The Giants released a statement yesterday after GM Brian Sabean made what some consider to be inflammatory comments (listen to that audio here) against the Marlins' Scott Cousins on a radio show. Sabean was speaking about the now-famous collision at the plate between Cousins and Giants' catcher Buster Posey that broke Posey's leg and sidelined him for the rest of the season. Cousins has reportedly received death threats over the play.
From the Giants:
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 to the Giants organization.
Brian Sabean's comments yesterday were said out of frustration and out of true concern for Buster and were not meant to vilify Scott Cousins. Brian has been in contact with Florida Marlins General Manager Larry Beinfest to clarify his comments and to assure him that there is no ill-will toward the player. He has also reached out to Scott Cousins directly.
The issue of catcher safety is a complicated one. There are a number of differing opinions around the circumstances of last week's collision and about what baseball should do to prevent serious injuries in the future. This issue goes far beyond last week's incident as there have been a number of recent collision-involved injuries.
We have been in contact with Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president for baseball operations, and have asked for a thorough examination of this issue for the health and safety of all players.
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.
And AP reports on Posey's statement:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Buster Posey doesn’t support any of the threats made toward Scott Cousins, the Florida Marlins player who ended the San Francisco Giants catcher’s season in a collision at home plate May 25.
“I appreciate the continued support of Giants fans and others as I begin the process of working my way back,” Posey said in a statement Saturday. “But in no way do I condone threats of any kind against Scott Cousins or his family.
“As I said last week, I’m not out to vilify Scott. I appreciate that he made the effort to reach out to me on the night of the play, but I was in no physical condition to talk to anyone,” The statement said. “I have not been back with the team since that night so I haven’t even been aware of any other messages he’s left for me. We all need to move on, so it isn’t necessary to have a conversation with him at this point.”
The collision at home plate left Posey with a broken bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle. He’s had surgery and is done for the season.
“My only focus right now is looking forward, getting healthy and returning to catching for the Giants,” Posey said.
The collision has sparked a debate about the safety of catchers and perhaps modifying rules to protect them in plays at the plate. At the center of that debate has been Giants general manager Brian Sabean.
Posey’s statement comes after Sabean criticized Cousins on his weekly radio show on KNBR this week, calling the play malicious and unnecessary.
Those comments got the attention of Major League Baseball, and executive vice president of baseball operations Joe Torre spoke with Sabean on Friday. The Giants also issued a statement saying Sabean’s comments were made out of frustration, and the GM was trying to reach Cousins.
Cousins also issued a statement Friday and apologized again for the collision.
Related:
- Giants reach out to Marlins after Sabean's rant (SF Chronicle)