Strawberry Insists Mets Great Seaver Meant No Harm With 'Handcuffs' Comment

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Has there been too much made of Tom Seaver's ill-advised quip during a panel discussion Sunday?

One thing's for sure: the Mets All-Time Team celebration turned uncomfortable for a moment when Seaver asked Darryl Strawberry if he was wearing handcuffs.

The 1986 champion, who has cleaned up his act after years of legal issues related to substance abuse, was responding to a question about a hypothetical Doc Gooden-Seaver pitching matchup when the atmosphere shifted.

"I've heard all these great things about Tom Terrific and Tom Seaver," said Strawberry. "I would love to get a piece of that with my Louisville Slugger!"

Seaver interrupted, "You don't have any handcuffs on your hands, wrists there, do you?"

LISTEN: Strawberry with Boomer & Carton

(You can download the entire interview HERE.)

Strawberry didn't appear to be fazed by the question, though the crowd reacted with a hushed "ohhhh."

But the Hall of Famer may not have been referencing Strawberry's history with the law. It could have just been a statement implying, "Let's do this."

Strawberry insisted Friday morning that it was the latter.

"No, he was not. No," he told WFAN's Boomer & Carton. "Tom is great, I've got a great relationship with him. He wasn't making (a joke), he was talking about, 'Nothing stopping us. You know, there's an opportunity, let's go.'

"But I told him, 'It's too late. I can't run, so who's gonna run for me and who's gonna swing the bat for me?' "

The Mets great later reiterated his point.

"We don't fight, what are we fighting about?" said Strawberry. "He's talking about, 'What's holding you back right now? What, you got handcuffs tying you down, you can't pick up a bat?' "

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