SPORTSNET.CA
Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi slammed Reds slugger Adam Dunn Wednesday night on his FAN 590 radio show after a caller suggested the slugger would help solve the team’s offensive struggles. Dunn in turn called Ricciardi a “clown.”
Dunn’s name has repeatedly come up in trade rumours involving the struggling Jays, but Ricciardi slammed Dunn for his lack of passion and bluntly said that he had zero interest in acquiring the player.
"Do you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much?" Ricciardi said to the caller. "Do you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player?
"There’s a reason why you’re attracted to some players and there’s a reason why you’re not attracted to some players. I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here.
"We’ve done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there’s a reason why we don’t want Adam Dunn. I don’t want to get into specifics."
With the Jays offence in a season-long slump, the caller had been suggesting that Dunn would help solve the team’s offensive woes. And with that, Ricciardi went off on Dunn.
"He’s a lifetime .230, .240 hitter that strikes out a ton and hits home runs," Ricciardi said.
"Yes, he hits home runs, which none of the Toronto Blue Jays are doing," the caller replied.
That response is what caused Ricciardi to respond with his remarks on Dunn’s passion.
On Thursday afternoon, Dunn spoke to MLB.com about Ricciardi’s comments.
“I know nothing about this clown. I have no idea who he is,” Dunn said. “I don’t really care what one guy thinks, to be honest with you. If I’m a GM, I don’t know if I would go out of my way to kind of discredit a player.”
After talking for a few more minutes, Dunn showed he really did care about Riccardi’s comments.
“It (ticks) me off, to be honest with you,” Dunn said. “He doesn’t even know me. If he knew me, fine, say what you want. This guy doesn’t know anything about me, other than what he sees on whatever ‘SportsCenter’ they have up there. That’s it.”
Dunn might have a little more incentive to beat the Blue Jays, who the Reds will play next week in Toronto, but he said he wouldn’t take it out on the players.
“The players didn’t say anything,” said Dunn, a lifetime .247 hitter. “It was some clown sitting in the front office pushing paper.”
Reds manager Dusty Baker read and listened to Riccardi’s comments and expressed surprise.
“It serves no purpose. That’s not like J.P., either,” Baker said. “I don’t understand the cause or the need for that dialogue.”
