So, um, things are getting a little awkward in here.
Lance Berkman didn’t just jack a game winning 3-run shot yesterday against the Marlins, he graced the front page of ESPN.com for most of the day. A well deserved feature piece devoted to… all sorts of lingering tensions with the Huston Astros?
“The Astros were a great organization to me in a lot of ways,” Berkman said. “They gave me an opportunity to play in the big leagues. They paid me a lot of money, and they showed tremendous faith in me at times. They were good to me. But [in the end] I feel like they didn’t give me the benefit of doubt and they kind of cast me aside. They basically said, ‘You’re bad. We’re bad. Let’s cut ties and get on down the road.’ And that was hurtful.
So, uh, that hot start, right? I mean that’s pretty sweet.
“What do the Minnesota Twins do when Joe Mauer has a knee problem? They take care of him. What do the Phillies do when Chase Utley has a knee problem? They don’t let him on the field. That’s what’s kind of frustrating for me. I don’t want to come across like, ‘Woe is me,’ but I definitely felt like I was dealing with some physical issues that didn’t get pointed out. It was almost like, ‘Hey, this guy is washed up. He’s lost it.’ I’m not trying to blame my whole year on [the injury], but it was definitely a factor.”
League leader in RBI’s, no?
“I like Milo,” Berkman said. “My only beef with Milo is that what he said wasn’t accurate. He accused me of not doing my rehab and not giving the organization everything I had, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Unfortunately, once that gets out there, it’s hard to refute it. The whole thing leaves me with kind of a bad feeling in my stomach. I don’t feel good about my part in it or their part in it. I just don’t feel good about it, period.”
Ok, so this is kind of like when a hot girl gets dumped because she was losing a little heat on her fastball, decides to work out like a maniac and then when the new boyfriend starts enjoying hotness 2 point 0, she starts talking about the old dude.
You know what?
I’m totally fine with that.
Down the road, the rifts have time to heal. (GM Ed) Wade said that when Berkman retires as a player, his No. 17 jersey will hang from the rafters in Houston and he’ll have a “golden key” to a position with the organization. If there were no batting cage chats last weekend, it was nothing premeditated on his part.
“The universal feeling about Lance within the Astros organization is that he was a favored son when he was here, and he will continue to be when he’s finished playing,” Wade said. “There was no ax-grinding on my part not to say hello when they were in Houston. I guess I’ll have to make up for that at some point.”
We know the deal. He’s going to leave here, probably at the end of the season and eventually rejoin the Astros in some capacity.
Until then? EAT IT HOUSTON!
And now, the Friday Links…
- Very important Presidential qualifications. LINK HERE
- This shirt speaks the truth? LINK HERE
- Worst book of all time. LINK HERE
- Slow news day in KC. LINK HERE
- If we didn’t mention the death of Bin Laden, we’d be remiss. LINK HERE
- The ‘Home Alone’ house is for sale? LINK HERE
That’s it for the week. Be kind to your Mother this weekend. She’s had to put up with your ass for this long, the least you can do is buy her some flowers or something.
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