New York Post, Tuesday, August 27, 2019nypost.comR47By JUSTINTASCHAndrewLuck’s formerteammates aren’t
pleased withColts fans for booing the now-
retired quarterbackSaturday night as he
walkedoff thefield.
“I thought itwas bulls--t, simple as that,”
centerRyan Kelly told reporters Monday.
Luck’s replacementJacoby Brissett also
didn’t like hearing the boos,particularly
becauseof wh at Lu ck has meantto the fran-
chise.
“I t sucked,” Brissett sa id Monda y duringa
press conference. “You don’twant to hear that,
especiallyaguy like that who’s done as much
as he’s done andwhat he’s been through.Even
beforeIgot here andtalkingto him and hear-
ing a lot of those stories, like, nah.”
Brissettsaid hefound out a day before the
rest of theworld that the 29-year-oldLuck
would beretiring.The two have become
close friends since theColts acquired Bris-
sett from thePatriots before the 2017 sea-
son.It will beweird, Brissett said, not seeing
Luck every day, but he believes Luck made
the right decision after speaking with him.
“I was shocked,wh ich I’m sure ev erybody
is,” Brissett said. “A nd thenwehadalong
conversation, and there were some emotions
goingback andforth, but when you sit down
andyou talk to him,you understand his deci-
sion. It’s oneof my good friendsso it’s tough,
but I’m sure bothof us will deal with it.”
When asked ifLuck seemedat peace with
retiring after years of physical and mental
anguish, Brissett did not hesitate.
“Oh, no question,” Brissett said. “He was
like smiling,you know? That’s what helped
me gain clarity and understandingof the sit-
uation, seeing him smile.I wish him the best.
Heknowsthat.We’ll talk longer than the
days of either oneof ourfootball careers.”
Colts coachFrankReich, after addressing
theteamMonday morning with GM Chris
Ballard, praisedLuck’s decision,saying he
“did thecourageous thing and the honorable
thing” inretiring.Hemade it clear that he
didn’tfeel Luck was letting theteam down.
“On one hand,we canrespect and honor
theplayer and theteammate that Andrew is
andwas,” Reichsaid. “But at thesame time
we can share an excitement and an enthusi-
asm about theteam that we have goingfor-
ward and the journey ahead of us.”
Brissett started15 games during that 2017
seasonwhen Luck was out following shoul-
der surgery. The 26-year-old has more expe-
rience now and will beplaying behind an
improved offensive line.Reich and other
Colts staffers determined Brissett took
roughly 1,200 first-team reps throughout this
offseason withLuck nursing hismy sterious
ankle injury. Reich thinks Brissett can bea
top-20 quarterback.
“I’m sure glad we got him now,” Reich said.
[email protected]By JUSTINTASCHThe rip jobs Andrew Luck
sparke d by stunningly retir-
ing during the NFL pre-
season include one froma
longtime NFL quarterback.
Steve Beuerlein, who
played 14 NFL seasons and
is nowacollege football ana-
lyst for CBS, lit into Luck on
Twitter over the timingof
theretirement.
“I ama HUGE #Andrew-
Luck fan... always have been.
But thisI cannot defend or
justify. NO scenariowhere
retirement is defensible,”
Be uerlein wrote to begina
seriesof tweets. “To do this
to histeammates, or gani-
zation,fans, and the NFL 2
weeks before the season is
just not right.I love theguy
but this will haunt him.
“Point is this isa mas-
sive decision heSAID he
has ponderedfor 10 DAYS!
#Colts invested in himfor
5-10 more YRS! Go on IR,
get awayforafewweeks and
think about it. Get healthy
for 2nd halfof season and
makearun! #Colts are good!
If #Jacoby goes 4-4 they
have a chance!
“The MILLIONS he
walkedawayfrom affectsonly HIM.The DECISION
towalk away just prior
to the season affects his
TEAM, ORGANIZATION,
FA NBASE, and the ENTIRE
NFL... ALL had invested in
himfor thisyear at least.
Walk awayAFTER the sea-
son.
“Histeam needs himto
make this run.I know rehab
is to ugh.I had 19surge ries
as a pl aye r... 8 over2years.
It sucks! But he owes it to
histeam.It is justa lowe r
leg injury and it will heal!
