Cliff Lee is in shock. Two weeks ago he thought he would be a Philly forever, only to be "shocked" to find out he was traded to the Mariners. It seems you cannot even seek refuge from disappointment in the sanctuary of low expectations.
"I thought I was going to be a Philly the rest of my life, man," lamented Lee. "I mean, it took me a while to accept that this was as good as it would get for me. Then, I get dumped for an older man? That's bullsh*t!"
Lee was visibly upset as we spoke, though largely because we had crashed his vacation in Puerto Rico. But since we have family there, we had the home field advantage, and told him no one else would listen to his moping. His wife was out spending his money.
Lee explained how he felt when he heard from Philly's GM Ruben Amaro Jr III that he had been traded.
"Shocked. Utterly shocked. My blood pressure was real low. I felt cold and numb, and I couldn't feel me legs. I just kept screaming, 'mama' over and over again."
Told he seemed to be describing a scene in any number of war movies and some symptoms of actual shock, Lee grew despondent.
"Why don't they want me? [Sob]. I mean, I'm a good person, I pay my taxes, I never went and ran off with some other team when the Phillies were on a road trip. I used to call the Phanatic and tell him how much I appreciate how much he gives to the team when I'm out there playing. I feel so used."
Lee seemed to be taking the trade particularly hard for a guy who'd been traded before.
"Cleveland? That meant nothing to me. That was just a fling, you know? Something to pass the time. But this was different. I was the Ace, the guy you counted on when things were going bad, now I don't know what to think about my time there. Was it all a lie? How could they do this to me?"
Lee is not prepared to negotiate a contract extension with Seattle at this time.
"It's too soon. I mean, this just happened, I need to have some fun, clear my head a little. Then, after some time, I can think about making a commitment, just not right now."
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2 comments:
I felt bad for the guy when I read his comments (the actual ones, obviously) but then I remembered that catch of Damon's pop-up that everyone was in love with, but if a Yankee did that, especially in an opponents' ballpark, they'd get absolutely grilled for it. So I guess I DON'T feel that bad.
I think the comments he gave us more accurately captured his feelings of hurt and betrayal. Should be interesting to see whether he ever comes around to wanting to stay in Seattle. I suspect no.
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