The Phillies thrashed the Mets 16-1 last night, and New York manager Terry Collins had some choice words for his team in a press conference after the game.
Collins answered that he was embarrassed by the team's performance in the loss, and when asked if he thinks the team quit, Collins said "you'd have to ask them", and said he wouldn't express his opinion publicly.
He then compared his team's lack of heart to Juan Pierre of the Phillies, who had a five hit game, three of which didn't leave the infield thanks to his hustle and speed.
Collins also acknowledged that after Philadelphia's eight run first inning, the attitude on the bench wasn't positive. He also refused to mention the most troubling thing he saw on the field during the game, and said that he spoke to the team about their effort.
When asked if he thought the team was embarrassed as he was, Collins once again remained noncommital and gave out the "you'll have to ask them" answer. Collins didn't call the game the lowest point of his Mets career, but essentially said that the team didn't enjoy being on the field, and it was "how" they lost rather than the score that irritated him so much. He finished his press conference by pretty much saying that the team gave up after giving up eight runs in the first inning and stopped caring after that.
While some might go after Collins for being so blunt about the Mets' struggles last night, I applaud him for being candid and taking the team to task. If you're not a good team, that's one thing. But if you're playing like you don't care, that's a completely different thing and is dangerous to a clubhouse's culture. Good for Collins for still caring and not letting anyone off the hook.
