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American Morning

Interview With Roy Johnson

Aired October 13, 2003 - 09:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: For the late baseball season it wasn't a game, it was a shame on Saturday night. Fireworks erupting between the Yanks and Red Sox, two of baseball's most bitter rivals. And it showed, too. Fines for the four main participants. When everything settled, the Yanks won the game. They take a 2-1 lead in the ALCS fighting for the pennant and the shot at the World Series.
Roy Johnson, assistant managing editor of "Sports Illustrated" back with us here on AMERICAN MORNING. Nice to see you, Roy. Good morning to you.

ROY JOHNSON, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Nice to see you.

HEMMER: What do you make of that?

JOHNSON: Well, it was really a tragedy. Tensions just got too high. You know, what I expect tonight, believe it or not, is an actual baseball game.

HEMMER: You're hopeful anyhow.

JOHNSON: Well I think certainly somebody figured out that both of these teams needed to be hosed down, so hence the rain yesterday. I think cooler heads will prevail. I think Zimmer said it best in that he was embarrassed not just for the Yankees and the Red Sox but for baseball because it was really a terrible incident.

HEMMER: Let me stop you right there. Here's Don Zimmer in his press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON ZIMMER, YANKEES BENCH COACH: I was embarrassed for the Yankees, the Red Sox, the fans, the umpires, and my family. That's all I have to say. I'm sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: You know, you have to think when cooler heads prevail that this is an absolute embarrassment.

JOHNSON: Oh, absolutely. Everyone regretted it, including Pedro Martinez once he realized he had thrown down a 72-year-old man. I think tonight everyone will be on alert. Umpires will be on alert. The first high, inside pitch that looks like it was intentional will probably get the pitcher thrown out of the game. There'll be extra security, especially in the bullpen -- and we can talk about that incident.

But I think the fans will come. I think Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox pitcher, is actually taped an announcement that will be played before the game...

HEMMER: Is that so? That's interesting.

JOHNSON: ... to help the fans realize what the players feel, and that to encourage a calm atmosphere. So I actually think it's going to work...

HEMMER: Here's how I see part of this. We see fights on the baseball field all the time. We do not see fights in a bullpen where a member of the grounds crew is actually in a fight or some sort of altercation -- we're not sure exactly what happened -- with two other Yankee pitchers. From my perspective, that's the most dangerous scenario right now.

JOHNSON: Well we've seen in other sports as access or the gap between the players and the fans gets closer and closer, more and more incidents like this.

I think here was a case, and no one knows really what happened except the participants, where you had a Red Sox employee -- who happens to also be a school teacher, by the way -- who was waving a flag and encouraging the fans and was being a fan of the team that employs him in close proximity to the Yankees.

Now whether he was taunting the Yankees or whether the Yankees lost control, no one really knows. The Boston Police said that they will not file charges against anyone and that's good news, I think, for everyone.

But that situation should be looked at, and whether you should have a Red Sox employee in that space or not needs to be checked. And if so, some decorum should probably be shown...

HEMMER: Kind of hard to avoid when you're playing in the hometown of Boston not to employ your own people. But there will be cops out there in that bullpen tonight.

JOHNSON: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Just Major League Baseball has come down hard, the fines have been laid out. The commissioner right now, Bud Selig, is warning people if they get involved again it's going to be -- well, let's say hell to pay.

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNSON: ... zero tolerance tonight.

HEMMER: Do people listen to Major League Baseball at this point? Or is the rivalry that heated where they overlook that?

JOHNSON: I think what they will overlook is what happened now and move on because the ultimate goal is the World Series. I mean these are professionals. Red Sox, of course we all know, have not been there since 1918. The Yankees are looking to gain another championship after missing it now for a few years.

And so I think cooler heads will prevail, everyone will focus, keep their eyes on the prize and they'll be playing baseball once again.

HEMMER: That videotape right there is the bullpen incident that happened late in the game on Saturday night. Thanks, Roy. You say cooler heads prevail. We'll see if the cooler head wins the series. That might be the key.

