Wagner Talks Some Smack to Phils

New York Mets RP Billy Wanger decided to heat up the upcoming seriers between the Mets and his former team the Philadelphia Phillies. When asked about the Phillies, Wagner said that: "I knew I was not well-liked there, I felt like an outsider." Wagner also said he got the feeling late in the season that his teammates were just waiting to see him fail. According to Wagner, he was "everyone's least favorite Phillie in the clubhouse" after he called his teammates spiritless an interview that appeared July 1 in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

After Wagner's comments, former teammate Kenny Lofton called a team meeting. Wagner described the meeting as "24 against one," and added that Pat Burrell called him a "rat" during the meeting. "I had no problem with what was said to me," Wagner said. "It was their right. I can take criticism."

"After I called them out, they were waiting for me to fall flat," Wagner said. "In my mind, when I went out to the mound, they were waiting for me to go in the tank. I could be wrong, but that's the feeling I got."

Philly's SP Brett Myers reacted angrily Wagner's observation. "That's a stupid comment," Myers said. "I can't believe he said that. We missed the playoffs by one game last year. Yeah, we cared if he blew a save. Maybe he didn't care. Maybe that was it. Maybe that's why he's saying this. That's a cop-out."

Date
Mon 05/08/06, 7:47 am EST

Source

 * http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/baseball/14521728.htm