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I thought the guys in the booth last night were brilliant , in a still developing story they jumped right in.
Mets broadcasters (from l.) Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen focus opening of Monday night's Mets-Rockies telecast on bizarre accusations of GM Omar Minaya
Transcript - from the Daily news
Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling talk about the Omar Minaya-Adam Rubin press conference.
GARY COHEN:
THIS HAS BEEN A VERY BIZARRE DAY IN METS LAND. THE METS TODAY FINALLY FIRED VICE PRESIDENT TONY BERNAZARD BUT THE BIGGER STORY BECAME THE WAY OMAR MINAYA HANDLED HIS PRESS CONFERENCE, CALLING OUT A REPORTER FROM THE DAILY NEWS, LEADING TO OMAR ISSUING A NON-APOLOGY, APOLOGY JUST MINUTES AGAIN. WE WILL TALK MUCH MORE ABOUT THIS AS WE PROCEED THROUGH THE BROADCAST TONIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY THE EVENTS REGARDING TONY BERNAZARD AND OMAR MINAYA AND ADAM RUBIN ARE DISTRACTING FROM THE FACT THAT THE METS COME OFF TWO TERRIFIC GAMES...
GARY COHEN:
BUT THE DAY STARTED EARLY TODAY WITH A PRESS CONFERENCE WHICH INTIALLY WAS CALLED BY OMAR MINAYA TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRING OF TONY BERNAZARD. OMAR THE METS GENERAL MANAGER ELLUDING TO VARIOUS INCIDENTS INVOLVING TONY, MANY OF WHICH WERE REPORTED ON BY THE DAILY NEWS, INVOLVING TAKING YOUR SHIRT OFF AND CHALLENGING A DOUBLE-A TEAM TO A FIGHT, GETTING INTO A SHOUTING MATCH WITH FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ ON A TEAM BUS AND SEVERAL OTHER THINGS. AND AT FIRST, WHAT OMAR TALKED ABOUT WAS THAT HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT OF THE METS HAD LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION BEFORE THE STORIES IN THE PAPER CAME OUT AND IT CAME TO FRUITION TODAY.
(OMAR MINAYA SOUND ON TAPE)
I MET WITH TONY BERNAZARD YESTERDAY, SHOWED HIM THE FACTS THAT WERE THERE AND WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE, I HAD TO MAKE MY RECOMMENDATION TO OWNERSHIP. MY RECOMMENDATION TO OWNERSHIP WAS TO, THAT WE NEEDED TO LET TONY BERNAZARD GO.
(OMAR MINAYA SOUND ON TAPE)
I WAS SURPRISED BY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE IN THE REPORT. I HAD TO BE SURPRISED OF COURSE THEY WERE THINGS THAT I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT. SO I WAS VERY SURPRISED BY SOME OF THE THINGS IN THE REPORT.
GARY COHEN:
NOW OMAR DIDN'T ADDRESS ANY OF THE SPECIFICS IN THE REPORT BUT HE TALKED A LITTLE AFTER THAT ABOUT TONY'S JOB PERFORMANCE AND ABOUT HIS PERSONALITY AND THEN THE PRESS CONFERENCE TOOK A BIZARRE TURN AS OMAR STARTED TO BRING UP THE FACT THAT ADAM RUBIN WHO WROTE THE STORIES IN THE DAILY NEWS THAT EVENTUALLY LED TO THIS COMING DOWN TODAY... THAT ADAM HAD SOMETIME IN THE PAST LOBBIED FOR A JOB IN PLAYER DEVELOPMENT IN THE METS ORGANIZATION AND THAT LED TO THIS EXCHANGE BETWEEN OMAR AND ADAM RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE IN FRONT OF ALL THE MEDIA.
(OMAR MINAYA AND ADAM RUBIN SOUND ON TAPE)
ADAM RUBIN:
IS WHAT YOU'RE ALLEGING THAT I TRIED TO TEAR TONY DOWN TO TAKE HIS JOB? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?
OMAR MINAYA:
NO, NO I'M NOT SAYING THAT. ALL IM SAYING WAS THAT I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU WROTE THE REPORTS, THAT IN THE PAST, YOU HAVE LOBBIED HAVE LOBBIED FOR A JOB.
ADAM RUBIN:
IF I WERE INTERESTED IN WORKING IN PLAYER DEVELOPMENT SOMEWHERE IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES AT SOME POINT IN MY LIFE, HOW DID THAT IMPACT THIS SITUATION AT ALL.
