Phillips and Griffey

[ChatterRed]

Off of ORG:

Quote:

They said it: Griffey wasn't thrilled by comments made by Brandon Phillips when the second baseman apologized for not hustling out a drive off of the fence. Phillips went into a home run trot before getting thrown out at second base.

"I've been busting my butt and hustling. I finally didn't hustle for one play," Phillips said Saturday. "I don't want to fall into the same category as other people."

A couple of weeks ago in Pittsburgh, Griffey had a similar incident but held up at first base with a long single.

"At least I didn't get thrown out," joked Griffey. "[I've got] 593 [homers]. [Phillips has] less than 60."

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I guess Phillips gets it and Junior doesn't. C'est la vie.

I guess my response to Junior would be.........IF YOU HAVE 593 HOMERS, THEN YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL WHEN ONE IS OUT OF THE PARK OR NOT!!!! PHILLIPS HAS ONLY 60, SO HE HAS MORE OF AN EXCUSE. ;)

[Redhook]

First of all, I think it's a joke that this situation of not hustling has been discussed so often this year.

I don't want to pick sides on this little spat because it goes way beyond this situation between Phillips and JR. Quite a few guys have been seen not hustling this year.

It might be a little unfair, but I'm going to put a little of the blame on JR for this year's non-hustling problems. While he's never claimed to be a leader, he is still looked up to by the younger players on the team. He has an impact on them. It's still not an excuse for not hustling, but when you see an all-century player doggin' it, then you might think it's acceptable to. It can definitely rub off on you.

While his production will be hard to replace, I'm officially ready for the Reds to go forward without JR. I think this team needs a breath of fresh air, *hint, Bruce,hint*.

[durl]

I'll first say that I really like Phillips' ability to play the game and I'm glad he's a Red.

Now, if this story is true, I'll simply add that Phillips hasn't impressed me in how he does interviews. Rambling can make you say things you later wish you hadn't. Griffey may deserve to be called out by the fans for not hustling out a long fly ball, but Phillips doesn't need to compare himself to any of his teamates...EVER. Especially to the press. He'll quickly wear out his welcome in the clubhouse if he continues to do so.

[dthomas24]

I think it shows some class by Phillips that he's going to own up to his mistake. He shouldn't have said "like some others" but he gets it.

[Triples]

I think it shows some class by Phillips that he's going to own up to his mistake. He shouldn't have said "like some others" but he gets it.

I think that Phillips reference to "like some other guys" isn't him incriminating one of his teammates but rather him incriminating the press for accusing his teammates of not hustling. In other words, he was telling the media to not make that unfounded accusation about him.

[Doro]

This is why Jr doesnt play for winners. I'm for not trashing your teammates but when you play for a team like the Reds I think things have to be said.

[AmarilloRed]

Griffey has been criticized in the past for not hustling, so I guess he gets defensive when the subject is brought up.

[ChatterRed]

Well, if you have 593 HR's, you don't need to hustle do you? Future HOF'ers don't have to hustle. They just have to show up. And when their abilities decline, they still get to field the most important position in the outfield, isn't that right? And when their legs decline, they don't have to run..........they begin to use a wheelchair to motorize themself around the bases.........because after all..........he's a prolific HR hitter and future HOF'er.

[redsupport]

exactly, a spiral of rationalizations to fit the facts that griffey's presence has not helped the reds in the standings one iota

[RedsMightWin]

If there is a rift I am on the side of Phillips

[GoReds33]

If there is a rift I am on the side of PhillipsI second that. I love how Phillips said it. He didn't call him out by name. I think he may become a leader of this team.:)

[Krawhitham]

The Franchise will never be the leader of any team, all The Franchise cares about is The Franchise.

Maybe if he was more concerned about getting a hit than making the 30-30 club it would not have been a problem

[I(heart)Freel]

Off of ORG:

"At least I didn't get thrown out," joked Griffey. "[I've got] 593 [homers]. [Phillips has] less than 60."

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You know... I read the bit in this morning's paper. And then I saw this today and thought, I sure don't remember Junior saying the thing about the homers.

Sure enough.

Here's the version on the ENQ site... in its entirety.


TOUCHE: Ken Griffey Jr. took note of the comment Brandon Phillips made after getting thrown out at second after breaking slowly out of the box on ball that hit off the wall.

Phillips apologized to Mackanin. Among the things Phillips said to reporters:

"It cost us a run," he said. "That (ticked) me off. If it cost us the game, it would have really (ticked) me off. I apologized. That's not me. I let the team down. I've been hustling all year.

