Terry Collins and the Fundamentals

While the title of this post sounds more like a 1950's Motown group, it's a simple change that could reap future rewards for the New York Mets. Terry Collins, from my early observations, is a cross between George Carlin and the caricature of George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld as far as his interview style, but as a coach he seems to be just what the Mets needed.

Fundamental baseball has long been absent from Queens. Willie Randolph used to talk about it. Jerry Manuel would mumble about it. But Terry Collins appears to be ready to do something about it.

The Mets need a guy who can focus on fundamental baseball. Everything from errors to situational batting and even defensive awareness are pitfalls that have doomed the Mets the last few seasons.

Collins made one comment that really drove this home for me. Collins alluded to the fact that the Mets starting rotation really doesn't have strikeout pitchers, and that's going to force Collins to make sure that the team on the field is exceptionally adept at the fundamentals as more balls we'll be hit in play than with a rotation like the Phillies.

You don't need to be an astrophysicist to come to that conclusion, but it's the type of think that we haven't seen from a manager in quite some time. All Mets fans can ask for from this team is that they play solid baseball. I don't expect them to win 100 games or score a ton of runs, but watching sound fundamental baseball would be a nice change of pace.

Terry Collins is instituting change. It's subtle and small, but change nonetheless.