Shank aka CHB calls out David Price calling out Eck

[Tyrone Biggums]

You're wrong.

Personally, I don't think this has anything to do with race. At the same time I can also see how he's been treated unfairly by the media. Some people can deal with the Felgers and Mazz's of the world aka world class trolls. By all accounts Price isn't actually a bad guy and at the beginning this seemed to me like someone not unlike a few of the players 15 years ago who just got tired of dealing with the media BS. But some of the stuff lately Price has brought on himself. At the end of the day we're all accountable for our own actions and while on one hand Price is justified to stick up for himself and his teammates the best way to probably not go about it is publically swear at reporters and Sox employees. The only Boston athlete to get it worse than Price thus far since he's been here is Jimmy Hayes.

I actually do like Price and thought he pitched solid last season. Not worth 30 million a year but solid. The team needs him to get healthy in order to have a shot.

 

[donutogre]

Huh. My mistake. I stand corrected.

I saw Johnson first as well, but then I think they decided to move everyone up.

 

[drbretto]

Because DD and JF would rather throw AAA arms against the two hottest teams in the AL while in a dogfight for the East than subject David Price to some booing...I don't buy that angle at all.

Yeah. The only way this injury is fake is if it's psychosomatic and it's all coming from Price.

No matter how thin skinned he may be, I can't imagine he's that thin skinned.

 

[uk_sox_fan]

Personally, I don't think this has anything to do with race. At the same time I can also see how he's been treated unfairly by the media. Some people can deal with the Felgers and Mazz's of the world aka world class trolls. By all accounts Price isn't actually a bad guy and at the beginning this seemed to me like someone not unlike a few of the players 15 years ago who just got tired of dealing with the media BS. But some of the stuff lately Price has brought on himself. At the end of the day we're all accountable for our own actions and while on one hand Price is justified to stick up for himself and his teammates the best way to probably not go about it is publically swear at reporters and Sox employees. The only Boston athlete to get it worse than Price thus far since he's been here is Jimmy Hayes.

I actually do like Price and thought he pitched solid last season. Not worth 30 million a year but solid. The team needs him to get healthy in order to have a shot.

I agree with you. I'd also go further by saying his performance last year was worth the money. When you pay someone x you're expecting a range of performance probably centered around 5.0. You hope for a 2016 Noah Syndergaardesque 6.5 but equally likely is a 2016 Cole Hamels-like 3.0. Price posted 4.5 WAR last year which ranked 13th in MLB. But among the 15 starting pitchers making $20m plus (I'm including Wainwright at $19.55m) he placed 5th; so squeaking into the top 3rd.

Yes, he was the 3rd highest paid player in baseball, but #2 was Greinke at 2.2 WAR. And many of the others that outperformed him at lower pay are only paid less because of where they are in service time or when they signed their contract. I would argue that 4.5 WAR is pretty much at to only slightly below the expectations for performance at his contract. The average WAR for those 15 most highly compensated starters was 3.0. The average for the 7 pitchers making $25m+ was 3.8 WAR and as a group their average salary was $29m or 97% of what DP made.

 

[chawson]

Personally, I don't think this has anything to do with race. At the same time I can also see how he's been treated unfairly by the media. Some people can deal with the Felgers and Mazz's of the world aka world class trolls. By all accounts Price isn't actually a bad guy and at the beginning this seemed to me like someone not unlike a few of the players 15 years ago who just got tired of dealing with the media BS. But some of the stuff lately Price has brought on himself. At the end of the day we're all accountable for our own actions and while on one hand Price is justified to stick up for himself and his teammates the best way to probably not go about it is publically swear at reporters and Sox employees. The only Boston athlete to get it worse than Price thus far since he's been here is Jimmy Hayes.

I actually do like Price and thought he pitched solid last season. Not worth 30 million a year but solid. The team needs him to get healthy in order to have a shot.

You're right. Price wasn't worth $30 million last year. He was worth $36 million (per Fangraphs).

How many white guys can we get to definitively confirm that a highly paid, well-performing black athlete sensitive to the double standard and disproportionate amount of scrutiny he gets from Boston media has "nothing to do with race"?

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

You're right. Price wasn't worth $30 million last year. He was worth $36 million (per Fangraphs).

How many white guys can we get to definitively confirm that a highly paid, well-performing black athlete sensitive to the double standard and disproportionate amount of scrutiny he gets from Boston media has "nothing to do with race"?

