TORONTO – Omar Vizquel apologized Friday to manager John Farrell and the Toronto Blue Jays coaching staff for his comments that insinuated they weren't doing enough to correct the ongoing mistakes made by the club's young players.
Farrell called the closed-door meeting that started when the team normally stretches on the field and lasted about half-an-hour, addressing his players about "a number of things."
"I would say the comments were a little bit of a tipping point and felt like we needed to discuss some things in house internally," he added.
Farrell was bothered both by Vizquel airing dirty laundry in public and the suggestion that he and his staff weren't disciplining players enough. He pointed out that many discussions with players who have made on-field mistakes occur in one-on-one settings, or during early work "teaching settings" long before Vizquel typically arrives at the ballpark.
"We repeatedly state our expectations, we monitor things and make adjustments and address issues as they arise," said Farrell. "My personal view is that they are addressed individually and collectively when needed. In the case of individual situations on the field, when maybe some indecision or decisions are made that have a negative outcome, they're addressed individually.
"We continue to teach the game, that's our job. We provide leadership with decisions that are made on the field and you look to provide that respect and treat them as men. Once we get to a point where things have to take a different approach, we adjust accordingly."
Still, while Vizquel was sorry for the perception that he was criticizing Farrell and the staff, he stood by his comments.
"I said it because we have a young team and sometimes we just need to talk and communicate a little more with the coaches," said Vizquel, who is retiring at season's end and is seeking to become a manager. "It was no intention at all on my part to kind of blame or point fingers at any coaches or the manager. It was just a constructive comment, something that we needed to do to become a better team.
"And then I just said to the ball team in the meeting, and I apologized to the coaches and to (Farrell) for making it feel like I was blaming people. And it wasn't that intention at all."
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