It hasn't even been a year yet but Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins doesn't think time will erase the memory.
Cousins grew up a San Francisco Giants' fan but the Marlins 2006 third round draft pick is enemy No. 1 when it comes to AT&T Park.
On May 25, Cousins collided with Giants' phenom Buster Posey at home plate and in turn the catcher broke his fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle.
It took Posey four months and hours of rehab to be able to walk again but it only took Cousins seconds to ingrain himself as the most hated man in San Francisco.
Now Cousins is speaking out. On Wednesday for the first time since the collision, the outfielder will sit down the MLB Network to talk about his side of the story.
The interview is scheduled to air on MLB Network’s Matt Yallof on "Hot Stove" Thursday night at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
Below is a transcript preview of the interview:
On trying to speak with Posey after the game:
I immediately tried to call over to their trainer. [I] couldn’t get a hold of him but I just knew something wasn’t good here and I wanted to make sure, you know, I wanted to reach out and let him know that I was thinking about him.
On Posey telling Bob Costas this July that he didn’t have the chance to talk with Cousins since the collision:
Maybe he didn’t. I don’t know what he was up to. He was very busy, I know that. He was trying to get his leg fixed and he was on the verge of having twins, I know that, so maybe he didn’t have the chance. Maybe he still doesn’t have the chance. I don’t know. That’s up to him.
On Giants GM Brian Sabean saying after the game that Cousins tried to be a hero:
It hurt, I’m not gonna lie. It’s my hometown. The Giants were the team I grew up watching and wanted to play for but … people sometimes in the heat of the moment say things that they regret.
We talked a little bit and he expressed to me that he regretted the things he had said on-air and that we were all gonna move forward. And that, that meant a lot to me, that he reached out to me to explain himself.
On what it will be like during his next game at AT&T Park:
Who knows? I anticipate a lot of boos but hopefully Buster Posey’s catching and I can give him a pat on the back and let him know “You know, I’m happy for you that you made your comeback and that you’re doing so well.” That’s what I hope and that’s what I anticipate.
Giarratano on whether Scott will ever be past the collision:
I think deep down in his core I don’t think Scott’s every gonna be past it … but I think he’s learned how to deal with it so that he could be successful as a human being.
