Keh: Terry Collins Has Not Paid A Big Price for Losing

Had no idea Andrew Keh won Francesspool’s Fantasy Phenom contest! Congrats!

For another autumn and winter, stable amid the rubble of another collapsed Mets season will stand Terry Collins, the team’s fiery manager, who has pulled off a noteworthy feat in presiding over two straight losing seasons while staying mostly free from blame or reproach.

At least in recent memory, no leader of a troubled sports team in New York has enjoyed the apparent sympathy and overall perception of job security that Collins has during his tenure in Queens. And as the Mets’ 2012 season hobbled to its conclusion last week, votes of confidence again rang out.

...Throughout sports, managers and head coaches who are disciplinarians are met with the same enthusiasm as those who are more relaxed types — as long as the wins are there. In the case of the current Mets, there may come a time soon enough when the loose and often playful vibe of the clubhouse becomes linked to the team’s chronic inconsistency and sloppiness. There may come a time, too, when commentators, and fans, begin to ask if Collins is really the one to get the most out of the team’s roster, however limited it may be.

But that has not happened yet. Last September, the Mets picked up their option on Collins’s contract for the 2013 season. Last week, the Mets announced that the entire coaching staff would return next year. Alderson said the second-half slump this season had “more to do with the players than it does with the manager or the coaching staff.” But whether Collins will be extended beyond next year, Alderson would not say. “We haven’t had those discussions and we may not for a while,” he said.