OMAR MINAYA:
I SAID BECAUSE WHEN THE REPORTS CAME OUT, A LOT OF THESE THINGS, I SAID WHO'S WRITING THESE REPORTS. I SAID OK HE'S WRITING THE REPORTS BUT IN THE BACK OF MY MIND ADAM, YOU HAVE TOLD ME YOU HAVE TOLD OTHER PEOPLE IN THE FRONT OFFICE, THAT YOU WANT TO WORK FOR PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, IN THE FRONT OFFICE.
ADAM RUBIN:
SO WHAT YOU'RE ALLEGING IS THAT, THE ONLY CONCLUSION I CAN DRAW FROM THAT, IS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ALLEGE THAT I TRIED TO TEAR EVERYONE DOWN SO I COULD TAKE THEIR POSITION. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? IT'S PRETTY DISPICABLE TO SAY THAT.
GARY COHEN:
THAT WAS ABOUT 4 O-CLOCK THIS AFTERNOON. NOW ABOUT 10 MINUTES AGO, IN A HASTILY CALLED PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE BACK OF THE PRESS BOX HERE AT CITI FIELD, OMAR APPEARED AGAIN, THIS TIME ALONG WITH CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER JEFF WILPON TO SORT OF APOLOGIZE.
(OMAR MINAYA SOUND ON TAPE)
I WANNA BASICALLY, REALLY APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT I RAISED IN THE FORUM. THAT WAS NOT THE PROPER FORUM FOR ME TO RAISE THOSE ISSUES. AND I JUST FEEL THAT I YOU KNOW IN BRINGING IT UP OVER THERE THOSE ISSUES, I DON'T THINK THAT WAS RIGHT AND I WANNA APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.
GARY COHEN:
NOW WHAT OMAR WENT ON TO SAY. HE SAID THAT HE STOOD BY WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT ADAM RUBIN BUT THAT IT WAS MERELY THE WRONG PLACE FOR HIM TO BRING IT UP. AND SO WE ARRIVE AT THIS MOMENT. YOU KNOW IT SEEMED AT FIRST THAT THE FIRING OF TONY BERNAZARD TODAY WOULD BE A POSITIVE STORY... A POSITIVE TAG AT THE END OF A KIND OF NEGATIVE STORY FOR THE METS. THAT THEY HAD KIND OF MOVED ASIDE A GUY THAT HAD CAUSED THEM GREAT EMBARRASSMENT BUT IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY ONLY CAUSED THEMSELF GREATER EMBARRASSMENT TODAY.
RON DARLING:
THEY DID. THEY DID. I WOULD HAVE LIKED IT IF THE MEA CULPA THING THAT WHAT HE DID WAS WRONG AGAINST ADAM RUBIN WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE FORTHCOMING THAN IT WAS BY OMAR. I THINK THAT THEY'VE TURNED SOMETHING THAT LIKE GARY SAID SHOULD HAVE BEEN A LOOSE WHEEL, A BAD WHEEL, EXBRAGATED (SIC?) BACK TO BUSINESS OF BASEBALL, A TEAM THAT HAD WON TWO GAMES COMING INTO A HUGE HOMESTAND AND NOW THIS BECOMES THE HUGE STORY AND IT'S JUST AN AWFUL DAY HERE IN MET LAND.
KEITH HERNANDEZ:
I'M JUST WONDERING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER IF OMAR GOT OFF HIS TALKING POINTS OR IF THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS TO BE BROUGHT UP. I KIND OF FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT ADAM RUBIN WAS BROUGHT INTO THIS. AND THIS WAS AS YOU SAID GARY, JUST A FIRING OF A GUY WHO MADE A LOT OF ENEMIES IN THIS ORGANIZATION, UP AND DOWN. AND IT WAS A SIMPLE JOB OF HEY, THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION AND HE HAD TO GO AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BOOM, LET GO, GO FORWARD.
GARY COHEN:
YEAH AND THE THING THAT IS SO PUZZLING ABOUT OMAR BRINGING ADAM INTO IT IS THAT AT NOT POINT DID HE SAY THAT ANYTHING THAT ADAM WROTE IS WRONG. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT ADAM RUBIN, NOBODY WORKS HARDER THAN THIS GUY IN TERMS OF COVERING THE TEAM, IN TERMS OF COVERING THE MINOR LEAGUES, HE'S BEEN ON THIS BEAT FOR A LONG, LONG TIME AND DONE A GREAT JOB WITH IT BUT THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, HE'S NOT PART OF THE STORY, HE'S MERELY THE GUY WHO REPORTED THE STORY.
