ESPN 1050’s Andrew Marchand is amongst those who’ve flipped through Tom Verducci and Joe Torre’s forthcoming “The Yankee Years”, and amongst the tidbits I’ve not see reported elsewhere, physical fitness expert Brian McNamee suggests former Mets reliever John Franco spoke ill of teammate Mike Piazza.
After the beaning by Roger Clemens of Piazza, it has been said that Clemens wanted to talk to Piazza, but Piazza refused.
What, at least to our knowledge, was unknown was that McNamee — whom you may have heard was Clemens’ personal trainer and who went to college with Franco — came over to the Mets’ clubhouse to get a read on the situation from Franco.
“So I went over to the clubhouse and I grabbed Franco,” McNamee said. “I’m talking to Jon right outside the clubhouse and I’m going, ‘Yeah, John. Roger just feels bad. He’s in the locker room and he wants to speak with Mike.’ And [Franco] goes, ‘[Piazza’s] in there. He’s a [expletive that questions manhood.] [Expletive] him. He’s in the trainer’s room.'”
With apologies to Rosemary Woods Mr. Marchand, calling someone “a very big fan of Savatage” does not necessarily question their manhood.
In my knee-jerk response to anything remotely humanizing about the Needle, I think less of him for beaning Piazza and than sending his stooge over to apologize and act like it was an accident. That Piazza crumpled after that is one thing. Clemens’ lameness is becoming the uniform he’ll wear into Cooperstown.