I only have time for a quick post, but I thought that both of these items were interesting. First off, this piece in Slate about obsessing over one's fantasy team is pretty accurate and funny. No fan in their right mind cheers for their team to win 3-1 and for the opposing pitcher to have 8 Ks in a loss. Ah... but we've all been there. And, please let's drop the Clemens thing. I am ashamed of myself but there really is no more penance that I can do.
Ironically, last night I was switching between games on TV. Yes, Daisy and I ordered the MLB package a couple of weekends ago so that we could watch the Mets beat up on the Yankees. As expected, our collective laissez-faire attitude has meant that our agreement to order the package for a special weekend of fun has turned into a week plus! Anyway, back to my story. The Blue Jays were trailing the Skankees 5 to 6 in the top of the 9th and it was some how more compelling than the Red Sox bottom of the 9th after failing to bring home a single run with the bases loaded and no outs in the 8th! ARGH. Well, as luck would have it, we got to witness this. As noted in the first week of the season, by yours truly, Arod's mental age must be closer to his shoe size than his actual age. Last night's action doesn't surprise me and it certainly confirms my suspicion that Arod is in fact a little kid trapped inside a superhuman body. Do you think he still sleeps with stuffed animals or a blanket?
I saw it as well. It was cheap and pretty bush league. But if it was Luis Rodriuez who did it instead of A-Rod, it would be merely a footnote.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure all these distractions are a good thing. If everyone is focusing on non-baseball stuff, it may take some of the pressure off them.
Two of three this weekend would be nice. Should we all pitch in and send some call girls to A-Rod's room?
So what will the chants be for A-Rod?
ReplyDelete"Who's your stripper?" or "Where's your stripper?"
Everytime a ball is hit to him someone should yell "Hah" or "I Got It" or "Mine".
ReplyDeleteAs for a chant? That's a tough one. I would imagine that there will be a lot of "Hey, Jeter. A-Rod is cheating on you!"...or there would be if I were there.
I think a nice slow, "She-male, She-male" would be funny.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap Tommy Lasorda and Arod separated at birth? (Go to the last paragraph). Also, funny that they reference Major League 2. Who knew? Maybe X... I sure wish that was on that day I was sick and was forced to watch Short Circuit 3.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how brutal the fans will be on any pop-ups that A-Rod has to chase down near the stands. Short of someone actually making contact with him or interfering with the ball, I imagine the umps will have to let anything go. A-Rod himslef said he deals with all kinds of stuff a couple of times a week.
ReplyDeleteIt might be hard for him to concentrate on the ball with 30 drunk guys five feet away from him yelling about him cheating on his wife, his skanky she-male friend, his daughter and just about anything else someone thinks of.
My prediction is that there is some mini-situation at some point this weekend. Either a fan going overboard or A-Rod backing away or misplaying a ball (which of course will lead to him whining to the umps). Actually, it wouldn't even surprise me if A-Rod DHs one of the games and they put Cairo at 3B.
"Sheeeee-maaaale" is all well and good, but this weekend I'm really looking forward to "WHERE IS RO-GER" ("in Chi-ca-go"?)
ReplyDeleteI guess (surprise surprise) I don't care about the A-Rod thing. Not even sure it's bush league, when a ton of people asked about it said that this happens all the freakin' time. Not sure how it's any different than an OF faking that a ball is catchable only to turn around and field it off the wall, or a middle infielder deking a runner, or the hidden ball trick. I mean, really, the only guy who did something wrong here as far as I can tell is the Jays 3B, who fell for what is literally the oldest trick in the baseball book - I mean, kids do that in *little league* and it never works.
ReplyDeleteThe only difference I can see is that when fielders are making fakes they aren't making sounds...When you are going to first, the play is in front of you...You can judge if you can make it to second. Your job is to know where the ball is and run accordingly. The first base coach is also there to help out.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't (as a baserunner) get a good read of the ball off the bat...that is your fault if you fall for a deke. Meaning an outfielder stands like he is going to catch it, but it hits the wall. Some guys can read it...some can't. If you can't, you should probably pay closer attention, or practice doing it from the dugout.
Your third base coach tells you to keep on running home...The next guy up tells you to slide or stand up.
There is a lot of help as a baserunner, and you can see almost everything.
If a fielder is looking straight up at a fly ball (and collisions are avoided only by verbal communication) and someone calls him off, he should get out of the way (to avoid injury).
If a SS running to cover a double-play screams "watch out" or "duck" to a runner and there wasn't even a play on, I'd expect the runner to get up and deck the fielder.
Also, Little League isn't even bush league. It's below. So comparing the pros to Little League doesn't really work.
There is a rule about it in the, er, rule book. So it must have been a concern at some point...
I completely agree with Grieve on this one.
ReplyDeleteThis is clearly unsportsman like behavior. As Gibbons put it, it's not the way the Yankees are supposed to win. It's cheap.
Relative to other plays, like the fake in the outfield or whatever. This play is taking advantage of a helpless fielder who is trained to react to being called off the ball. A runner that gets fooled by an outfielder isn't being taken advantage of because they can see the entire play.
Plan and simple, if Arod were my teammate I would tell him to leave that CRAP out of the game.
Finally, the fact that Arod justifies it by saying plenty of people do it to him is totally missing the point. I am sure guys call from the dugout but it's not a situation where he should be called off the ball. The only time the SS should call off the 3B is in a in-field fly and if the ball is foul deep behind 3B. A guy yelling at Arod as he catches something outside the dugout is like complaining about the fans waving their hands behind a basket at a free throw. It's not distracting because it's expected. Continuing the analogy (and rant) Arod's move would be the equivalent of an opposing player yelling "miss" right as the free throw shooter is setting to shoot. I am pretty sure that would be called a lane violation.
All that being said, I think it's cool for people to not make a big deal out of this. I want Arod to lose because we beat him.
Fuck him and his bullshit.