Well one you're making an assumption about my race that I don't particularly appreciate. So stop while you're ahead. If you want to make that type of assumption make sure the person you're speaking to is actually white. If he was white they'd probably get on him as well. All I'm saying is the dude isn't doing himself any favors lately but he doesn't deserve the crap he's getting. The only real racists on the radio here that I've heard is Callahan and Minehan.

 

[chawson]

Well one you're making an assumption about my race that I don't particularly appreciate. So stop while you're ahead. If you want to make that type of assumption make sure the person you're speaking to is actually white. If he was white they'd probably get on him as well. All I'm saying is the dude isn't doing himself any favors lately but he doesn't deserve the crap he's getting. The only real racists on the radio here that I've heard is Callahan and Minehan.

Sincere apologies for the assumption.

Point being, it would be helpful to get a black perspective on this dynamic.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Sincere apologies for the assumption.

Point being, it would be helpful to get a black perspective on this dynamic.

No argument from me there.

 

[luckiestman]

Sean McDonough was on Bob Ryan's podcast. They were talking about this fiasco and McDonough didn't hint at but outright said Baseball players are the dumbest athletes he has ever been around so this story didn't surprise him. He had some personal stories to relay of being in similar situations. Apparently he and Marty Barrett aren't on each other's Christmas card list.

 

[RedOctober3829]

You're right. Price wasn't worth $30 million last year. He was worth $36 million (per Fangraphs).

How many white guys can we get to definitively confirm that a highly paid, well-performing black athlete sensitive to the double standard and disproportionate amount of scrutiny he gets from Boston media has "nothing to do with race"?

Give me a break with the race talk. David Price is not getting treated any differently than JD Drew did. Both signed a big-money deal and the perception to the general fan is that they underperformed. This is no double standard unless you want there to be one. It's insulting to me to think that Price is getting grief because of his race. He's getting grief because of his actions not because of the color of his skin.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Brian Johnson will get it.

Christopher Smith‏Verified account @SmittyOnMLB 46m46 minutes ago
Source: Red Sox' Brian Johnson in town to see team doctor, shoulder is acting up again but likely will not land on DL.

 

[Doctor G]

This is about David Price wanting to be seen as the staff leader. This is why we have the Eck ambush.
A lot of this is also a reaction to Sale bringing the Cooper approach to pitcher pace over from Chicago.
This naturally is something that the media love. The staff wants to do what theyve always done especially Price.
Price was thought to be a lock to sign with Cubs as FA because of Maddon. Didnt happen.
This has echoes of the Adrian Gonzalez experience in Boston.

 

[chawson]

Give me a break with the race talk. David Price is not getting treated any differently than JD Drew did. Both signed a big-money deal and the perception to the general fan is that they underperformed. This is no double standard unless you want there to be one. It's insulting to me to think that Price is getting grief because of his race. He's getting grief because of his actions not because of the color of his skin.

LOL, what are "his actions"? Besides the Chisenhall HR, the only thing Sox fans could possibly have against him are that he's sensitive to criticism and defended himself against it — and he gets it more than most. The specific reasons why are open to debate, but there's racism bound up in Boston sports, media, and fan expectation whether you're "insulted" by it or not.

Also, J.D. Drew was more than worth his contract. If you're defending the "general fan"'s perception that players are underperforming when they're actually not, then you're admitting there's some sort of implicit bias in play.

 

[mauf]

Maybe. Mauf is simply saying they are very different (Jackie turned the other cheek for at least a couple of years, on strict orders from Branch Rickey). Price OTOH, never met a confrontation he didn't respond to.

Exactly. I did the opposite of making a comparison; there is no comparison between Price and Robinson.

And that's OK. Most ballplayers aren't saints.

And I said this above, but it bears repeating: I don't like David Price. But he has taken a lot of shit since he arrived here. If we're not judging him by the standards for sainthood, a bit of (arguably) misdirected anger toward a member of the press is more than excusable, especially now that we know what's going on in terms of his health.

 

[MuppetAsteriskTalk]

LOL, what are "his actions"? Besides the Chisenhall HR, the only thing Sox fans could possibly have against him are that he's sensitive to criticism and defended himself against it — and he gets it more than most. The specific reasons why are open to debate, but there's racism bound up in Boston sports, media, and fan expectation whether you're "insulted" by it or not.

