Goose Gossage Not At Steinbrenner Field Wednesday Following Cam Newton Comments
TAMPA, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- After making comments critical of instant replay in baseball and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, Hall of Famer Goose Gossage was not at Steinbrenner Field on Wednesday night when Toronto played New York.
Gossage, a Yankees spring training instructor, criticized Blue Jays star Jose Bautista last week for his bat flip during last year's playoffs, calling him "a disgrace to the game" during an interview with ESPN.
"Bautista is a f—ing disgrace to the game," Gossage told ESPN. "He's embarrassing to all the Latin players, whoever played before him. Throwing his bat and acting like a fool, like all those guys in Toronto. [Yoenis] Cespedes, same thing."
In remarks about replay published Monday, Gossage told the New York Post: "Who's died in the last 100 years because of a bad call?" He also said "do we want a bunch of Cam Newtons running around?" a reference to the flamboyant NFL player.
"It's a shame, it breaks my heart to see the direction this game is going. What, do we want a bunch of Cam Newtons running around?" Gossage told the Post.
He continued, "So, if no one keeps it in check, which there is no one keeping it in check, first of all, no one wants to bite the hand that fed them or the hand that feeds them today. The only liaison we had was Joe Torre. It's like Washington, D.C. Everybody starts out with good intentions. You can't beat them, join 'em.''
Gossage met Friday with Yankees manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman. Girardi said there have been no additional meetings with Gossage since then.
"I heard a great comment the other day," Girardi said Wednesday. "There's freedom of speech in our country, but that doesn't always mean that's there not freedom of consequences. Sometimes people want to say there's freedom of speech, but sometimes you're going to be judged on what you say. So, that's part of life."
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