Yankees-Rays: The Live Blog
-
- March
- 12
Here we are at Al Lang Field for the Yankees vs. the Devil Rays. It’s 71 degrees and there’s a sellout crowd on hand.
I have three stories to write (Andy Pettitte, Billy Crystal and a notebook) but I’ll update this post from time to time.
FIRST INNING
Heath Phillips just got ejected for hitting Evan Longoria. But get this: There were two runs in and two runners on when he came up and in and barely brushed him across the chest. Umpire Chad Fairchild immediately ejected Phillips.
It was a total overreaction. But Phillips was about cooked anyway. Hopefully that settled this whole silly issue. 2-0 Rays.
WE HAVE A BRAWL
Shelley Duncan (of course) started the top of the second with a single. He tried to go to second as the ball rolled behind third base and was out by five feet. Duncan slid in with his spikes exceedingly high at Akinori Iwamura and was tagged out. He was immediately ejected.
Tampa Bay right fielder Jonny Gomes raced over and tackled Duncan and the benches cleared. There didn’t seem to be any punches thrown.
Gomes has been ejected as well. So were Bobby Meacham and Kevin Long.
I would think Duncan would get suspended for what he did. It was pretty blatant.
UPDATE: Just to make it clear, Duncan slid in with his right spike high in the air. Whether you think it was right or not is your call, but that’s what he did.
These teams play two more times in spring training and 18 times during the season. I suspect we’ll see plenty more fireworks.
FOURTH INNING
I’ll have to head down to the clubhouse soon to get the players. Still 2-0 Rays.
SEVENTH INNING
Just back from the clubhouse. All very predictable quotes. The Rays are mad at Shelley and Shelley swears he was just playing hard and meant nothing by it.
Iwamura has a cut on his thigh from Duncan’s spike. “Duncan himself knows it wasn’t a fair play,” he said.
Johnny Gomes: “It was premeditated on his part. … I know it’s not the Yankee way. You rarely see the Yankees do stuff like that.”
Duncan: “I just went hard into his glove. I was just going in hard. There was no malicious intent.”
Meanwhile Tampa leads 4-3 in the top of the 8th.
EIGHTH INNING
The Yankees scored three runs in the top of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. The Rays have since scored three off Jon “See you in Scranton” Albaladejo. It’s now 7-6 Rays.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 12:59 pm by Peter Abraham.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Share and Enjoy: 
| 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Can someone post the link to gameday.
Anybody know who’s starting? It’s unlikely that Heath Phillips is going 3 innings and I don’t think the rest are going 2 either.
Here’s the link to the gameday page from yesterday’s game thread:
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/#20080312
Again no audio!!!
And here’s the link for the Yankee game.
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y2007/gd.html?2008_03_12_nyamlb_tbamlb_1
before the game starts
for my NBA fans Shaq clears the bench again
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/#20080312
I think this is the right link… then click on Yankees / Rays it pops open.
Hmmm, Syracuse basketball in my TV, Yankees game on game day…
Am I in heaven?
Thanks, I’m sure Pete will post right away if something happens.
3 quick outs. and back to work for me
Well, that was quick. Heath Phillips up first.
i can’t believe there isn’t even a radio feed for this game…
Melky, Robi and Bobby swung at pitch number 1 ?
Whos on the Ensburg making the team bandwagon? I hope they dont cut him. I think he’s going to have a good year somewhere.
Melky, Robi and Bobby swung at pitch number 1 ?
Did Cano bat for Melky and Bobby?
Looks like Buchholz is on the mound for Boston. Game on mlb.tv if you want to scout.
I’m on the Ensberg bandwagon, and SoS they all made the out on first pitch contact, Joe is going to make them run after that
I’d like to see Ensberg make the team. The guy can hit and RH power is in short supply in baseball these days.
The only question, and its a legitimate one is, can he hit off the bench?
That’s a different role for him. He has always been an everyday player.
He makes much more contact (and is a better hitter) from the right side than Betemit.
Just don’t know how it shakes out roster-wise yet.
During spring training; Gameday usually doesn’t do pitch-by-pitch; and they enter the play-by-play at the end of the half inning.
he’s playing Minny a good start for laptop would be giving up 2 runs by the 3rd we’ll see
sj44,
I heard the broadcasters yesterday that woodward is a lock to make the team. IMO i would prefer Ensburg than woodward. I assume if woodward makes it than ensburg cant?
S.o.S.: i wouldn’t trust the Yankee broadcasters…
I don’t know how they can say Woodward is a lock to make the team.
Unless of course, they trade Betemit.
That would be the only way I see Woodward at “lock” status as of today.
This is Moshe Mandel from MVN’s The Bronx Block. We are starting a “Name The Three Kids” contest this afternoon. The prizes are a Yankees DVD set and the Yankees Century book. Here is the link. http://mvn.com/mlb-yankees/2008/03/12/name-the-three-kids-win-dvd-set-and-yankees-tickets/
that was Micheal Kay he has a fascination w/ Woodward
gameday is frozen.
It’s 2-0 Tampa Bay and they’re still in the bottome of the 1st.
SJ,
Thanks for the info on Brackman from the last thread. Interesting to hear your nephew’s take on price and him.
Coming out of Cape Cod it looked like Brackman may go #1 - but then he got hurt. Completely unique talent.
After he recovers from his injury and Nardi starts working with him I’d guess he’s sit in the high 90’s to go with the curve ball.
You mentioned the Verducci rule before about workload - that popped into my mind when the injury on Janssen came out.
I’ve looked some at the development of their young pitchers - many of them have gone past that 30 inning increase. McGowan increased his workload last year by 80 innings. I don’t think it bodes well for them.
They’ve had so many arm injuries there - something is problem there with what they’re doing with their pitchers.
Don’t trust gameday pitch stats. It’s on sometimes and off sometimes.
SoS they all made the out on first pitch contact, Joe is going to make them run after that.
Brandon-I think after the game Joe should tie all threes hands behind their back and have Igawa pitch to them.Teach them not to swing at balls.Can you immagine how much torcher that would be for Robbie.