JOHNSON: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Thanks, great to see you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 13, 2003 - 09:20   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: For the late baseball season it wasn't a game, it was a shame on Saturday night. Fireworks erupting between the Yanks and Red Sox, two of baseball's most bitter rivals. And it showed, too. Fines for the four main participants. When everything settled, the Yanks won the game. They take a 2-1 lead in the ALCS fighting for the pennant and the shot at the World Series.
Roy Johnson, assistant managing editor of "Sports Illustrated" back with us here on AMERICAN MORNING. Nice to see you, Roy. Good morning to you.

ROY JOHNSON, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Nice to see you.

HEMMER: What do you make of that?

JOHNSON: Well, it was really a tragedy. Tensions just got too high. You know, what I expect tonight, believe it or not, is an actual baseball game.

HEMMER: You're hopeful anyhow.

JOHNSON: Well I think certainly somebody figured out that both of these teams needed to be hosed down, so hence the rain yesterday. I think cooler heads will prevail. I think Zimmer said it best in that he was embarrassed not just for the Yankees and the Red Sox but for baseball because it was really a terrible incident.

HEMMER: Let me stop you right there. Here's Don Zimmer in his press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON ZIMMER, YANKEES BENCH COACH: I was embarrassed for the Yankees, the Red Sox, the fans, the umpires, and my family. That's all I have to say. I'm sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: You know, you have to think when cooler heads prevail that this is an absolute embarrassment.

JOHNSON: Oh, absolutely. Everyone regretted it, including Pedro Martinez once he realized he had thrown down a 72-year-old man. I think tonight everyone will be on alert. Umpires will be on alert. The first high, inside pitch that looks like it was intentional will probably get the pitcher thrown out of the game. There'll be extra security, especially in the bullpen -- and we can talk about that incident.

But I think the fans will come. I think Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox pitcher, is actually taped an announcement that will be played before the game...

HEMMER: Is that so? That's interesting.

JOHNSON: ... to help the fans realize what the players feel, and that to encourage a calm atmosphere. So I actually think it's going to work...

HEMMER: Here's how I see part of this. We see fights on the baseball field all the time. We do not see fights in a bullpen where a member of the grounds crew is actually in a fight or some sort of altercation -- we're not sure exactly what happened -- with two other Yankee pitchers. From my perspective, that's the most dangerous scenario right now.

JOHNSON: Well we've seen in other sports as access or the gap between the players and the fans gets closer and closer, more and more incidents like this.

I think here was a case, and no one knows really what happened except the participants, where you had a Red Sox employee -- who happens to also be a school teacher, by the way -- who was waving a flag and encouraging the fans and was being a fan of the team that employs him in close proximity to the Yankees.

Now whether he was taunting the Yankees or whether the Yankees lost control, no one really knows. The Boston Police said that they will not file charges against anyone and that's good news, I think, for everyone.

But that situation should be looked at, and whether you should have a Red Sox employee in that space or not needs to be checked. And if so, some decorum should probably be shown...

HEMMER: Kind of hard to avoid when you're playing in the hometown of Boston not to employ your own people. But there will be cops out there in that bullpen tonight.

JOHNSON: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Just Major League Baseball has come down hard, the fines have been laid out. The commissioner right now, Bud Selig, is warning people if they get involved again it's going to be -- well, let's say hell to pay.

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNSON: ... zero tolerance tonight.

HEMMER: Do people listen to Major League Baseball at this point? Or is the rivalry that heated where they overlook that?

JOHNSON: I think what they will overlook is what happened now and move on because the ultimate goal is the World Series. I mean these are professionals. Red Sox, of course we all know, have not been there since 1918. The Yankees are looking to gain another championship after missing it now for a few years.

And so I think cooler heads will prevail, everyone will focus, keep their eyes on the prize and they'll be playing baseball once again.

HEMMER: That videotape right there is the bullpen incident that happened late in the game on Saturday night. Thanks, Roy. You say cooler heads prevail. We'll see if the cooler head wins the series. That might be the key.

JOHNSON: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Thanks, great to see you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com