Girardi: “I like fight”
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Sep 09, 2008 
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There are plenty of reasons for teams to fight in baseball. But tonight goes under the category of “silly misunderstanding.”
After Torii Hunter was tagged out, he stumbled over Mike Napoli’s bat and bumped into Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge sort of shoved back at him and Hunter went all WWE, giving him a two-handed shove in the back.
“He pushed me pretty hard, like a fight in the ‘hood,” Hunter said. “The ghetto came out. I hate that.”
Next thing you know, the benches cleared and everybody was square dancing.
The odd thing about it is that Hunter and Rodriguez are two of the nicest guys in baseball. Hunter came over to the Yankees clubhouse after the game, asked to see Rodriguez and they met in the lobby. Handshakes, hugs and apologies followed.
But Joe Girardi was digging the brawl, smiling widely when asked about it.
“It’s Pudge showing emotion and I’m OK with that. Emotion is a good thing. It’s baseball, boys being boys,” he said with a chuckle.
The idea that the stolen bases in the inning had something to do with it is silly. It was 6-1 in an American League game. That’s not over.
Girardi was asked whether he liked the idea that his team brawled.
“I like fight,” he said, sounding a little like Brick Tamland from Anchorman.
“Emotion is part of this game. I like players who show emotion. I don’t have a problem with it. I’m OK … don’t take it the wrong way, I’m just saying I like the emotion that happens in the game.”
Inside the clubhouse, some players seemed embarrassed that the benches cleared in a game that was so lopsided. Fight? The Yankees had another night of quick at-bats. They’ve scored one run in the last 16 innings.
“I have no idea what happened, you’d have to ask them. I don’t think that’s showing emotion. I think most of us are (mad) that we lost 12-1,” Johnny Damon said. “That’s what I’m thinking about.”
Brian Bruney: “Who cares about the fight? We got our butts kicked.”
Don’t worry guys we’ll bake the Angels some “I’m sorry†brownies and makeup tomorrow.
Jeter will get the flower w/ his apron, Arod will mix the batter, Robi will lick the spoon, Giambi will bring the nuts since he doesn’t have any like the rest of these guys , Giese will seal it and protect it in a package since he specializes in preventing situations we’ll kiss and makeup. God knows we want to.
Stuart -
“they have no heart it is that simple…. who is the leader??? they have no leader no one with any heart.. none…†TRUE: Haven’t had a leader since O’Neil retired.
“this team needs to be cleansed, eliminate any older guy who is a free agent, all of them…†TRUE: But what about Giambi, and Abreu? Look at their stats…yawn. (sarc off).
“who will miss any of this garbage; pavano, giambi(he is a fraud joke), abreu(woossie), pavano, Irod, and others this team is a total pathetic joke…†TRUE: But Pavano he owes us 3 years without pay.
“Arod is a fraud loser and anyone who does not see that is totally blind……..†Uh oh, Stuart, you’ve just committed blasphemy against the high and holy one! Just look at all those stats!!!
Blow up this team and start over!!
ps, when are these guys going to start blushing over being the Angels’ bitches? You’d think sooner or later they’d question their manhood.
It seems like Joe G, and the team are on completely different pages.
Brian Cashman:
BLOW THIS TEAM UP AND START OVER!!!!
(Think Ronald Reagan, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”)
Whyre you guys still getting bent out of shape about this team?
Michael Kay used the term “glass jaw” to describe this team. They get hit and they don’t fight back like Yankees teams of old. I’d use the word “soft” to describe them. If by some miracle they had made the playoffs, it would be one and done. Notice the past tense. Very, very sad and embarassing too.
This is from mlb.com:
“The incident occurred after Hunter was tagged out at home plate by Rodriguez to make the second out of the inning. Rodriguez tagged Hunter at the plate by shoving his glove backward in a swinging motion and Hunter took exception and shoved Rodriguez in the back on his way to the mound.”
So which is it? A hard out or a shove by Pudge after the out? I’ve got to watch it for myself again, but I’d be interested in what you guys saw.
“He pushed me pretty hard, like a fight in the ‘hood,†Hunter said.”
Hunter grew up in a tame ‘hood if that was a hard push.
Ok so I want to sort out this idea that the late 90 teams carried just as many weak bats as the current 2008 team. I will judge a weak bat as one that has an OPS+ equal to or lower than 85. If you are not familar with that stat, basically a guy with an OPS+ of 100 has a league average sum of OBP and SLG. Anything below 100 is a below average sum, and anything above 100 is above average. This is kind of a simple way to look at it, but it allows me to save some time. An OPS+ of 85 is 15% below league average, which I think is super crappy, and so I will use it as my standard since I am looking for extra crappiness. And I am ignoring batting data for pitchers.
