AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: INDIANS v YANKEES

October 12, 1998

David Justice

DAVID JUSTICE: Before I start, I just want to make a couple of comments real quick. This is my ninth year in the Big Leagues seven those nine years have been in postseason. And I think of those nine years I have built a reputation as being a good person, a good teammate, as well as a good player. A player who always showed up to play in the big games all the time. So I was hurt in my heart when I was watching ESPN baseball tonight and Peter Gammons said that I asked out of the lineup last night, yesterday. I never asked out of the lineup yesterday. What happened was I never even went up to Hargrove. I was-- as you all know, I was hitting third in the lineup yesterday. Hargrove came up to me, asked me how my arm is, I told him it was little sore but I am all right. I said Skip, I think you maybe should move me out of the third slot probably hit me 7th like he had done during the season because the whole second half of the season last year I didn't even play against lefties, I mean sparingly. And then also we have that basically telling me we hadn't had a lefthander BP throwing the whole time. I told Skip, move me down to seventh because I know if David Wells isn't on I still think he can get him but if he makes tough pitches it is going to be tough on me. I don't want to hit third. Skip told me, he said, well, I have been thinking about playing Richie Sexson. And he said, so why don't you just go ahead and rest your arm. Now, if you look on the roster, behind my name, has my number then D.H. or O.F., out fielder, doesn't have manager. When I played in Atlanta I never told Bobby how to run his team. I don't tell Hargrove how to run his team, but I don't appreciate somebody coming on telling everybody in the world that I went up to my manager and asked out of the lineup last night. I did not go up to Hargrove and tell him I don't want to play. All I have ever done is played in big games. But I am not going to tell him how to run his team either. I didn't appreciate that and I think Peter Gammons owes me an apology on TV tonight just like he went and told all the whole world, you got little kids out there that look up to me, all I ever preach to the kids is don't ever give up, give your best. And then for that to be displayed all over the world last night that I asked out of the lineup, I didn't appreciate that. So I feel like he owes me an apology tonight on TV. If he doesn't do it, I don't respect that man. Now I will answer any questions.

DAVID JUSTICE: Wherever it came from, I want to know too, because whoever put that in his mind I am going to address them too. I have been playing too long. I built up too much of a reputation as a player, and I don't appreciate that being said about me yesterday when it is not even the truth. It is a bold face lie.

DAVID JUSTICE: Because I was raised with the Braves. I mean, I was raised that you are a player. You don't demand nothing. You show up to play. If your name is in the lineup, you play, if it is not, you be ready for a pinch hit. That is just the way I raised. I don't run the team. I don't tell them who -- what players to go get in the off season, that is not my job. My job is to be ready to play when called upon.

DAVID JUSTICE: I think somebody bears some responsibility because there is no way in the world that comment should have made it on TV because it is totally untrue. So whoever told Peter Gammons if somebody -- Peter didn't even come and asked me. Come ask me if it is the truth before you go on television around the whole world and say something like that. You know, come ask me.

DAVID JUSTICE: Well, I was in the lineup. I was in the lineup. And I was out throwing on the field getting arms loose. Hargrove came up to me yesterday, said, "How are you feeling?" I said, "I feel all right." We started laughing about it. I said I feel all right. It is a little sore. Then I said, but I think maybe you should move me down in the lineup because Hargrove -- other day when I faced Pettitte, I came in because I had hit the weak grounder to third base. Pettitte had thrown me a cutter. And I told Hargrove, I didn't recognize that last little cut, that is why I hit it off the end of the bat. Yesterday when Hargrove came up to me, he said that was interesting that you said that because I never heard you say that before. And I said, "Well, I think you should move me down the line up. I think I can get this guy, but I don't want to be hitting third, because I don't feel comfortable against lefties, that comfortable to be in that position, just move me down in the lineup." Then he said to me, "Well, I have been thinking about playing Richie anyway. So I am going to go ahead and play Richie. You rest your arm." That is what he said.

DAVID JUSTICE: I mean, I am just-- not that it shocked me, I never questioned management. I am not going to question this man's decision. He asked me could I go out. I said yeah, I can go. If I tell you, yeah, I can go and then you said well, I am going to go ahead with Richie, that tells me that is what you really want to do. I am not going to argue with you. I am going to be ready for my pinch hit appearance. Second part of your question: Tell you the truth, it didn't surprise me because I mean, I think Whiten is a good hitter. I have confidence in my teammates, so at that point if he had called on me, I would have did my best at that time, but it is like I said, not my job to second guess my manager and what he does. But it is my job to protect my reputation as a player that I am.

