Peeved Price pops off
Postgame media spat way over the top
NEW YORK — One can only hope David Price finds peace with himself, that he settles down and finds a way to enjoy, or at least endure, his tenure as member of the Red Sox.
Based on what happened last night in the visitors clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, some work will have to be done to make that happen.
Where to begin? Following the Sox’ 8-0 loss to the Yankees, as the media was entering a long hallway that leads to the clubhouse, Price asked to speak with former Herald scribe Evan Drellich, who now covers the team for Comcast SportsNet New England.
“Sure,” said Drellich, who fell behind as the rest of the group entered manager John Farrell’s office. Price already was speaking loudly to Drellich when we entered the office. Kevin Gregg, the Sox media relations director, shooed everyone out of the hallway and into the office then closed the door. We still could hear Price yelling.
I assumed this had something to do with a column by the Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy that appeared online during the game, with Price saying he’d henceforth only be speaking on days he pitches. Drellich tweeted a quote from Price that was in the Globe column:
“I’m not cautious. I’m the same me. I don’t talk to the media every day like I did last year, and I guess I get blown up for that,” Price said. “But I was honest with everything they asked me last year, and I get blown up for that. So they did this to themselves. Talk to me on the day I pitch, and that’s it. There are no more personal interviews. There is no more asking me questions on a personal level. That’s done.”
My hope was to wait to speak with Price and see if this indeed was the case. So after Farrell’s media session, and after Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello spoke, with everyone on the other side of the clubhouse to speak with Jackie Bradley Jr., I approached.
Price informed me that yes, from now on, he’d only talk on days he pitches. He followed with this: “Write whatever the (expletive) you want. Just write it. Whatever the (expletive) you want.”
Soon Drellich was back in the room, and he and Price went at it again. When Drellich said something about Price’s professionalism, Porcello, standing nearby, asked about Drellich’s professionalism.
A few minutes later, when I spoke with Kevin Gregg about my own exchange with Price, I was told to wait around a few minutes. Gregg was going to see if Price would speak with me.
The last words I heard from David Price last night were “(Expletive) them! (Expletive) them all. All of them.”
Now we all know that professional athletes and the media sometimes have an uncomfortable, testy, even cantankerous relationship. We also know journalists in general are under fire these days, with all kinds of accusations about leaks, agendas and the dreaded “fake news.”
And while most of us can’t fathom what it’s like to land a seven-year, $217 million contract, as Price did with the Red Sox before the 2016 season, we do, I think, understand the burden of living up to expectations. So Price came to a rabid baseball town, and while his overall numbers last year were pretty good — 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA — he nonetheless failed to win his lone postseason start. And that’s a sticking point: In nine career postseason starts, Price is 0-8 with a 5.74 ERA.
He also missed most of the first two months of this season because of an elbow strain. When he faces the Yankees tonight in the Bronx, it will be only his third start of the 2017 campaign.
So yes, he has a lot on his mind. We can all feel for the guy, though this needs to be said: If Price feels he has seen far too many mentions of his postseason record, well, tough.
And last night was over the top, unnecessary and confusing. He was still hurling those F-bombs long after most of the media had left the clubhouse — again, I was only there because I had been asked to wait around by Gregg — and it quite frankly doesn’t add up.
Price generally presents himself as a thoughtful, introspective guy. But lately? No. If he plans on being around for a while, he can’t continue like this. I’m no therapist, but it’s not healthy.