Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 09, 2008 
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Joe Girardi was furious over a cheap play at the plate.
My take: Young players like Elliot Johnson do stupid things all the time and burying a catcher in spring training is stupid. That part of it was no big deal. What I found the most interesting was Joe Girardi’s willingness to criticize another manager. I suspect we have not heard the last of this.
Tampa Bay has long had bad blood with Boston. Now there’s some with the Yankees. Joe Maddon might be wise to get his players in line before something more serious happens.
Mike Mussina was pleased with his outing. This notebook also has word on Hideki Matsui getting in on the action, an impressive debut for a Tampa Bay prospect, injury updates and some cuts.
Let’s only hope any payback doesn’t result in one of the regulars for the Yanks OR the Rays getting injured and missing unnecessary time.
Pete, how was the ND game? I’m hoping for a nice run in the tourney.
I like he fact that Joe Girardi is furious. . . go get’em Joe!
…this manager has Fire in his belly….this is gonna be a great season for the Yankees !!!
Where’s Proctor when you need him… haha
Shelley’s getting a rep:
[Eliot] Johnson, a 24-year-old infielder, didn’t feel his actions were dirty.
“From my point of view my job is to score the run. I’m not the type of guy who usually does that,” he said. “You picture Shelley Duncan, one of the hardest players in the league right over there in their dugout, he’s going to be coming in hitting somebody.”
Though I suppose Girardi doesn’t want to see it in Spring Training. Johnson says he was just trying to prove himself.
Johnson put his teammates at risk this year. What an idiot. I hope they unleash Farnsworth on their asses.
hahaha Farnsworth Hulk Smash!!!
True, I most certainly could see Shelley doing the same, but not anymore after this incident.
I wouldnt blame the kid, heat of the moment, didnt think he could slide around, he gave it all he got to make the team, to some people its just march but to alot its a chance to get your name out.
I don’t blame the player – it was a heat of the moment decision to try to score the run – only thing bothers me is that Maddon didn’t even wish Cervelli well or express concern.
Joe being P.O.’d is fine – but was he really angry? Or is this media drum? Maybe while he was talking about it, he was swatting a mosquito from his neck and grimacing – and the media misread his emotion?
New day for Tampa Bay? Make things (more) interesting in the AL East.
Joe Girardi made points with me when he made an immediate issue out of what he saw as an unnecessarily dirty hit on his catcher.
A former catcher himself, Joe is well aware of what can happen behind the plate, but for a 22 year old in Spring Training- this was a bush league play topped only by the bush league action of the Tampa Bay manager who never left his office to meet the press.
Catchers are the most important players on the field, and a good one is priceless – Tampa Bay has already gotten on the Girardi S-list and I think they will regret it.
The Yankees DO practice all types of sliding in spring training but it’s evident that the Rays do NOT.
Elliot Johnson could have used a hook slide and didn’t. His 3rd base coach or manager could have hollered for him to do so.
Shelley Duncan asked his manager if he could practice planting a catcher earlier in spring training and Girardi said don’t do it. People are known to forget what they were told.
This isn’t Joe Torre. Get used to it.
Torre was here so long that many think the Torre way is the only way to manage a team in NY. I disagree, and I love Girardi’s uncompromising tenacity. It was one of my long standing criticisms of Torre, refusing to pitch inside and retaliate when other teams would push the Yankees around. Expect to see Ortiz get moved off the plate on a regular basis, expect to see the Yanks exploit any and every weakness they can find. Girardi’s the type of guy you’ll love when he’s on your side and hate when he’s opposing you. Like Lou Pinella, Billy Martin, etc. He’s not out to win any popularity contests, he only cares about winning baseball games.
One of the products of defending your teammates after incidents like this forging a more solid clubhouse with an ‘us against the them’ mentality. Billy Martin’s teams were famous for it. The late 90′s teams were loaded with players like O’Niell, Girardi, Cone, Clemens, and Tino who had that same mentality and it defined them as a team. Teammates who defend each other tend to pick each other up, play harder and play together. The teams we’ve seen in recent years have been star studded lineups where ‘everyone left in seperate limos’ as the old saying goes.
This is gonna be fun.
Johnson did what young guys do in spring training and both managers did what they all do – stick up for their players. The part I like best is Joe’s passion – this will prove to be a positive as the year goes on if they win and will get him fired if they are losing as the stars are quietly whining to Hank.
I LOVE what Girardi’s doing here. It was one of my long standing criticisms of Torre, refusing to pitch inside and retaliate when other teams would push the Yankees around. Expect to see Ortiz get moved off the plate on a regular basis, expect to see the Yanks exploit any and every weakness they can find. Girardi’s the type of guy you’ll love when he’s on your side and hate when he’s opposing you. Like Lou Pinella, Billy Martin, etc. He’s not out to win any popularity contests, he only cares about winning baseball games.
One of the products of defending your teammates after incidents like this forging a more solid clubhouse with an ‘us against the them’ mentality. Billy Martin’s teams were famous for it. The late 90′s teams were loaded with players like O’Niell, Girardi, Cone, Clemens, and Tino who had that same mentality and it defined them as a team. Teammates who defend each other tend to pick each other up, play harder and play together. The teams we’ve seen in recent years have been star studded lineups where ‘everyone left in seperate limos’ as the old saying goes.
This is gonna be fun.
__________________
This isn’t Joe Torre. Get used to it.
Mark- I was thinking the same thing on Duncan. I could see him mowing someone over in spring training. IMO Joe is just showing his team that he’s going to really back them up from the get go. Gives the team a good sense to know Joe will stick his neck out and ruffle a few feathers for them.
You people are making too much of this. The kid got over excited. Last year, we (Shelly?) plowed into a catcher when we were way ahead. Heat of the moment. It happens. Retaliation that can get players hurt is always a bad idea. One hit batsman, in the thigh, will do it.
It’s a shame our guy got hurt. We had a run score on a guy who was out by 10 feet, because THEIR catcher didn’t want to get anywhere near the plate. That was smart.
Sometimes sh_t happens, and no one is to blame.
Well…at least we got the out!!! hahaha
When you’ve been a doormat in the league as long as Tampa has, a mindset tends to develop that you need to gain the other team’s respect with hardnosed aggressive play with the goal being to intimidate the opponent, as if to say, “hey look at us, were tough and you’d better not disrespect us.”
The problem is it doesn’t work. Instead of gaining the respect of the Yankees and Boston with better play on the field, Tampa is just going to make their opponents want to kick their asses even more.
The Yanks have had some trouble getting up to play the Rays in the past, snoozing through some games and losing more than they should. Not after this.
BTW, Joe Torre would have probably ho-hummed this situation, not wanting to stir things up. I like Girardi speaking his mind on this.
Fire in the belly,the Yankees Now have a mgr who will display the emotion they soooo badly need.Joe T would have just accepted it,being the mild manner person he is,Joe G
has something to say in those situations,whic ia Great for the Yankees players,you can only swallow so much….There will be a lot of teams gunning for the Yankee players this year.