I’ve had a lot of problems this year with gameday freezing on my work computer. I’m using firefox, anyone else having these issues?
I don’t understand this and it’s frustrating. I paid to watch the Yankees live on the internet and they’re not showing the game. Why did I pay for this service if they aren’t going to show the Yankee games?
talk about overreacting…that is not the situation for payback!
Pete: Thanks for the info.
Interesting that it was Longoria that got nicked…prospect for prospect?
Pete — Is your SE making you write about Crystal? Seems like a waste-of-time story to me. Just curious. (But it would be nice if that time was on a story/feat that mattered.)
You continue to do a great job, regardless.
-Brandon-I think after the game Joe should tie all threes hands behind their back and have Igawa pitch to them.Teach them not to swing at balls.Can you immagine how much torcher that would be for Robbie.-
Well, there it is. Heath was the sacrificial lamb.
If you want frustrating, though, try watching Syracuse right now.
So Heath Phillips gets ejected for nailing Longoria with a pitch.
I can’t see the game so I don’t know if that’s payback or not.
If it is, I tip my cap to Phillips.
Now Brian can add him to the his headhunters list.
Hopefully that settled this whole silly issue.
Longoria got brushed by his chest. Corvelli has a broken wrist. I dont see that as getting even. I say have Duncan wipe someone out at second on a double play ball (point to Zimmer going back to the dugout)and maybe we can turn the page.
Duncan took out a runner ! brawl !!
I called it! Evan Longoria HBP.
OMG!! I Can’t believe that they’re not showing this on MLB.tv
Sean Serritella YankeesDaily
March 12th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I don’t understand this and it’s frustrating. I paid to watch the Yankees live on the internet and they’re not showing the game. Why did I pay for this service if they aren’t going to show the Yankee games?
16.When you get pissed off that the preseason game isnt on t.v. Your a Yankeeholic. Welcome.
Gomes is a punk
Of course the real one spring training game we want to see isnt anywhere to be found
And this game is not on TV!! I’m more likely to believe this was intentional than the HBP
2 Yankees ejected so far. Benches clearing in Spring training?? lol.
“Whos on the Ensburg making the team bandwagon?”
save me a seat
That is disappointing. If you are going to get ejected, at least get your money’s worth. Drill the guy in the knees or something.
If Tampa wants to act like a bunch of punks, this is what’s going to happen.
For something (Cervelli getting nailed) that “isn’t supposed to be a big deal”, it sure was a big deal to the Yankees.
Fairchild’s overreaction to Phillips probably didn’t help.
Gomes running in from RF tells me that the Rays was expecting something to happen.
They are going to have to decide what they want to be. If they want to play baseball, fine.
If they want to play the role of tough guys, they are going to get their guys hurt this year.
Gomes coming in from right field is what started this entire thing.
Well, looks like its going to be fun with these two teams this year.
The poor Twins. First Hughes no-hits them and now they get the same from Buchholz. Although they never had a chance at Buccholz.
Meacham and Long too?? What did they do? I can’t believe we can’t see this anywhere.
Patterson wasn’t scheduled to pitch this game but is in now.
Throws 3 pitches, 3 strikes and K’s DeFelice.
It’ll be interesting to see if Girardi leaves him in the game.
Bruney and Veras both got their scheduled spots skipped last game when Joba/Ian were pitching.
Patterson has been very good this spring. Comes in and does nothing but throw strikes.
Duncan will likely be suspended. Why was Kevin Long ejected?
S.o.S.27, the worst thing about it is, I missed the brawl!
I guess pete’s not getting much work done on his stories
M&MD completely taking TB’s side screw them !
Duncan took out a runner ! brawl !!
Come on. Your yankin my chain. Right? No Ray would be man enough to get into it with Duncan. Im sure they know one celebration slap from Dunc and its good night.
If Youkilis was a fraction of a second slower he would’ve been on the deck. Liriano almost took him out. Rustiness or headhunter? lol.
Why couldn’t this game bye on YES? Sigh.
Why doesn’t Shelley surprise me?
KD more like some of the stories now changed and this takes a front seaton stories that need to be written
What? Still no Rays being send to the hospital yet? Disappointing.
Look at what it says on gameday
DELAYED: OTHER
Are they playing baseball yet? Gameday is stuck at the end of the first. Guess they are busy typing up the play-by-play of the brawl.
Still trying to figure out how Long and Meacham got ejected!
Wow!
Not surprising. The Girardi era so far indicates the Yankees have had a wake-up call.
a much needed one IMO.
any idea what meacham and long were ejected for?
yeah Joe Maddon teaching his guys how to win!!!!!!
He is a moron, they play ties in spring training.
Maddog spouting his standard stupidity
S.o.S.27
March 12th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Hopefully that settled this whole silly issue.
Longoria got brushed by his chest. Corvelli has a broken wrist. I dont see that as getting even. I say have Duncan wipe someone out at second on a double play ball (point to Zimmer going back to the dugout)and maybe we can turn the page.
from my earlier post. All i want to know is did Duncan point at Zimmer when leaving. If so,im good.
Gameday game status:
“Delayed-other”
I’m surprised they don’t have a “Delayed-Good Ol’ Fashioned Spring Training Brawl” code.
Here’s the way I look at it.
Joe Maddon wants to play blood and guts baseball in March, that’s his right.
If you can barrel over a catcher in a ST game, you can go in spikes up at second base.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
If Gomes wants to come in from RF to fight, its his right.
Next time they face him, you nail him. Period.
When teams like Tampa pull this crap, you bury them.
You spend the entire season doing whatever it takes to get your point across. Only then does it stop.
Today was the start, not the finish to this, IMO.
Gonna be a long year for the Rays.
Good job by the Yankees showing they are not going to take this crap.
It’s so good to have a guy like Shelley on your team.
Since this game isn’t being televised, I’m just hoping there’s some shaky hand held amateur video of the Shelley incident.
Something akin to Cloverfield.