Also, J.D. Drew was more than worth his contract. If you're defending the "general fan"'s perception that players are underperforming when they're actually not, then you're admitting there's some sort of implicit bias in play.

I think he was saying JD Drew was also unfairly criticized. And being that he's white it shows it's not necessarily a racial thing.

 

[Buzzkill Pauley]

This is about David Price wanting to be seen as the staff leader. This is why we have the Eck ambush.
A lot of this is also a reaction to Sale bringing the Cooper approach to pitcher pace over from Chicago.
This naturally is something that the media love. The staff wants to do what theyve always done especially Price.
Price was thought to be a lock to sign with Cubs as FA because of Maddon. Didnt happen.
This has echoes of the Adrian Gonzalez experience in Boston.

Is there any factual basis for any of these conclusions?

Whatever was actually aggravating the conflict between Price and Eck (and I don't believe racism had any significant bearing on that) the sensationalized media reporting and public shitstorm that this has become has a whole lot of other stuff wrapped up within it, including racism.

Echoes of the Adrian Gonzalez experience, indeed.

 

[RedOctober3829]

LOL, what are "his actions"? Besides the Chisenhall HR, the only thing Sox fans could possibly have against him are that he's sensitive to criticism and defended himself against it — and he gets it more than most. The specific reasons why are open to debate, but there's racism bound up in Boston sports, media, and fan expectation whether you're "insulted" by it or not.

Also, J.D. Drew was more than worth his contract. If you're defending the "general fan"'s perception that players are underperforming when they're actually not, then you're admitting there's some sort of implicit bias in play.

Price's actions that got him in this mess with Eck were not even criticisms against him. He found the need to verbally attack a team broadcaster in front of the whole travel party and that's why he's being painted in a negative light currently not because of his race. Why is there a need to do that in a public setting? The professional thing to do is to take that person aside and talk about issues like adults. What Price did was childish and unprofessional. The run-in with Evan Drellich was unnecessary as well. Fans were saying the same thing with similar outbursts from fan favorites like Ortiz when he stormed into a Francona press conference to berade the official scorer about an error so it's not just Price. I feel like that Price's act off the field was growing on a lot of fans coming into the year who wish he would just not talk about winning in the playoffs rather just let his pitching do the talking for him. Then factor in what has happened this year and it's understandable why people would be growing tired of him off the field.

On the field, fans' expectations of him were understandably high because of his track record and the fact he is the highest paid pitcher in baseball history. Like it or not, the contract is going to bring astronomically high expectations. Fans also have every right to expect ace-level performance from him because that's what he's been his whole career. However, he was not good in his first 2 months last season and most times it take a while before the narrative changes on any new player in Boston with those kind of expectations.

He did bounce back the second half of the season but it did not move the needle on the perception that he was not "worth the money". Just to make this clear to you: I do not think David Price had a bad regular season last year. I am simply pointing out what the vast majority of fans were and probably are still feeling. Then the playoff game happened and following that the nonsensical tweets from him in the offseason about not ever winning a playoff game.

I brought up JD Drew because no matter what he did positively in a Sox uniform he was trashed by fans because of expectations tied to his contract. His playoff performance in '07 helped the narrative change on him slightly but IMO he never was treated fairly by the fans for his performance. Did race play a part in the bashing of Drew? Obviously not and it's not race this time with Price.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Is there any factual basis for any of these conclusions?

Whatever was actually aggravating the conflict between Price and Eck (and I don't believe racism had any significant bearing on that) the sensationalized media reporting and public shitstorm that this has become has a whole lot of other stuff wrapped up within it, including racism.

Echoes of the Adrian Gonzalez experience, indeed.

I can see a few parallels with AGon and Price. In the last twenty years I've seen only a few players get it as bad as Price. Gonzalez and Drew come to mind immediately. People seem to forget before that homer the name Nancy was being used for him. He was always compared to Trot Nixon and people claimed he wasn't a dirt dog so he wasn't worth his deal. Then again you have someone like Awfulman Panda and to a lesser extent Lackey who deserved every ounce of criticism they received.

I've never seen more baseless hate for a player than JD Drew. Just because it didn't look like he enjoyed the game. Dude must hate Trot Nixon deep down.