DAVID JUSTICE: No, not at all, because we have --

DAVID JUSTICE: Yeah, he has. We have a talking relationship like that. Plus anything I say he knows is to try to help the team.

DAVID JUSTICE: This right here?

DAVID JUSTICE: It is really no distraction, simply because it is just between me and Peter Gammons. Not between me and my teammates. My teammates know what kind of person I am. They know I care deeply for the success and for each and every one of them. It won't be a distraction. Tell you the truth, once I leave from right here I have gotten it off my chest. I couldn't sleep last night. I have gotten it off my chest, now it is over with. I wanted all those little kids that heard him say that -- I know some of you won't even run it because you got to all stick together, but I know some of them will run it. If they do run it, whatever kids see it, at the end they all know that I didn't say it.

DAVID JUSTICE: Well, a lot of them might be in school right now, so. . .

DAVID JUSTICE: No, I don't think so. Because of the reputation that I have built. Think about it, look at how many big games I have played in in my career. That doesn't even go, that is not even synonymous with my name, not wanting to play in the big game. What it is is me just feeling like I am a player, he is our manager, John Hart is our GM. I know my place. That is all. I told him I was capable, I could play. Just hit me 7th. I am not going to sit there and argue. Now if I have an argument with my manager, now that can disrupt the team. I do what I am told. Like you all do what you are told. Your boss tells you to do something, you do what he tells you, right? I know you do. If you don't, you are home the next day, no paycheck.

DAVID JUSTICE: I was around, but I do apologize I did get out of there early. I was upset that we had lost. And yeah, I wasn't around. I was not available for you. So I apologize for having even come out here like this today. But I felt like if you are going to go on National TV you better know exactly what you are talking about.

DAVID JUSTICE: I am fine. Yeah, I was hit, but heck, like Nagy said, if you can play right now, you are going to play. I mean, I know Sandy wants to play. I am playing tomorrow. I could have played yesterday. But I am not going to sit there and argue with my manager. I am not that kind of person. Now, I am just not that way. I wasn't raised that way -- Braves didn't raise me that way, Bobby was the manager. You played, that was it. That is how I am raised. I was raised a Brave that is the only way I know how.

DAVID JUSTICE: You know what, I go way back with David all the way to Venezuela on the same winter ball team. When he said it, it hurt me too, because the loss of a mother will hurt everybody in this room deeply when it happens to you. I hated that he had to go through that. But I mean come on, we are talking about the Yankee fans. I mean, come on now. I have heard everything about my mother, everything about my history too. You know, not to discount what was said, because it wasn't somebody that was dead, I mean, I don't want to make this sound like -- I hate that it happened for him. But Yankee fans -- come on now, we all-- everybody in this room know how rough they can be. So they can't get anymore rougher on us unless they show up with uzis.

DAVID JUSTICE: What happened with David, happens a lot in baseball, in every stadium. I mean it happens all the time. You always have people you know, talking about your family, talking about everything. I am sure when I get on there tomorrow I am going to hear people talking about me here saying why did you whine. I know what really happened. I am going to hear it tomorrow. I don't appreciate somebody who is going to be a baseball analyst who people respect as knowing his stuff, to come out and say that I didn't want that lineup without coming and asking me to make sure he was right. That ain't right. So go on TV and you make the correction. If you don't, then that is not

right.

DAVID JUSTICE: Like I said before, I have never been that kind of person. I always accepted whatever the manager says. That is just the way I was raised. I wasn't raised to go against authority.

DAVID JUSTICE: No, actually I was going to go ahead and hit third. But when he came up to me and started talking to me, that is when I thought maybe I should ask him about this. If he had never came and asked me nothing I would have hit third yesterday. Because it had been on my mind a little bit like maybe I should move down because hitting third is a big spot in the order. And if you know you are not really -- we all know when we are hot and when we are not. When you are feeling good, when you are not. And the fact that I did bat 7th, well when I did play in the second half, I batted 7th. So we seemed to win that way. And I thought it would be best for the team to move me down a little bit, still in the lineup, but move me down a little bit. That is all.

DAVID JUSTICE: Thank you for listening (Laughter.)

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