Yankees' Aaron Judge says focus should be on kids, not Staten Island Little League coach's criticism
The Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, makes his way to his seat at Lamade Stadium during a team visit to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
Aaron Judge had little to say on Wednesday about the criticism he received from the coach of the Staten Island Little League team, who said the Yankees superstar snubbed his players during the Little League Classic on Sunday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“I was made aware of it [Tuesday],” Judge said Wednesday before hitting two homers in the Yankees’ 8-1 win over Cleveland at the Stadium. “I got no response for that, and I’m not going to give him a response because it’s about the kids. This is what it’s all about. We got a chance to spend a lot of time with quite a few kids in Williamsport, make some great memories. Had a great time in the game, besides the loss. So I kind of want that to be the focus.”
Judge was the clear star attraction on Sunday as the Yankees met with Little League players and fans for multiple hours in multiple locations before and even during their 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Judge was surrounded by hundreds of fans at times, and signed autographs and took selfies with as many as he could.
But Staten Island coach Bob Laterza criticized Judge for not being among the Yankees who met with the Staten Island team. Laterza shared with SI Live a photo that showed Judge with his back turned to the stands during the game while in the on-deck circle getting ready to hit. Apparently, the Staten Island team was seated close enough to call out to Judge, but the Yankees captain did not respond.
“How about turning around or wave to New York and the kids that think you’re a hero?” coach Bob Laterza said, according to SI Live. “They are the ones who pay your salary.
“They were disappointed,” Laterza added. “Maybe he’ll want to make up for it and come and see them.”
The Yankees admonished Laterza — without mentioning his name — in a lengthy statement issued to Newsday and the New York Post on Tuesday night. In the statement, the Yankees promised to offer the Staten Island team a future visit to Yankee Stadium and ended by saying, “Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect. The coach could learn a lot from him.”
Judge, asked if he was bothered by the coach’s statements, said: “Like I said, I don’t really put any weight into the comments. I play in front of 40,000 every single night and I get booed if I go 0-for-1. So I’m not really going to put any weight to that.”
Manager Aaron Boone and reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole were among the Yankees who did meet with Staten Island on Sunday. The Yankees posted a video on Twitter about an hour before Sunday’s game showing Cole signing autographs, chatting and high-fiving thrilled Staten Island players.
Boone, on Wednesday, declined to discuss the issue other than to say, “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. Aaron Judge is as good as it gets.”
Staten Island was eliminated from the Little League World Series on Tuesday night with a 6-1 loss to Florida.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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