Guest OctoberBlood Report post Posted April 26, 2004 http://reds.enquirer.com/2004/04/26/red2a.html By Enrique Rojas The Associated Press SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Raul Mondesi threatened to leave the Pittsburgh Pirates if they don't pay him by the end of the month, then backed off his comments after meeting with team officials Sunday. "If by April 30 they don't pay me, I'll pack up my things and come back to the Dominican Republic," Mondesi told The Associated Press by telephone before a game against the Cincinnati Reds. A Dominican civil court ruled in February that Mondesi owed former major leaguer Mario Guerrero about $640,000 for helping him improve his baseball skills, a claim which Mondesi denies. Mondesi appealed the ruling; he said the court ordered his accounts in nine Dominican banks frozen, and the Pirates are withholding his pay. During a meeting with Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield and manager Lloyd McClendon after Sunday's 6-0 victory over the Reds, Mondesi told them he wasn't planning to leave the team. "Raul's very happy to be a Pirate and he's going to be here May 1," McClendon said. Mondesi did not talk to reporters after the game, but also told publicist Jim Trdinich that he wasn't leaving the team. The Pirates have said they are depositing Mondesi's salary in a special account until the case is resolved. The outfielder is earning $1.15 million this season. "He's been aware of this (since February). He's been on board with what we're doing," Littlefield said. Littlefield also said the Pirates helped Mondesi get a lawyer in the Dominican to handle the situation. "Obviously, we are not trying to make our player unhappy, but we believe that we have to comply with the court order," Pirates VP of communications Patty Paytas said earlier this month. On Sunday, Mondesi said: "I'm not going to throw my money away to Guerrero, nor will I play for free in the major leagues. I prefer to go home and be with my children. I have never taken my children to school during the season and it's something that I'd like to do for the first time." Teammates said Mondesi is worried about his children, badly misses them and wants to get them to Pittsburgh as soon as possible, a situation that is compounding the battle over his salary. Mondesi, batting .318 with two home runs and 11 RBIs, said he was surprised when he didn't get a paycheck April 15, even though the Pirates insist he knew why the money was held back. "It's really laughable," he told the AP. "I'm paying all of my expenses without knowing when I'll recover my money." Guerrero sued Mondesi and a handful of other players in 1998, saying they had promised Guerrero 1 percent of their future salaries for teaching them baseball skills that would prepare them for the major leagues. Some players have settled with Guerrero out of court, while others have cases pending. Mondesi, the 1994 NL Rookie of the Year with Los Angeles, denied Guerrero's claim. "I never signed an agreement with Guerrero and he didn't teach me anything," he said. "I won't let him blackmail me." Mondesi's appeal of the payment ruling is scheduled to begin June 19. In his major league career, Mondesi has batted .276 with 266 home runs and 839 RBIs. He went 2-for-3 Sunday. I wish Grande and Welsch would shutup about this, but .. it is quite instresting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dynamite Kido Report post Posted April 26, 2004 Pirates GM David Littlefield denounced these rumors today on Fox Sports Pittsburgh...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted April 26, 2004 Operation: Shutdown II! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest OctoberBlood Report post Posted April 26, 2004 Pirates GM David Littlefield denounced these rumors today on Fox Sports Pittsburgh...... Well, it came out of Mondesi's mouth. So it wasn't a "rumor". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted April 26, 2004 If he wants to leave Pittsburgh, he'll have to just wait until the trading deadline looms when the Pirates will trade anyone with decent stats away for a Big Mac value meal and a Valvoline oil change... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted April 27, 2004 To clarify, this is not about Mondesi wanting more money, or wanting out of Pittsburgh. Because of a court case in the Dominican Republic, Mondesi has not been paid AT ALL. That's frustrating for any worker, and it certainly must be frustrating for Mondesi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest OctoberBlood Report post Posted April 27, 2004 Griffey offered to pay Mondesi his 68k before the game today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
