TORONTO -- Omar Vizquel has apologized to his Toronto Blue Jays teammates for telling a local newspaper the ballclub wasn't doing enough to correct repeated mistakes by its players.
The 45-year-old Vizquel, who is retiring at the end of the season, also told the Toronto Sun on Thursday that the Blue Jays needed better communication between coaches and players.
He spoke to his teammates in a 30-minute closed-door meeting before the Blue Jays took batting practice ahead of Friday night's game against the New York Yankees.
Emerging from the meeting, Vizquel said he didn't regret his comments and insisted he wasn't trying to blame manager John Farrell and his staff for a poor season. Toronto was 69-87 entering play Friday, tied with Boston for last in the AL East.
"We have a young team and sometimes we just need to talk and communicate a little more with the coaches," Vizquel said. "It was no intention at all on my part to kind of blame or point fingers at any coaches or the manager. It was just a constructive comment, something that we needed to do to become a better team."
Farrell was displeased, pointing out that Vizquel is not privy to individual conversations he has with players, or additional coaching sessions that occur before the 24-year veteran arrives in the clubhouse.
"We continue to teach the game, that's our job," Farrell said. "We provide leadership with decisions that are made on the field and you look to provide that respect and treat them as men. Once we get to a point where things have to take a different approach, we adjust accordingly."