RON DARLING:
BUT THINK ABOUT IT, THAT THEY HAVE SAID THAT THEY STARTED THIS HUMAN RESOURCES INVESTIGATION 3 WEEKS AGO AND THAT ADAM RELEASED HIS FINDINGS IN THE PAPER AND FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, WE FIND THEM TO BE ALL TRUE JUST THEY CAME OUT BEFORE ANYONE IN THE METS ORGANIZATION WANTED TO HEAR THEM. AND I THINK THAT HAS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM AND A BIG STICKING POINT. BUT I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY OMAR AT SOME POINT FELT ADAM RUBIN WAS ANY KIND OF STORY BECAUSE THEY'VE TURNED, LIKE I SAID WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN, IT'S HARD FOR SOMEONE BEING FIRED TO BE A POSITIVE STORY BUT IT COULD BE A STORY WHERE YOU'RE MOVING FORWARD AND THEY'VE TAKEN TWO STEPS BACK.
KEITH HERNANDEZ:
AND THE POINT IS ADAM RUBIN IS NOT THE ISSUE HERE. ADAM RUBIN IS A BEAT WRITER AND HIS JOB IS TO COVER THE TEAM. HE GOT A LEAD ON A STORY AND GUESS WHAT, HE REPORTED IT CORRECTLY, HE DID NOTHING WRONG.
GARY COHEN:
AND THIS WHOLE IDEA ABOUT ADAM WANTING A JOB IN BASEBALL. JEFF WILPON GOT UP IN FRONT OF THE MEDIA IN THAT PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT 10 MINUTES AGO AND SAID LOOK IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME A WRITER OR A COLUMNIST HAS ASKED, CALLED ME AND ASKED FOR JOB ADVICE FOR HOW TO GET A JOB WITHIN BASEBALL. IT'S KIND OF LIKE NEWSPAPER REPORTERS WHO BECOME PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SECRETARIES. THE BOND IS PRETTY CLOSE BETWEEN THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THE TEAM AND THE PEOPLE WHO COVER THE TEAM AND SOMETIMES THOSE LINES CROSS BUT FOR OMAR TO BRING IT UP IN THIS FORUM OBVIOUSLY DID NOT DO HIM OR THE ORGANIZATION ANY GOOD.
RON DARLING:
WELL I LEARNED ONE THING, I DON'T WANNA BE A JOURNALIST I KNOW THAT. AND I KNOW A LOT OF THE WRITERS ARE OFFENDED AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY INTERESTING THING FOR ME, HOW YOU MOVE FORWARD FROM THIS BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL BE THERE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. HOW DO YOU TALK TO OMAR NOW WITHOUT THINKING THAT SOMETHING IS GONNA BE ON, OFF OR WHATEVER THE RECORD.
KEITH HERNANDEZ:
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS GONNA BE HOW THE PLAYERS REACT TO THIS. THIS IS A BIG SERIES RIGHT HERE, TO GET BACK TO WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT DOWN HERE, WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO COVERING THIS BALL CLUB, THE NEW YORK METS. YOU KNOW HAVE AN IMPORTANT SERIES HERE HOW'S IT GONNA AFFECT THEM. I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THEM ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. THE PLAYERS GO OUT THERE, THEY GET THEIR UNIFORM ON, THEY PREPARE TO PLAY AND YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH WIPE ALL THIS OUT, TAKE A DEEP BREATH, THEY KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SERIES.
RON DARLING:
THE ONLY PROBLEM IS, AND I THINK KEITH YOU'RE RIGHT, ONCE THEY GET IN THE WHITE LINES IT'S EASY. THE ONLY PROBLEM FOR A PLAYER, AND YOU KNOW THIS, WHEN THESE TYPES OF THINGS HAPPEN, YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THEM. BECAUSE BEFORE AND AFTER THE GAME PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE IN THERE AND THEY'RE GONNA WANNA KNOW THEIR REACTION TO THIS REACTION TO ADAM OR OMAR OR WHATEVER AND THAT'S WHEN IT CAN BE A PAIN IN THE YOU KNOW WHAT.
GARY COHEN:
AND THE FUNNY THING ABOUT THIS WHOLE CONFLAGRATION IS THAT NORMALLY FANS DON'T CARE ABOUT WHO THE VICE PRESIDENT OF PERSONNEL IN AN ORGANIZATION IS. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS THAT THEIR TEAM WINS AND LOSES. THEY KNOW WHO THE G-M IS, THEY KNOW WHO THE MANAGER IS. TONY BERNAZARD HAS TAKEN A HIGHER PROFILE BECAUSE OF ALL THE STORIES THAT HAVE COME OUT ABOUT HIM BOTH IN PAST YEARS AND MORE RECENTLY BUT THE FACT THAT HAS BECOME AN EVEN LARGER STORY WITH THE FIRING OF BERNAZARD WHEN THEY COULD HAVE SIMPLY PUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE SAYING THAT HE HAD BEEN FIRED, THAT'S THE SHAME OF IT, BECAUSE NONE OF THIS REALLY HAD TO HAPPEN.
