King Kaufman is 100 percent correct. I caught the press conference after the game and couldn't believe it. What a wuss! What is with celebrity figures today? Can no one just say, "Fuck it, I'm sorry it happened. I lost my cool." If Clemens had uttered a statement like that he wouldn't have had to say, "There was no intent" six times!
I can't help but think of Clinton saying, "I absolutely did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky." Imagine if he had said, "You know what, she gave me a blow job, so what? I lost my cool. I'm sorry." But no, give excuses. Perpetuate the it's-not-my-fault syndrome sweeping the country. "Yes, Officer, I did run into the car, but it's not my fault. There was no intent." Oh, brother.
-- Mark Myers
King Kaufman ridicules Clemens' explanation that he thought the shard of Piazza's bat was a ball. But the explanation is not ridiculous unless you miscontrue it, as Kaufman does.
Clemens fielded the bat as if it were a ball because he reacted reflexively. If Clemens had had time to size up the flying object coming at him, he would have been smart to step out of the way rather than risk injury by catching a jagged piece of wood. Having caught the bat, Clemens realized what it was -- contrary to Kaufman's account. It's hard to understand why he flung it toward the dugout, but perhaps he was reacting in horror to the realization that he had narrowly escaped injury. I doubt even Clemens can say for sure. It was a visceral, not a cerebral, reaction.
-- Phil Brown
Come, come, now give Clemens a break. He's a fine enough pitcher to place a thrown object exactly where he wants it. Ergo, if he was throwing the bat particle at Piazza he would have hit Piazza. The bat went skidding across the base line at least 5 feet ahead of Piazza after Clemens tossed it underhanded. (Watch the clip again.)
You folks in the media are making way too much of this and the incident in July. The beaning in July was indeed unfortunate, but there is no reason to bring it up every time Piazza goes to bat. That clip has been shown at least once during every Mets postseason game. So, give it a rest, move on to something meaningful and attempt for once to appreciate the wonders of the game itself.
-- Andrew J. Szabo
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