Collins Gets the Backing From Brass

The Angels on Tuesday eliminated the eggshells from the ground Terry Collins had been walking on, awarding the embattled manager with a contract extension believed to be for two years with an option for a third year.

Almost three weeks to the day a group of about 10 veteran players met with General Manager Bill Bavasi to discuss concerns about Collins’ game management and his sometimes-abrasive style, the Angel front office essentially responded with this message to players: we call the shots, not you.

“We take that seriously--if a guy has a complaint, we will listen,” Bavasi said. “But once we looked into those things, we were not very impressed with any of their complaints. That didn’t impact us at all.”

Asked if he had any concerns about how Collins’ extension would be received in the Angels’ clubhouse, Bavasi answered a question with a question.

“Who cares?” he said. “As Buzzie [Bavasi, Bill’s father and former GM] always said, we need good players, not happy ones. I’m more concerned with how our on-field performance is going over in the clubhouse. I know it’s not going over too well in the offices of the general manager and the field manager.”

It might be going over a little better after the Angels’ 4-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners before 26,153 in the Kingdome Tuesday night, a win that pulled the Angels to within 7 1/2 games of first-place Texas.

Pinch-hitter Jeff Huson started a rare three-run rally with a pinch-hit double in the eighth, and Darin Erstad (single), Randy Velarde (triple) and Garret Anderson (two-out single) followed with run-scoring hits to give the Angels a 3-1 lead.

It was the Angels’ first three-run inning since June 6, a span of 121 innings, their first four-hit inning since June 5, a span of 132 innings.

After Alex Rodriguez’s RBI double in the bottom of the eighth, Angel reliever Mark Petkovsek, with the tying run on third and the infield in, got Edgar Martinez to ground out to short.

Right fielder Matt Luke then made a diving catch of Butch Huskey’s looper to shallow right-center to end the inning. Luke homered for an insurance run in the top of the ninth, and Troy Percival struck out two of three in the bottom of the ninth for his 20th save.

Before the game, clubhouse reaction to Collins’ contract extension could best be described as indifferent.

“You’ve got to give it to somebody, right?” pitcher Chuck Finley said. “It won’t affect the team one way or another. Will it make us play better? No. Will it make us play worse? No. . . .

“What [the front office] is saying is that your attention is on the wrong thing, fellas, and I agree with that.”

Second baseman Velarde, one of Collins’ most outspoken critics, said he didn’t regret going to Bavasi.

“Looking back on it, I think it was healthy for the GM to hear that we didn’t feel comfortable with some things,” Velarde said. “The veterans got together and spoke what was on our minds. . . . Since that day, I’ve sensed an effort on Terry’s part to change.

“I didn’t think that would happen. You mold your character for years and then you’re asked to change, that’s not easy. He’s being more vocal and he’s handled his temper better, and that’s been good.”

When center fielder Anderson dropped a fly ball in New York Saturday, Collins merely tapped him on the thigh and gave him a word of encouragement when he returned to the bench.

When Velarde made an ill-advised decision to throw home on a double steal with runners on first and third against the Yankees Friday night, and then threw wildly to the plate, Velarde said Collins didn’t “air him out” on the bench like he might have in the past.

“Those are positive steps,” Velarde said. “There’s something to be said about constructive criticism. You’ve got to be a psychologist to be a manager. You have to know what guys need a pat on the back and what ones need a kick in the rear, and he’s made improvements in those areas.”

Bavasi said Collins’ intensity was the primary reason the Angels hired him before the 1997 season, and that he has no reason to change.

“This man is the manager of our club,” Bavasi said. “It’s [the players’] responsibility to react to what Terry lays down, not vice versa.”

Collins, who has a 424-390 record through Tuesday in three seasons in Houston and three in Anaheim, has a hard time understanding why his intensity has become an issue.

“Am I more emotional than Lou Piniella? Than Tommy Lasorda?” Collins said. “Those are pretty good managers, and we could mention a lot more. We all care. That’s what matters.”

The Angels are in last place, teetering on the brink of early elimination from the American League West, and an offense that has been without cleanup batter Tim Salmon, center fielder Jim Edmonds and--until Tuesday night, shortstop Gary DiSarcina--has scored four runs or less in 23 of its last 25 games through Sunday.

“Everyone is going to have their opinion,” Erstad said, “but when it comes down to it, you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Is [the manager] really the problem?’ No, he’s not the one swinging the bat.”

By not extending Collins’ contract soon after the players met with Bavasi, there was an impression that Collins’ job was in jeopardy. But the general manager said that was not the case.

“We never considered not extending Terry’s contract,” Bavasi said. “It could have looked like a lot of things if we didn’t extend him, and a lot of those things would have been negative and untrue.”

Said Velarde: “This is good for Terry. It gives him some breathing room, a chance to relax, and hopefully that will spread through the clubhouse and we’ll play better.”

BACK IN ACTION: Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina returned from arm injury. Page 8

Manager Rankings

Where Terry Collins ranks among active managers in winning percentage (through Monday’s games):

1. Larry Dierker: .579 (227-165)

2. Davey Johnson: .572 (1,017-762)

3. Bobby Cox: .555 (1,460-1,172)

4. Mike Hargrove: .551 (670-547)

5. Jimy Williams: .537 (491-424)

6. Johnny Oates: .523 (659-601)

7. Dusty Baker: .523 (512-467)

8. Tony La Russa: .523 (1,698-1,460)

9. Bruce Bochy: .522 (363-333)

10. Terry Collins: .520 (423-390)