Bear-Arms
Mentor
Mets Refute Lo Duca Reports
PHILADELPHIA -- The Mets dismissed and/or denied reports that appeared in the Friday editions of several New York newspapers involving comments attributed to catcher Paul Lo Duca. The stories suggested that Lo Duca was upset on Thursday night not only by questions asked by reporters but about the tendency of reporters to ask questions mostly of English-speaking players.
Stories in the New York Daily News and New York Post quoted Lo Duca as having said, "It's the same three or four people every day. Nobody else wants to talk. Some of these guys have to start talking. They speak English, believe me."
The words were part of Lo Duca's response when a radio reporter asked for an interview concerning the weekend series against the Phillies following the postponement of the Mets' series finale against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Lo Duca was quite irritated on Friday morning before the first game of the day-night doubleheader here because he thought the stories "portrayed me as a racist in the paper." He denied that, and asked reporters to speak with Latin players to ascertain their perceptions: "Ask [them] if I'm an issue."
No players expressed having that sense. And Jose Valentin, seated near Lo Duca's locker on Thursday night, supported the catcher's account of what was said and supported his teammate as well. Julio Franco and Carlos Delgado also dismissed any notion of racism.
"I have no problem with Paul," Valentin said. "I didn't take [the story] that way. ... Me and [Carlos] Beltran were making fun of him [good-naturedly]."
The Mets, as currently constituted, have 14 Latin players on the 25-man roster, and others -- Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Duaner Sanchez, Endy Chavez and Juan Padilla -- are on the disabled list. The Latin presence in the clubhouse and in Shea Stadium has been noted in a book and, more recently, in Sports Illustrated.
Those accounts have emphasized how well the players have assimilated. But some instances involving ethnicity have developed in recent weeks, touching on the roles of certain players, notably Delgado.
In his current role as SNY commentator, Keith Hernandez, the first baseman and team spokesman for the Mets teams from mid-1983 through 1989, recently suggested on air that, as veterans, Delgado and Carlos Beltran assume greater responsibility dealing with the media, noting that Lo Duca and David Wright had done more than their share during the Mets' recent slide.
Beltran usually makes himself available to the media after games -- in fact, he asked whether reporters needed him on Thursday. Delgado, as some players have noted privately, doesn't regularly make himself available. He said on Friday that he does, but he had declined to speak to reporters on Thursday night and on other occasions. And twice this season after he had provided game-deciding hits he declined to do postgame television interviews.
Lo Duca has grown weary of late of answering questions about his suspension, still unserved, and whether he will drop his appeal. He prefaced his remarks on Friday, saying he had been "in a bad mood all day," according to a report. "I'll do this [interview], but you need to start talking to other players."
Lastings, at last: Weather permitting, Lastings Milledge was to serve as the designated hitter for the Class A St. Lucie team in a Florida State League game. It would be the first in-game action by the outfielder since he sprained his right foot on April 28.
This date in Mets history, June 30: One day after the Mets scored 10 runs in a victory against the visiting Dodgers, Sandy Koufax pitched a no-hitter against them at the Polo Grounds in 1962. The Dodgers won, 5-0. In the subsequent two seasons, the Mets amassed a total of six hits on this date and lost to the Pirates at Forbes Field and the Giants at Candlestick Park by 3-0 scores. They scored and won on June 30, 1965, beating the Reds at Shea, 6-3.
Jon Matlack prevailed in a wonderful pitchers' duel with Bert Hooton at Wrigley Field in 1973. Each pitched complete games in the Mets' 2-1 victory. ... A single by Vince Coleman in the 11th inning produced the decisive run in the Mets' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis. The loss completed a three-game sweep that left the Mets in fourth place, five games behind. ... And on this date in 1985, Rico Brogna, Bobby Bonilla and Todd Hundley hit home runs in a 7-6 victory over the Reds at Shea.
PHILADELPHIA -- The Mets dismissed and/or denied reports that appeared in the Friday editions of several New York newspapers involving comments attributed to catcher Paul Lo Duca. The stories suggested that Lo Duca was upset on Thursday night not only by questions asked by reporters but about the tendency of reporters to ask questions mostly of English-speaking players.
Stories in the New York Daily News and New York Post quoted Lo Duca as having said, "It's the same three or four people every day. Nobody else wants to talk. Some of these guys have to start talking. They speak English, believe me."
The words were part of Lo Duca's response when a radio reporter asked for an interview concerning the weekend series against the Phillies following the postponement of the Mets' series finale against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Lo Duca was quite irritated on Friday morning before the first game of the day-night doubleheader here because he thought the stories "portrayed me as a racist in the paper." He denied that, and asked reporters to speak with Latin players to ascertain their perceptions: "Ask [them] if I'm an issue."
No players expressed having that sense. And Jose Valentin, seated near Lo Duca's locker on Thursday night, supported the catcher's account of what was said and supported his teammate as well. Julio Franco and Carlos Delgado also dismissed any notion of racism.
"I have no problem with Paul," Valentin said. "I didn't take [the story] that way. ... Me and [Carlos] Beltran were making fun of him [good-naturedly]."
The Mets, as currently constituted, have 14 Latin players on the 25-man roster, and others -- Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Duaner Sanchez, Endy Chavez and Juan Padilla -- are on the disabled list. The Latin presence in the clubhouse and in Shea Stadium has been noted in a book and, more recently, in Sports Illustrated.
Those accounts have emphasized how well the players have assimilated. But some instances involving ethnicity have developed in recent weeks, touching on the roles of certain players, notably Delgado.
In his current role as SNY commentator, Keith Hernandez, the first baseman and team spokesman for the Mets teams from mid-1983 through 1989, recently suggested on air that, as veterans, Delgado and Carlos Beltran assume greater responsibility dealing with the media, noting that Lo Duca and David Wright had done more than their share during the Mets' recent slide.
Beltran usually makes himself available to the media after games -- in fact, he asked whether reporters needed him on Thursday. Delgado, as some players have noted privately, doesn't regularly make himself available. He said on Friday that he does, but he had declined to speak to reporters on Thursday night and on other occasions. And twice this season after he had provided game-deciding hits he declined to do postgame television interviews.
Lo Duca has grown weary of late of answering questions about his suspension, still unserved, and whether he will drop his appeal. He prefaced his remarks on Friday, saying he had been "in a bad mood all day," according to a report. "I'll do this [interview], but you need to start talking to other players."
Lastings, at last: Weather permitting, Lastings Milledge was to serve as the designated hitter for the Class A St. Lucie team in a Florida State League game. It would be the first in-game action by the outfielder since he sprained his right foot on April 28.
This date in Mets history, June 30: One day after the Mets scored 10 runs in a victory against the visiting Dodgers, Sandy Koufax pitched a no-hitter against them at the Polo Grounds in 1962. The Dodgers won, 5-0. In the subsequent two seasons, the Mets amassed a total of six hits on this date and lost to the Pirates at Forbes Field and the Giants at Candlestick Park by 3-0 scores. They scored and won on June 30, 1965, beating the Reds at Shea, 6-3.
Jon Matlack prevailed in a wonderful pitchers' duel with Bert Hooton at Wrigley Field in 1973. Each pitched complete games in the Mets' 2-1 victory. ... A single by Vince Coleman in the 11th inning produced the decisive run in the Mets' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis. The loss completed a three-game sweep that left the Mets in fourth place, five games behind. ... And on this date in 1985, Rico Brogna, Bobby Bonilla and Todd Hundley hit home runs in a 7-6 victory over the Reds at Shea.