SJ44: As long as it doesn’t result in injuries or suspensions to valuable guys I agree with you. When it starts affecting the W/L column, it needs to stop.
I am going to be at Saturday’s game against the Rays. It might be a little more interesting now.
BTW, Does anyone know whether Ian or Joba is going to pitch at Legends Field Saturday?
S.o.S.27,
He didn’t point at Zimmer, but he did run into the Tampa Bay dugout and high fived everyone there before leaving the game. An odd gesture to be sure.
Brandon, mike and the mad dog are a bunch of jerks. russo is so anti yankees, he hates them. and before they had two guys on, met fans, who are going crazy that Billy Crystal is playing with the Yanks tomorrow. what the hell is wrong with met, i mean MUT fans? get over it, worry about your own loser team!!!
thank god no sissy in this team !
Endless drama commercial’s on ESPN! It’s more entertaining than Syracuse right now.
Wow!
Not surprising. The Girardi era so far indicates the Yankees have had a wake-up call.
a much needed one IMO.
A much needed attitude adjustment if you ask me. The Rays cant be that stupid. We play them what 18 times this year. I can understand burning bridges with a team in another division. Not your own. Maybe they are doing this to finally sell out their stadium in those games.
Quick recap for those of us not being able to follow?
They haven’t had a problem selling tickets to those games before…their problem is that the tickets are sold mostly to Yankee fans!
Boys are so stupid
I don’t know why Russo is so upset. He said you play ST games like regular season games.
He saw no problem with barreling over a catcher for that reason.
So, you go in spikes up at second base. Its blood and guts March baseball baby!!
That will be the title of the Joe Maddon “How I Manage The Game” DVD.
They’re now in the bottom of the 2nd…
In general I’m a pacifist and didn’t think that today was the right day for payback. But since it’s escalated to a full-blown incident, I like it. If you’re going to do it, do it right. There’s a fire in the belly that the Yankees haven’t had in a long time. I love it.
Spring Training-Where Oh $#!& Happens
Wait so did Gomes tackle Shelley or did they start wrestling or what. I can’t believe Gomes can take Shelley down.
Fernando Alejandro (Respect Jeter’s Gangster)
March 12th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
S.o.S.27,
He didn’t point at Zimmer, but he did run into the Tampa Bay dugout and high fived everyone there before leaving the game. An odd gesture to be sure.
If thats the case. We can be sure that half those players wont be available for tomorrows game. Day to day.
sj,
I think we have more to lose in this feud than Tampa. They arent contending in the division. So if this carries on to the season. Than we hurt ourselves more than they do. Whats the difference for them in ending up second to last place or last place. Really?
go shelley!!
shel-ley! shel-ley! shel-ley!
to top it all off, gameday changed Duncan’s hit to an error on Longoria…
Scott Patterson has thrown 12 pitches - all strikes.
K’d Pena. 2 Ks total one hit in 1 1/3 of an inning.
He’s had an impressive spring.
ROFL - Go Shelley.
Ya gotta love it.
So much for the corporate, laid back Yankees.
Tampa just better hope that Joba doesn’t decide to put his 2 cents in.
Guys like Russo and CArton are just haters. No matter what the Yankees do they are in the wrong.
Not a smart decision by Shelley to go in with the spikes up. Sheesh.
I LOVE THIS…. FINALLY A GUY WITH SOME FIRE ! LOVE SHELLEY - YOU GOOFY LOOKIN DORK…IMO, WE LOST OUR BALLS WHEN ONEILL RETIRED… NEXT THING IS TOO BRUSH BACK BIG PAPI WITH A JOBA 99 MPH FASTBALL
So if Duncan is at risk of suspension for sliding in with a high spike [is that punishable in a regular season game??], is Gomes at risk of suspension for “racing over and tackling” Duncan? If an ill-advised slide into 2nd is bad, I have to think purposely running in from the outfield to tackle an already out baserunner is worse (I mean, unless they changed the rules of baseball over the winter, I don’t think there is any “tackling” plays allowed).
This has to be a joke. The guy is grazed by a pitch and the kid gets ejected. When will Shelley be suspended? For st? or the regular season?
Also hoping Ensberg makes the team.
Well guys, the good thing about this is the Yankees won’t overlook games against Tampa. I think sometimes over the years the Yanks took those games for granted. No more, thanks to General Joe and Private Duncan(who apparently did a good job taking orders.)
According to gameday, every yankee batter has swung and made contact on the first pitch… is that right? Did Girardi tell them to be aggressive and swing?
I’d love to know where Jeter stands on this new tougher Yankee attitude since usually he’s on the sidelines laughing it off with the biggest star on the opposing team.
I love Jeter, but I can’t stand the hugging and kissing he does with opposing players during the game at 2b.
I’m not saying I want brawls every night, but this team has needed to stand up for itself for awhile now and I think that’s part of the identity that lets a Boston team think they’re baddest dudes in town.
Joba threw a few over the chin’s head last year.
Shelley stood up for a minor league catcher today.
I’m glad some of the Yankees realize the culture of the clubhouse needed some edge and brotherhood again.
And the last thing Tampa needed to do was give the Yankees an actual reason to want to destroy them during the regular season.
Shelley rocks. The Rays are nothing but little punks….and M&MD just need to stop talking. Forever.
Shelley is the man.
Now that i sort of predicted that Duncan was going to do something. Can i be put in the same breath as bobcat and that other guy who predicted arod coming back to the yankees? How do you know i didnt have a one on one talk with shelley. O.k. i dont have any connections. But how do we know if they did.
Coco Crisp might be coming to the Mets for Pagan.
Gameday’s goofy. Not showing balls & strikes. Everyone’s swung on the first pitch and Sonnestine’s thrown 10 pitches.
I think that Duncan and Gomes will both be suspended…
Wow, SJ44 all fired up.
This is all pretty silly, if you ask me. Let somebody hit Johnson during the season and be done with it. Why are major leaguers fighting over what a AAA player did to a A player?
