"I'm thrilled to death to be here," Collins said at the dawn of the World Series, which the Mets lost, four games to one, to the Royals. "I can honestly tell you, baseball for 45 years, it tells you how hard it is to get here. So you better enjoy it, and I'm enjoying it."
At 66, Collins was the Majors' oldest manager this season, and figures to be again next year. The former Astros and Angels manager has talked openly about retirement in the not-to-distant future, saying frequently that he has no desire to manage into his 70s.