So contrast Collins' emotions that winter morning to how he felt Wednesday, after his Mets capped a sweep of the Nationals with a 5-3 victory to effectively boot them from playoff contention. With 23 games left, Collins knows bad things can still happen. But a seven-game lead is sturdy. This is not 2007, nor even '08; the Mets possess a better pitching staff than in either of those years, as third baseman David Wright put it, and maybe even a bit of extra pluck.
"This has been the biggest three games I've had in my career," Collins said.