 

[ricopetro6]

This is the dumbest post I have ever read in my nine plus years on SOSH and that is saying something..

not really

 

[soxhop411]

“@alexspeier: Pedroia says he talked one on one with Price about Eck incident; he said Price will talk face to face with Eck when he sees him.”



“@EvanDrellich: Dustin Pedroia said he’s not a referee. He did talk to David Price one on one. Expects Price and Eck to speak face to face.”
“@MikeSilvermanBB: Pedroia just said he is leader of Red Sox. And that he loves David Price. And that Price is waiting for opportunity to speak 1-on-1 w Eck.”
“@IanMBrowne: Dustin Pedroia said that David Price has been waiting for an opportunity to speak with Dennis Eckersley.”

“@EvanDrellich: Pedroia said there is a leader in the Red Sox clubhouse and told the assembled media they were looking at him.”
“@alexspeier: Pedroia fired back at suggestion Sox lack leadership: ‘I’m standing right here…I’ve been here a long time.’”
“@bradfo: When Pedroia asked about team looking for leader: ‘He’s standing right here’”


“@IanMBrowne: Pedroia said Price is one of his all time favorite teammates, made it clear Price would try to make it right with Eck when there is chance.”
“@alexspeier: Pedroia on being implicated in Price/Eck incident: ‘It bothers you when it’s not true. … we’ve moved past this. It was a month ago.’”

 

[grimshaw]

Paraphrasing - but he also said the team has two rules - be on time, and be professional, and that's what he talked to Price about.

 

[Marbleheader]

Price was at a disadvantage from the get-go because he had a negative perception prior to arriving. If he was pitching like Sale everyone would love him. He's been better than he has been generally perceived to be, but far from consistently being one of the best pitchers in the game despite being paid like one.

I didn't like the signing because it felt like Renteria all over again. Really wanted to go to St. Louis, Sox overpaid to change his mind. I'm still pissed they didn't go all in on Scherzer.


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[Byrdbrain]

Paraphrasing - but he also said the team has two rules - be on time, and be professional, and that's what he talked to Price about.

Pedey not very subtly stated that Price was unprofessional in his interactions with Eck.
Sam Kennedy stated that he, Dombrowski, Werner and Henry all apologized to Eck.

I can only assume Chawson thinks they are all racist since the only thing Price ever did wrong was to give up a homerun in the playoffs.

 

[PrometheusWakefield]

Could we please take the major, game changing news out of the petty, media bullshit thread? I'd like to talk about what this actually means for the team, you know, the one that plays on the field.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Price was at a disadvantage from the get-go because he had a negative perception prior to arriving. If he was pitching like Sale everyone would love him. He's been better than he has been generally perceived to be, but far from consistently being one of the best pitchers in the game despite being paid like one.

I didn't like the signing because it felt like Renteria all over again. Really wanted to go to St. Louis, Sox overpaid to change his mind. I'm still pissed they didn't go all in on Scherzer.


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But was it really like Rent-A-Wreck? Price had a good season. He was pitching well this year too. I get the parallel because he obviously didn't want to be here and seems thin skinned but it seems like Price is a unique case. A little of Crawford a little of Drew a little of Lackey and a little of AGon in terms of the criticism and hate.

From what Pedroia said to the media today we should probably let this horse die and move on. We are married to the contract for another 5 seasons. When he's right he's a top 5 pitcher. Make him feel comfortable. Borges column this morning made me disgusted as usual but this time he decided to go after an easier target than Belichick and GOAT.

 

[joe dokes]

This guy has an arm injury? My ass, his ten day DL coincides with the Red Sox going on a road trip. This is the Sox hiding their little malcontent until hopefully this all blows over.

The take is hot with this one.

 

[chawson]

Pedey not very subtly stated that Price was unprofessional in his interactions with Eck.
Sam Kennedy stated that he, Dombrowski, Werner and Henry all apologized to Eck.

I can only assume Chawson thinks they are all racist since the only thing Price ever did wrong was to give up a homerun in the playoffs.

I've been consistent in not calling any single person or act racist in this incident. That's not how it works. I get that it's obnoxious to hear if you're a white person who turns to baseball (and baseball discussion) as a reprieve from serious stuff. I do too. But it's absolutely part of this discussion. If anything, it's a pretty racist act to keep insisting race has nothing to do with it.

