DAVID Cone, the YES Network’s newest analyst, talked with The Post’s Justin Terranova about baseball’s steroid problem, the Mets’ new pitcher and the Yankees’ new manager.
Q: Do you think the abundance of steroids coverage by the press has made the issue appear more widespread than it actually is?
A: I never thought it was that widespread when I was active. Certainly, in retrospect, it was a problem. There is enough blame to go around, but I honestly didn’t think it was that bad when I was a player. Obviously it’s worse than we imagined. From my perspective, I guess I was too old school. I always thought pitching was more about finesse and flexibility.
Q: Andy Pettitte said he used HGH to recover from an injury. As a player who had his fair share of injuries, were you surprised by his admission?
A: I think that’s probably the missing link in all of this. That’s the part being underestimated. The players who are on the DL using HGH to recover from injuries may be the most overlooked facet of all this.
Q: Are you concerned with players of your era being wrongly implicated ?
A: There’s obviously a chance some of that will happen. I understand the Mitchell Report had an objective, but I wish it were more of a cooperative effort with the Players’ Association. It was more of a unilateral effort and it put Donald Fehr and the union in a very defensive position. Had it been done in a cooperative effort, it might have had a different outcome as far as protecting anonymity and getting some real answers.
When you have unilateral action taken on behalf of the commissioner, it puts the union in a defensive position. This is what we are left with.
Q: What is the biggest challenge for Joe Girardi as the new Yankee manager?
A: The biggest challenge early on will be just trying to get out of Joe Torre’s shadow and to establish his own identity. Trying to be his own manager and make his own decisions, as opposed to a Torre protege, which isn’t a bad thing.
Q: What are your thoughts on the Mets’ acquisition of Johan Santana?
A: It’s a great day for the Mets. He is going to fit into that clubhouse very well. He is arguably the best pitcher in his prime. I looked back to when I was 29 years old and I was ready to pitch for a contender. Even though he had some good relationships in Minnesota, I am sure he is going to fit in very well.
