The Binghamton Mets, who according to Adam Rubin in the NY Daily News, were supposedly the recipients of a tirade from Mets VP Tony Bernazard in which he challenged one of the players to a fight, universally dispute those allegations in this morning’s Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin.
As quoted by good friend of MMiLB, Brian Moritz.
Manager Mako Oliveras:
“I think it’s been blown out of proportion. Tony was trying to pump the players up. He took his shirt off but he had a T-shirt on underneath. To me, he never threatened anybody or asked anybody to fight. Before he started the meeting, he took his shirt off. That’s it. I’m telling you, it’s been blown out of proportion….
SS/2B Jose Coronado
“No, he didn’t call me a name or ask me to fight.”
Adam Rubin had reported that Bernazard directed insults at Coronado, and challenged him to fight.
C Josh Thole:
“This has been taken way too far. It’s uncalled for as far as you guys (the media) blowing this out of proportion, so I don’t think anything more should be said about it.”
Tony doesn’t deserve what he’s going through,” Oliveras said. “I’m not saying that because he brought me here. I’ve seen managers, I’ve seen owners, I’ve seen GMs try to get the best out of players. I’ve seen it a hundred times.”
Moritz pins a date on the incident: July 1, following a B-Mets 5-3 loss to the Erie SeaWolves. Moritz had originally reported that the B-Mets held a closed-door meeting following that game. I was in Binghamton on July 2nd. Bernazard’s conduct postgame on the first, did not come up in conversations with players and coaches. However, the team held a players-only meeting on July-4, before a 4-0 win over Erie.
For the second time this week, a major writer has written a story, only to be flatly contradicted the following day. Jon Heyman floated a Jays-Mets Doc Halladay that was immediately shot down by multiple other writers and both teams involved. The situations are not totally parallel, but similar in that an original report, citing anonymous sources, was nearly immediately contradicted by those willing to put their names on the record. Of course, the B-Mets are also essentially talking about their boss. Heyman stuck by his story in repeated subsequent media appearances, by pointing out the MLB GMs frequently engage in spin and are often less than truthful. Listen to Heyman on WFAN with Mike Francessa here. I’m looking forward to hearing or more likely, reading, Rubin’s response.
bernazard could’ve very easily taken off his button down shirt, and told the players “we have to fight, we can’t be a bunch of pussies.”
So what does this say about Madden calling for heads for a story that was way out of line?
Who are these writers accountable too?
Madden has always been an idiot in my mind.. I remember listening to him once as a guest on DNL (on SNY) and he was saying how the Yankees would benefit by getting rid of A-Rod. Which is is as almost as laughable as people who complain about breaking up the Mets core of Wright, Reyes, and Beltran.. yeah like there are much better options at those positions, especially CF ….