If Shelley Duncan is suspended for 4 days to start the season and the Yanks have to play with 24, still think it’s great? Shelley is a good kid with a lot of energy. But sliding at somebody with your spikes at their throat is not the most professonal thing in the world. What does Iwamura have to do with this?
Girardi, I’ll bet anything, is going to have a long talk with Shelley about playing baseball and not turning the Yankees into the WWF.
Duncan shouldn’t go studs up like that. You can seriously ijure a player. Eduardo Da Silva of Arsenal had has foot torn off his ankle a couple of weeks ago by a studs up tackle. You can play hard but not dirty.
i can’t be-LIEVE we aren’t getting this on TV!! DRAT!
Sounds like it was just a good hard baseball play, the kind that Joe Maddon preaches, so why would the Rays take exception to it?
What did Zimmer say? That’s how you play the game? Even in spring training?
Tampa just better hope that Joba doesn’t decide to put his 2 cents in.
ATTENTION rays. Go back and look at Youkalis last year. This could be you.
Gameday doesn’t always update every single pitch (during spring training anyway) - Patterson may not have actually thrown 12 strikes. But if he did, it sure is impressive.
Also, this most likely also means everyone isn’t swinging on the first pitch… not sure why they log some pitches and not others.
They should hire me… I’d be on every pitch.
“Everyone’s swung on the first pitch”
I don’t think they want their at bats to last too long in this game.
^regarding Jeter, he has never been a great teammate. He picks and chooses whom he backs on the team. Thats one area in which A-Rod might be a beter Yankee that Jeter.
Is anyone watching the game? Where was Porter’s hit?
Ensberg could play himself on the roster and Betemit could play himself off the roster or be part of a late March deal.
Between not being able to see this on tv and Syracuse deciding that they don’t really want to play in the NCAA tourney, it’s been an interesting day, and that’s putting it nicely.
G. Love:
Baseball doesn’t work that way. You think guys go to the plate or throw pitches being all emotional? The Yankees have needed to stand up for themselves for a while now? Really? Those 97 wins a year they have averaged since 1996 weren’t tough enough for you?
Veteran players laugh at this sort of this thing. It’s a bunch of kids acting like wrestlers because they want to get on ESPN and You Tube.
This is awesome, so sick of the Torre era turning the other cheek. Time for some payback. Make these teams scared when they face us, we’re certainly big enough.
Well, isn’t that something that Cobb would’ve approved of
Macho stupidity. This all just gets in the way of enjoying the game. If you want to see grown men jostle and push each other, go watch the WWE.
I have a question. Say Shelley is not on the 25-man roster on Opening Day, when does the suspension start? If they send him to Scranton, does those days count on the suspension?
I don’t see the problem. As far as I know, sliding hard into second base isn’t against the rules. If Maddon wants “good hardball” he’ll get it. Kudos to Duncan. I hope Joba pegs Gomes next time they face each other.
The Crisp Met rumoured trademakes no sense as far as I can tell for the Mets they already have a CF (Beltran) what are they going to put Crisp in LF??
I am not at all familair with Pagan so dont know what he would bring to the Sox
pete, are you exaggerating about duncan going that high with the spikes? you gotta be exaggerating to get your point across…
Oh the drama
“This is awesome, so sick of the Torre era turning the other cheek. Time for some payback. Make these teams scared when they face us, we’re certainly big enough.”
Yeah Shelly, Giambi, Farnsworth, Bruney, Joba can take out anyone!!!
I feel like if you don’t ever push back, they just keep doing it - Maddon can build his new “winning attitude” on teams like Baltimore. He doesn’t need to do that here.
Would the appropriate response have been to just “turn the other cheek” - I’m sure that would have played well on Sports Center. You’re damned if you do (take action) and damned if you don’t - I think it’s better to act in support of your team and send some sort of message than it is to just sit there and take it.
Maddon - Tough All Spring!
Pete,
I’d take the suspension without question and behind the scenes, I bet the Yankees are happy about it.
He gets a 3-4 day suspension, they can live with it.
There are some things you just don’t do. Nailing Cervelli, then using it as a platform to announce what kind of baseball you intend to play (in spring training, no less) is the wrong way to go.
Maddon didn’t even ask how the kid was. He was too busy using the play as a “statement” for his team.
That’s his right. Its also an opponents right to not like it and take matters into their own hands.
If he wants to play all out in March, he ought to expect things like this will occur.
If you (not “you” specifically; generically speaking) get concerned about suspensions and stuff like that, you are always going to be the target because, sooner or later, teams will know you won’t retailiate and take their liberties.
That’s what happened to the Yankees for a few years when they never retailiated over this stuff. Unlike the Dynasty Teams, I might add.
Sometimes, you have to make a point. Publicly, Girardi should admonish Shelley and tell everybody that has “no place in baseball”.
Privately, he ought to be real happy his team is showing they aren’t going to take any crap from other teams.
Pete,
I disagree. I think Shelley felt it was his duty to payback some extra. Being tough is in his DNA, not to get on youtube. Not a bright idea, but Shelley probably feels like he needs to be an enforcer.
Peter,
For awhile now we’ve had teams hit our best players and pitchers like Mussina and co. Didnt do anything to protect them(ASIDE FROM CLEMENS). I can remember boston hurting both Jeter and Soriano and got nothing in return. You as a team want to know that your team has your back. Its not wwe,its a message you send to teams to protect the next players in line. That we can play that game as well. NO FREE PASSES.
This stuff is totally silly, really. It seems the Rays are trying like hell to have this new attitude that they aren’t some pushover team anymore. They’ll still lose 90 games.
That being said, I think Shelley sliding with his spikes up is a little overboard. At least the point got across now.
I personally think that the Yankees have to be careful with all of this rah rah stuff. The yankees are the yankees, the one team in the world that everyone but us HATES. Do you really want some relief pitcher who throws 98 just out of AAA plucking arod in the head to make himself more popular with his teammates? Let’s not be more of a target than necessary. An eye for an eye is fine until someone really gets hurt.
