What Shawn Estes should have done when he pitched to Roger Clemens on Saturday had nothing to do with whether he pitched a great game against the Yankees. Estes was representing the New York Mets' pitching staff and did not send what should have been a simple message: The Mets will not tolerate anyone throwing at our teammates; we will protect our hitters.

Had Estes knocked down Clemens or hit him in the numbers, I wouldn't have had to talk about it on SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight.

The night before Estes pitched, Jeromy Burnitz was hit in the helmet, and there was no retaliation. So the next day, when Estes took the mound, couldn't he have sent a better message than throwing three feet behind Clemens? Is that the best he's got?

Estes blew his chance to protect the integrity of the Mets' clubhouse. Had he knocked down Clemens or hit him in the numbers, I wouldn't have had to criticize him on SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight.

Regarding my comments from Saturday, I was not trying to personally attack Estes or the Mets organization. In fact, anyone who has heard me speak about Estes in the past knows that I think he is a talented pitcher.

What further infuriated me was watching Estes laugh about "missing his spot" during the postgame press conference. Estes was making light of what was a very serious situation. I cannot believe he represented the way the Mets' pitching staff wanted to be perceived. This was no laughing matter. Respecting your teammates is essential to team dynamics.

In my experience, there were many times when I was asked by my manager to send a message. Often, as a result, I was either reprimanded or suspended. But I did whatever it took to make sure other teams knew they could not throw at my teammates without retaliation.

Following my comments, look at how quickly the Mets came to Estes' defense. I don't blame them for firing back at me. I have no malice toward them. That is what teammates should do. The Mets have their teammate's back; I respect that.

But I won't respond to those who are attacking me and my credibility because they didn't like my opinion. I'm just the messenger -- not the issue.