NewsPeers keep Wetteland in their thoughts
Ex-Yankees reliever draws concern at Torre charity galaBy Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
11/13/09 10:29 PM EST
NEW YORK -- Thousands of miles away from the hospital where John Wetteland was admitted on Thursday with what local officials called a "mental health issue," his former teammates and manager expressed concern for his well-being.Wetteland's status was a topic of discussion at Joe Torre's seventh annual Safe at Home Foundation dinner in New York, as attendees walked the red carpet entering the Chelsea Piers event hall and were quizzed for updates concerning the former pitcher's health.
"I'm very saddened by that," Torre said. "I don't know much about it. John was at this dinner just a couple of years ago. I saw him earlier this year with Seattle in Spring Training. I certainly need to reach out and find out a little bit more about what has transpired."
A Yankee for two seasons, including serving as Torre's closer for the 1996 World Series champions, Wetteland was checked into a Denton, Texas, hospital. The Denton County Sheriff's office told CBS-TV that it responded to a call describing Wetteland as possibly suicidal.
But the Mariners released a statement late Thursday that said Wetteland had been admitted for an elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said on Friday that Wetteland had been involved in a domestic dispute.
"I'm still confused about what actually happened, to tell you the truth," said former teammate David Cone. "I'm glad to see that he's out of the hospital and doing better. I've heard conflicting reports of exactly what happened, but I certainly care about him a lot. He's a great guy and he's been through a lot in his life, both on and off the field."
Mariano Rivera, who was Wetteland's setup man in 1996 and assumed the closer's role a year later, claimed to not have heard about Wetteland's issue.
"I didn't know about it," Rivera said. "I will try to find out more because I have no idea what is going on. That's a guy that I have tremendous respect [for]. He was my mentor. I'll pray for him."
Added Derek Jeter: "I just saw that right before I came over, so I am not aware of the whole story. It sounds unfortunate, but I don't even know the details. You wish him well, both him and his family."
Cone said that in his coverage of the Mariners this season as a television broadcaster with the Yankees, he had gleaned the impression that Wetteland was succeeding in his assignment with Seattle.
"He looked like he was enjoying what he does," Cone said. "He's a great bullpen coach. The Seattle pitchers raved about him when I talked to them this year. He's well-liked and well-respected in there. I hope he's OK. John's always been a complicated guy. 'Wett' was a thinker. He's not your typical dumb jock."
Wetteland and Torre clashed at times during their season together with the Yankees, and as Don Zimmer recalled on Friday, Wetteland liked to put on his Rollerblades and hit balled-up sweatsocks around the clubhouse with a hockey stick -- something the Yankees discouraged him from.
"It took us a little time to get on the same page," Torre said. "He's a very driven individual. We had to talk about some of his hockey stuff that he wanted to do all the time -- nothing serious, but if we all wanted to go to the same place, we wanted to make sure everybody was healthy getting there.
"He was very special, very honest. I remember one game when he was saving both games of a doubleheader, he came in and said, 'I didn't have very much, Skip. Sorry, I'll tell you next time.' But he ended up getting the job done. He continues to be his own person, and I think that's the thing that you take notice of first."
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
