[新聞] Giants want to support Posey, not vilify Cousins
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Giants want to support Posey, not vilify Cousins
By Adam Berry / MLB.com | 06/03/11 9:35 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- A day after general manager Brian Sabean's comments
regarding Scott Cousins ignited further controversy surrounding the collision
that ended Buster Posey's season, the Giants are ready to put the incident
behind them.
The club released a statement to clarify Sabean's harsh remarks that came
Thursday on KNBR-680 AM, saying the GM's comments were made "out of
frustration and out of true concern for Buster and were not meant to vilify
Scott Cousins." Team president Larry Baer and manager Bruce Bochy also spoke
about the issue Friday, emphasizing how emotional the entire organization has
been since Posey's season-ending leg and ankle injuries, as well as their
desire to spark a conversation about changing the rules to prevent more
serious injuries.
The statement reads, "This is a very emotional time for the Giants
organization and our fans. We lost for the season one of our best players to
a serious injury and we are doing everything we can to support Buster Posey
through this very difficult time. We appreciate Scott Cousins' outreach to
Buster Posey and the Giants organization."
The statement goes on to discuss the "complicated" issue of catcher safety
and how it goes beyond the injury to Posey before ending with a sentiment
that was thoroughly echoed by Baer and Bochy: "We intend to move beyond
conversations about last week's incident and focus our attention on Buster's
full recovery and on defending our World Series title."
Sabean spoke with Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest on
Friday to "clarify his comments and to assure him that there is no ill-will
toward the player," according to the team statement, and he left a message
for Cousins. Baer has also reached out to the Marlins, speaking with team
president David Samson.
Sabean, Baer and Bochy have all talked with Joe Torre, Major League
Baseball's executive vice president for baseball operations, and Baer said
Torre indicated that he would reach out to people and take a look at the
rules regarding close plays and collisions at home plate.
Baer and Bochy also defended Sabean on Friday, explaining that their general
manager was simply caught up in the emotion of the moment and that they don't
want to direct any harsh feelings toward Cousins.
"This was not what we're focusing on as an organization," Baer said. "We're
focusing on our player. It was, as we've said, out of frustration. It's still
a pretty raw emotional time for us, losing him for the season -- a guy who
means so much to us. We're looking forward to Buster's recovery. We're
certainly out of the business of talking about the incident and revisiting
it, other than we think it's a healthy dialogue to talk about what can be
done to protect the player.
"Throughout the organization -- clubhouse, front office, owners, everybody --
because of who he is and the member of the family that he is, it's an
emotional time, and it's not like four, five, six, seven days dissipates much
of that. It's not about the player. Our situation is that we actually believe
the rule has to be looked at."
Added Bochy: "There's nobody more supportive and protective of his players
than Brian. I compare him to like a papa bear. When something happens to your
kid, your fangs come out. He's hurt. He's hurt for Buster. He's hurt for the
club, for baseball. It's a very emotional time. As we all know, Brian's very
emotional. Sometimes he needs time to let his emotions settle, and he's not
out to demonize any player. He's hurt for Buster and what's happened here.
Certainly we don't want the media or the fans to demonize Brian, either. He
is very, very concerned about Buster and the ballclub."
Regarding the alleged death threats to Cousins, a Bay Area native who
attended the University of San Francisco, Baer and Bochy both echoed the
organization's desire to no longer make this about Cousins or Posey, but
rather about keeping all players safe.
"There shouldn't be any implied ill will toward Scott among our fans, among
people in the community. That's just not what it is. It's not right," Baer
said. "That's terrible. That's a shame. That's ridiculous. If you're a Giants
fan, come on out and bring a sign, 'Get well, Buster.' Don't go after Scott
Cousins. That's ridiculous."
Adam Berry is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject
to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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