RON DARLING:
IF HIS INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS WERE, WHERE I'M FROM, THAT MEANS HE HAD A HARD TIME GETTING ALONG WITH FOLKS, AT SOME POINT HAVE SOME OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BEEN COMPROMISED DOWN IN YOUR MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM. THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT I REALLY THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS FOR THIS ORGANIZATION. THAT, NOT ONLY THE PLAYERS WHO ARE YOUR PRIZED POSSESSIONS WHO YOU HAVE IN YOUR SYSTEM. THESE ARE THE GUYS WHO YOU'RE TRYING TO TEACH YOUNG MEN HOW TO PLAY BUT ALSO THESE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR YOU THAT ARE LIFERS, THAT ARE WORKING AS A MANAGER, OR ARE WORKING AS A PITCHING COACH IN SINGLE-A AND ARE MAKING PEANUTS, THAT HAVE GONE THRU A PROCESS OF NOT HAVING A GREAT RELATIONSHIP, THOSE ARE THE FENCES YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO MEND.
KEITH HERNANDEZ: AND I DON'T THINK WITH THE THINGS THAT HAVE TRANSPIRED WITH THE WAY BERNAZARD HANDLED THINGS IN THE MINOR LEAGUES, THAT'S NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE TO BUILD CHARACTER IN THE MINOR LEAGUES FOR GUYS WHO ARE TRYING TO MOVE UP.
RON DARLING:
THE ONLY PROBLEM IS, AND I THINK KEITH YOU'RE RIGHT, ONCE THEY GET IN THE WHITE LINES IT'S EASY. THE ONLY PROBLEM FOR A PLAYER, AND YOU KNOW THIS, WHEN THESE TYPES OF THINGS HAPPEN, YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THEM. BECAUSE BEFORE AND AFTER THE GAME PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE IN THERE AND THEY'RE GONNA WANNA KNOW THEIR REACTION TO THIS REACTION TO ADAM OR OMAR OR WHATEVER AND THAT'S WHEN IT CAN BE A PAIN IN THE YOU KNOW WHAT.
GARY COHEN:
AND THE FUNNY THING ABOUT THIS WHOLE CONFLAGRATION IS THAT NORMALLY FANS DON'T CARE ABOUT WHO THE VICE PRESIDENT OF PERSONNEL IN AN ORGANIZATION IS. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS THAT THEIR TEAM WINS AND LOSES. THEY KNOW WHO THE G-M IS, THEY KNOW WHO THE MANAGER IS. TONY BERNAZARD HAS TAKEN A HIGHER PROFILE BECAUSE OF ALL THE STORIES THAT HAVE COME OUT ABOUT HIM BOTH IN PAST YEARS AND MORE RECENTLY BUT THE FACT THAT HAS BECOME AN EVEN LARGER STORY WITH THE FIRING OF BERNAZARD WHEN THEY COULD HAVE SIMPLY PUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE SAYING THAT HE HAD BEEN FIRED, THAT'S THE SHAME OF IT, BECAUSE NONE OF THIS REALLY HAD TO HAPPEN.
RON DARLING:
IF HIS INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS WERE, WHERE I'M FROM, THAT MEANS HE HAD A HARD TIME GETTING ALONG WITH FOLKS, AT SOME POINT HAVE SOME OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BEEN COMPROMISED DOWN IN YOUR MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM. THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT I REALLY THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS FOR THIS ORGANIZATION. THAT, NOT ONLY THE PLAYERS WHO ARE YOUR PRIZED POSSESSIONS WHO YOU HAVE IN YOUR SYSTEM. THESE ARE THE GUYS WHO YOU'RE TRYING TO TEACH YOUNG MEN HOW TO PLAY BUT ALSO THESE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR YOU THAT ARE LIFERS, THAT ARE WORKING AS A MANAGER, OR ARE WORKING AS A PITCHING COACH IN SINGLE-A AND ARE MAKING PEANUTS, THAT HAVE GONE THRU A PROCESS OF NOT HAVING A GREAT RELATIONSHIP, THOSE ARE THE FENCES YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO MEND.
KEITH HERNANDEZ:
AND I DON'T THINK WITH THE THINGS THAT HAVE TRANSPIRED WITH THE WAY BERNAZARD HANDLED THINGS IN THE MINOR LEAGUES, THAT'S NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE TO BUILD CHARACTER IN THE MINOR LEAGUES FOR GUYS WHO ARE TRYING TO MOVE UP.
[url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/07/28/2009-07-28_mets_broadcasters.html?page=3#ixzz0MZ3l09kC]Transcript[/url]
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