Terry Collins Finally Gambles on his Talent, and Wins.

  I'll be honest, I spent most of my day on Thursday gambling....... at two different casinos..... and its still on my mind...........................
  Anyway, in between pressing of many buttons at numerous slot machines, and eating a meal paid for with comp dollars, I noticed one amazing piece of activity which occurred in Thursday Nights Mets game. In the 7th inning, the Mets had the bases loaded (I know, oh shit, not again, am I right?) Of course, it was the bottom of the order.  Of course, technically, it probably didn't matter what part of the order it was on the current team.  Anyway, before I could start yelling at my smart phone, which showed Wheeler throwing a gem, with minimal pitch count after 6 innings, only to be taken out for a pinch hitter (probably Abreu) who I pessimistically assume would fly out and ruin Wheeler's night, a funny thing happened.  I read an Adam Rubin tweet stating that Terry Collins, yes. Terry Collins, was letting his young arm step up to the plate anyway.
  Yes, it resulted in an out, but that's nothing new for Mets hitters with bases loaded.... nothing new with Mets hitters up with RISP.......nothing new with Mets hitters, in general. But what obviously shocked me the most was that the coaching staff actually put faith in their talent...... their YOUNG talent........ or ANY talent, that is on this team.
  It was only about 5 seconds ago (in Mets fans minds) that this same staff yanked Colon from his gem, only to then watch as Mejia utilized a double play to seemingly end absolute disaster.  So what was different?  Yes, Colon is almost twice Wheeler's age.  And yes, he technically had to run the bases (I wouldn't call what he did that night 'running'), but arms are arms.  When you have it that night, you have it, regardless of age (and silly pitch count).
  And, well, anyway, we know what happened. The young Wheeler not only notched his first ever complete game shutout, but also the first of its kind by ANY pitcher on the staff this year.  And so, for one night at least, we can all quietly sit back (probably impossible) and respect our teams manager, for the making the gutsy call.
  Lets face it, Sandy Alderson knows that he has limited money to gamble with here.  He's playing as conservative as he can, with the money still in his wallet (sorry, still thinking casino).  But I give credit to Terry Collins for using the money he has to play with, and, on this night, placing one quick and random max bet on the game of Wheeler.
  Yes, I know this team is losing anyway (still down money after tonight), but everyone likes to see a win, no matter how small.  And, for Wheeler, this gamble can pay off big time in the future, with added confidence, feeling of respect and trust. 
  To me, everything that happened, from the bottom of the 7th inning, until the end of the game, was one big bonus spin (sorry, I can't help the reference).  Pitch after pitch, from this point on, just felt easy, relaxing, and stress free.  It's what happens when you feel as though the hardest part has already been done. For Terry Collins, the hardest part was putting aside the thoughts of failure, hurting the kid if he gives up a homer, and resisting the urge he seems to have to immediately insert bench warming hitters to hit in a huge situation, followed by numerous righty/lefty combo relievers to match every hitter coming to the plate.
  In the end, I hope, Terry Collins and company remembered who they were betting on.  Not just Wheeler, but the overall pitching staff in general.  Because, as we all know, pitching is pretty much what we have going for us here.............................................. now, if you'll excuse me, I have to try and get a few hours sleep.  I need to get ready for the poker tables tomorrow.