Benitez balked out of town Thursday, and in return the Giants got Randy Messenger. I'm ambivalent about this transaction right now, though I think it was plain that Benitez had reached the point where he wouldn't be able to function on the Giants. The team will pick up most of the tab on Benitez; I'm not happy about that.
It's hard to tell exactly Sabean's mood from the accounts of the press conference, but it seems he wasn't happy. Schulman wrote:
In an extraordinary conference call with reporters, Sabean left no doubt he was unhappy that he was forced by public opinion to consummate a trade that leaves the Giants with no experienced closer.
I wasn't there and haven't heard what Sabean said, but if this is indeed true -- that public opinion made Sabean act -- I'm flabbergasted. Sabean has had thinly veiled contempt for the opinions of Giants fans for years. We're the Lunatic Fringe, remember? So now I'm to believe that because we all bellyached Sabean had to make a deal? That's BS. There's more to it than that.
Sabean was angry about a lot of things. He was snippy with Ralph Barbieri (I would be too) earlier in the day about Benitez. During the press conference, he basically called the whole team out:
"Tonight we got three hits, looked as dead as a doornail, and that wasn't Armando's fault," Sabean said. "We're at a crossroads in my mind. Apparently, the fans, the press and maybe some people in the clubhouse felt he needed to go. We're going to find out what they're made of, now that they don't have a whipping boy. We'll see who's strong enough to be a whipping boy."
Hoo boy, can you imagine this in New York? I'm amazed at how thin-skinned the Giants can get in what, to me, is an amazingly tame sports city. Whipping boy ... it is to laugh.
Asked if he felt compelled to engineer another trade that would fortify the Giants' offense, Sabean said, "Ask the guys who aren't ready to answer the bell. ... We need guys on the field. As usual, we're not getting that."
This is a reference to the dinged up guys the Giants constantly shuffle in and out, namely Durham, Klesko, Aurilia and Bonds. Which makes his comment hilarious. Hey, sweetie, who the hell put this creaking team together? This all sounds very Benitez to me. Sure, there are some very good points in Sabean's diatribe, but one guy seems to be missing in it.
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