The Phillies come to town on Tuesday, bringing with them a rivalry deepened by the defection of their once-beloved Jayson Werth
Werth, who is enjoying a $126 million, seven-year deal with the Nats, is looking forward to it.
"And Charlie . . . I can't wait to see Charlie, you know? He's a smack talker,” he said of his former manager Charlie Manuel to the Daily News. “And I know he's going to be ready. And I'm going to be ready for him. I got something for him."
Hopefully that “something” is a couple of hits.
Manuel apparently called Werth after the Nats deal was done to chide him about his fortune.
“I told him to send me some money,” Manuel joked to the Delaware County Times. “I said the (bleepin’) lottery came at Christmas time.”
As far as the smack talk goes, Manuel is ready.
“I’ll be on him,” he said. “I’ll be getting on him. I’ll be getting on J-Dub. I’ll be hollering at him.”
While most of it is fun and games, it seems that former teammate Shane Victorino is a bit bitter about the defection ... and possibly Werth’s inflated bank account.
“I hope Blanton runs one in on him,” Victorino said.
We’re pretty sure Victorino was kidding, but if Werth ends up hit by a pitch, maybe that fat wallet will cushion the blow.
The biggest question is how the Phillies fans, who are planning a Nats park invasion, will handle Werth come game time. He helped the Phillies attain a part of four division championships, two pennants and a World Series.
Now he's the enemy.
Werth has joked about hating the Phillies and, back in December, Werth made his feelings about such Phillies invasions quite clear.
“The reason why those people come over here is they don't have a chance to watch their team in Philadelphia,” he said in an interview with 106.7. “As soon as we fill the seats with Nats fans those people are going to go away and we are going to regain home field advantage and I am looking forward to that day too."
We call Philly fans “those people” too.
Questions, comments or tips? Email Sarah at sarahskogod@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter (@sarahschorno).
