We all saw this one coming, didn't we? And it all started with a little incident last season when Willie Randolph benched his superstar shortstop after failing to hustle down to first base. I've heard countless Mets fans, generally the Latino fans, suggest that the Mets are Jose Reyes' team; the clubhouse is Jose Reyes' clubhouse. All I can do is laugh when I hear that kind of ignorant banter.
The Mets, in what appeared to be a cowardly act, fired their manager after a 9-6 win last night in interleague play at Anaheim. But it was the way Mets GM Omar Minaya did it. Once he made the decision that the time was now, he boarded a flight to Los Angeles, went to the team hotel, and then told him he was being let go, at midnight.
Here's how this really went down, says ESPN's Buster Olney, and I can't help but to agree with every last bit of it. The circus that is the Mets front office really should think twice about the way they handled this. And then to add insult to injury, Minaya went out and made a bigger ass of himself by trying to explain this to anyone who was willing to listen to him or believe him during his press conference this afternoon. Karma's a bitch, isn't it? I'll be the first to sit back with a smile on my face when this all comes back to bite the Mets and Minaya in the ass later on. Or, maybe it's already starting? Reyes left tonight's game against the Angels with an apparent leg injury, which turned out to be a stiff hamstring.
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And how about this from Yankee's co-chairman, Hank Steinbrenner.
During yesterday's game in Houston, Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang hurt his foot running the bases while trying to score from second base. The diagnosis after an MRI yesterday leaves him in a protective boot and on crutches for six weeks, and he is expected to be out until September.
But in the aftermath of the injury, Hank had some choice words, which I found rather amusing and cute, for the National League.
"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century. They need to grow up and join the 21st century. Am I [mad] about? Yes. I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that and it's time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."
Now I don't know about anyone else, but doesn't the American League basically play with the same rules now? Sure the game has evolved and some of the rules have been modernized over the years. But the basic rules of the game that Major League Baseball uses today... is from the 1800s, Hank! The 21st century? Please, Hank. Your pitcher could have just as easily got hurt on the pitchers mound or running to cover first base on a defensive play, or to back up the catcher behind home plate on a throw from the outfield. Don't go crying to MLB because your pitchers don't know how to run the bases properly. Don't go crying to MLB because they aren't well conditioned to run the bases. And let's be honest, I can't begin to remember the last time a pitcher in the American League hurt his foot the way Wang did while running the bases during interleague play. In fact, the answer is never! Heck, that kind of injury has never happened to an NL pitcher from running the bases! (Sure, Derek Lowe re-aggravated a pre-existing hip injury last season in Houston trying to leg out a hit to right field. It happens.) There's no crying in baseball, Hank!
And to be honest, I absolutely hate the designated hitter. It's a useless position. The player doesn't play on the field. And if you really dig in and did research, I'll bet only a small number of American League teams have really benefited and had success with it over the years. But we'll save this for another time.
But for now, I'm just going to sit back and chuckle a little more over Hank's little crying tirade.
The Mets, in what appeared to be a cowardly act, fired their manager after a 9-6 win last night in interleague play at Anaheim. But it was the way Mets GM Omar Minaya did it. Once he made the decision that the time was now, he boarded a flight to Los Angeles, went to the team hotel, and then told him he was being let go, at midnight.
Here's how this really went down, says ESPN's Buster Olney, and I can't help but to agree with every last bit of it. The circus that is the Mets front office really should think twice about the way they handled this. And then to add insult to injury, Minaya went out and made a bigger ass of himself by trying to explain this to anyone who was willing to listen to him or believe him during his press conference this afternoon. Karma's a bitch, isn't it? I'll be the first to sit back with a smile on my face when this all comes back to bite the Mets and Minaya in the ass later on. Or, maybe it's already starting? Reyes left tonight's game against the Angels with an apparent leg injury, which turned out to be a stiff hamstring.
**********
And how about this from Yankee's co-chairman, Hank Steinbrenner.
During yesterday's game in Houston, Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang hurt his foot running the bases while trying to score from second base. The diagnosis after an MRI yesterday leaves him in a protective boot and on crutches for six weeks, and he is expected to be out until September.
But in the aftermath of the injury, Hank had some choice words, which I found rather amusing and cute, for the National League.
"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century. They need to grow up and join the 21st century. Am I [mad] about? Yes. I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that and it's time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."
Now I don't know about anyone else, but doesn't the American League basically play with the same rules now? Sure the game has evolved and some of the rules have been modernized over the years. But the basic rules of the game that Major League Baseball uses today... is from the 1800s, Hank! The 21st century? Please, Hank. Your pitcher could have just as easily got hurt on the pitchers mound or running to cover first base on a defensive play, or to back up the catcher behind home plate on a throw from the outfield. Don't go crying to MLB because your pitchers don't know how to run the bases properly. Don't go crying to MLB because they aren't well conditioned to run the bases. And let's be honest, I can't begin to remember the last time a pitcher in the American League hurt his foot the way Wang did while running the bases during interleague play. In fact, the answer is never! Heck, that kind of injury has never happened to an NL pitcher from running the bases! (Sure, Derek Lowe re-aggravated a pre-existing hip injury last season in Houston trying to leg out a hit to right field. It happens.) There's no crying in baseball, Hank!
And to be honest, I absolutely hate the designated hitter. It's a useless position. The player doesn't play on the field. And if you really dig in and did research, I'll bet only a small number of American League teams have really benefited and had success with it over the years. But we'll save this for another time.
But for now, I'm just going to sit back and chuckle a little more over Hank's little crying tirade.
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