Adam LaRoche Says Carlos Beltran Has 'Zero Class'

There are two sides to every coin. When Carlos Beltran ripped into the Mets on Thursday after their sweep at the hands of the lowly Pirates, many Mets fans were happy to see their team leader step up and call for some accountability from his slumping teammates. Every team needs a fire lit underneath them every once in a while.

On the flip side, though, Beltran really couldn't have expected his remark that he was "embarrassed" to be swept by the Pirates to go over well in the Pirates clubhouse. It certainly wasn't well-received by Adam LaRoche, who's done his share of talking this week, and the Pirates first baseman had some pretty harsh words for Beltran, which you can find after the jump.

From Saturday morning's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"I think it shows zero class and zero professionalism," the Pirates' first baseman said yesterday at Minute Maid Park. "When somebody says that, they know what they're saying, and they know it's going to get out. He knows we're not going to be real happy about it. If you go and say that to your buddies, it's one thing. If you go to the media and make that public for us to hear? Yeah, that's no class."

LaRoche is, of course, exactly right, but it's also true that Beltran can say whatever he wants about the Pirates because the Mets and Pirates are done playing this year besides a one-game makeup of Wednesday's rainout in early July.

And speaking of class and professionalism, is it classy or professional for a player to rip his own front office when they make a move he doesn't like? Because LaRoche certainly had some venom for the Pirates' front office this week in the wake of the McLouth trade. He's certainly entitled to those feelings and he's not the only one that feels that way, but I'm sure the Pirates would've loved those feelings to be handled in a much classier and professional manner, probably by discussing them in-house before letting the world know how he felt.

Of course, LaRoche is free to speak his mind. He's almost certain to be dealt before the trade deadline this year. But hey, aren't the Mets in the market for a first baseman? Hmmm. THAT could be fun.

Contentious UPDATE: Beltran responds!

"I don't care what he says. I say the way I feel. This is how I feel about the team that day. If he said that, I don't agree with him. I've got class. And I've got what he said that I don't have."

Please, please, please let LaRoche get traded to the Mets.

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