June 3, 2011GIANTS PAGEGIANTS VIDEO
CSNBayArea.com staff
Giants GM Brian Sabean reportedly will be contacted by Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, regarding comments he made Thursday about Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins.
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ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the following shortly before 9 a.m. Friday:
Source: Joe Torre, who oversees on-field operations for MLB, will call Brian Sabean regarding comments made about the Marlins'Scott Cousins.
Cousins collided with Buster Posey on May 25, with Posey sustaining a broken bone in his left leg and torn ligaments in his ankle.
The National League Rookie of the Year is out for the season after undergoing surgery on Sunday.
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Sabean made his comments on KNBR radio. Here is a sampling of his remarks:
On the fact that Buster doesn't think he'll call Cousins back:
"Buster went through a tremendous experience. Maybe more so mentally than physically and he's going through a hell of a time physically with phantom pain, trying to get the pain under control.So there's a lot involved here and I don't blame him for not calling Cousins back. Why not be hard-nosed? If I never hear from Cousins again or he never plays a day in the big leagues I think we'll all be happy."
What he thinks now that some time has passed:
"After we step back and take the emotion out of it I think we're all in relative agreement that it was an avoidable situation, that's what's sad. I don't have anything against Scott Cousins, the player's mindset or even his relative explanation thereafter. The facts of the matter are it was not a blocking-the-plate situation. Buster Posey did not have the ball. The photo evidence shows Cousins, instead of taking a path to the plate, which is your job to try to score, he has his mind made up that he was going to have contact with the catcher. His right shoulder went into Buster's right shoulder which meant he veered left. If you don't call it malicious, it was unnecessary and therein lies why baseball has to look into this. These guys have to be protected."
On the play itself, and the concern about plate collisions:
"I want to make two points: One, Buster was told in spring training by (manager Bruce Bochy) not to block the plate. Two, in no way shape or form was he blocking the plate. He was just reacting to the throw and trying to get back and make a tag. Unfortunate, it's like one of those things that happens to your family. Until it happens to you and it hits home maybe it's not as real as what we're going through. I know that Boch talked to Joe Torre today and it least he's going to take some things under advisement and see what they can come up with. I don't know what the results will be."
On his long-term view of the situation:
"He chose to be a hero, in my mind, and if that's his flash of fame, that's as good as it's going to get, pal. We'll have a long memory. Believe me, we've talked to (former catcher Mike) Matheny about how this game works. You can't be that out-and-out overly aggressive. I'll put it as politically as I can state it: There's no love lost and there shouldn't be."