Davey Johnson calls Joe Maddon a "weird wuss".

Just when you thought Bryce Harper had registered the quote of the year for the Nationals with "That's a clown question, bro", Davey Johnson steps in with maybe the greatest/weirdest quote in Nats history when describing Joe Maddon. What's a weird wuss?

"I didn’t know him that well, but I thought he was a weird wuss, anyway. I understand where he’s coming from. His job as a manager is to protect the players. Striking out at who ever he thinks is causing your players any grievance. So I understand where he’s coming from. But he doesn’t know me from a hole in the hill. Or I him, for that matter. But I do know the rulebook, and I do try to follow it."
(Davey Johnson, via Nationals Journal, 6/20/2012)

So is a weird wuss better or worse than being chicken [bleep]?

Oh, and here's Maddon responding to Davey (and saying free agents should reconsider signing with the Nationals in the future) and Davey's comments about Maddon's Tweeter, etc., via MASN's Byron Kerr:

Davey is right. I am incapable of reading the rule book. And there is also reading between the lines in some situations that needs to be looked at too. He has been around long enough, he knows better than that."

Johnson said he wasn't going to engage in a shouting match with Maddon because the Rays manager is on "Tweeter" and has more followers.

"Most men have tweeters," joked Maddon. "I would never use my tweeter to an unfair advantage."
(via MASNSports.com, 6/20/2012)

And more Maddon from Kerr, via Tweeter:

"Like I said before, we don’t start stuff, but we will finish stuff."
(Joe Maddon, via @masKerr, 6/20/2012)

That weird wuss is fake tough!

(Screencap via MASN)

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Comments

[ragg]

Maddon is an idiot...His pitcher was trying to cheat, but he's blaming the other team???

[Judy Piccolo]

It's apparent that Davey J knew something -as JP pitched for the Nationals before going to the Rays..so........pine tar use was OK then.. A more respectable way should have been used instead of throwing him under the bus like that. Loss lots of respect for DJ-an "old Wuss".

[scott woods]

Davey Johnson calling Maddon a wuss? What baseball player has to have plastic surgery? Johnson needs to be careful calling people wusses. The Nats need to slow down and stop talking trash; they have not won anything yet.

[Tom]

Davey Johnson, isn't he the guy who won a World Series with the drug addicts in NY? Gooden, Strawberry, Dykstra and the rest of those lowlifes? Bush League is a compliment for that scum bag!

[Skip]

The motto of the story Don't cheat against the team you cheated for.

[Mark]

I guess Johnson forgot that he did the same thing to Jay Howell during the NLCS. Johnson was managing the Mets against the Dodgers. That move didn't end up helping him much then either.

[MikeTroutRules]

Next thing you know, a manager is going to ask the umps to inforce the batter's box, not letting the batter obliterate the chalk lines so the ump can tell if the batter is ACTUALLY in the batter's box. You open the hornet's nest, this might happen. Davey has been around long enough to know.... just saying

[fenway [email protected]]

maddon is trying to deflect the situation his player got caught breaking the rules doesnt matter if he knew I know hes a jerk!

[Lillian Teresen]

Jerk!!! He could have taken care of this issue before the game by going to Maddon or the Rays coaches and informed them that they knew about Peralta using pine tar. He worked hard for that team and this is how someone paid him back. Cowards. He was upset because the Rays were winning the game and he knew how good Peralta was. No respect for a manager who tattles. Didn't have to be that way.

[MrG]

Johnson's ploy reminds me of another pinetar incident involving Billy Martin and George Brett. I don't think I've ever seen a player more upset than Brett was!