The New York Yankees fired back at a Little League coach who complained that his team didn’t get face time with Aaron Judge at the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Bob Laterza, coach of the Staten Island team, told SILive.com that Judge failed to acknowledge his players during the Yankees’ game against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
“How about turning around or wave to New York and the kids that think you’re a hero?’ Laterza bemoaned. “They are the ones who pay your salary.”
Laterza also was upset that Judge didn’t show up specifically to greet his New York-based team, despite other Yankees players, coaches and alumni getting with his players for one-on-one time.
“They were disappointed,” Laterza said. “Maybe he’ll want to make up for it and come and see them.”
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The Yankees weren’t too pleased with the coach’s public outburst, releasing a blistering statement that pushed back on Laterza’s claims:
“Win or lose, we intend to invite them to Yankee Stadium. However, it would have been much better if Staten Island’s coach called us to understand the facts before bitterly reacting in such a public fashion. Reaching out to us would have been the prudent way to act and would have set a fine example for his young players. Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect.”
“The coach could learn a lot from him.”
Laterza’s team was eliminated from the Little League World Series with a loss on Tuesday.
Judge and Yankees manager Aaron Boone were asked about Laterza’s comments on Wednesday and chose not to engage.
“I’ve got no response for that,” Judge told reporters, per NJ.com. “I’m not gonna give him a response, because it’s about the kids.”
Said Boone: “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. Aaron Judge is as good as it gets with everyone.”
Judge interacted with kids and took selfies on the field before the Yankees’ game and spent time in the crowd at one of the LLWS games. The 2022 AL MVP has been known throughout his career as a star who interacts plenty with fans and signs autographs.
“We commend all of our players for devoting their complete attention to the hundreds of kids who literally walked step-by-step alongside them from the moment the Yankees landed in Williamsport through the entirety of the evening,’ the Yankees said in the statement.
‘Our players were unequivocally committed to making the experience what it was intended to be – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young baseball players and their families from around the world to have meaningful and genuine interaction with some of Major League Baseball’s greatest players.”
Who is Bob Laterza?
Laterza, who has been coaching Little League for over 30 years, has also used his week in the spotlight to dig up a LLWS controversy from 2001 – the age scandal involving pitcher Danny Almonte.
Laterza’s squad lost 13-0 against Almonte’s Bronx-based team in sectionals ahead of that year’s LLWS. The coach claims that he had tried to blow the whistle earlier on the player who turned out to be 14, rather than 12 years old, as uncovered by a later Sports Illustrated investigation.
“I went to everyone,” Laterza told PennLive. “No one would listen.”
According to a 2001 New York Post story, Laterza spent $10,000 on detectives to investigate the Almonte matter and the coach has been quoted as an aggrieved party through the years in retrospective stories.
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