"I don't want to get in the category with some other guys."

Griffey thought the "some other guys" comment was directed at him.

Griffey failed to get to second on a bloop single in Pittsburgh on Aug. 30. That started a mini-controversy.

"At least, I didn't get thrown out," Griffey kidded.





So... was the line removed after initial posting?

Either way, interesting.

[RedsMightWin]

I second that. I love how Phillips said it. He didn't call him out by name. I think he may become a leader of this team.:)

Exactly, he didn't call anyone out and if someone feels it was directed at them then maybe they should question their own play instead of making "jokes" about it.

[jimbo]

Exactly, he didn't call anyone out and if someone feels it was directed at them then maybe they should question their own play instead of making "jokes" about it.

My guess is that the media implied it when they asked for a response from Griffey, so he responded as stated.....in a kiddingly way.

I'm not at all surprised that Griffey doesn't like talking to the media. Everything he says gets taken out of context.

[RedsMightWin]

My guess is that the media implied it when they asked for a response from Griffey, so he responded as stated.....in a kiddingly way.

I'm not at all surprised that Griffey doesn't like talking to the media. Everything he says gets taken out of context.

Griffey replying in a kidding way just makes him look bad no matter if it even was out of context.

[jimbo]

Griffey replying in a kidding way just makes him look bad no matter if it even was out of context.

Only to the people who do not like him in the first place.

[RedsMightWin]

Only to the people who do not like him in the first place.

Trent on his blog

i was in on the discussion with jr., which i thought was off the record, which is why i didn't print them. let's just say, junior was less than happy with those statements -- and he pointed out not only the home run totals, but he remembered phillips' infamous triple earlier in the season, pointed out that he didn't get thrown out or make an out and a couple of other things. he basically said, 'he's young. he's got a lot of things to learn'

Doesnt sound like he took them out of context.

[RedsMightWin]

Phillips didnt name any names so anyone that feels like it was targeted to them must have doubt about themselves. Thats all I am saying. Even if the media went to Griffey he clearly must be questioning himself if he feels the way he feels.

[jimbo]

Trent on his blog


Doesnt sound like he took them out of context.

We have no idea how the subject was introduced to Griffey. The media does a very effective job of taking one person's comment, then taking that comment (with a few twists and turns) to another person for a response that they hope creates a story. You see it everday in today's media.

In this instance, I doubt Griffey read that comment word for word in the newspaper. Most likely a reporter heard Phillips's comment, came up with what they thought the comment implied, and approached Griffey for a response.

[RedsMightWin]

We have no idea how the subject was introduced to Griffey. The media does a very effective job of taking one person's comment, then taking that comment (with a few twists and turns) to another person for a response that they hope creates a story. You see it everday in today's media.

In this instance, I doubt Griffey read that comment word for word in the newspaper. Most likely a reporter heard Phillips's comment, came up with what they thought the comment implied, and approached Griffey for a response.

I understand what you are saying but the response to it is still wrong no matter how it was presented to him.

Either way I applaud Phillips for his original comments and hope he doesnt end up eating them if/when he loafs again.

[jimbo]

I understand what you are saying but the response to it is still wrong no matter how it was presented to him.


Why? Because you say it is? Who are we to judge how someone else reacts in certain situations? He turned something that the media was trying to create, and made fun of it instead. In my eyes, he handled it perfectly.

This is much ado about nothing. Just another attempt by the media to create controversy where there isn't any. Yet, you always have the Reds fans (especially the Griffey haters) who will take something like this and run with it.

[RedsMightWin]

Why? Because you say it is? Who are we to judge how someone else reacts in certain situations? He turned something that the media was trying to create, and made fun of it instead. In my eyes, he handled it perfectly.

This is much ado about nothing. Just another attempt by the media to create controversy where there isn't any. Yet, you always have the Reds fans (especially the Griffey haters) who will take something like this and run with it.

Sorry let me reword that,

I understand what you are saying but the response to me it is still wrong no matter how it was presented to him.

In my opinion Griffey handled it wrong even if they flat out said "hey Ken, Brandon says you loaf all the time and are a joke"

Sorry for the mistake :(

[durl]

Phillips' comments do not make him a leader nor do they put him on the road to leadership. A leader doesn't tell the press something like, "I screwed up and I don't want to be lumped in with other guys who don't hustle." He may have a point about hustling, but you don't slam (even when it's just hinting) the veteran teammates to the press by saying you don't want to be like your teammates. That does nothing to encourage hustling.