I do appreciate the new tougher attitude and agree that we were a little soft under Torre, but tough doesn’t have to mean thug. And that’s where other teams who have no chance at the playoffs might take it
Hopefully if Shelly is suspended…. it will just be for tomorrow’s game - no worries - we have capable backup Billy Crystal filling in.
JT: His foot was straight up in the air. Think about how tall Shelley is for a second. It was not a “good hard slide.” If somebody did that to Jeter, you’d want him executed.
Hey Pete - they’re copying your post (WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION) over on some Sox blog!
http://boards.boston.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=bc-redsox&tid=43696
Peter:
Your stance is ridiculous. Just because a player is in single A ball doesn’t mean he’s not a legit prospect, which Cervelli is. Who knows how far this injury sets him back. Pretty much all managers will tell their players not to barrel a catcher over in Spring Training. The point is not to get injured in ST. If you let your players do it, that’s what I call headhunting. Headhunting is bad any way you put it. If Johnson can do what he did, Duncan’s is just as ok. IN fact, Duncan’s didn’t injure anyone…. SO what’s worse? This is all on the infernay Rays manager and trying to make headlines in spring training so that his team seems relevant…
Madden better take the same stance after this game. That is was a good hard baseball slide. He should get on his outfielder for body slamming Duncan. That isn’t a baseball move, that is a WWF move.
SaucY: Tough All Spring is brilliant! I love it!
Alright Shelly! That a boy.
What makes us think Duncan did this without Girardi’s approval. I say Girardi gave him the green ligh and turned the other way on it.
CB,
Scott Patterson has acquainted himself very well this spring.
It really is amazing when you think about it.
This is the first year in a long time, guys will be sent to Scranton who are good enough to pitch on this pitching staff.
It shows there is pitching depth back in the organization.
That last spot on the staff (I am assuming Karstans and Traber make the team; leaving one open spot) is really going to be interesting.
Bruney, Britton and Patterson have all thrown the ball well. Albie, Veras and Ohlendorf aren’t far behind.
Gonna be a tough call for Girardi and the staff.
Billy Crystal better have thrown a punch or I want him released ASAP.
zimmer another know it all. he was losing baseball until he came to the yanks, remember that…..
peter the point is the Torre yankees were not that interested, look at the camp objectively the guys are in better shape, why????????
Torre was a great manager then these are new times,. Obviously I did not see the Duncan play and I assume it was stupid but it was caused by the Maddon stupidity. And for morons like Maddog that say the guy was trying to make the team, he hit 207 last yr. in the minors!!!!!!!He is not making the team and to collide with the cathcer, 2nd tampa incedent is just stupidity.
Pete maybe he was trying out for the Rocketts.
I see the need to stand up for our players but I don’t want to waste energy fighting the Rays. I hope it ends here.
Pete,
Gotta disagree with you on this one. Yes the team has won a lot of games the past few years. But many of us thought the team was too unemotional and lacked fire. You can’t tell me you didn’t start to see a difference last year when Cano and Melky started asserting themselves. I could see it watching on tv!
I know you are around these guys all the time, but are you really saying you don’t see any difference other than they have run more this spring?
I doubt the spike was up to his throat but I agree w/ SJ, if you can run over a catcher in ST, it spikes up for you dammit !!! and the guy that needs to be suspended is Gomes he ran from RF and tackled although I would love to see the tape on that, Duncan. And M&MD need to ST.U because it’s about time we stopped turning the cheek !!
I think a lesson has been learned here. Don’t block the freaking plate! Dominoes will continue to fall all season. As long as we win it’s all good, otherwise-for nothing.
We have a kid with a broken wrist and a big league player who will be suspended.
Who do you think is winning this fight right now?
oh and last I checked Shelley isn’t guaranteed a position
“he’s just trying to leave an impression and make the team, remember Ensberg and Betemit and Giambi, Matsui, etc…”
“JT: His foot was straight up in the air. Think about how tall Shelley is for a second. It was not a “good hard slide.” If somebody did that to Jeter, you’d want him executed.”
If somebody did that to Jeter people here would be freaking out and openly crying.
Shelly Duncan is a mongoloid and a disgrace to the game of baseball. What if he took his eye out?
All because some AAA guy knocked over a catcher who was blocking the plate?
So, umm, what’s the score of the game?
D U M B.
Hey Pete - did you notice if that “unnamed” Yankee veteran you quoted earlier today even left the bench during the benches clearing “brawl”? Looks like Shelly is driving the emotional bus so far this spring.
I’ll be nterested to see how Joe G deals with him publicly when you guys ask about it.
Well Iwamura is the 2nd baseman, so you’d have to say ‘if somebody did that to Cano’.
gameday shows 1st and 2nd no outs…
If Shelly took out Iwamuras eye on a slide into second base, I would personally give him a medal.
You cant let other teams get their way with you in any sport. It is hardball. Ask Joe Madden about “Hardball”. Im sure he will talk about wine, politics and restaurants.
and a half a second later the inning is over….sorry i’ll stop doing that
“Maddon - Tough All Spring!”
saucY: LOL
Obviously, I can’t see the play. I have no doubt Pete’s reporting is correct.
I have no doubt it was a high slide.
He’ll get suspended for 3-4 games. Suspensions are for regular season games, even if they happen in the spring. If he wants, he can appeal it and put it off a few weeks.
I do, however think, they needed to do something today.
It doesn’t mean they have to say it publicly. Personally, I believe the stronger Girardi comes out publicly after the game admonishing Shelley, the more I’ll believe the Yankees were gunning for somebody today. Call it the “he doth protests too much” defense!
Why Iwamura? Simple. He happened to be in the way at the time payback was initiated. You don’t pay back Johnson. You payback one of the regulars. That’s how the stuff stops because the regulars don’t want to be the targets for their manager trying to “fire up” some AAA scrub.
Tampa made their statement. The Yankees have made theirs and now it should be over.
If Tampa wants to escalate it, clearly the Yankees aren’t going to back down. That’s the positive from this little episode today.
