Forget about Terry Collins getting dismissed. Besides the fact there are no quality replacements out there, Collins apparently has one big supporter behind him.
Fred Wilpon.
Newsday’s Marc Carig reported tonight, the Mets principle owner still supports the Mets manager, which means the Mets are Collins’s team for the foreseeable future.
Now, if you look at Wilpon’s history with the club, since he took over as principle owner in 2002, he has shown a tremendous amount of patience when it comes to the field manager of the club.
Of the five managers under his employ, only Willie Randolph was fired in the middle of the season. That was 2008 and the Mets were off to a terrible start. It looked like the clubhouse wasn’t responding to their manager anymore. It also didn’t help that Randolph called the Wilpons racists in the press a few weeks before his dismissal.
Even though the Mets made Randolph fly to Anaheim and manage a game the day he was fired, it still was the right move. Of course, the Mets received criticism because of the time difference with the press release of the firing coming around 3 am.
Otherwise, it can be argued Wilpon doesn’t make trigger decisions when it comes to who is filling out the lineup card. Both Art Howe and Jerry Manuel were dismissed when full regime changes came to the organization with Howe leaving with general manager Jim Duquette, while Manuel getting his walking papers along with Omar Minaya.
After the 2002 season, Wilpon dismissed Bobby Valentine, but kept general manager Steve Phillips on a very short leash. After a slow start next season, a neutered Phillips was dismissed in June.
Those were obviously different times, as Wilpon, now 80, has taken a back seat with the daily operations of the Mets, leaving it to his son Jeff and general manager Sandy Alderson. Still, he is the principle owner and has a heavy influence on the direction of the club.
And as long as Fred Wilpon stays in Collins corner, his job seems to have some security.
About the Author
