Moyer says Phils "misled" him, Phils respond
I was on the radio before the clubhouse opened and was asked if Moyer would criticize the team for moving him to the bullpen. I said no, Jamie Moyer might be privately grousing, but he is way to savvy and protective of his own image to rip the team in public. I was very, very, wrong.
Moyer says Phils "misled" him, Phils respond
Andy Martino
I was on the radio before the clubhouse opened and was asked if Moyer would criticize the team for moving him to the bullpen. I said no, Jamie Moyer might be privately grousing, but he is way to savvy and protective of his own image to rip the team in public. I was very, very, wrong.
Here's a more fully fleshed out description of the events as they unfolded:
Jamie Moyer sat alone in the stands at Wrigley Field this afternoon, staring at the infield. He made his major league debut here on June 16, 1986, pitching for the Cubs against the Phillies and his boyhood hero, Steve Carlton.
After a few silent minutes, he sent for the media, and expressed strong displeasure about a late-career development. Moyer, 46, is 10-9, with a 5.47 earned run average this season, and Monday was assigned to the bullpen to accommodate Pedro Martinez, who will make his Phillies debut today as a member of the starting rotation.
“I’m really not happy with this decision that the Phillies have made,” Moyer said. “I will take what they’ve asked me to do, but I’m not real excited about the decision that’s been made.”
Moyer said that, when he negotiated his TK contract with the Phils last winter, he felt that an understanding existed between him, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and owner David Montgomery that he would start.
"I feel like I've been misled,” Moyer said. “I’m a little disheartened a little bit because I know this past winter when I was negotiating with the Phillies, this was a sore thumb, if you will, about this potentially happening. Ruben [Amaro Jr.], you can’t promise anything in this game, but I really felt that Ruben kind of parlayed to me that this type of situation would not happen.
“I actually even had some conversation with David [Montgomery], and them reassuring me this type of situation won’t happen. Again, I’m a little disheartened by the way it’s happened, how it’s happened.”
Amaro and Montgomery were not in Chicago with the team. Amaro said through a team representative that “When we signed Jamie Moyer it was under the pretense of him being a starter. But right now circumstances have changed….we’re not going to get into any contract negotiations. That’s between players and club.”
Manager Charlie Manuel said that the decision to remove Moyer from the rotation was agonizing. “The toughest decision I ever made,” Manuel said. “It was very hard. What do you want me to say?”
Manuel added that while he did not know what Moyer’s role in the bullpen would be, he would feel comfortable utilizing the lefty as he does Scott Eyre, in hey situations against lefthanded hitters.
“We will look for places to pitch him and keep him sharp and you never know what’s going to happen,” he said.
Martinez said that “he has all the regard in the world” for Moyer. “I don’t have enough words to say how I feel about Jamie.”
Moyer, on the other hand, has no trouble finding words. “Whether I like it or not, this is the situation I’m in,” he said. “I will deal with it. I will deal with it in a respectful way. I’ll be respectful to my teammates. I do not want to be a distraction, and I refuse to be a distraction. It’s about the 25 players that are here and are playing. We all have to pick each other up. We all have to support each other And we all have to be professional."
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You be the judge: Was HE being professional today?
Comments (130)
This is really a non-issue. He said some stuff, but so what? The real issue is Pedro. He's a total long-shot. No way to know what he might do. If, by some miracle, he pitches well, everybody's happy ('cept Jamie, of course). If he implodes, we'll see Jamie back on the mound sooner than later. Of more concern to me: Where have all the quality posters gone??? More bozos on here than at the circus. Used to be a decent board.— bobby
Yo! Wait til Pedro has 10 wins to dis Moyer this way. There is no reason to believe that he will perform any better than Jamie did. Look at his performance last year and scratch your head about why he got the contract he did from the Phillies.— 50yearfan- All you need to know is 10-9, with a 5.47 ERA... them's aint starter-stats for a WS contender. Sorry Jamie, but you should realize that before anyone.— HitsLikeAGurlBurrel
- Getting bumped for someone who hasn't proven himself, has a point. At the same time, he's lucky he's not getting sent to the minors.— Philly Fan in Kuwait
- This guy got gifted an extra 7mil and has the gall to complain the team misled him? I'm sure the team would be happy to grant him his free agency if he gave up next years money. He already stole about 5mil this year.— Rod72
- I feel like I've been mis-led by this team too.....into the 6th against the Cubbies and not even one single baserunner, let alone a hit.....are we sure these guys are paying attention? This may go down as one of their biggest choke jobs of all time.— Mark1npt
- I feel like I've been mis-led by this team too.....into the 6th against the Cubbies and not even one single baserunner, let alone a hit.....are we sure these guys are paying attention? This may go down as one of their biggest choke jobs of all time.— Mark1npt
- This team has been getting knocked around in the middle innings when the starter goes out. If Moyer can come out of the bullpen and shut down the scoring, we could get back to winning and he'd be a hero. Besides does anyone really think Pedro will last long?— atp2007
- Wrong to do it that way...— tdubburns3
- Jamie's human and selfish like the rest of us.— sportsdead
- Someone please tell Gary Matthews to join the Cubs broadcast team. We don't want him. Replace him with Larry Anderson in the Phillies' booth.
Jamie has no room to talk, he stats speak for themselves, he's the 2nd worst starter in the NL right now and the Champs are trying to repeat, this is a no brainer move and i'm shocked that gramps is acting like an immaute highschooler— jamarder- No, he is not being professional. Jamie Moyer made a mistake today, speaking while dealing with the decline of his abilities. I hope someday he sees that he was wrong to say what he did today. Sports, and all jobs, come down to performance, and his performance this year was not good enough. His work in the past got him a 2 year extension when most athletes are retired and done. His performance this year put him in the bullpen. Stop whining and complaining...you are better than this.— rjmac
- No, he is not being professional. Jamie Moyer made a mistake today, speaking while dealing with the decline of his abilities. I hope someday he sees that he was wrong to say what he did today. Sports, and all jobs, come down to performance, and his performance this year was not good enough. His work in the past got him a 2 year extension when most athletes are retired and done. His performance this year put him in the bullpen. Stop whining and complaining...you are better than this.— rjmac
- uh oh somebody call the Wambulance. Whaaaahhhh. gimme a break. your feel-good story ended last year, buddy. and how exactly did that contract negotiation go? "I know you guys are the only team willing to sign a 46-year-old man, but if I have the worst ERA in the majors, you're not going to demote me, are you?" it's called performance, Jamie, just like any other profession— stigs
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