember, they did a lot of winning in June, and as they headed to Puerto Rico for that series with the Marlins, they were riding fairly high and were definitely in the race.

It wasn't until a few weeks later, when July fizzled, that it was clear they weren't going anywhere, and there was probably little point to firing Jerry and doing the interim thing with just two months left in a lost season.

[Guest Edgy DC]

If I hadn't already cut him loose by then, I certainly would have had no compunctions about going the interim route down the stretch.