Former New York Yankees pitcher David Wells is ripping Major League Baseball for moving its All-Star game and says he is boycotting the league.
Wells made his comments on Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on Thursday. He was highly critical of MLB Commission Rob Manfred’s decision to move the game out of Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s new election reform law.
“I’ve had a lot of dealings with Rob Manfred back in my playing days, and I never liked the guy,” Wells said. “I thought he was a bit odd. To me, how do you change the game, the dynamics, and hurt a city like Atlanta that really needs some income in that situation? I mean, Atlanta’s a great place to play baseball.”
As a result of the MLB’s decision to move the game from Georgia to Colorado, Wells said he has pulled away from baseball.
“I don’t watch baseball anymore, Brian,” he said. “I refuse to watch it because of this. I don’t want no part of it, and this was my life … For me not to want to go to a baseball game or even watch, it kills me, because I don’t put up with that kind of crap, and I don’t condone it.”
Wells pitched a perfect game as a Yankee and is a two-time World Series champion pitcher, according to the New York Post.
And former President Donald Trump told Newsmax TV on Tuesday that there should be a boycott of the league for abandoning Georgia.
“I would say boycott baseball, why not,” Trump told Heather Childers on “American Agenda.”
“Now they’ve moved the All-Star Game because they thought the bill was too tough when it’s not,” he said.
Trump added: “I think a lot of people are giving up on baseball anyway … they shouldn’t be hurting the people of Georgia.”
And former baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent says Manfred made “a serious mistake” by rushing to move the All-Star game out of Atlanta.
“Major League Baseball decided last week to move the All-Star Game out of Atlanta after the Georgia Legislature passed changes to the state’s voting laws that many, including President (Joe) Biden, called racist,” he said in a column posted by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
“Activists urged Commissioner Robert Manfred to punish Georgia. By rushing to do so without first protesting the substance of the law, Mr. Manfred made a serious mistake.”
And Vincent added: “The midsummer All-Star Game is an exhibition that benefits only the city where it’s played. The players will get paid no matter where the game takes place. MLB will get the same television revenue. The only people hurt by Mr. Manfred’s decision will be Atlanta’s stadium workers and local vendors.
Source: Newmax