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BY BILL "SCREAMIN" LEEMAN

In one of the most blatantly irresponsible statements ever uttered by a General Manager in any sport, Brian Sabean this week called for the head of Scott Cousins. "We would be glad if Scott Cousins never played ball again," he said. Say Brian, you're using the term "We" rather loosely, don't you think? What about his family? His parents? Are they included in the "We?"

Just as the Giants were getting over the fact that Posey is out for the season, and just as they were getting back into the business of playing ball, Sabean takes it upon himself to throw gasoline on the smoldering fire that was nearly out. It is bad enough that the unfortunate collision cost the Giants their star player for the year, and it is bad enough that a few ignorant people have had the audacity to say he did it on purpose. That the General Manager, the top executive, would make a statement akin to inciting a riot is reprehensible.

General Managers are supposed to be mature; a calming influence. That is what Sabean has been up until now. Maybe he was trying to light a fire under the team. Hey Brian, it was already lit. They just took three of four from the first-place Cards. They're hitting like crazy and the pitching is intact, and they're in first place. So, what's to light?

For you to say, "We've got long memories," thereby challenging your own team to engage in payback, possibly a bean-ball war, is scandalous and indefensible. In the absurd macho codes of baseball, you've put your own team at risk. Is that what you hoped to accomplish? Is payback more important than the game?

One needs to look no further than the Bryan Stow incident, which is still so fresh in our minds, to know what kind of miscreants are out there. And now you're calling for

retaliation?  Unfathomable. This is not what the World Champion San Francisco Giants are about.

At the very least, you have set up a scenario, with your careless words, that will result in the umpires issuing warnings to both teams when they meet, thereby taking away the inside pitch. Is that what you wanted? To hamper the talents of your own pitching staff?

For a baseball man, your ignorance is appalling. To imply that Cousins did that on purpose is ludicrous. Cousins had one thing on his mind and that was to score. If he hadn't bowled Posey over, he would have been tagged out. That was and is the only proper play. It is unfortunate that Buster got hurt, even tragic. But that is how the game is played. That's why it's called HARDBALL.

Now you want to change the rules? Gee, that wasn't mentioned when J.T. Snow ran over Pudge Rodriguez in the playoffs in 2003. And, no one said anything during the very next series, when Prince Fielder, who was out by twenty feet, tried to destroy Eli Whiteside. Catchers have been hung out to dry for as long as the game has been played. Why do you think they call catcher's gear the "Tools Of Ignorance?"

But when YOUR player gets hurt, you're singing a different tune. Change the rules? Why don't we set it up so there's no sliding into any base? Wouldn't want to take a chance on anyone getting spiked. Maybe we should disallow brush-back pitches. Don't want to bruise anyone. How about this: When a player reaches first, we serve tea and crumpets. Yeah, great. Soon the cry will be: "Put on your skirts, boys, it's game time!"

I don't care if MLB fines Sabean (which they should), reprimands him (which they should), or suspends him (too bad it's not an option). The bottom line is, is that he owes a sincere public apology to Scott Cousins and his family.

He needs to understand that he has quite possibly unleashed the hoodlum element in our society to take out their hostility on Mr. Cousins. What if some lowlife harms him, or his family? Then how would you feel?

What if, in the ensuing bean ball war that you have so effectively instigated, one of our other star players gets hurt? Will that satisfy your ego? Will that satisfy your childish macho behavior? Huh, pal?

Shame on you. You not only owe an apology to Scott Cousins and his family, and to the Marlins and Giants organizations, but to the fans, and Major League Baseball as well.

Anything less than a sincere and contrite public apology to all the parties involved by you will leave a blight on your tenure as General Manager that will never go away.

It takes a big man to take responsibility for his errors. Let's see what you're made of.