Get those dogs on a leash
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 14, 2009 
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Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has a very interesting piece on the web site today about how some teams appear to be bending the rules when it comes to the disabled list.
Dontelle Willis was out with an anxiety disorder, Chien-Ming Wang with a hip injury, Oliver Perez with a mysterious knee injury, etc.
With the piece, Brian Cashman defends the Wang move and issues this hilarious quote:
“Players are like pets sometimes. If they don’t express themselves properly or fully, it’s all guesswork trying to figure out what’s really going on.”
Woof! Woof!
Loopholes are there for a reason.
Funny how Dice-K’s “arm fatigue” doesn’t make that story.
That’s as shady as the other stories yet, “surprisingly”, ESPN offers nothing on it.
What a “surprise”.
No pooper scoopers or litter boxes for these pets though. Thanks goodness.
SJ: You say that as if there’s some sort of bias at ESPN. You CAN’T be saying that, can you????
Anyhoo, hopefully Wang’s next start will show he’s fully ready to join the team. CC needs to have another great outing and the Yanks can take the series! If that happens, I wonder what the bridge jumpers will b*tch about… BTW, where are those “you don’t bat a .190 hitter 3rd” clowns after yesterday’s game? But I digress…
is A-ROD Dhing tonight? curious about the lineup, my guess is: Damon LF, Swisher RF, Tex 1B, AROD DH, Cano 2B, Melky CF, Pena SS, Berroa 3B, Cervelli C
I’ll tell you something funnier than this story. Last night ESPN decides to do a story about Dwight Howard’s outburst (justified, IMO) toward Stan Van Gundy as Van Gundy once again (as he did with the Heat) showed how clueless he is in the last 5 minutes of a playoff game.
I digress…..
Who does ESPN offer up as “expert commentary” to offer thoughts on this?
Stan Van Gundy’s brother Jeff.
Yup, now there is “objective analysis” for you.
“Surprisingly” Jeff takes the coach’s (ie: his BROTHER’S) side in the dispute.
Now tell me, who among the producers and editors at ESPN yesterday thought it would be a good idea to have Jeff Van Gundy speak on this issue?
And you wonder why ESPN has no credibility in the sports business anymore for anyone other than a fool.
Amazing.
Shoulda asked Shaq about van Gundy’s coaching!
All I know is, I’m glad that MLB Network came along so I can watch that for highlights and analysis. As goofy as Mitch Williams, Joe Magrane and Billy Ripkin can be (and I’m no fan of Matt Vasgergian), it’s infinitely better than Baseball Tonight.
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?!?!?!?!
Okay. Even if the Yankees finagled this one, you can’t argue that Wang doesn’t have a legitimate excuse. The guy was out for 9 months. It’s not like he woke up and had “shoulder fatigue”.
Right on, SJ for calling out Starks on the Dice-K deal. Wang has a linz-franc (sp) to blame, and Daisuke has the WBC. Bogus.
Well, Alfred Hitchock did famously say that actors should be treated like cattle; Cashman’s statement isn’t too far off from that.
Bill, that would have been great…have Jeff VG and Shaq square off on who was right in that situation…now THAT would have been worth watching
Eh, I think Dice K’s arm fatigue was probably real.
the problem w/ the ESPN bias there really is no other alternative for full sports coverage, they have a monopoly, thanfully there is MLBN now for baseball at least for now
hokiehill: They should have asked Mourning to counterpoint JVG…
The Yanks already have had (at least) 3 players go on the DL for injuries they either didn’t fess up to at all or soon enough. I think based on that Cashman has the right to be a little miffed and was dead-on with his comments. I understand the players’ side of things as well though. You want to be there for your team and tough it out and not end up being the next Pavano, but you have to know when it’s serious enough to speak up.
i hate ESPN
Aunt Becca,
Probably was, but why not give Wang the same benefit of the doubt?
there is the MLB Network, but that’s not up to par either…I’d rather just watch ESPN news and get the highlights…TV and radio commentary has just gotten to be abismal lately
They could have had a round table with JVG, Shaq, Mourning and Riley…
If Wang was throwing his normal velocity, he would not be on the DL
Two thumbs down for ESPN
Two thumbs up for SJ44 for calling them out on it.
I just wasted 5 minutes of my life on another useless Stark article *sigh*
ESPN is the absolute worst, thank goodness for the MLB network!
“Eh, I think Dice K’s arm fatigue was probably real.”
I think I do to. Saw the game in Oakland he pitched just prior to going on the DL. Low 80′s, no movement. I thought Wang’s DL stint was peferectly legit too. Sometimes you may have to make it up, but the eyes can tell the story. Those guys weren’t right when they got DL’d.
