Sporting News staff reports
Dallas Braden is angry the A’s are trying to profit off his "Get off my mound" scold of Alex Rodriguez.
The A’s left-hander told reporters Monday the team is selling T-shirts that contain the phrase against the wishes of himself, his teammates and the players union. The unlicensed shirts, which have been on sale for a month, do not include Braden’s name and uniform number but do feature the phrase and a slihouette of his pitching motion.
"It’s just not cool," Braden said before the A’s and Yankees met for the first time since the April dustup. "It’s just a serious, gross lack of tact. At the end of the day, I hope I do not become associated with that kind of approach."
Braden said he understands the club’s desire to make a buck (the A’s are charging $25 a pop) but is upset with management’s unwillingness to listen.
"They’re trying to generate revenue, trying to get butts in the seat, I can see that," Braden said. "It’s almost like, at what cost do you do that? They didn’t have permission. They were told on multiple occasions, that, no, it’s not a good idea. It’s not going to be approved. They just kind of put the horse-blinders on and ran with it."
Braden said he doesn’t have or want a shirt and added that he considers it an affront to A-Rod and the game. "We’re all fraternity brothers. This is baseball. You don’t ever put two guys against each other, no matter how fun-lvoing or severe the incident might be," Braden said..
Braden yelled "Get off my mound" at A-Rod during a game April 22. Rodriguez angered Braden by stepping inside Braden’s "office" after a foul ball.
The two haven’t spoken directly to each other since, though they did trade barbs through the media. Braden pitched a perfect game three weeks after the incident, but has since landed on the disabled list with an elbow injury.
Even though the two are together again, Braden isn’t interested in a confab. "I’m not a big hype guy," he said. "It is what it is. Done deal."
Sporting News staff reports
Dallas Braden is angry the A’s are trying to profit off his "Get off my mound" scold of Alex Rodriguez.
The A’s left-hander told reporters Monday the team is selling T-shirts that contain the phrase against the wishes of himself, his teammates and the players union. The unlicensed shirts, which have been on sale for a month, do not include Braden’s name and uniform number but do feature the phrase and a slihouette of his pitching motion.
"It’s just not cool," Braden said before the A’s and Yankees met for the first time since the April dustup. "It’s just a serious, gross lack of tact. At the end of the day, I hope I do not become associated with that kind of approach."
Braden said he understands the club’s desire to make a buck (the A’s are charging $25 a pop) but is upset with management’s unwillingness to listen.
"They’re trying to generate revenue, trying to get butts in the seat, I can see that," Braden said. "It’s almost like, at what cost do you do that? They didn’t have permission. They were told on multiple occasions, that, no, it’s not a good idea. It’s not going to be approved. They just kind of put the horse-blinders on and ran with it."
Braden said he doesn’t have or want a shirt and added that he considers it an affront to A-Rod and the game. "We’re all fraternity brothers. This is baseball. You don’t ever put two guys against each other, no matter how fun-lvoing or severe the incident might be," Braden said..
Braden yelled "Get off my mound" at A-Rod during a game April 22. Rodriguez angered Braden by stepping inside Braden’s "office" after a foul ball.
The two haven’t spoken directly to each other since, though they did trade barbs through the media. Braden pitched a perfect game three weeks after the incident, but has since landed on the disabled list with an elbow injury.
Even though the two are together again, Braden isn’t interested in a confab. "I’m not a big hype guy," he said. "It is what it is. Done deal."