Mets manager Collins gets two-year deal

The New York Mets continued their efforts to atone for another lost season by naming a new manager, the 20th in club history, on November 23.
Terry Collins signed a two-year contract with a club option for 2013, officially replacing the bewildered Jerry Manual, who guided the injury-plagued and underachieving Mets to a 79-83 record in 2010.
“I want to win and there is no doubt in my mind we have the talent to win,” said Collins. “I know from working firsthand with our prospects that this organization is filled with potential for the future. It’s my job to help transform this team into the winner that our fans deserve and I’m excited to get started.”
Collins worked for the Mets this past season as the Minor League Field Coordinator, overseeing all on-field aspects of minor league spring training and the Fall Instructional League.
His career in baseball goes back much farther than that. Collins spent six years as a major league manager, leading the Anaheim Angels and Houston Astros to winning records and second place finishes. However, his tenure with both clubs ended on a sour note, with discontentment among star players leading to his firing.
The 61 year old Collins takes over a Mets club with its share of dysfunction. After the reaching the 2006 National League Championship Series, the years that followed featured collapses, injury bugs and overall mediocrity.
However, the Mets have made strides this offseason to return the club to a measure of respectability. Prior to signing Collins, Mets brass hired Sandy Alderson as their new general manager, as well as Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi as special assistants to the general manager.
The Mets still have plenty of work to do in terms of roster moves, but Alderson believes that Collins’ personality and demeanor is the perfect fit for a team in transition.
“Terry’s a lifelong baseball man who comes with the entire package – leadership, preparation, emotional commitment and the drive to win,” said Alderson. “We believe Terry’s knowledge of our players, energy, intelligence, intensity and direct approach will make an immediate, positive impact both in the clubhouse and on the field.”