I like the MLB Network. They still have some kinks to work out and some of their on air people aren’t very good but, for a new network, its much better than Baseball Tonight at this point in time.
I have no doubt Dice-K has “arm fatigue”. However, that’s not an injury. Every pitcher has a “tired arm”. That’s part of the profession.
Things like a slow recovery from a Liz Franc injury or Social Anxiety disorder are actual injuries/conditions.
A tired arm? Geez, and you wonder why Jim Kaat and Jim Palmer laugh at today’s game and the way they baby pitchers.
I love how Francessa watches TV while interviewing people
I’m not sure how a mental/anxiety disorder like Willis is going through can’t be DL worthy.
If the guy is incapable of pitching because of an ailment but it’s not a “physical” injury, should the team keep forcing him out to pitch and risk sending someone with an anxiety disorder off the ledge?
It would be wise of the game to treat these disorders as injuries and attempt to treat them accordingly.
As for Dice K, the only thing I wonder is “arm fatigue” actually an injury? To me if a guy’s arm is too tired to pitch you should be able to DL him and get him healthy again rather than have to waive the player or be forced to carry the player on the 25 man roster.
I’m not making excuses for these guys, but I think anything that prevents a player from performing at their capabilities should be DL worthy.
Wang clearly had something wrong with him. I’m still not sure it wasn’t just mental and not physical.
The Yankees needed to DL him otherwise the situation was going to turn very ugly not only for him, but for the overused players in the pen risking injury with all the innings piling up.
Are they still watching ESPN in the clubhouses or has MLB network taken over?
SJ:
Regarding the Howard/Van Gundy thing. It is a little bogus having Van Gundy’s brother commenting on that particular issue (though I think Jeff Van Gundy is GREAT at that job). That said, Howard has to find a way of not disappearing for minutes at a time as he has through out that series before he starts whining about the coaching.
THIS KIND OF STUFF HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND IT IS DEFINITELY NOT NEWS
that gruelingly long WBC. poor dicey…
“Are they still watching ESPN in the clubhouses or has MLB network taken over?”
good question. i’d have to guess at least a few have switched to MLB. what if sportcenter or baseball tonight isn’t on espn at the time. do they even care?
Clearly Wang had not built up enough hip and leg strength to be effective yet. Its fair to say its related to recovery from the lis franc injury. At the same time, I can see why outsiders would question it as a legitimate injury. To say someone is not in playing shape is not the same thing as saying he’s injured. Would it be acceptable for the Dodgers to have DL’ed Andrew Jones for being fat last year?
I’m being a little facetious here but the point is that once the Yankees activated Wang and said he was ready to play without a reoccurence or new injury of some kind it looks suspicious. It goes to the point that SJ44 and others have made elsewhere that the team should have known in spring training that he needed more time.
I find it curious there is no mention of the Daisuke Matsuzaka DL trip… Oh wait… its ESPN
I don’t know why this is such a big deal- shock- some things that doctors think are not problems, turn out to be problems and some things that are problems, aren’t problems. It took a 2nd or 3rd opinion to find something wrong with a player? Wow.
Stark’s article was particularly condescending towards Willis and lacked even the most basic medical research- yes, anxiety disorders can be discovered through a blood test that check levels of chemicals/neurotransmitters in the blood. Yes, a mental health disorder is a medical condition.
SJ: I was watching the story on Van Gundy last night thinking the same thing. ESPN really has jumped the shark into the realm of tabloid television. I know this is a baseball blog, but their reporting on T.O. last season bordered on the shameful. Cris Carter used a gun reference not once but twice when referring to getting rid of T.O., and somehow he still has a job. So the fact that they don’t question Dice-K or question the Sux placing him on the D.L. is no surprise.
Dontelle = Dontrelle
ESPN’s PTI with Wilbon & Kornheiser is by far the best sports talk TV/Cable show in the Country!
What’s with the lack of reporting on the Scam surrounding the Springsteen Tour…appears that fans bought tickets on line and paid for them but only one thing…they never received tickets!
What the heck?
OK
Tom what’s goin on here?
Who broke the other thread?
Can’t post in other thread…
I’m sorry I picked on Danny’s typing skills. Can we have the comments box back. please?
CC doesn’t have anything left.
no walks CC
Maybe it was Gary G.
Joe has more faith in Veras than I do.
good Lord one more out please
What a horse CC is though.
comments on the game post are fixed.
not sure what happened but you can post there again. sorry.
CC!
Yes, Yes!