August 1, 2011

Poisoning The Waters

Seattle radio host Mike Salk had nothing nice to say about former Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard. In an interview this morning on Mut & Merloni, Salk called the trade of Bedard to Boston "the ultimate recipe for disaster".

According to Salk, Bedard has no motivation to do well and when things go bad, his body language on the mound is worse than John Lackey's.
Erik Bedard plus angry Red Sox fans, I can't see a way in which this ends well. I just can't. ... I just don't think he likes baseball that much. ... I don't think he really cares that much whether or not he pitches well. I don't think the idea of being in a pennant race is actually going to bring him to a better level. ... With the opportunity to shine in front of the scouts [last Friday], he tanked it. There's definitely a belief out here that he tanked that start on purpose so that he wouldn't go anywhere.
I recall the Red Sox had a relief pitcher in 2004 who did not much like baseball - he freely admitted he hated watching games on TV - but he ended up risking and likely sacrificing the rest of his career to bring Boston a world championship that many of us thought we've never live to see. So, pardon me, Mr. Salk, but fuck you.

Actually, Salk did have some kind words about Bedard:
When he is on, he's fantastic. I loved him from afar. I thought he was one of the most talented pitchers I'd ever watched from the left side. Loved the hard fastball, loved the two-plane curve.
Salk added that Bedard was considered a good teammate in Seattle.

6 comments:

laura k said...

Motivation to do well = standings and the prospect of ring

Angry Red Sox fans = we will have no reason to be angry

Blowhard sports radio hosts = best ignored

johngoldfine said...

If he is as big an asshole as he is described as being in the front end of this, why would he then be considered a good team-mate? Sounds like sour grapes from Salk and what else would a Seattle fan have to chew on?

tim said...

As long as he pitches better than the last Canadian pitcher we acquired at a July 31 deadline deal.

Jared said...

Compounding his negative attitude, the name Erik Bedard is an anagram for Barker Died. Since his retirement from "The Price is Right" rumors of Bob Barker's death have apparently been quite common. I'm pretty sure a certain left handed pitcher who might not like baseball is behind these rumors.

Anonymous said...

From Mazz's column today:

The downside? Bedard’s personality and injury history could be problematic, at least in this market. Former Sox player Kevin Millar, who played with Bedard in Baltimore, described Bedard as “shy” during an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub last week – “Not a big media guy,” Millar said – and reporters in both Baltimore and Seattle hold Bedard in some disdain. Nonetheless, both Millar and Epstein stressed that Bedard was not a problem in his own clubhouse at either location, which is really the only chemistry that matters.

Oh, no~!! Shy? Not a media guy? Fuck this asshole! Who wants a guy who isn't great at giving interviews on the hump??

Michael Holloway said...

Audio of the Salk interview is getting harder and harder to find as time goes by. The link from WEEI doesn't point right to the conversation in question - so here: http://audio.weei.com/a/43409388/mike-salk-710-espn-seattle.htm

It's a spectacle story. Sad state of affairs. The reporter couldn't say things like 'he doesn't lik baseball' about Bedard while he's a Mariner - he'd lose access via the PR department. But now that he's off to Boston, the reporter working in the Seattle market can do lazy reporting, slag Bedard and no worries.

Body Language??? Come on. A.J. Burnett berates himself like that on the mound when he hasn't got it - but I still like him as a number 3 - a number 3 who sometimes throws like an Ace.