Mesa wants to kill Vizquel

[Guest alkeiper]

Mesa: I wanna kill Vizquel

By RANDY MILLER

phillyBurbs.com

 

 

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Jose Mesa says he wants to kill Cleveland Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel. Those are serious words, and they're his words.

 

The Phillies closer said it again and again in front of his locker on Sunday, and he didn't appear to be kidding one bit.

 

Asked if he wanted his words in print, Mesa said, "Of course.''

 

Mesa says he's not worried about getting suspended by Major League Baseball. Or perhaps even getting arrested.

 

"Nope,'' he said. "I wanna kill him.''

 

Mesa, of course, doesn't really want to kill Vizquel. But he does want to fight him. He wants to use his fists to take out his rage and pain.

 

"Jose doesn't mean what he says,'' manager Larry Bowa said before yesterday's 5-3 loss to the Houston Astros. "He just had his pride hurt and he's a very proud man. When Jose says something about Omar, it's just out of anger.''

 

Mesa, whose 225 career saves rank 25th all-time, and Vizquel, a nine-time Gold Glove winner, used to be best friends. They had lockers next to each another during their years together in Cleveland from 1992-98. Their wives shopped together. Omar took Jose's children to school. They called each other on the phone in the offseason.

 

"We were tight,'' Mesa said.

 

No more. Now, when speaking of Vizquel, Mesa can't even bring himself to say his name. He refers to Vizquel as "he" or "him."

 

Mesa, a Dominican, even went as far as saying this about Vizquel, a Venezuelan: "He's not Latin.''

 

Mesa and Vizquel had a falling out during spring training a few years ago, their friendship soured and now they're enemies.

 

Last year, their feud got ugly. Vizquel ripped Mesa in his autobiography, saying he choked in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

 

Aware of the book, Mesa hit Vizquel in the back with a fastball during a game in Cleveland last June. He was subsequently fined $500.

 

Vizquel says he didn't charge the mound because he feared getting a BUTT-whipping. "Yeah, that's one of the reasons,'' he said, laughing.

 

Today, the Indians visit Clearwater. Mesa is due to pitch and Vizquel is scheduled to make the trip.

 

Mesa badly wants to face Vizquel again. He wants to drill him again. And this time, Mesa, a 6-3, 225-pounder, wants Vizquel, a 5-9, 165-pounder, to be a man and charge the mound.

 

"If he comes [today] and I face him, I'll hit him," Mesa told the Courier Times. "I won't try to hit him in the head, but I'll hit him. And if he charges me, I'll kill him.''

 

Mesa didn't go to Winter Haven on Saturday when the Phillies played Cleveland in Jim Thome's homecoming game.

 

Before the game, Vizquel was asked about Mesa and offered kind words.

 

"I really like Jose,'' he said. "No matter what happened on the field, I still think he's a good guy."

 

Vizquel says he'd like to iron out his differences some day.

 

"If he comes to apologize, I will punch him right in the face," Mesa said. "And then I'll kill him. If you're a writer and you wanna write a good book, you don't write a story about somebody else."

 

Mesa can't let go of what Vizquel wrote.

 

Their friendship began to sour during spring training in 1998.

 

Vizquel homered against Mesa in an intra-squad game and did a cartwheel while crossing home plate.

 

Even though this was a practice game, Mesa became enraged that a teammate showed him up.

 

"Jose said, 'Next time I see you, I am going to drill you,' " Vizquel said. "I thought he was fooling around."

 

Mesa wasn't.

 

The next season, Mesa, then with Seattle, brushed back Vizquel during a game and the two exchanged words.

 

Then came last year. Right before the Phillies made their first-ever trip to Cleveland for an interleague series, Vizquel's autography, "Omar! My Life On and Off the Field," was released.

 

In the book, Vizquel blamed Mesa for the Indians losing the 1997 World Series. Mesa entered with a 2-1 lead in Game 7 against Florida, allowed the tying run to score, and the Marlins went on to win the game and the World Series 3-2 in 11 innings.

 

Here's is an excerpt from Vizquel's book:

 

"The eyes of the world were focused on every move we made. Unfortunately, Jose's own eyes were vacant. Completely empty. Nobody home. You could almost see right through him. Not long after I looked into his vacant eyes, he blew the save and the Marlins tied the game.''

 

In Mesa's mind, this meant war.

 

"He was my teammate, my friend," Mesa said. "I couldn't believe he wrote that [bull] about me."

 

Last Saturday, Vizquel said his intentions weren't to embarrass or anger Mesa.

 

"I didn't mean to do anything bad," Vizquel said. "I just wanted to let the fans know a little about what's going on out on the field.''

 

Mesa doesn't buy that.

 

"Sometimes people are stupid, and that was a stupid, idiotic thing [Vizquel wrote]," Mesa said.

 

"Anybody who watched [Game 7] knows I was trying to do my job. I was giving 100 percent. Coming out of him, that hurt me because he knows how hard I work.

 

"I will not forgive him. Even my little boy [Jose Jr.] told me to get him. If I face him 10 more times, I'll hit him 10 times. Every time. I wanna kill him."

 

Randy Miller can be reached at [email protected].

 

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As much of a Phillies fan I am, I think Mesa's way off his rocker.

[Guest treble charged]

I think losing the '97 Series is more Tony Fernandez's fault than it was Mesa's. He booted that easy ground-ball.

[Guest starvenger]

It's obviously a work

[Guest meanmaisch]

Mesa is definitely over the line here.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Jose, Jr. wants daddy to hit Uncle Omar 10 more times. Well that is just the sweetest thing.

[Guest LooseCannon]

All Vizquel did was tell the truth. Every Indians fan watching that game knew Mesa was going to blow the save. And then he did. Sure, Tony Fernandez botched an easy ground ball. But I, and every other Indians fan I've ever met, still blame Mesa for that loss. And that dumbass Hargrove for putting him in.