Several Severe Sunday Stangenesses
by Titov on May 18, 2009 9:14 AM EDT
21 comments
Not in our game, of course. We had another Orioles Classic Loss (1998-2009; collect the whole set), a game which proved that if winning is nice, low-end mediocrity is forever-- and hey, we like the security of a long-term arrangement. Or something. Oh, what's the use of expending extra words on this little mess? It was the usual Oriole auto de fe, of which we own the Mercedes Benz franchise.
No, the strangenesses were elsewhere-- and man, were they strange.
(1) The Rayz somehow failed to submit a legal batting order [!], forcing them to play National Punk League baseball all afternoon, and without their best player. Yes, Longoria, who was supposed to DH, got himself banned because, um, somebody couldn't count, couldn't write or both. Maybe it was a loaded Magic Marker.
So Sonnanstine had to bat-- and got a hit, driving in a run! He didn't pitch that well, but picked up a W in any case. And since the team won, today's warm-up drills for the Rayz may NOT include penmanship and arithmetic exercises after all.
(2) I hadn't heard of a line-up card abortion like the above since reading about one in the puzzle book So You Think You Know Baseball. And many of the cases there are drawn from minor league incidents and/or theoreticals dreamed up over hot stoves. Anyway, yesterday's other strangeness was just as jaw-dropping, and eminently non-theoretical.
Tie game, bottom of the 9th, man on 2nd, one down. Ground ball to the mound, pitcher knocks it down, catcher fields, looks to first, sees no play. Infield hit, right?, putting the winning run on 3rd with less than 2 out, a routine GWRBI chance for the next batter. But no-o-o-o-o...
The on-base runner , Brett Gardner, decides to SCORE FROM SECOND ON A GROUND BALL FIELDED BY THE CATCHER.
Sure, it took a great diving tag by Mauer to put him out, but basically-- WTF was Gardner THINKING? Sort of "The hell with this runner- on-third-with-less-than-two-outs sh*t, that's for wussies. I wanna Win The Game All By Myself! That's why I'm a Yerkee, dammit!! Grrrr! OK, here I g-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!!! Holy crap, I'm out?!?"
It's really, really unfortunate that Johnny Dipstick's walk-off saved Gardner's stupid arse from the ignominy he/it deserved. But that's baseball.
Stra-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ange Brew, all right.
p.s. The only thing worse than watching the Yerkees win is watching them celebrate it. We're in May, of course, so let's all jump up and down for 5 minutes a la Game 7 of the WS, then let's shaving cream the hero for national TV and generally act like we're The Most Storied Franchise Run By Morons In The History of Professional Sports. I wonder how many bottles of champagne they went through...
Welp, we'll have a chance to Yerk their chain starting Tuesday. Go O's!
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CREAM refs get you
+5 for sure. And speaking of cream, what was that mysterious white substance all over the faces of the Yankees over the past few days? I could have swore that I saw Hal S. and Alex R. coming out of the dugout together just before the post game interview!
Mood about O's rotation: Depressed : (
by sickuvitall on May 18, 2009 9:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Could be Cream-- could be The McKenzie Brothers!! Pls award pts. according to which rates higher.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086373/
On the substances in question, I think you’re 50% right: I figure it was Hal bringing the cream, while A*Clod, predictably, was bringing the clear.
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 18, 2009 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Linky
Gardner is so damned fast it was actually quite close.
Ugh, I had to listen to Michael Kay to watch that clip. Blecchhhhhh.
It's 4 in the morning. Too much to drink. All the girls look hot. So, the Nationals are Jennifer Lopez to me. —Julian Tavarez
by zknower on May 18, 2009 12:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Might almost have to give some respect for that if it didn't involve the MFY
That’s an out on the basepaths you have to figure you can live with. Gutsy move late-game with the score tied and it came that close to working. Sure beats watching another blown hit-and-run where Huff is left out to dry at second base.
Cry havoc and unleash the Esskay hot dogs of war! - The Wayward Oriole, Opening Day 2008
by Eat More Esskay on May 18, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
b-b-b-but
he wasn’t tagged?
Jioe Flaacco, Hon!!! "He’s like a live JUGS machine."
by dayzd toe on May 18, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The man-horse
had a valid argument. The glove never grazed his hoof.
Mood about O's rotation: Depressed : (
by sickuvitall on May 18, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not visible here, but on other replays -- of which I saw many, a la A Clockwork Orange, since YES was on fitness ctr big screen-- he clearly tags him.
