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David Wells and His Autobiography
David Wells recently came out with his autobiography, Perfect I’m Not! Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball. In it, he said a lot of things that got people upset. For one, he said that he pitched his perfect game half drunk. He also took shots at some of his teammates, most prominently Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina, and also estimated that 25 to 40 percent of players used steroids and said that the use of amphetamines was common in the league. This has brought on a big situation with the Yankees, and it has become a very hot topic.
A big thing that David Wells says in this autobiography is that he pitched his 1998 Perfect Game against the Twins half drunk. I don't think that is possible. As David Cone said, you need to be very sharp to pitch a perfect game. You can't pitch one half drunk. He might have had a hangover. There’s a difference between having a hangover and being drunk. I would believe it if he had a hangover. But why would Wells want to go say that? He can get suspended for that. Also, it's like saying that the other team was terrible, if he was able to get them out half drunk. He should be respected for how great his pitching was, not how bad the other team was. It also is a negative thing towards the Yankee skipper, Joe Torre, because if Wells was half drunk, Torre should have noticed it and not let him play. It also sends a bad message to kids.
Wells also made some nasty remarks about the bat incident in the 2000 World Series involving Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza.
Some people think that David Wells just made a mistake in writing what he wrote, and that he is entitled to make a mistake. They think he has the right to say what he wants to say, and that everyone has freedom of speech. But if David Wells had just blurted out what he said, then it could be understandable that he made a mistake. But this is in hard print. It’s in black and white. What you write in a book is thought out - there is plenty of time to revise it before it goes into print. It's not like a conversation where you blurt something out without thinking and then you're sorry. He wrote things that hurt people's feelings, on his own team. According to several of his teammates, some of the things he wrote aren’t even true, like incidents involving Andy Pettitte and David Cone.
According to the book, Wells said that after he was traded to the Blue Jays for Clemens, he was on the phone with David Cone. He said that as Clemens came on the field, Cone held up his cell phone so Wells could hear all the boos Clemens was getting. But Cone says that statement is false.
Wells also said in his book that back in 1997, Andy Pettitte was very upset when the Yankees got Hideki Irabu, because they were paying Irabu tons of money, much more than they were giving Pettitte. Andy Pettitte says that statement was wrong, as he had never even thought that. He asked Wells about it. Wells said that that was not what he meant to say. There are other discrepancies in the book. Therefore, the accuracy and truthfulness of this book are doubtful. I don’t think Wells realized, when he wrote the book, that he would be creating all of these hurt feelings and problems. It was a very foolish thing to do.
The Yankees had been thinking of a suitable punishment to give Wells. Should he be fined? Should he be suspended? Some people thought that he should be traded, but the Yankees know that he is too valuable of a pitcher to be traded. They had been negotiating with Wells’s agent, Gregg Clifton, to figure out the punishment. Initially, the Yankees wanted to fine Wells the salary he would have received for 10 games. Wells has a base salary of $3 million this year, so that would have amounted to about $163,000.
But Clifton persuaded the team to reduce the fine to $100,000.
So they are fining Wells $100,000 for the controversial remarks he made in his new book. Wells has agreed not to appeal the fine through the players association, and the money will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club, one of George Steinbrenner’s favorite charities.
Brian Cashman, the Yankees general manager, has said that the book tarnishes the image of the Yankees. He has not revealed which parts of the book were most responsible for the fine, although he mentioned that Wells pitching his game “half-drunk” was definitely a factor.
"What we're presenting today to the public makes a very strong statement, and I'm certainly happy that David Wells is willing to be held accountable. If he could pull a mulligan on this, he would do so," Cashman said. "We're very happy this thing could be brought to a halt, and hopefully we can turn this from a negative into a positive by distributing the money to some very worthy causes."
Wells, who pitched four innings of relief in New York's 11-1 loss to Cleveland on Monday, released a statement through the team to respond to the fine:
"The Yankees have today notified me of their intention to fine me. I have been advised of my rights to contest this action by the Club, but further advised that the decision whether to do so is mine and mine alone. I have, after consultation with the Yankees, elected not to do so. I am particularly gratified that the Yankees have decided to contribute the fine to the Baseball Assistance Team, whose work I have long appreciated, as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs of New York and the Warrior Foundation.
"I want to take this opportunity to apologize to Mr. Steinbrenner, Yankee officials and employees, Major League Baseball and, most of all, to my teammates, for any negative impact my words may have had. Anyone who knows me knows my love for the history of baseball and in particular the history and traditions of its most famous franchise, the New York Yankees. I never intended to offend anyone, or compromise my relationships with teammates or fans and I deeply regret that I may have done so.
"I want to clarify a couple of things. First, when I took the mound the day of my perfect game, I was ready to pitch. I certainly wasn't drunk. Second, anyone who knows me understands that I only intended to write this book in the spirit of fun. I am sorry that the book hasn't been taken in that vein.
"A big word around the Yankees is 'accountability' and I am accountable for my actions. Part of being accountable is accepting whatever fallout comes from your actions, good, bad, or ugly, and hopefully my decision today shows my willingness to do that. I again want to apologize to my teammates and hope, together, we can move forward to do what I know is everyone's goal, another championship for the New York Yankees."
After the game, Wells declined to answer further questions about the fine. "I'm just glad it's over. It's time to move on," Wells said. "I can't worry about what happened. There have been a lot of distractions, so the best thing for me to do is to concentrate on just going out there, throwing strikes and getting guys out."
Cashman also released a statement that day. "The New York Yankees have 100 years of history and a sacred tradition. We guard that tradition vigilantly."
"The image of the Yankees is something that I protect on a daily basis," Cashman said. "If I have the opportunity to make sure that voice is heard, I'm going to. Some of the things I read in that book tarnished the Yankees' image, whether it was purposeful or not. If I had the right to act on it, I was going to do so. I did."
Major League Baseball said in a statement that the league felt that club discipline was the most appropriate course of action, though Commissioner Bud Selig intends to meet with Wells in the near future to discuss the issue.
Wells and the Yankees hope the large fine will end the widespread attention he has received for his autobiography. Two people who have spoken to Wells said he was rattled about how closely everyone is examining his book and was hoping his acceptance of the fine would show Steinbrenner, his teammates, the fans, and the news media that he was expressing remorse.
Wells has told the Yankees he believes he deserves to be punished. The Yankees considered announcing Wells’s fine on March 9th, but Commissioner Bud Selig asked them to delay it because he wanted to finish reading the book before the penalty was announced.
Gene Orza, the Number 2 official in the players association, had said the Union would challenge attempts by the Yankees to discipline Wells, but Wells has made it clear that he will accept the fine to try to show that he is sorry for his book.
"If they're comfortable with that fine, and they think that it will be the end of it, then it's a good move for everyone involved," said one Yankees player. "Hopefully we can start dealing with baseball and not the off-the-field stuff."
Written by Jesse Bentert
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