Meh, it’ll take a lot to be a disgrace to a game that enshrines cheaters and a guy who sharpened his spikes for some good ol’ instilling of fear.
Of course, said guy who sharpened his spikes happened to be a pretty damn good hitter.
PJH
March 12th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
If Shelly took out Iwamuras eye on a slide into second base, I would personally give him a medal.
You cant let other teams get their way with you in any sport. It is hardball. Ask Joe Madden about “Hardball”. Im sure he will talk about wine, politics and restaurants.”
PJH - No joke, but you are a sick individual who probably has some serious mental issues.
I think the Yankees look ridiculous. Sean Deveney of Sporting News said it best:
“What’s not to understand? It’s baseball. If you’re a runner trying to score, and the catcher is blocking the plate, you do what you have to do to score. That, generally, means plowing through the catcher. Most times, the catcher doesn’t get injured. This time, he did. But what was Johnson supposed to do? Pull up? Lie down in the basepath? Go and fetch Cervelli a cup of tea?”
For all the talk here about the Yankees needing to be tough, there sure is a lot of complaining about a legitimate play in baseball that’s apparently to “rough” on the Yankees for spring training.
You guys crack me up, all blood and guts.
Trust me, Girardi will be horrified by this. It looks like you can’t control your players when somebody slides in like he’s Bruce Lee.
Phillips got ejected, that should have been that.
You have to see it. He took off for second knowing he would be out. The throw beat him by five feet and he slid in with his right foot as high as it could go. The umpire ejected him immediately, it wasn’t even close. It was obvious what he intended.
Shelley is great, he’s a lot of fun. But I’m not making this up, he did what he did. If somebody from Tampa Bay had done that to Cano, you’d all be losing your minds. It was not a “good hard baseball slide.”
Anyway, I have to run downstairs. You George Pattons have fun.
This has nothing to do with what an A ball player did to an AAA ball player. It has to do with an organization allowing it’s players to act recklessly at the expense of another team’s players. Someone has to answer for Joe Maddon and Don Zimmer’s actions and comments, unfortunately it was Iwamura.
They brought this upon themselves.
I’m glad it’s done, if the repercussions are a few suspensions it’s worth it. How many times do the Yanks have to turn the other cheek? Sometimes it’s not about taking the high road but speaking in their language. When dealing with dirty, uhm aggressive, players…play aggressive.
Holdstrong:
We had no choice on the broken wrist. That happened without us having any say in the matter.
I have to disagree with Pete too. The Yankees over the last few years have gotten hit over and over and almost never retaliated. It’s about time we had someone with some fire in their belly who realizes you don’t overreact to every little thing, but liberties can’t be taken with impunity.
It’s great to be professional and go about your business without getting too high or too low. That’s what the Yankees have been for the last few years. It turns into a problem when that professional attitude snuffs out the fire to win.
Shelly Duncan is not the best player on this team. He’s probably not in the top 20….but he is the fire, the guts and the heart. He’s reminding us what it is like to play hungry.
Nice to see Pete being objective
Some of you blood lusters should do the same
Yes! Pete changed it to Cano. Anyways, I smell World War 3
“This is the first year in a long time, guys will be sent to Scranton who are good enough to pitch on this pitching staff.”
Agreed. Can never have too much pitching - look at the Jays or even the Sox. Okajima goes down and they are in big trouble.
That is one of the great advantages of having depth. You’re never going to get through the season with only 12 pitchers. Going in, you know that. It’s just inevitable - don’t know who is going to miss time but one of the 12 will.
In the past the yankees have turned to arms that are AAAA at best (often worse). This year they’ll have guys who can compete in the majors.
Patterson is a great example. He’s throwing himself into the mix for that last spot. Great story - going from stuck in the independent league to being one call away from the show.
I’m curious as to why Meachem and Long got ejected.
You know it must have been something because the Red Sox trolls and Yankee haters are coming out of the woodwork now.
I expect Outside The Lines to do a one hour piece titled, “Yankee Tradition….Is It Over?
The problem with this escaliting the Rays have nothing to lose, they can continue it. The Yankes on the other hand have plenty to lose.
Joe will and should come out strongly admonishing Shelley for his slide, he’ll likely say in addtion to what ever the leauge decides to do the Yankees will do something behind closed doors for Shelleys actions. Say we are disppointed that he choice to do this. etc.
Shelley needs to learn to hide his spike hide slides
Did we ever figure out what the coaches got ejected for - that would probably help us better understand the picture…
Aaron,
Why do you think Shelly is a mongoloid? Can to expound on that ?
Mike and Maddog bashing the yanks on this already?!?
$20 says they aren’t even watching
The point Peter makes, and a good one, is that if one of those morons on the Rays slides like that towards Jeter, we would be all be saying things along the lines of, “Get the guy out of baseball, suspend the guy for 60 games, etc.”
If he bumped into a guy while running the bases, it is one thing. Sliding into second with your spikes up is dangerous and unnecessary.
You know, the one game it really would be beneficial to see on TV…
SJ: Re the suspension: What if Sheley’s not on the 25-man roster when the regular season starts? Does AAA games count toward the suspension?
BTW, where is Farnsworth in all of this? I thought the reason why they’re keeping him around is for things like this.
On SJ’s “they were gunning for someone today” theory - is it coincidence that ARod and Jeter (the two biggest targets) aren’t playing today?
Aaron- Calm down buddy. It was joke. You are overreacting. Every body knows its not possible to take someones eye out on a slide into second base.
mikethemike….did you see what he did today?
When Arod gets his wrist broken by Kazmir, will you people be cheering then?
We all have to remember that our guys have been the league baseball magnet for the better part of 5 years because of the “professional” image that Torre commands. this is the right time for this, spring trraining, send a message. As I said though, Shelley, learn how to spike someone! Aim for the shins, go higher and you may hurt someone.(I have been spiked, its not all that terrible)
Clare: Stranger things have happened.
PJH: Stranger things have happened.
