Saturday’s Mets Links
The good news is that the Mets added a pitcher, Juan Padilla, who is coming off Tommy John surgery to their bullpen. That’s as good as it gets. The bad news is the ties that Big Sid had to Radomski. The stories are somewhat unclear so we’ll have to see how it plays out.
Newsday:
Watson denies steroid allegations - Here’s a brief look at the story that Ken Davidoff put together:
Former Yankees and Mets pitcher Allen Watson, accused by Jason Grimsley of using performance-enhancing drugs, issued a statement Friday denying the allegations.
“At no time during my professional baseball career have I used steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs. Not then, not now, not ever,” said Watson, a Queens native who attended Christ the King High School in Middle Village and now is the baseball coach there. Watson last pitched in the majors in 2000 with the Yankees.
It’s all pretty simple…one can admit or one can deny. Allen Watson choose to deny. The players listed on the Mitchell Report can do it the Roger Clemens way or the Andy Pettitte way. The next quote is exactly what Clemens said:
Watson’s attorney, Jay Spillane, said, “Allen is outraged at the publication of these defamatory statements. The unsealed affidavit of IRS Agent [Jeff] Novitzky is nothing but hearsay based upon rumor. Anyone who repeats these false claims against Allen should be prepared to defend themselves in court.”
Can Watson do that? Wasn’t that excuse used already? Can all of the players recycle the same excuse? Should there be some originality to all of this?
New York Daily News:
Sid Fernandez named in Kirk Radomski’s unsealed affidavit - Christian Red and Michael O’Keefe reported that:
Perhaps the most notable new name to emerge from the affidavit is former Mets pitcher Sid Fernandez, who wrote a $3,500 check to Radomski in 2005, almost eight years after the lefty’s last appearance in a major league game. The affidavit doesn’t say what Fernandez got for his money.
This doesn’t make sense at all. There definitely are people that take steriods that don’t play sports, but looking at Sid…I wouldn’t put him in that category. Sly Stallone is somebody that juices and doesn’t play baseball. Is it something he owed Radomiski for past services? The article didn’t state a reason. The list of names are getting more and more depressing.
Juan Padilla eyes Mets’ bullpen role - Anthony McCarron wrote:
Juan Padilla, a righthanded reliever who has missed the last two seasons because of two elbow surgeries, agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mets on Friday and said he hopes to compete for a spot in the team’s crowded bullpen.
Padilla, 30, was 3-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 24 games for the Mets in 2005 but hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery and another operation on his pronator tendon (in the forearm). But, he said in a telephone interview yesterday, he will be healthy for spring training. He threw a bullpen session recently and was “95%,” he said.
I’m not sure why Omar keeps going after these injured players. Perhaps he feels like he’s getting a great deal on them. The Mets signed Juan Padilla to a minor-league deal for now. They can bring him up if he performs as expected.
New York Times:
Fernandez and Rose Jr. Are Linked to Radomski - Michael S. Schmidt and Duff Wilson cover the Sid Fernandez story from another angle, and they also cover Pete Rose, Jr who barely ever played in the majors.