It also looked like Gardner didn’t touch the plate in any case— and I was actually waiting for one of those odd delayed-call-at-the plate things, where the ump stands there after a big slide/attempted tag and waits: the play hasn’t been concluded, since the tag of base and runner wasn’t made by either of the respective parties. But the ump got it right: Mauer did make the tag, as sure as Berra tagged out Robinson. Only with the right ending.
Anyway, this really is one of those hero-or-goat moments, a larger version of going to 3rd with less than two outs: you better make it or it’s you arse.
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 18, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Uh yeah...
I was referred to Huff.
Jioe Flaacco, Hon!!! "He’s like a live JUGS machine."
by dayzd toe on May 18, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
*ING
Damn it! referrING
Jioe Flaacco, Hon!!! "He’s like a live JUGS machine."
by dayzd toe on May 18, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh. Never mind!
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 18, 2009 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah.
I’d never argue a most storied player in the history of players being phantom tagged out. That would be the most storied non-out out in the history of storied non-out outs… and it would be great.
Jioe Flaacco, Hon!!! "He’s like a live JUGS machine."
by dayzd toe on May 18, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It took an incredible play by Mauer to get him
No one is going to expect the runner to take off in that situation. It’s probably the dumbest thing you could possibly do, and that’s why Gardner trying it was worth it. Mauer had to have split-second awareness that Gardner was rounding third, reflexes to change directions, athleticism to make the dive, and simply be tall enough to tag him with that reach.
I would guess there’s one other catcher who even would have a chance to make the play. And we’re waiting for his super-two status to pass.
Cry havoc and unleash the Esskay hot dogs of war! - The Wayward Oriole, Opening Day 2008
by Eat More Esskay on May 18, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Aw Hell.
Said Catcher would have tagged that motherfucker out before he got to third, then he would have made the play at first just for good measure… y’know, in case there’s a rule change for MFY that somehow allows them an extra out.
Jioe Flaacco, Hon!!! "He’s like a live JUGS machine."
by dayzd toe on May 18, 2009 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Some day old timer fans will recall this play fondly over hot stoves, saying "Remember 'Gardner's Mad Dash' at the New Yerkee Stadium, when that Twin's catcher Wieters-ed him?"
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 18, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
said catcher would have tagged him out
and killed him because of his strength
by Timmy L. on May 18, 2009 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It was an even better play than it sounds, if you only read the description and didn't see it.
The pitcher did a behind-the-back stab at it that knocked it down halfway between the mound and homeplate, but he had no idea where it was. Mauer ran out, got it, pumped to first as if to get the batter at first (not sure if it was a decoy pump or he just realized, out of the corner of his eye, that Gardner was coming home), then he raced to the plate and made the tag. Great, great play by Mauer. And a dumb play by Gardner with less than two outs, but not if he’d tried it with two outs.
by providence on May 20, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interestingly, on local YerkeeLand call-in radio last night, the two DJ's agreed that Mauer was not only
the only catcher in MLB today who could’ve made this play, but probably the only catcher ever who could’ve done so. Their sole possible exception was Bench.
I dunno. Anyway, they didn’t mention Wieters, the dimbulbs, so we’ll have to show ‘em. Frickin’ agnostics are everywhere.
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 20, 2009 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's not great quality, but look at this version, especially the last 10 seconds. He looks pretty out to me. And the Yerks didn't argue.
http://www.wikio.com/video/1149634
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 18, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Robinson WAS out, right? I mean, there hasn't been some 21st Century Tech Breakthrough that shows otherwise, I assume...
I couldn’t be a bigger retrospective Jackie Robinson fan, but when you’re out, you’re out. And Berra went berserk, ’cause he knew it better than anybody.
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 18, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not so sure...
Haven’t seen the play in a while, but I kind of remember thinking that the way Berra set up, by the time Jackie slid into the glove his foot would have crossed part of home.
by NickMarkaces on May 18, 2009 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, he still looks pretty out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XY-XshGhMU (Ignore the Nazi cheerleaders’ comments, if you can)
Not surprisingly, Yogi still agrees. http://www.nyyfans.com/article.php?sid=8471
But somewhere in my brainpan there’s a faint echo of some “new tech” take on the play. Maybe it was a hoax story. I’m losing neurons so fast, anything’s possible.
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
by Titov on May 18, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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