Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth (pictured right) didn't end the 2010 season as teammates, but they figuratively passed by each other Wednesday on the way to their respective introductory press conferences.
Lee's presser in Philly contained a couple of nuggets, including:
• The story about Lee's wife getting spat upon in Yankee Stadium was overblown and had nothing to do with his decision to spurn New York for Philly — but Kristen Lee does like Philadelphia as a place to live.
• The bottom line wasn't the bottom line, so to speak, in helping Lee decide where he would play: "It's plenty of money. At a certain point, enough is enough."
• He and Werth — good friends from their time as teammates in '09 (and perhaps earlier) — have been communicating. Via the Washington Post:
"When he found out I was coming here," Lee said, "he wasn't the happiest person in the world."
This is possibly because the Phillies wouldn't commit the money to Werth that they ended up giving Lee. Don't cry too hard for Werth, though; the Washington Nationals are compensating him well.
But did Werth have to commit beardicide? He showed up clean shaven in Washington, except for a soul patch. Does that lone spot represent all of the love he has left for Philly?
"The news in Philadelphia, they got their boy back, I guess," Werth said. "That's fine. I think that's good. I like that. If you're going to be the best, you've got to beat the best. They make their plays, and we're going to make ours."
Werth continued, saying the Nats were going to bring championships to D.C. — which would be great to see. But with Lee's re-arrival in Philly sparking a citywide celebration, you got the feeling Werth felt a little left out.
Almost forgot: Werth gets a full no-trade clause in D.C. So he'll have plenty of chances to settle it on the field with the Phillies in the next several years.
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