Wells, What Did You Expect?

Boomer bails on Yanks for Padres


By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
January 1, 2004

You know, I hate to start out the brand New Year with a negative thought, but I’ve got to get this off my chest. Good riddance to David Wells. Good riddance to his big mouth, ballooning beltline, his tell-all book and less than loyal personality.

Now with that out of the way, I have a question for the Yankees brain trust. What in the hell did you expect? Let’s go back to 1999 when the Yankees traded Wells to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens. What was interesting about that situation was nobody in the Yankees’ clubhouse seemed too upset he was gone.

Rumors floated around that Wells was not fondly thought of by his teammates. He was not a good teammate. He was a malcontent. Wells, to his credit, didn’t badmouth the Yankees in the press. He said he understood the business and he was looking forward to the new chapter in his career. However, he did take a veiled snipe at Roger Clemens saying he felt Toronto got the better end of the deal. As we all know the Yankees won that trade as Clemens and the Bombers won back-to-back world titles in 1999 and 2000.

Let’s fast forward to 2002. Boomer just ended an unhappy marriage with the Chicago White Sox. While in Chicago he let his weight really balloon up and ended up having season ending back surgery. He never connected in Chicago and Chicago never connected with him.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Jerry Colangelo came courting him. The Diamondbacks, as we Yankees’ fans painfully remember, ended the Bombers 3-year reign as world champions. Colangelo took Wells to dinner, a Phoenix Suns game and at the end of all that had a “handshake” deal with the big lefty.

Enter George Steinbrenner, who against the advice of his generals, personally went after Boomer. In a luncheon at a well-known eatery in Tampa all was forgiven as the Boss convinced Wells he belonged in pinstripes. Steinbrenner engineered a 2-year, with an option third year, $7 million contract, which Wells jumped all over. Steinbrenner had his man and Colangelo was left looking at his empty hand.

Wells, who would never be considered svelte, maintained his weight around a lithe 265 or so pounds. This didn’t seem to affect David as he put together a 19-7 season, with a respectable ERA of .375. During the ensuing off-season Boomer did the improbable. He lost weight. According to Boomer and the Yankees Wells dropped about 25 pounds and came into spring training at 235 – 240 lb. He earned the praise of his teammates and coaches. Wells looked good. He proclaimed he would keep up his workouts and keep the weight off.

As Wells went into spring training his new book "Perfect I'm Not! Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball” hit the bookstores. The book managed to anger the Yankees management and several of his teammates. He was critical of Roger Clemens, admitted he wasn’t friends with Mike Mussina and said Andy Pettitte was jealous of Hideki Irabu’s then large salary.

Boomer also said he threw his perfect game with a raging hangover and that he was half-drunk when he accomplished one of baseball’s toughest feats. He described himself as a tough motorcycle guy, yet this past season he got his front teeth knocked out in a early morning diner brawl with a guy about half his size. Boomer didn’t fight back. The same guy who said he would’ve stuck the bat Roger Clemens threw toward Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series up Clemens’ butt didn’t defend himself. He said later he didn’t want to get sued or embarrass the Yankees. Why would a self-proclaimed badass be worried about something like that? You’re either one or the other Boomer. You can’t be both.

Boomer was in hot water and he knew it. As the regular season started Wells admitted he thought he might be traded. It didn’t happen. Wells and the Yankees co-existed. David started out the season like a ball of fire. His control was phenomenal. One of the things I’ve always admired about David Wells is his ability to throw strike one. As the season progressed so did the problems. Wells’ beltline started to expand again and it was rumored that Wells wasn’t doing his scheduled workouts between starts. He insisted he was, but any fool with eyes could see Boomer was putting on the poundage. Then the back problems re-surfaced. He missed starts because of back spasms. As one who has hereditary back problems let me tell you there is nothing more painful or debilitating as when your back goes out on you. But I also know that if I didn’t keep my weight down and work out regularly my back problems would be more predominant than they are.

When Wells was healthy enough to pitch he did well. Boomer ended the season with a 15-7 record, but a not too glamorous 4.14 ERA. Boomer even won the last game of the season and his 200th game as a professional. He started two games in the ALDS and ALCS. He even pitched relief in the ALCS in Game 7 to help the Yankees win the game and the series from the Boston Red Sox. It seemed things were going Boomer’s way.

On October 23, 2003 Wells luck ran out. He went to the mound in Game 5 of the World Series with his back acting up again. He lasted one inning as his back gave up the ghost and Boomer was forced to leave the game. With the fate of the World Series on the line in a crucial Game 5 Wells and his back let the Yankees down. The Florida Marlins went on to win Game 5 6-4 and then closed out the Yankees in New York in Game 6.

The Yankees were very upset with Wells. They knew he blew off his workouts and let his weight balloon up again. They knew his weight caused his back problems to re-surface and his back problems caused him to leave the most crucial game in the Yankees season. Wells’ lifestyle of drinking, eating and late nights helped cost the Yankees the World Series. Was he the biggest reason the Yankees failed in their bid for #27? Of course he wasn’t. But the fact is his lack of discipline and his “it’s all about me” attitude didn’t help the Yankees cause. He wasn’t there when needed. He shot himself in the foot again.

One thing is clear. David Wells is a talented pitcher. Because, he can be a huge asset to a team the Yankees wanted to make one more stab at keeping Boomer with the Yankees. They offered him a minor league contract with a weight incentive clause. Wells accepted the deal and his agent Gregg Clifton and Yankees GM Brian Cashman agreed in principle to the contract.

Then delays started before the deal was sealed and as reported in the NY Post Cashman became suspicious. It wasn’t until this past Monday when Clifton called Cashman and told him a deal with between Wells and the San Diego Padres was imminent did the Yankees learn of Wells defection. The Yankees were furious and it was reported that Cashman laid into Wells for reneging on his “handshake” agreement.

My question is why should the Yankees be furious? They should have known that the only loyalty David Wells has is to David Wells. The bottom line is the guy who supposedly cherished the Yankees since he was a kid stabbed his team in the back. My only statement to that is “what goes around comes around.” For the Yankees to cry foul would be the height of hypocrisy. They benefited from Boomer turning his back on a handshake deal in 2002 and they now suffer for Boomer doing exactly the same thing. The Yankees were caught in their own snare.

As for Boomer, I consider him a classless person. His word is not his bond and he will only owe his allegiance to himself. If it’s in his best interest Wells will stab anybody in the back. He’s proven that beyond measure. Enjoy your time in San Diego David. Never darken the Yankees door again. YOU LOSER!

PLAY BALL!


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