Results tagged ‘ Terry Collins ’
Quotable: Phillies sign Cliff Lee
In case you missed it (or are trying to ignore it), the Phillies swooped in last night and signed free-agent lefty Cliff Lee to a five-year deal, giving Philadelphia four legitimate aces in Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki has all the details on Phillies.com and his MLBLog, The Zo Zone. But the Mets also had plenty to say at today’s holiday party for area children. A sampling:
Manager Terry Collins: “I was taken by surprise, I can honestly tell you. I really felt that New York and Texas were the two places and certainly I was shocked, but I know better than to be shocked in our business … They’ve got our attention. Not like they didn’t have it before, for sure. We’ve got some preparation ahead.”- Third baseman David Wright: “On paper, they look great. They’ve made all the right moves, they’ve put together that pitching staff and that’s what wins baseball games. But there are a lot of variables that go into playing a season and that’s why we’re going to go out there, and it’s going to be a challenge. But I think we’re up to it and we’re going to prepare, go out there and win.”
- Outfielder Carlos Beltran: “I don’t like to be negative. I never like to be negative. I always like to be positive. So I always say that in baseball, there’s nothing guaranteed. You can go to Philly and probably on paper look great, but we don’t know how it’s going to work out. We’re all speculating that it’s going to work out great. If you ask Philly fans, they’ll say it’s going to be great. If you ask me, I say I don’t know.”
- Outfielder Jason Bay: “They were already, rotation-wise, pretty good without him. Now, obviously, they’re really, really good.”
- First baseman Ike Davis: “Their whole staff, especially the starters, are pretty amazing. It’s just going to make one more game that much tougher and really [there's] no letdown. The whole team’s got to come ready to go.”
- General manager Sandy Alderson: “I don’t think it affects how we plan long-term. In the short-term, really, the only impact is that now there are two other clubs that are out there looking for starting pitching today that weren’t there yesterday. So that has some impact. Otherwise we have our own plan, our own approach and this doesn’t really change things too much for us.”
—–Follow along on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets to hold annual coat drive
The Mets are holding their annual coat drive this Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Citi Field. Fans donating coats will have an opportunity to meet Terry Collins, Jason Bay, Ike Davis and David Wright, and will receive a voucher good for two Mets tickets this season. From the team:
FLUSHING, N.Y., December 13, 2010 – The New York Mets today announced they are hosting their annual Coat Drive in support of New York Cares on Wednesday, December 15 at Citi Field. The Mets and New York Cares will collect gently-used men’s, women’s and children’s coats at Hodges VIP, on the first base side of the ballpark, from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Fans donating coats will have the opportunity to meet Terry Collins, Jason Bay, Ike Davis and David Wright between 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
In addition, fans who are generous enough to donate coats will also receive a voucher redeemable for one pair of tickets to a select Mets game in April 2011. In addition, fans can show their voucher at the Mets Team Store at Citi Field to receive a 15% off regularly priced merchandise. Season Ticket Holders who donate coats can show their voucher and ID card to get 20% off regularly priced items. The discount will only be honored Wednesday, December 15.
Fans dropping off coats may park in Lot G on 126th Street between the Right Field Gate and Roosevelt Avenue.
Coats will be donated to the New York Cares Coat Drive, the city’s largest annual coat drive which has a goal of collecting 70,000 coats during December. For information about the New York Cares Coat Drive, please visit newyorkcares.org.
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—–Follow along on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets to name Dick Scott field coordinator
The Mets plan to name Dick Scott their new Minor League field coordinator, a source said Tuesday, replacing Terry Collins at the position.
Scott, 48, served as field coordinator for the Astros last season following eight years as director of player development for the Blue Jays. A former infielder who played in just three big league games for the A’s in 1989, Scott began his coaching career by winning Manager of the Year honors with Oakland’s Class A Scottsdale affiliate in 1991. Scott also received the honor in 1992 and 1994. He joined the D-backs as a Minor League manager in 1997 before being appointed as a Major League scout in 1998, where he remained until joining the Blue Jays organization in 2001.
With the Mets, Scott will replace Collins, who left his post as field coordinator last month to become the team’s manager.
—–Follow along on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets retain Warthen, Hale on staff
Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen and third-base coach Chip Hale have survived the organizational purge that has already seen the Mets shed a general manager, a manager and a scouting director, among others. A team source said Monday that Warthen and Hale will retain their jobs from last season.
There were rumblings Sunday evening that the appointment of Terry Collins as manager may have worked against Warthen, whose pitching staff performed above expectations in 2010 despite an overall losing season. But Mets ownership remains enamored with Warthen for those reasons, and so he was spared.
Hale, too, has always been a lock for a role on the coaching staff, a sentiment only furthered by the fact that he was among four finalists for the role of manager. Well-liked within the clubhouse, Hale will almost certainly become a big league manager at some point in the near future, though he may need to leave the organization to do so.
The rest of the big league staff remains uncertain. Though last year’s hitting coach Howard Johnson and bullpen coach Randy Niemann both will have job offers waiting for them at some level of the organization, it is unlikely either will return to his same role. First-base coach Razor Shines is already out — early reports peg Mookie Wilson as a possible replacement — and Collins will likely be allowed to choose Dave Jauss’s successor as bench coach.
As for the other two managerial finalists, Bob Melvin and Wally Backman, each is likely to have a job offer in a similar capacity as last season — Melvin as a scout, Backman as a Minor League manager. But nothing is official for that pair yet.
—–Follow along on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
One final look at the managerial candidates
The Mets should announce their new manager within the next 24 hours, perhaps as soon as tonight. So let’s handicap the race and take one final look at the four finalists:
Terry Collins
Resume highlights: Astros manager (1994-96), Angels manager (1997-1999), Mets Minor League field coordinator (2010).
Strengths: Experience; fiery personality.
Weaknesses: Little sustained success as a big league manager; controversial end in Anaheim; off-field issues (DUI).
Odds: 3/2
Bob Melvin
Resume highlights: Mariners manager (2003-04), D-backs manager (2005-09), Mets scout (2010).
Strengths: Most MLB experience of any candidate; calm personality; lives in NYC.
Weaknesses: Not a “fiery” personality; little sustained success as a big league manager
Odds: 2/1
Wally Backman
Resume highlights: Four years managing in Minor Leagues (including manager of Class A Brooklyn in 2010), three years in independent leagues; hired as D-backs manager (2004) but did not serve in that position.
Strengths: Fan favorite due to 1986 ties, fiery personality
Weaknesses: Off-field concerns (financial, legal troubles); no big league managing experience
Odds: 7/1
Chip Hale
Resume highlights: Extensive Minor League managing and big league coaching experience; Mets third-base coach (2010).
Strengths: Familiarity with Mets players; well-liked in clubhouse; preparedness.
Weaknesses: Lack of big league managing experience.
Odds: 9/1
—–Follow along on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Anthony DiComo
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