Wells and the Rocket

I must admit, I've never liked David Wells. In the last game of the '02 ALDS, he proved he was a quitter, giving up after Bernie botched a fly ball. And of course, during the '03 World Series, he was bragging about how he can still pitch even though he doesn't work out as rigorously as Roger Clemens. He promptly followed that up by lasting only an inning in his next start, pulling himself out due to his back. And his moronic statements to the press yesterday didn't help the cause.

I'm not a fan of players trash-talking. Takes too much away from the game on the field. Leave that to the thugs in the NBA. One exception: A-Schmuck has earned the response he's gotten. A-Rod is brash, egotisitical, and a sore loser. The message from the Red Sox: keep your mouth shut till you win something. It's right on target, and maybe A-Rod will get it. But for Wells to start mouthing off on Steinbrenner, Torre, etc. I could've done without.

But the Wells situation reminds me of the Clemens situation in '99. Yankee fans hated Clemens when he came to the Bronx. Just the year before, Clemens was called a "headhunter" by Derek Jeter and incited a brawl in Toronto. And when Clemens came to the Junkees the next year, it took a while for them to warm up to him. There were the cheeseballs who put on catching gear when he threw batting practice, etc. Point is, when a guy's on your team, like him or not, you root for him.

So I don't like Wells. I don't like his attitude or his big mouth. But like the Yankee fans cheering on Clemens in '99, I'll be rooting for the Boomer every time he gets out there. I guess it's part of being a fan in the free-agency era.