Oh Please, let’s can this “being objective” nonsense.
Its ok for Pete to have a difference of opinion with some of us on this issue.
Frankly, its what makes the blog fun. Nobody agrees on everything in here.
Let’s not get into any moralizing on this. Shelley probably did a dumb thing escalated by what happened on Saturday.
That’s life. Nobody’s “eye got taken out” or any of this other nonsense.
Its baseball. Joe Maddon wants it played this way in March, you play it this way in March.
I guarantee you the Yankees aren’t playing like this against anybody else this spring. Stuff happens, you deal with it and you move on.
Stranger things have happened but no infielder that I know of has lost his eye on a take out slide.
Aaron you act like Arod hasn’t intentionally been thrown at
P.S. I don’t think you want to get in that type of thing w/ him
I mentioned earlier that I found it interesting they both were out.
Hopefully this is the end of it.
Conspiracy theory: Steroids get the heat, so Selig told Girardi and Maddon to start a rivalry this season so the Rays and Marlins might actually sell some tickets
I”m not listening but what are mike and idot basing their rant on. It isn’t on tv, radio anywhere.
Aaron,
I understand what he did and was over the line in my opinion based on what Pete said (not seeing the play myself), but why the term mongoloid ? Are you saying he is suffering from Down Syndrome; “a mongoloid child” ???
Aaron- If someone injures a player on your team you have to answer, minorleaguer or star. You have make players think twice before plowing Jorge.
shelly is the man!
You know Shellys quote from the other day needs to be revised.
Didnt he say something to the effect that it would be decided on the way from 3rd to hom. Looks like he decided on the way from 1st to 2nd.
Well, apparently Ty Cobb managed to once open up a gash on a third baseman’s arm with his spikes
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=ty_cobb_1886
CB,
And the cherry on top is that we have at least 2 top drawer pitchers coming off TJ.
Scott,
He should’ve taken off his cleats before he took off. He knew he was out anyway. lol.
Jane,
No. You can’t switch the suspension to AAA. If Shelley didn’t make the team, the suspension would take place the next time he was in the majors.
Please, nobody’s eye is going to be taken out.
Its funny to see all these new people (ie: Red Sox trolls) coming in here to discuss this incident..
Its not a big deal that Pete disagrees with some of us on this issue. It really isn’t.
Its what makes the blog fun because none of us agree on everything.
I get a charge though out of the high and mighty “moralists” (ahem: Red Sox fans) that come in here to discuss this incident. As if they don’t get their panties in a wad when something happens to one of their own.
Stuff happens during a season. You handle it and move on. If another team wants to keep it going, you deal with it.
As of now, it should be over.
Gah, arrows were cut out?
5th paragraph
What is it that Maddon called it?
Good old fashion hardball. But he really shouldn’t have done it. Then again, the Rays shoulda let it go and Gomes shouldn’t have tackled Shelly (mostly becuase hitting him must be like hitting a brick wall).
Billy Crystal should have went spikes high. He’d wear a suspension like a badge of honor. Nobody rides for free, Billy.
New here and haven’t read all of the comments but just want to say that I’m thrilled to have Girardi as manager. That said, tt looks like the pastoral days of no pulse and sipping green tea may be over. While I truly respected the “Yankee” way of doing things and watching the Sox always look like the idiots in terms of brawling, hopefully brawls will be a Yankee aberration as opposed to a way of life. I’m willing to make the trade-off to have Girardi’s energy and intelligence at the helm.
Caller on WFAN: “Joba has a little punk in him”
He threw at a Twins batter after “a tape measure job”
These people can’t be serious.
I wish I could have seen this play and I hope that eventually it will be on-line somewhere, but I don’t really agree with most of the guys on this board.
First of all, I did see the play at the plate where Cervelli got hurt and I don’t think anyone would have made that big a deal of it if Girardi didn’t make it such a big deal. I understand it is a spring training game, but it is not nearly on the level of what I’ve heard about Duncan going into 2nd. Sliding in hard to 2nd spikes up when your clearly out and your not even trying to break up double play is not a baseball play. That is why he was thrown out immediately and the guy that hurt Cervelli was not.
I do, however, think that these events will help the Yankees during the season. The Yankees went 10-8 against the Rays last year and the Rays lost 96 games. Thats what cost us the division. I really think this is going to help the Yankees get up for these games and hopefully win 12 to 15 of them.
Meanwhile, MLB Gameday sure stinks, unless my computer is just running slow. I get all of the plays after the inning is over!
I’ve been hearing that a lot today - that Joba threw at the Twins guy - did I miss something? I was watching that game and it didn’t look intentional to me…
Steve Phillips will have a field day with this and Gammons will call Shelley a goon. He won’t be entirely wrong, but he’ll say there’s no place for this in baseball.
I wonder if people will think twice about throwing at our guys? If so, this is all so worth it.
Hey, at least it gives us something to talk about today!
best wording I heard
-BLOOD AND GUTS BASEBALL IN MARCH BABY-
best wording I heard
-BLOOD AND GUTS BASEBALL IN MARCH BABY-
Did Bill Smith scout any tape of Gomez before he traded for him? I don’t know much about the position, but it’s painful watching him throw from center to third.
I cannot condone going in with spikes high. There’s already one player out for a few weeks, no need for another one to have his whole career put at risk. Plunk a guy in the butt or ribs and make that the end of it.
Man… SJ thinks I’m a troll
Who really cares what ESPN has to say about the Yankees?
I mean, really, are you guys expecting something complimentary from Steve Phillips.
Its not a big deal. The Yankees handled it and you move on.
If Tampa wants to escalate it, that’s their call.
At least we know its not a turn the other cheek team this year.
That’s a positive.
I gotta say, I was all for the Yankees pushing back and don’t mind a suspension. However, I am feeling wholy unsatisfied by the retaliation. I mean, we have a prospect out two months and probably a suspension. The Rays got a prospect getting hit and probably feel big because the whole world is defending their actions against the big bad Yankees. If the situation was reversed the Yankees would be getting killed in the media. Anyway, hopefully this ends it, but it is not a satisfying ending.
