Billy Wagner has a bit of a reputation for being a jerk. It's not wholly undeserved; he's outspoken and not always tactful. He also seems to have a tendency to burn bridges. He did, however, co-found the Second Chance Learning Center in Bluefield, Virginia; an organization that provides tutoring and counseling with the aim of getting kids through high school and into some form of secondary education. Yesterday he ran a baseball clinic down in Virginia for the kids in that organization.
Interviewed about his time in Boston he said:
“I respect those pitchers in the American League. That is no joke. Every hitter, one through nine, is a .300 hitter with power and speed. It was tough, man. That’s a tough league to play in. It was fun to go over there and experience that type of baseball rivalry [with the New York Yankees] and plus going to Boston. You have the tradition and all that is involved in it. It just makes things that much better.”
A couple of days ago I declared that the threat that he might accept arbitration was probably just that: a threat. Reading that quote, though, I'm not as sure. He does sound like he really enjoyed playing in Boston but at the same time I wouldn't put money on him being ready to jump back into the American League. Those Ks were a pretty thing but I'm not going to give him a tag.
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