If you haven't read this DigBoston piece this week, it's worth a read (disclosure: I'm a journalist formerly in their employ, but had nothing to do with this story.): https://digboston.com/special-feature-the-yawkey-way/ I don't listen to WEEI (it's nauseating), but I didn't realize that Minihane and Callahan had been actively propagating that Adam Jones "made it up" back the spring.

Here's another clip: New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia said the only park where he’s ever been called the “n-word” is Fenway. “We [Black major leaguers] know,” he told Newsday. “We all know. When you go to Boston, you expect it.”

 

[mauf]

Could we please take the major, game changing news out of the petty, media bullshit thread? I'd like to talk about what this actually means for the team, you know, the one that plays on the field.

There's almost no discussion of the injury here that doesn't also reference the media drama. I agree that a separate thread would be in order; feel free to start one.

 

[soxhop411]

Here is video/Audio of the Pedroia interview

 

[chawson]

"Pedroia goes off on Price..." is a funny headline there by CSNNE, particularly when most of what Pedroia said about Price was that he loved him and he was one of his favorite teammates ever.

Typically, I reserve that phrase for commentary that's critical or unhinged, such as: 'Ann Coulter Goes Off on Delta'. But, y'know, whatever gets folks to click.

 

[reggiecleveland]

Pedroia said pretty much all you could expect.

 

[cleanturtle]

And of course every human being in the equation - the player, the writer, the SOSH member and the casual fan - brings his/her own bias (either conscious or not) in how he/she views every situation. And I would be naive not to think that race is one of those elements of bias.

I really appreciated this reflective statement and hope it doesn't get lost in the mix. It's troubling how often we forget this and fall into the trap of thinking of racism as a binary switch, so that something is either "racist" or not. The reality is much more complex. To say that race is not involved AT ALL is to ignore the history of race on many levels, from the local to the global, and definitely within sports and media. The research pretty much shows that race is involved way more than we consciously realize.

That said, just because race is a consistent influencing factor in our society does not mean that it is always a determinative or causal factor. It is very possible for something to be racial and for that not to be the determining factor. My own personal opinion based on what I've read or watched on the TV is that it's one factor among many when it comes to Price. I respect and read with interest when people argue that his talents, or his personality, or the Boston media are the determining factors. But again, that does not mean that race is not involved at all.

I left Massachusetts in large part due to the nature of its racism. Of course it's not binary here, either. Massachusetts also has a proud history of fighting racism that goes back at least to abolition. But the denial of societal racism was something I heard all the time when I grew up there and I hate that it continues. It's one reason why I can't listen to Boston sports radio. I tried again around the Superbowl and couldn't get through an hour without someone saying "Why are they bringing up race? Race is not at all involved!" or "race card" or "making it about race." I don't post here much because my baseball knowledge is dwarfed by the regulars, but I've read pretty much every main page posting for the past decade. These days I'm seeing it more often on SOSH, and yes, you can mock me for this, but it gives me a sad.

 

[catomatic]

Completely unsurprised to hear this. Sad, especially for someone who is surrounded by enough people unaware of their own biases as to have to leave their hometown. Boston is an exceptionalist city, trapped in its own self-regard and unable to own a lot of its secret failings. sorry, friend. (Been in NYC for 30 years and sports teams/sports fans excepted, prefer the character of the average NYer over Bostonian by a good bit).

 

[Van Everyman]

Thank you for your enlightened perspective.

 

[catomatic]

Thank you for your enlightened perspective.

It's the subways. They grind the bias out of people. That and the density of the much more diverse population. Thoreau himself thought cities the best human environment for humanness. I have at least three African-American friends in this city who are ex-pat Bostonians and find any racial animosity here easier to take than what is dished out by those subtly in denial of their own bias in Boston.

EDIT: Apologies for taking this even farther off-topic.

 

[kazuneko]

The Greater Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area is home to a census-estimated 4.8 million people and, according to the office of Management and Budget, is 85.1% white. In the United States of America there is no other city even close to it's size which is as white as Boston. So it's not really surprising that these issues are more prevalent here, especially compared to NYC, which is far, far more diverse...

 

[ricopetro6]

The Greater Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area is home to a census-estimated 4.8 million people and, according to the office of Management and Budget, is 85.1% white. In the United States of America there is no other city even close to it's size which is as white as Boston. So it's not really surprising that these issues are more prevalent here, especially compared to NYC, which is far, far more diverse...

so because there are more white people, there are more racists white people?

