The fire was always there, but could it be controlled? Terry Collins spent decades of a baseball life trying to find that balance, preparing him for his greatest professional accomplishment.
That moment came in Cincinnati last weekend, when the Mets clinched the NL East title. After 11 seasons as a major league manager, for three different teams, the 66-year-old Collins finally was going to the playoffs.
The same Collins who twice was fired after alienating key factions of his clubhouse and possibly was on the brink of a pink slip last year, when the Mets had a fourth straight losing season under his guidance, finally got to celebrate in what the organization hopes will be the first of four champagne toasts by Nov.