Terry Collins ripped into the New York Mets during a clubhouse tirade immediately following Wednesday’s 9-3 loss to the Pirates at Citi Field.
Turns out, the manager was just warming up.
Collins, still red-faced and fuming, saved his “A material” for the tape recorders and TV cameras once he sat down for his postgame news conference. After watching the Mets blow a 2-0 lead and bumble their way through an embarrassing seventh inning, when the Pirates scored five runs on five infield hits, Collins snapped.
“I don’t have the answers,” Collins said, his voice raised. “I’m searching. I’m wringing the rag dry, coming in here and having to look at you guys and having you look at me like I’m a stinking fool.
“I told those guys – we’re good enough. We’ve got to go play the game right. We just can’t continue to make foolish mistakes.”
Collins has tried to keep positive, knowing his team’s shortcomings. Still, he refused to make excuses.
“They’re big-league players,” Collins said. “They should be able to do it. I don’t know what it is – I’m not in their minds. But it’s how you play the game. I’m not pointing fingers at the players – all of them – either.
“I’m the manager. It comes back on my shoulders, and I’ll take all the … blame that anybody wants to hand out. They’re my players. Therefore, maybe I’ve got to make some adjustments, and by God, they’ll be made. I don’t know if it comes with finding different players, but they’ll be made. Something’s going to be changed.”
The manager also let his players know how he felt after the game. The stinging lecture was brief, but the message got through.
“He was red,” Jason Bay said. “He’s fed up with the way we’re playing and he got his point across. There’s got to be less waiting and hoping and more doing.”
FRIGHT FOR ANGELS
A charter flight carrying the Los Angeles Angels home from Kansas City made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after reporting a mechanical problem, officials said.
Airport spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado said the Delta Air Lines Inc. plane with some 60 people aboard landed shortly after 9 p.m.
TV footage showed passengers calmly exiting the plane onto the tarmac as fire trucks waited nearby.
SHORT HOPS
The Cardinals put Kyle McClellan, who is 6-2 with a 3.86 ERA in his first year in the rotation, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hip flexor. … Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez left Wednesday’s game against the Houston Astros after getting hit in the face by a ground ball in the seventh inning that took a bad hop. He received stitches for a cut inside his mouth and on his upper lip but should stay off the disabled list. … Los Angeles Angels right-hander Dan Haren cut short a throwing session in the bullpen after feeling discomfort in his lower back. … Boston left-hander Rich Hill, one of the Red Sox’s most consistent relievers, walked off the mound grabbing near his left elbow in the seventh inning against the White Sox. Initial tests were good, but he went for an MRI exam for what the club said was a “forearm injury.” … Twins designated hitter Jim Thome suffered a mild strain of his left quadriceps and left the game against Detroit during the sixth inning.
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