Mets, Matt Harvey disagree on media availability
New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA last season. (Steve Mitchell/Getty Images)
New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey has wanted to talk to the media about how his rehabilitation from elbow ligament-replacement surgery is going. The Mets haven't always been a big fan of that plan and things came to a head on Tuesday.
New York Daily News reporter Andy Martino was interviewing Harvey when Mets public relations director Jay Horwitz approached Harvey during the interview. Below is how that conversation between Martino, Harvey and Horwitz went.
"He’s alright, Jay,” Harvey said. “Jay, he’s alright.”
“What?” I said to Horwitz.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Horwitz said to me.
“OK,” I said, but Horwitz did not move.
“He’s good, Jay,” Harvey said again. “He’s good. If somebody at the top needs to talk, I’ll talk to him.”
“You’re causing me some problems,” Horwitz said to me.
“OK,” I said, then turned back to Harvey.
“Are you writing something?” Horwitz said. “Can I --”
Harvey said, “Jay, if somebody needs to talk to the Players’ Association, I have a right to have him writing about me.”
SI WIRE: Mets reportedly shopping 1B Ike Davis again
Harvey also said he wanted to continue his rehab in New York this season, but the team disagrees with him on that as well.
"I have worked so hard to get to the point where I was, and all of a sudden I get hurt, and it’s ‘you’ve got to stay in Florida,’” Harvey said. “‘You’ve got to disappear from New York, you’ve got to do this.’ I took pride in living in New York, and being a New Yorker.
