Ned Addresses Allegations of Religious Insensitivity

Thanks to Dodger Thoughts poster "ninjavshippo" for linking to the mp3 file of yesterday's T.J. Simers/Fred Roggin interview with Ned Colletti on AM 570. Here's a transcript of the J.D. Drew-related discussion:

Simers: I was shocked, surprised, stunned, overwhelmed by your clear anger, whatever words you want to put to your reaction to the whole thing, and bringing in the fact that you put "spiritual" and "breaking his word" in the same sentence.

Colletti: Right, well let's clear this up....First of all, I wasn't angry, okay, I really wasn't angry....I was disappointed more than—I was not angry. The spiritual thing, I didn't mean anything about that from a religious standpoint. I just, you know, you meet people in life that you learn about and I really felt that this was a guy that I had a good relationship with, that when he would tell me things, I'd believe him....

Had he ever said to me at the end of the season or any point in time, "You know, I don't know if I'm going to come back..." but we never had any indication that he wasn't happy. So I was a little bit surprised by it. I was not angry, I didn't mean to offend anybody with the word "spiritual," I mean, J.D. is a guy I believe that's deeply entrenched in the word of the Lord, and I thought that he was a guy that I could take his word for it.

That said, he did have the right to change his mind. I can't argue with that. I can't also argue that what he did wasn't within the rules of the contract that he signed.

Simers: But did he really break his word, or are you suggesting—

Colletti: I think—no, he changed his mind.

Simers: Changed his mind in terms of what he told reporters. But he never told you, point blank, correct, that he was going to come back again?

Colletti: He inferred to me that he loved it there and that he had no reason to look elsewhere.

Roggin: And when did he do that?

Colletti: I would say some time August, September-ish....

You know, one other thing: He talked to one of our coaches on Tuesday night, the Tuesday before the Thursday, and never mentioned anything but coming back and how excited he was about the club.

Simers: But you had already met with Boras, too, over lunch and Boras had given you indications, correct, that this might be in the air?

Colletti: Well yeah, he had mentioned it. But you know, Scott's the best there is.

Hey Ned, if you announce a dazzling trade or free-agent signing, we'd be happy to stop talking about this.