Jordany Valdespin now OK with T-shirt stunt
Jordany Valdespin gets ready to high-five his teammates after hitting a solo home run in the 2nd inning. (July 7, 2012) Credit: David Pokress
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jordany Valdespin ran afoul of a team rule on Wednesday, and his Mets teammates let him know about it.
The rookie had worn a white V-neck T-shirt to the ballpark, which is a no-no on the road. So someone shredded the sleeves of the shirt and wrote two messages on it.
On the front, the shirt read: "NY Loves Valdie," with a heart in place of the word "loves."
On the back was Valdespin's uniform number (1) and "El Hombre" -- Spanish for "The Man."
When he found the shirt in his locker, Valdespin initially did not see the humor. As players were getting dressed to leave AT&T Park after Wednesday night's 2-1 win, an angry Valdespin held up the altered T-shirt and yelled at his teammates before storming into the shower area.
Valdespin eventually returned to the clubhouse laughing and even wore the T-shirt onto the team bus and in the clubhouse before yesterday's afternoon game against the Giants.
"At the time you get mad, but what can I do?" Valdespin said. "I'm not going to fight with anybody in here. We're a family in here. Sometimes they do it to be happy, have fun."
Valdespin, 24, said he was running late for the bus on Wednesday and forgot to put on a collared shirt. He rectified that Thursday in a big way, sporting a pink button-down shirt with white collars and cuffs and floral print on the inside.
Although Valdespin laughed about the incident, he grew serious when asked if he would do the same thing if he were a veteran.
"No, no, no, no. I'd never do that," he said. "You know why? You've got to respect everybody. The example here is this guy, David Wright. He's the captain of the team and he respects everybody . . . The respect is very important on this team."
Terry Collins said it's part of the game for veterans to let a rookie know he has broken an unwritten rule.
"He thought it was OK to wear a white T-shirt to the ballpark," Collins said. "This is the big leagues. So the guys said, 'No, we dress nicer than that.' "
Francisco en route. Closer Frank Francisco will join the team in San Diego Friday night after completing his minor-league rehab assignment. Elvin Ramirez is expected to be sent to Triple-A Buffalo.
