Mets OK with Cespedes wearing hat backward

Terry Collins conceded he's an old-school guy living in a young man's game earlier this month, but the New York Mets vintage skipper is proving he's hip in other ways.

After it was reported earlier this week that he had an issue with slugger Yoenis Cespedes wearing his hat backward around the batting cage, Collins refuted the claim and said there's no issue.

"I'm not going to mess with it," Collins told ESPN on Thursday. "In years past those kind of things start issues. And I'm going to ignore it."

Cespedes also said there's never been an issue addressed to him and acknowledged he's even received clearance to wear the hat the way he does.

"No one has talked to me about it," Cespedes said. "When I got here last year, I asked whether it was OK to put my hat on backwards during practice, and I was told it wasn't a problem.

"But if the manager needs to speak to me about it to change it, I will certainly do so. I have no problem changing it, if that's what he wants me to do. That's a nonissue."

With the direction that Cespedes' hat points no longer an issue, Collins can now get back to disliking other things, like numbers.