Terry Collins was known for being a fiery guy who alienated many of the players he managed during his stints with the Houston Astros and the Anaheim Angels and that’s why many observers were surprised when the Mets hired him to be the team’s skipper four years ago.
It turns out that Collins has surprised nearly everyone with his calm, almost avuncular demeanor as Mets manager.
Last Thursday, at his pre-game press conference, Terry showed the short fuse that many thought that they would see far more frequently than they have. No, it wasn’t because of the Mets’ inability to get a run in from third base with less than two out, a troubling fact that he acknowledged as a leading reason why the Mets have had losing records during his tenure.
Collins lost it when Newsday Mets beat reporter Marc Carig asked him about Matt Harvey’s interview on ESPN Radio the night before. Harvey bragged that he threw numerous pitches at 95 mph during a mound session at the Mets’ Port St. Lucie, Florida facility, and then repeated his goal of pitching at Citi Field before the season ends next month.
“I am going to put my head through the wall!” said a flustered Collins who has stated on countless occasions that the organization wants to be extremely conservative with their ace pitcher’s recovery from Tommy John shoulder surgery that forced Harvey to miss the entire 2014 season. He has categorically ruled out any possibility of Harvey coming back before next year. He certainly wants to avoid what happened to fellow Mets starter Jeremy Hefner who recently reinjured his shoulder trying to rehab it after Tommy John surgery.
Collins is also frustrated with Harvey’s prima donna personality. Harvey thinks that because he was a big star in 2013 that he gets special dispensations. Terry joked with the press that he has to make an appointment to speak with him. When Terry does finally reach him, he should remind Harvey that he’ll get a W-2 tax statement at the end of the year for being a Mets employee and not a “1099″ that self-employed contractors receive.
David Wright, a longtime fantasy football fan, will be conducting an NFL player draft on Wednesday, August 27 at Citi Field and is using the event as a way of raising funds for numerous charities such as Ronald McDonald House. The public can join David and some of his Mets teammates that day (minimum contribution: $3,000 for one person and $4,000 if you bring a guest). Contributors will receive tickets for the Mets-Braves game that night; autographed Mets paraphernalia; food and beverage; and get VIP access to batting practice. Most of the event price is deductible as a Schedule “A” charitable contribution on your tax return. For more information log onto bigleagueimpact.org.
Metsblog.com, which is operated by the Mets cable television arm SNY, had long been the first place that I have turned to get info after a game has been played or to learn of any rumors involving our Flushing heroes. Although the Mets certainly had an equity stake in the website, its editorial content was independent and insightful thanks to the work of contributors Matt Cerrone, Michael Baron, and Ted Berg.
I have noticed that the quality of the site has noticeably deteriorated this season. Cerrone and Baron still contribute but they don’t seem to be as hands-on as they once were while Berg has left for the greener pastures of USA Today.
Mets fans who want to get the true pulse of what’s going on at Willets Point should read Adam Rubin’s ESPN New York columns. Adam was the Mets beat reporter for many years at the New York Daily News and he jumped to ESPN New York a few years ago. These days nearly every reporter tweets during games. Adam does that but he also writes full length columns at the conclusion of the games that is covering. In addition his morning column has become a must read in baseball circles.
The New York Post’s Mets beat writer, Mike Puma, is renown for his waggish sense of humor. Many Mets fans will recall how the team stupidly refused to talk to him after a game earlier this year when he wrote that if the umpires had checked rotund starter Bartolo Colon they would have found peanut butter on his sleeve instead of the pine tar that they found on the Yankees’ Michael Pineda. Puma is even funnier on social media than he is in the Post (and he’s pretty funny there).
Eldrick “Tiger” Woods will not be taking part in the 2014 Barclays but the rest of the best on the PGA Tour will be at the Ridgewood Country Club this weekend. The Barclays kicks off the PGA Tour’s playoffs that result in the champion winning the FedEx Cup. There will be free shuttle bus service from New Jersey Transit’s Glen Rock train station. As an added bonus for attendees, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes will be performing in concert on Friday night while the Irish Rovers will do the same on Saturday after the golfing concludes.
You have to give Simon Cowell credit for being able to move on from both “American Idol” and “The X Factor.” This spring he’ll be trying to create a Menudo knock-off as his company is putting together a reality series for Univision called “La Banda.” He has also signed on to produce a movie about one of the 1920s most endearing, and some would say risque, cartoon characters, Betty Boop.
The Peruvian Trade Commission, located here in New York, is hoping to make ceviche, a raw fish dish that is topped off with citrus juices and other sauces and spices, the new sushi. Peruvian restaurants are not as plentiful as their Japanese counterparts but they are popping up with great frequency in the Northeast.