Poor Gomez, just lost the pop fly in the sun. Runner would’ve scored from 3rd, but didn’t get the out and another runner advanced.
At least the team has a pulse this year. The last couple of years they sleptwalked thru 2 months of spring training and 2 months of the regular season. They have gone from Torre’s green tea to a Girardi double espresso.
Did anybody find out why Long and Meacham were ejected.
And what was Johnny Gomes doing running in from right field? From what I heard he really precipitated the brawl.
KILL KILL KILL
If it had been Billy Crystal who slid in high and then got suspended, everyone would have a good hard laugh.
I have the feeling that $5 rain out makeups against TB are going to have more attendees this year…
Fran,
From what I gathered, Gomes came in after Shelley slide in with high spikes. I’m kosher with that because I’d expect our guys to do the same thing for Cano or Jeter.
“Say it ain’t so March 12th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Billy Crystal better have thrown a punch or I want him released ASAP.”
LMAO..now THAT’s the line of the day
Just a reminder to some; this is baseball not the NHL. Yes, the Yankees have not stood up for themselves enough when they’ve had hit batsmen, but if you hard going to get a team back with a hard slide it should be a clean, hard slide.
Blood and guts–silly
I just want to know, did Zim get rolled?
Mel-
I am. They are breaking out the thesaureses and hyperbole generators now in preparation.
Maybe you can answer this question: Why is it ok for the Rays to play “hard nosed, old fashioned baseball” in March but when the Yankees respond in “hard nosed, old fashioned” style, then we get the uproar that we are wrong?
Either you should play that way in March or you should not play that in March. Not “If you are the Rays, it’s ok to do that in March…but if you are the Yankees, it’s not”
One thing that no one is really talking about is whether or not Johnson’s play on Cervelli was a clean play, ST or not. Most of the collisions at the plate see guys come in on the catcher forearms first and try and push the catcher over while jarring the ball free. Johnson came in head down and shoulder first (a penalty in all levels of football) like a missile.
Even if it was a regular season game I am not so sure that his play would have been all that well received, injury or not.
Back to the game…..
A 1-2-3 inning for Ohlendorf. Very good work today by Patterson, Hawkins and Ohlendorf.
Combined: 4 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 BB, 5 K’s, 0 Runs.
Can’t ask for anymore than that from those guys.
Come on, Pete…this isn’t Little League. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If Tampa Bay wants to play baseball this way, they have to expect some retaliation.
The 77 and 78 Yankees would be proud. Those guyw were hated for not taking crap but all they did was win. Hopefully this team will follow suit.
Mel
That should read “I am sure” not “I am.” LOL!
I love how someone getting hit in the foot turned into him intentionally hitting someone.
Drew,
I’m sorry, but I’m really lol at myself right now. This is sick, but I’m picturing the crew breaking up the brawl, and everyone is horrified to find Zim lying lifeless on the ground with a shiv in his gut.
Sick, sick, sick. But you started it.
Scott, the media will say “the Rays slide was good old fashioned hard nosed baseball trying to knock the ball out to get a run, but the Duncan slide is not about being safe or out, it was just to hurt the Rays player”. Needless to say, I find this to be complete bs, but get ready for it.
I’m probably in the minority here but I think Duncan and Girardi are way out of line. There are two reasons why the collision at home was fine:
1 - it’s an instinctive play. You’re 30 feet from home and the catcher is blocking the plate, you’re going to try and score, and that’s it. You’re not thinking “hey, it’s spring training.” You’re instinctively trying to score.
2 - it’s a young player trying to impress his manager. He has a LOT more to lose by assuming the manager wouldn’t want a collision than by playing the game the right way.
The Yankees and Girardi completely overreacted. Shelley’s play today was inexcusable. He’ll rightly be suspended.
good job by the BP today
“This is the first year in a long time, guys will be sent to Scranton who are good enough to pitch on this pitching staff.”
mel,
I agree. We’ve talked about Melacon a lot. But Sanchez gets lost in the mix a bit.
He’s got tremendous talent. He really does. Phil and Sanchez were in the Eastern league at the same time in 2006 - Phil had one of the great minor league years in the recent past. But Sanchez was named Eastern Conference pitcher of the year. I’m really looking forward to seeing him throw.
He was clocked in the low 90’s while his elbow was bothering him. If the recovery goes well I could see him sitting in the
you get use once, we’ll get you twice…
“Scott, the media will say “the Rays slide was good old fashioned hard nosed baseball trying to knock the ball out to get a run, but the Duncan slide is not about being safe or out, it was just to hurt the Rays player”. Needless to say, I find this to be complete bs, but get ready for it.”
But that is EXACTLY what happened!
SJ,
I was just thinking the same thing looking at Gameday. You have to wonder if Phillips was really nervous at the prospect of having to actually hit someone. Like a hitman afraid to pull the trigger. lol.
That was a pretty rough 1st inning.
mel, I didn’t take quite that far, LOL.
Pete (not PeteAbe), the Cervelli play is considered clean in baseball. Going spikes high hasn’t been since Ty Cobb played.
Jeff NJ:
Which part of it is BS? Either you think that Johnson was intentionally trying to hurt Cervelli, or you think that Duncan wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt Iwamura.
Do you really believe either of those?
Jeff
You are probably right. That is about what they will say. They will completely ignore that going in spikes up is the “old fashioned” way of playing the game.
I hate double standards like this.
Thanks Mel. I would expect the Yankees to do the same thing.
Don’t know if anyone said this but this morning on WFAN Sweeny said that this Billy Crystal “signing” was Derek’s idea. He met Crystal on vacaiton in the off season and they were talking about it and Derek proposed it.
rbizzler, in football it is legal to lead with your shoulder but illegal to lead with your helmet. The play at the plate, Johnson led with his shoulder.
Good ole Timlin giving up a homerun. Too bad no one was on base.
And if Cobb-style isn’t old-fashioned hard nose, then what is?