Cedeno Hopes To Spare His Children



from Sunday's Newark Star-Ledger, David Waldstein has family man Roger Cedeno forbidding his brood from attending games at Shea this season.

In the aftermath of one of the worst years of his career, Roger Cedeno had a magnificent and relaxing off-season, made most memorable by the birth of his second daughter, Veronica, four days after the end of the season.

But little Veronica will probably never get to see her father play at Shea Stadium, even if Cedeno isn't traded, released or buried on the bench behind outfielders Karim Garcia and Shane Spencer.

Cedeno's family is not allowed to go to Shea Stadium. He won't let them. After what happened last season and at the end of 2002, after all the abuse and foul-mouthed invective heaped upon him from the stands, Cedeno decided he would never let has family come to Shea again.

"Not one time," Cedeno said. "I don't want them to hear the stuff they say in the stands. I won't let them."

That's fair enough. I won't let my family drive on the Long Island Expressway during the baseball season for fear they might be killed by Roger Cedeno.

Cedeno knows he had an awful season in 2003 that seemed to parallel the Mets' misery. He hit .267 (seven points higher than the year before), scored 70 runs (five more than in 2002), and hit seven home runs (same as 2002). Worse, he played terribly in the outfield as the Mets exposed him with a failed center field experiment.

Although the entire team was a disaster, the fans seemed to focus their wrath on two people.

"Me and (Armando) Benitez," Cedeno said.

Eventually, Benitez and the other fan targets of abuse, Roberto Alomar and Jeromy Burnitz, were gone by the All-Star break, and Cedeno was left to bear the brunt the rest of the season, even though he hit .282 after the break, including a .346 August.

"I've never seen anything like that," pitcher Al Leiter said of the abuse. "That's the worst, most relentless I've ever seen."

Cedeno, who stole a career-high 66 bases for the Mets in 1999, was obviously hurt by the treatment, but soldiered on. Counseling sessions from Cliff Floyd, Mo Vaughn and John Franco helped, but Cedeno still couldn't figure out why he was such a target.

"I'll take the blame if I've got to take the blame," he said. "But why? I never said anything real bad. I never did anything to make people mad at me. I come from Venezuela. I played there and I've heard a lot of things. I've been through a lot. But I don't want my kids to hear the stuff that goes on at Shea. I don't like any kids to hear that. I can take it. I'm old enough. But I've got to protect my family from it."

Q : Why would fans verbally abuse an outfielder who can't catch a ball hit to his left, right or over his head? A hitter whose selectivity makes Alfonso Soriano look like Ted Williams? A guy owed $10 million over the the next two years?

A: Because Steve Phillips is no longer around to receive the same abuse. Good for John Franco, though, I can't think of a better guy to help Roger cope with the irrational demands of the paying customers.

Posted: Mon - February 23, 2004 at 06:26 PM      

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