So to sum up, if the player had an OPS+ equal to or below 85, I will label him a Super Crappy Player.
The 2008 team has had 1947 plate appearances from super crappy players.
The 2000 team had 1496 plate appearances from super crappy players.
The 1999 team had 1295 plate appearances from super crappy players.
The 1998 team had 602 plate appearances from super crappy players.
The 1996 team had 1342 plate appearances from super crappy players.
The 2000 team is the only one that comes within a sniff of the 2008 team, and even that is a reach. And remember that the 2000 team wasn’t that great – I think they only won 88 games in the regular season.
And keep in mind that this season isn’t over yet. With Cano and a crappy catcher playing eveyerdya, the 2008 Yankees will eclispe 2000 plate appearances from super crappy players fairly soon. This is the main problem with the offense – not ARod or Giambi or Jeter or Abreu or Matsui – way way way too much playing time has been allocated to guys who can’t hit. It is pretty staggering.
I saw the interview, it was as if the reporters were trying to twist Girardi’s intent. I know some of you beat reporters don’t like Girardi, but come on, it was clear he meant “fight” in the “emotional, playing with an edge” context. To go in different directions with it, well, it shows beat reporters can be as thick as Girardi.
I lol’d at the Brick Tamland reference. Seriously I cant wait for the season to be over.
I would have liked some fight about two months ago, when it mattered. Who cares? They got rolled up again tonight, and the season’s been over for a while.
By the way, I would like to extend everyone an invitation to the pants party.
LOUD NOISES!!!! LOUD NOISES!!!!
Harrs44: you got it right. The season’s dead. Died a month ago, really, and just has been rotting since then.
“He pushed me pretty hard, like a fight in the ‘hood,†Hunter said.”
Did he fight girls ?
“Girardi, i like fight”
Me, I like turtles.
I like a nice pair of slacks and I’m rarely late.
“He pushed me pretty hard, like a fight in the ‘hood,†Hunter said.â€
Did he fight girls ?
Nah, just ole ladies from da hood.
““He pushed me pretty hard, like a fight in the ‘hood,†Hunter said.â€
Did he fight girls ?”
If by “hood” he meant Beverly Hills then maybe.
Oh, one other thing,
the seasons over Girardi how bout playing some of the kids?
So what if they’re not future all-stars, at least give em a chance to tell their grandkids they got a shot to play in the bigs.
Ooops, sorry about that, the big boys upstairs wouldn’t like it ticket sales and all; as if that means anything at this juncture.
they shuld just lose every game the rest of the season – we could possibly get a higher draft pick!
““I like fight,†he said, sounding a little like Brick Tamland from Anchorman.”
I like fight (in my players). He clarified this.
“the seasons over Girardi how bout playing some of the kids?”
What kids? Who do the have in the minors that has a real shot of playing in the Bronx next year.
Just watched the replay. It’s ridiculous that Pudge got ejected.
The instigator deserves a proper response and the boot.
What’s Pudge supposed to do after he gets shoved from behind? Stand there like an idiot?
(And stop saying this is a girl thing. We’ll gouge your eyes and scratch your face from the front. We’re not cowards)
I love Lamp.
Hi I’m Joe Giradi! People seem to like me because I’m polite and rarely late. I like silly lineups and I really enjoy referring to my little black book when making big decisions! Years later, a doctor will tell me I have an I.Q of 48 and that’s what some people call mentally retarded.
The Angels scored 12 runs while leaving only 2 men on base. It’s only the second time in team history that the Angels scored that many runs while leaving so few men on base. (The other time was in a 12-7 win over the Rangers on Sept. 13, 1977, in which they also left only two runners on base).
Abreu had swung at the first pitch in only 7.4 percent of his plate appearances, that’s best in the majors.
RockinDaBronx, I am crying right now. Hilarious.
Did you know that Guerrero is a free agent this year??? how about we sign him and let Abreu go? (by the way the top 12 free agents are: Sabathia, Delgado, Giambi, Kevin Millar, Mark Teixeira, Chipper Jones, Manny, Abreu, Guerrero, Adam Dunn, Burnett and K-Rod.
There are 24 more big names on the market: Crawford, Garrett Anderson, Varitek, Nomar, Juan Uribe, Joe Crede, Cliff Floyd, Raul Ibanez, Jason Michaels, Griffey, Pat Burrell, Mike Cameron, Milton Bradley, Jon Garland, Glavine, Randy, John Lackey, Pedro, Mussina, Brad Penny, Pettitte, John Smoltz, Wakefield and the worst closer (?) Trevor Hoffman). my terrible opinion says the Yankees should try to sign Sabathia (replacing Pettitte) Lackey (replacing Mussina) Teixeira (replacing Giambi) and Guerrero (replacing Abreu). meanwhile there’s about 50 free agent Relievers.