Ju st give it a chance. If it
doesn’twa lk awayaf ter this
year.”Beuerlein calls out QB’s timing
Colts rip booing fans
SIGN LANGUAGE:One young fan hoped reports Saturday night of Andew Luck’s
retirementweren’t accurate, but many fans voiced their frustration more angrily. AP
Tanaka excited for foe
By GEORGE A. KING IIISEATTLE — Masahiro Tanaka isn’t
asked often whether he is looking for-
ward to watching the opposing pitcher
work, but Tuesday night at T-Mobile
Park it will be different.
That’s because the Mariners are
starting Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi
and the Yankees are going with
Tanaka. It is the first time they have
opposed each other.
“I am looking forward to it. There
are only a handful of Japanese pitchers
in the league,’’ Tanaka said. “Going
against each other will be a lot of fun.’’
Kikuchi is a 28-year-old rookie who
is 5-8 with a 5.19 ERA in 26 starts.➤The Yankees’ hope is that Didi
Gregorius will only be sidelined a
few days with a bone bruise in his
right shoulder after being hit with a
Clayton Kershaw pitch and leaving
Sunday’s game in Los Angeles.
“He is still pretty sore. We will see
how he goes through the treatment and
see where he is at as far as his availabil-
ity,’’ Boone said. “He looks like now
pretty good improvement. When he
got in [Monday] he said he definitely
felt better but he is still pretty sore.’’➤According to Boone, Dellin Be-
tances is scheduled to face hitters againon Wednesday and Luis Severino has
another simulated game Tuesday.
“More in the 35-pitch range. If all
goes well there he could go his next
time out with a minor league club, pos-
sibly on Sunday,’’ Boone said of Sever-
ino, who like Betances hasn’t pitched
in the major leagues this year.➤Giancarlo Stanton likes to hit
and work indoors, but Boone said the
outfielder could take batting practice
on the field Tuesday and at some point
between Friday and next Wednesday
report to Tampa.
Boone said that Stanton could start
getting at-bats when he gets to Florida.
“He is progressing, doing agility stuff
on the field [Monday],’’ Boone said of
Stanton, who has been on the IL since
June 26 with a sprained right knee and
has played in nine games this season.
“As far as G goes, on the field he does a
lot of his stuff, cage work and stuff.”➤Jordan Montgomery worked two
innings for Single-A Tampa on Sunday
in his first rehab assignment outing.
Asked if Montgomery could make it to
the big leagues this year, Boone said,
“It’s possible. I think he might be going
to [Double-A] Trenton next.’’YANKEES NOTES
Yankees to face
former prospect
By KEVIN KERNANSEATTLE — One-time top Yankees
pitching prospect Justus Sheffield will
get his day in the spotlight against the
Yankees come Wednesday.
The lefty is excited to see some of
his old friends and perhaps of-
fer the Yankees a glimpse of
what could have been. But
trades are a way of life in Ma-
jor League Baseball, especially
for pitching prospects, and
Sheffield was part of the deal
that enabled the Yankees to
acquire James Paxton, who is
pitching like the Yankees’ top
starter for the postseason.
Sheffield will match up
against Paxton in a battle of
lefties.
“It’s been a pretty weird year for
me,’’ Sheffield told The Post on Mon-
day at T-Mobile Park. “Not starting off
too hot and the demotion and every-
thing like that, but I just wanted to
keep my head and get better person-
ally every day no matter where I was.’’
That mature approach has paid off.
Sheffield was a hard worker for the
Yankees, the only question is: Does he
have enough stuff to offer true starting
success in the majors? Some scouts
believe his stuff falls a little short.
“It’s going to be fun facing them,knowing some guys over there,’’ Shef-
field said. “There will be some famil-
iar faces but it’s the same game no
matter who is in the other dugout.’’
Sheffield wound up getting bounced
down to Double-A Arkansas from Tri-
ple-A Tacoma this season. He was 2-6
at Tacoma with a 6.87 ERA,
but remember the major
league ball is in play in Tri-
ple-A and it really flies in the
PCL. At Arkansas, Sheffield
posted a 2.19 ERA over 12
starts. That gave the Mariners
reason for hope and he was
called up Friday.
This will be his second ma-
jor league start since being
called up. He started against
the Blue Jays in a 7-4 Mariners
win Friday, going four innings,
surrendering seven hits and three
earned runs.
Progress is being made as Sheffield
has made a significant step, throwing
142 ²/₃ innings this season, the most in
his career.
Sheffield is only 23. He came to the
Yankees in the trade with the Indians
that also brought Clint Frazier to New
York in the deal for Andrew Miller.
“I feel really good right now, and I
know my innings are up higher than
they’ve ever been, but I’m still feeling
strong,’’ Sheffield said.JUSTUS
SHEFFIELD