Pitcher John Thomson trashed Cliff Floyd AND LoDuca---Tom Gatto

• Gatto, a senior writer at The Sporting News, and life-long Met fan adds the Cliff Floyd info--

"John Thomson's a real peach, isn't he? In case you missed it, Thomson trashed Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca and former Mets left fielder Cliff Floyd while trying to explain why he chose the Blue Jays over the Mets. Thomson says he doesn't like how Lo Duca acts behind the plate (he offered nothing specific, of course), and having the oft-injured Floyd in the outfield would have made him nervous on the mound.

• Note to John: Floyd's a free agent and unlikely to return to New York. You needn't have sweated that one.

Lo Duca may annoy opponents and teammates with his brashness, but you know what? Guys pitch well with him behind the plate. From his rookie season of 1998 to the present, Lo Duca leads the majors with a 3.82 catcher ERA (the ERA that pitchers post when throwing to a particular catcher), according to STATS LLC.

• Thomson's new batterymate, Gregg Zaun -- a guy Thomson went out of his way to praise -- is 29th in catcher ERA in that span. Thomson, it should be noted, has a 4.69 career ERA to go with a 62-84 record. He also had shoulder problems last season.

Conveniently for Thomson, the Jays and Mets don't meet this season, so there'll be no opportunity for Lo Duca to rifle a Thomson meatball back through the box.

• Floyd, depending on where he signs, still has a chance to get even with him on the field. Here's hoping he goes deep once or twice.

So, why did Thomson remove the filter from his brain? I don't know -- maybe he's still bitter about his brief and ineffective stint with the Mets back in 2002 (Lo Duca and Floyd hadn't arrived yet). Acquired from the Rockies for Jay Payton in a five-player deadline deal, Thomson was supposed to help New York make a run at the NL wild card. Instead, he went 2-6 with a 4.31 ERA in nine starts as the Mets tanked.

• Thomson, by the way, also made a point of praising the defense of Jays star center fielder Vernon Wells as he trashed Floyd. Know what type of karmic justice I'd like to see? Thomson's pitching in a tight game, runners are on base, a line drive gets hit right at Wells, who breaks in, then back, the ball lands over his head, the bases clear, and Thomson gets an "L." I'd love to be part of that postgame Q&A, to find out if Thomson has the stones to speak his mind again."

Interesting to hear more of the details surrounding Thomson's remarks.

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From Tom Gatto's Sporting News article, 1/11/07

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