I like the Yanks to get a better sence of reality.
He shoved me hard? What is Torri a child? It was a tap of the glove. He is the one who sucker hit Pudge. Fine he apologized. But IMO Torri was 98% in the wrong.
Was anyone shocked to see Pudge take a swing at Hunter……and miss???
Actually Mel Pudge should have done nothing. If he does he makes Hunter the complete idiot. Instead he took a wild slap that missed everything and turned himself from the victim of a cheap shot into a co-combatant deserving a suspension. Brainless phony machismo that hurts the team is not the same thing as standing up for yourself.
A.B.K. I fail to see how Abreu swining at only 7.4 % of first piches is the “best” in baseball. The fewest perhaps, but he takes a lot of batting practice fastballs for strike one.
This is the capper on a lousy season. I just don’t like how these guys have given up. This would have never happened under Torre. It seems like they’re trying to get into last place before the season ends.
The Yankees are now officially flaccid.
When does spring training begin?
That’s odd how Joe put a positive swing on the benches clearing. Honestly, it does nothing for me. Rarely would I think it’s a good thing. Example of good brawl situations: Tino getting drilled in 1998, Manny overreacting to a pitch that was nowhere near him, and Pedro sending two of our players to the hospital, threatening another (Posada), and throwing Don Zimmer (those are all separate occassions, but Pedro should have gotten his). The players had more appropriate reactions in my view.
“Don’t worry guys we’ll bake the Angels some “I’m sorry†brownies and makeup tomorrow.
Jeter will get the flower w/ his apron, Arod will mix the batter, Robi will lick the spoon, Giambi will bring the nuts since he doesn’t have any like the rest of these guys , Giese will seal it and protect it in a package since he specializes in preventing situations we’ll kiss and makeup. God knows we want to.”
that was hilarious…
It would be nice if Joe Girardi liked hitting with players in scoring position, intelligent baserunning, fielding by players who appeared to care. But, he likes “fight”. Is it too much to ask that these people played like professionals, considering what they are being paid, and what we are paying for the privlege of seeing this mess? All you folks who wanted to run Joe Torre out of town, I hope you are happy. Be careful what you wish for.
“What kids? Who do the have in the minors that has a real shot of playing in the Bronx next year.”
Its been one flipping year. Yeah, IPK, and Hughes weren’t what we expected. But, it wouldnt be fair to judge them on what they did for just this one season. You have to give them a couple of seasons. Nobody thought Moose would be this good after last year. Who knows, maybe next year will be IPK, and Hughes year if they’re even in the rotation.
Amen, Westchester! I would like to see the Yankees show their fight by hitting a baseball with a bat. Maybe someone could draw them a picture of what that looks like, or perhaps they could pay attention when they are in the field and they would see it. That’s a good way to get back to people…win ballgames!
And FYI to the Yankees, and the YES announcers: Jon Garland is not a great pitcher. Neither is Burnett, Cabrera, or Ervin Santana. Everyone else manages to get their hits against these guys, but the Yankees can’t touch them. “Throw hard, down the middle” continues to be a perfect recipe for success against this team, and has been since April. Time to make an adjustment? Maybe wait a couple more weeks, then try?
Truto -
I think that’s a good way to look at it.
Combine that with:
Giambi’s OPS with RISP: .693
ARod’s OPS with RISP: .856
Abreu’s OPS with RISP: .805
and you explain why this team never scored runs.
i think girardi is way over his head.
the players are running the clubhouse,he can’t motivate the players,he is affraid to yell at them.
he better change quickly.
everyone must go.abraeu,pettitte,giambi,pavano,marte,mussina,trade cano,damon,matsui.
they need an ace and sabathia is too old for the contract he will get.the most i would do with him is a 5 year/105 million and he will wan’t more.i would pass.
they should trade for 2 good young pitchers,volquez,billingsley,etc…..,trade hughes,cano,kennedy,betances,brackman,melancon,whatever it takes or trade for one pitcher and sign another one.
trade for a good young center fielder and first baseman.
why is it that the red sox let players go at the right time and dictate the terms of a contract and everybody they bring in is successfull but the yankees suffer at the tail end of every contract for the most part?
why is becket making 10 million a year and pettitte making 16 million?
the yankkes need to start over by getting high obp guys in left,center,right,first base,second base,keep arod,jeter,posada,molina and replace everybody else,pitching is another story.sign an ace,trade for a good young pitcher like volquez,sign another starter or trade for one.
1-3 will be sabathia,wang,joba.