 

[Al Zarilla]

This thread: 'nuf sed (shut 'r down)?

 

[Doc Zero]

so because there are more white people, there are more racists white people?

Yes?

 

[Cellar-Door]

I can kind of see Price's side. He handled it poorly, but it seems his issue is that a team employee in Eck is taking shots at guys on the team in a way he sees as unjustified.
And given that Eck is popular for his "tell it like it is" personality (often code for being an asshole) it's going to build up.
With it coming out that the final straw that led to it had nothing to do with Price and instead was Eck taking what Price saw as a cheap shot at EdRo who was making a rehab start I see why he thought (incorrectly) that he should say it in front of the team. As he sees it as him speaking up for a lot of guys on the team who probably are similarly unhappy about Eck. Notice nobody on the actual team is running out to tell the press how much they like Eck. I'd assume most fall somewhere between tolerating and loathing him.

 

[Van Everyman]

 

[Reverend]

Eck is not part of the team.

 

[Reverend]

...or are they?

 

[riboflav]

The most worrisome part of that interview is that Price argues that his confrontation had an effect on Eck. Price essentially says that Eck has been more positive, or less critical, of the team since Price's outburst. This is troubling if Price and the rest of the team think this kind of passive-aggressive behavior leads to good results.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Remy spends time with the team, no? On the field during BP or in the clubhouse before games? Perhaps that sets an unreasonable standard for any/all the analysts that fill in for him? A standard that part-timers like Eck don't feel comfortable maintaining, and Price and his teammates don't understand that.

I wonder if Rice and Wake spend time with the players in their capacity as studio analysts? Obviously they're in the studio most of the time, but for home games, they're at Fenway for the pre-game show. Eck has done as much studio analysis as booth analysis. I wonder if it's just the in-game stuff that bugs some players or if it's studio stuff too.

Either way, it would seem that perhaps when it's someone other than Eck, they (the players) feel they have some sort of access to the guy to have a conversation about whatever's bothering them. But maybe Eck isn't as accessible. Strikes me as something that isn't all that big of a deal except Price handled it poorly and CHB decided to do CHB things with an otherwise non-story.

Still more drama than it's worth.

 

[StuckOnYouk]

Which way does NESN go with this - do they let Eck be who he is and do what makes him great to the fans who watch? Or do they make him coddle these guys and just be another team color guy that's no different than so many others? Or does he just say F this and leave?

I thought I read somewhere that Eck will be in a team suite on Tues night and I"m sure at some point his face will appear on the CF screen - I can't imagine the thunderous ovation he'll get....perhaps rivaling any ovation he received during his playing days.

 

[Wayapman]

It's amazing to me how much the media is fanning these flames. On the ESPN front page is an article by Scott Lauber titled:
"Price challenges Eck to show his face"

I read the title and thought Price totally went after Eck again. Then I read the article and the quoted material is all relatively benign. But all of the writers content is so antagonistic saying how Price had the opportunity to apologize but instead doubled down on his attacks.

Price unfortunately has had a rocky relationship with the media for a good part of his career and now the media just twists the knife any chance they get. That article title is ridiculous



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[Snodgrass'Muff]

Lauber's a hack. In fact, virtually all of the Boston media are insufferable. With a few exceptions (Speier, Finn...) they're not worth paying any attention to.

 

[Cellar-Door]

...or are they?

He's kind of in a weird spot. He's essentially a team employee, and he's definitely far more critical at times than most team announcers/studio show guys. Sometimes he's bringing up real issues, sometimes he's just taking shots to win viewer points. The latter is going to piss off players, especially since he is a defacto team employee who gets more access to the team than a real reporter would by virtue of his employer.

 

[RetractableRoof]

Except that according to Price he's never in the clubhouse. So apparently he's not using his access.

Price is really coming across as an ass after the latest volley. Apparently Eck can't do his job providing color commentary properly without being in the clubhouse constantly - because a HOF pitcher needs input from the current roster before he can feel qualified to offer "yuck". Or maybe Price wants Eck to seek permission?

Price would be better served focusing on the demands of his profession.

He's kind of in a weird spot. He's essentially a team employee, and he's definitely far more critical at times than most team announcers/studio show guys. Sometimes he's bringing up real issues, sometimes he's just taking shots to win viewer points. The latter is going to piss off players, especially since he is a defacto team employee who gets more access to the team than a real reporter would by virtue of his employer.