And the "Griffey teams never make the World Series" talk really should stop. That's really grasping at straws to blame Jr for the Reds' record over the years. Ted Williams never won a World Series. Neither did Ernie Banks (Cubs had 6 winning seasons with Banks playing), Ty Cobb, Rod Carew, Gaylord Perry, or Phil Niekro.

[RedsMightWin]

What does a leader say? He didn't slam anyone. He wanted to let everyone know he was upset about his error and doesnt want to be lumped into the category of a loafer and is upset at himself. Sounds like he actually cares about how hes perceived and cares about his game to me.

I for one am pretty happy he doesnt want to be compared to players that take the game for granted.

It might not encourage hustling but it does encourage owning up to your mistakes instead of ignoring them .

[jimbo]

In my opinion Griffey handled it wrong even if they flat out said "hey Ken, Brandon says you loaf all the time and are a joke"


How exactly is he supposed to handle it then?

It put him in a no-win situation because no matter what he said or how he said it, he would have been criticized by the same group who is criticizing the response he did give. If he says nothing, he gets criticized for not owning up to his "mistake." If he says he made a "mistake" and takes blame for it, the haters come out and say "see, I told you he is lazy and not a team player."

Junior could cure cancer and the haters would criticize him for taking so long and allowing so many deaths.

[RedsMightWin]

He could have easily said "i dont want to talk about it"

He gets tore up because he doesn't own up to mistakes but rather makes jokes about them by saying "at least i didnt get thrown out"

[jimbo]

He could have easily said "i dont want to talk about it"

He gets tore up because he doesn't own up to mistakes but rather makes jokes about them by saying "at least i didnt get thrown out"

That's his way of dealing with it. The problem lies in the fact that the public has "expectations" of how a player should act and say, and when he doesn't meet those expectations, he is criticized for it.

Trust me, if he had said "I don't want to talk about it," he would have gotten bashed for it.

[durl]

What does a leader say? He didn't slam anyone. He wanted to let everyone know he was upset about his error and doesnt want to be lumped into the category of a loafer and is upset at himself. Sounds like he actually cares about how hes perceived and cares about his game to me.

A leader wouldn't hint that fellow teammates are "loafers."

All I'm trying to say is that Phillips didn't exude leadership qualities with his comments, as others have said he showed. I applaud him for owning up to his lack of judgement. I'm completely with you there. I simply don't see his choice of words as proper for the situation.

[RedsMightWin]

That's his way of dealing with it. The problem lies in the fact that the public has "expectations" of how a player should act and say, and when he doesn't meet those expectations, he is criticized for it.

Trust me, if he had said "I don't want to talk about it," he would have gotten bashed for it.

Well he said what he said and guess what he is with out a doubt going to get bashed for that response.

I dont care how its spun but "at least i didnt get thrown out" is a stupid comment and should be bashed.

[RedsMightWin]

A leader wouldn't hint that fellow teammates are "loafers."

All I'm trying to say is that Phillips didn't exude leadership qualities with his comments, as others have said he showed. I applaud him for owning up to his lack of judgement. I'm completely with you there. I simply don't see his choice of words as proper for the situation.

I see what you are saying but then again every leader is going to say something someone isn't going to like. If he calls people out with out naming names thats going to be ok with me. If he starts calling names and singling people out then I will have a problem with it.

I don't think hes needs to hint to anyone that his team mates are loafers we already know that. His comments to me are more along the lines of he doesn't want people to think he isn't sorry for them like the other guys are perceived.

Thats just my interpretation of his comments.

Either way hes loafed more than once this year and been told about it so maybe its finally clicked for him.

[BLEEDS]

Phillips didnt name any names so anyone that feels like it was targeted to them must have doubt about themselves. Thats all I am saying. Even if the media went to Griffey he clearly must be questioning himself if he feels the way he feels.

Seriously - I would have thought if Anyone would have been defensive about that statement it would have been EE.

IMO, Jr sure is getting Sensitive in his old age. Obviously he's just a BIT defensive about a pretty generic comment.

Although, I will say I'm sure the Media "presented" it in the manner they did, knowing that Junior might be more than willing to try to read something into it.

In that regard, yes BP is young and needs to learn a few things - like what NOT to say to the media.

PEACE

-BLEEDS