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Nelson apologizes to Mariners execs Posted: Friday August 01, 2003 9:30 PMSEATTLE (AP) -- After criticizing the Seattle Mariners' front office for not making a deal at the trade deadline, reliever Jeff Nelson apologized to the team's top two executives Friday. "What I said was a lot out of frustration," Nelson said before Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox. "If I questioned their integrity yesterday, I apologized to them for that." On Thursday, Nelson said he didn't believe the Mariners tried to make a deal. On Friday, he said he was sorry about that comment, but didn't back down from anything else he said. The Mariners, who entered the day with a four-game lead in the AL West, added only infielder Rey Sanchez in a minor trade with the New York Mets earlier this week. Meanwhile, second-place Oakland acquired outfielder Jose Guillen from the Cincinnati Reds, a major boost for its offense. Some fans in Seattle were upset by the Mariners' inability to land third baseman Aaron Boone from the Reds. Boone, whose brother, Bret, is an All-Star second baseman for the Mariners, was traded to the New York Yankees on Thursday. The Mariners went to the AL championship series in 1995, 2000 and 2001, but never made it to the World Series. They have the financial resources to pay top players after leading the majors in attendance with 3.5 million fans each of the past two seasons. Nelson requested a private meeting with Mariners Chairman and CEO Howard Lincoln, and team president Chuck Armstrong when he got to Safeco Field for the opener of the White Sox series. He went to the executive offices on the fifth floor and talked to Lincoln and Armstrong together. Nelson said he did not shake hands with Lincoln and Armstrong when he left to go back to the clubhouse. "You see other teams make moves and you get frustrated," the outspoken reliever said. "But they are my bosses and they sign my checks, and I don't consider myself a bad apple. "Hopefully, they accepted my apology," he said. "But if they didn't, I can't do anything about that." Nelson said some people asked him if the Mariners were going to fine him. "How could they fine me?" he said. "For what?" Nelson, 36, is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season. He's not sure if he's burned his bridges with Lincoln, Armstrong and general manager Pat Gillick. This is his second stint in Seattle. "I'm sure they aren't too happy with me," Nelson said. "If they want to get rid of me, they'll get rid of me." But he said his comments Thursday had nothing to do with his contract situation. Nelson was the only Mariners player to criticize the team after the trade deadline passed. "I'm the only guy who sticks his foot in his mouth," he said. Manager Bob Melvin called a team meeting before Friday night's game to talk about the season after the trade deadline. He insisted the Mariners did try to make a trade Thursday. "We just talked about some of the things that went on yesterday," Melvin said. "We just need to move on. People try to do their best. If there's not a fit there, you just can't force things to do things." Melvin said he didn't have any problem with Nelson's comments. "People get frustrated at times and Nellie's not opposed to speaking his mind," Melvin said. |
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