Jerry Crasnick's article on the resurgence of Berkman gives Lance's view of how it all went down:
"They gave me an opportunity to play in the big leagues. They paid me a lot of money, and they showed tremendous faith in me at times. They were good to me. But [in the end] I feel like they didn't give me the benefit of doubt and they kind of cast me aside. They basically said, 'You're bad. We're bad. Let's cut ties and get on down the road.' And that was hurtful.
"What do the Minnesota Twins do when Joe Mauer has a knee problem? They take care of him. What do the Phillies do when Chase Utley has a knee problem? They don't let him on the field. That's what's kind of frustrating for me. I don't want to come across like, 'Woe is me,' but I definitely felt like I was dealing with some physical issues that didn't get pointed out. It was almost like, 'Hey, this guy is washed up. He's lost it.' I'm not trying to blame my whole year on [the injury], but it was definitely a factor."
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
