IT’S been a long offseason, but it’s about to end. The spring training schedule kicks off Thursday for the Mets on SNY. Their analyst Ron Darling talked to the Post’s Justin Terranova about A-Rod, K-Rod and Straw’s new book.
Q: Your thoughts on the Alex Rodriguez steroid story?
A: He is not a sympathetic figure. I will say that there are other names out there and for him to take the brunt of this does seem unfair. Skinny guys from the ’80s, like me, feel really good about their careers now. It’s a strange thing, when people start worrying about their legacy that’s when they hit potholes.
Q: How has A-Rod handled the situation?
A: This is going to be a case study for anyone that goes to school for public relations to learn what not to do. When an embarrassing things come out to public, I’ve always thought that the best thing to do is come out and say exactly what happened.
Q: Do you think Francisco Rodriguez is out of line by saying the Mets are the team to beat in the NL East?
A: Being on the West Coast, I don’t think he is privy to the inside joke – which is that the Mets and Phillies have been going back and forth for years like this. And if he’s asked if they are the team to beat . . . if you don’t think that in spring training, even the Pirates feel that way now. So why shouldn’t the Mets? And the Phillies fired the first shot with Cole Hamels, so anything the Mets say is fair game.
Q: Do you think the Mets needed to go after Manny Ramirez?
A: The only thing that makes him attractive to the Mets is that no one’s going to give him that five-year deal. You can almost stomach Manny for two years. But I think the reason the Mets didn’t pursue him harder is Daniel Murphy, who they envision as a star in waiting. And if the Mets signed Manny then they didn’t know what to do with this kid.
Q: Does it bother you that Darryl Strawberry is coming out with a book about his life, where he goes into detail about the crazy times he spent with the Mets?
A: I was telling my wife the other night that’s just Straw being Straw. I totally understand where it comes from and the financial implications for him. Is there anything I did with the Mets that I wish I could change? Of course. But I talked to Darryl about it and he explained that it’s his story – the things he accomplished and his shortcomings.